david grahame. shout heard 'round the world. review by alan haber. buhdge

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Shout Heard 'Round the World David Grahame Dog Turner (2005) It is no surprise to me that David Grahame's aborted 1984 EMI album has finally been released. After all, this is the age of the "lost" album being found, the most high-profile example of which would be the recent release of the reimagined Smile album, originally recorded by the Beach Boys in the 1960s and finally rerecorded and released, to nearly universal acclaim, by Brian Wilson and his current band. Remember in the early days of CDs, when you'd hear yourself and others say "Nah, that's never gonna be released on CD"? Well, this is also the age of never say never, and in that corner lies the album currently under discussion, what would have been Grahame's first solo public recorded musical exposure but ultimately wasn't. The original release of Shout Heard 'Round the World was not to be because Grahame didn't like the way the record turned out. The record, he reasoned, didn't represent him as he really was, so he asked for penance from the powers that be and he got it; the album was shelved and the artist's vision for himself remained intact. It would be a long time before that vision was realized in the form of Grahame's breakout, debut CD, Toy Plane, post the success he had with the song he wrote that launched at least a thousand ships, "To Be With You," which Mr. Big took to the top of the charts around the world and back again. Six albums on from Toy Plane, in the slot that might normally contain a greatest hits collection or possibly a live album, Shout Heard 'Round the World is finally released, nearly 20 years after it was recorded. It should neither be considered Grahame's new album nor his first; it is, instead, his origin story, a tale of two cities: the first being the artist's desire to make music that is true to his vision, and the second being what happens when that vision is co-opted by others. Twenty years is a long time and a lot of hindsight, and records being what they are, really a microcosm of the times in which they were created, Shout Heard 'Round the World is a fascinating document that, placed in context with the rest of Grahame's work, comes off as somewhat different than what was to come from him, yet somehow similar and, like his other work, wholly enjoyable. Slicker than it needs to be? Sure. But tuneful? Melodic? Hooky? Well-crafted? Yes, yes, yes and decidedly yes. The David Grahame of Shout Heard 'Round the World, produced by the Records' Will Birch and early Squeeze producer John Wood, is a different animal than his fans are used to hearing (among the players on the album is Rockpile's Billy Bremner). More than that, this David Grahame is singing in the style of the then times; every song is designed to be a single and hit-bound. I believe that, had the album been released, it would have been a huge smash. It would have yielded hit singles out the wazoo. And Grahame would have dismissed it and moved on with his life, because that would have been the right thing to do. The David Grahame of Shout Heard 'Round the World could never have made Beatle School Graduate or DT and the Disagreeables, but he sure would have been a radio darling in 1984, and he wouldn't have liked it a bit. Instead, Grahame chose to forge his own path, and thank God for that. Nevertheless, the songs on Shout are wonderfully realized, hooky as hell, and performed with gusto. In fact, they are pretty damned great, and Shout is a good album that any artist would be proud to call his own. "Lay It on the Line" rocks with abandon and a strong melody as it declares its singers independence. The album takes its title from the chorus of "True Believers," a truly great song that actually benefits from its slick production (and a Beatlesque guitar break); it's my favorite song here. The rocking "Too Many, Not Enough" wrongly casts Grahame as a Journey-esque crooner in front of insistent drumming by Bob Irwin, yet the song works in a kind of eighties rocker's way. The last three songs on the album point to the direction Grahame's music would take in the coming years. "Johnny"'s chorus (sung with Carlene Carter) sounds like it could have come from something on One Brick Short. "Hurdles" could have been on Toy Plane, albeit in a rearranged form; the song's infectious chorus is 24-carat-gold catchy. And "Complete My Dream" is classic Grahame in ballad mode: the song's strong melody leads into a classic chorus that will stay with you long after the last notes have sounded. In "Hurdles," Grahame sings of being up against so many blocks; in May of 1984, Shout Heard 'Round the World must have seemed like the biggest block of all. And to walk away from an EMI deal? It must have seemed to the rest of the world like a dunderheaded career move. But then as now, Grahame is his own man, and if it doesn't feel true, he doesn't do it. He doesn't go there. He goes only where it is right. Someone who isn't familiar with Grahame's work will probably view this album as a revelation. As someone who has heard the wide swath of Grahame's output from his early home recordings all the way through to his most recent releases, it is simply the beginning of a long career that is constantly reborn with each song he records. He just keeps getting better, and anyone who has heard all of his released work can do nothing but agree. Shout Heard 'Round the World is the first, professional step on the road to David Grahame's rich life in music. That it has finally been released is great news. Alan Haber March 27, 2005
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Shout Heard 'Round the World
David Grahame
Dog Turner (2005)

david grahame's shout heard 'round the world It is no surprise to me that David Grahame's aborted 1984 EMI album has finally been released. After all, this is the age of the "lost" album being found, the most high-profile example of which would be the recent release of the reimagined Smile album, originally recorded by the Beach Boys in the 1960s and finally rerecorded and released, to nearly universal acclaim, by Brian Wilson and his current band. Remember in the early days of CDs, when you'd hear yourself and others say "Nah, that's never gonna be released on CD"? Well, this is also the age of never say never, and in that corner lies the album currently under discussion, what would have been Grahame's first solo public recorded musical exposure but ultimately wasn't.

The original release of Shout Heard 'Round the World was not to be because Grahame didn't like the way the record turned out. The record, he reasoned, didn't represent him as he really was, so he asked for penance from the powers that be and he got it; the album was shelved and the artist's vision for himself remained intact. It would be a long time before that vision was realized in the form of Grahame's breakout, debut CD, Toy Plane, post the success he had with the song he wrote that launched at least a thousand ships, "To Be With You," which Mr. Big took to the top of the charts around the world and back again.

Six albums on from Toy Plane, in the slot that might normally contain a greatest hits collection or possibly a live album, Shout Heard 'Round the World is finally released, nearly 20 years after it was recorded. It should neither be considered Grahame's new album nor his first; it is, instead, his origin story, a tale of two cities: the first being the artist's desire to make music that is true to his vision, and the second being what happens when that vision is co-opted by others.

Twenty years is a long time and a lot of hindsight, and records being what they are, really a microcosm of the times in which they were created, Shout Heard 'Round the World is a fascinating document that, placed in context with the rest of Grahame's work, comes off as somewhat different than what was to come from him, yet somehow similar and, like his other work, wholly enjoyable. Slicker than it needs to be? Sure. But tuneful? Melodic? Hooky? Well-crafted? Yes, yes, yes and decidedly yes.

The David Grahame of Shout Heard 'Round the World, produced by the Records' Will Birch and early Squeeze producer John Wood, is a different animal than his fans are used to hearing (among the players on the album is Rockpile's Billy Bremner). More than that, this David Grahame is singing in the style of the then times; every song is designed to be a single and hit-bound. I believe that, had the album been released, it would have been a huge smash. It would have yielded hit singles out the wazoo. And Grahame would have dismissed it and moved on with his life, because that would have been the right thing to do. The David Grahame of Shout Heard 'Round the World could never have made Beatle School Graduate or DT and the Disagreeables, but he sure would have been a radio darling in 1984, and he wouldn't have liked it a bit.

Instead, Grahame chose to forge his own path, and thank God for that. Nevertheless, the songs on Shout are wonderfully realized, hooky as hell, and performed with gusto. In fact, they are pretty damned great, and Shout is a good album that any artist would be proud to call his own.

"Lay It on the Line" rocks with abandon and a strong melody as it declares its singers independence. The album takes its title from the chorus of "True Believers," a truly great song that actually benefits from its slick production (and a Beatlesque guitar break); it's my favorite song here. The rocking "Too Many, Not Enough" wrongly casts Grahame as a Journey-esque crooner in front of insistent drumming by Bob Irwin, yet the song works in a kind of eighties rocker's way.

The last three songs on the album point to the direction Grahame's music would take in the coming years. "Johnny"'s chorus (sung with Carlene Carter) sounds like it could have come from something on One Brick Short. "Hurdles" could have been on Toy Plane, albeit in a rearranged form; the song's infectious chorus is 24-carat-gold catchy. And "Complete My Dream" is classic Grahame in ballad mode: the song's strong melody leads into a classic chorus that will stay with you long after the last notes have sounded.

In "Hurdles," Grahame sings of being up against so many blocks; in May of 1984, Shout Heard 'Round the World must have seemed like the biggest block of all. And to walk away from an EMI deal? It must have seemed to the rest of the world like a dunderheaded career move. But then as now, Grahame is his own man, and if it doesn't feel true, he doesn't do it. He doesn't go there. He goes only where it is right.

Someone who isn't familiar with Grahame's work will probably view this album as a revelation. As someone who has heard the wide swath of Grahame's output from his early home recordings all the way through to his most recent releases, it is simply the beginning of a long career that is constantly reborn with each song he records. He just keeps getting better, and anyone who has heard all of his released work can do nothing but agree.

Shout Heard 'Round the World is the first, professional step on the road to David Grahame's rich life in music. That it has finally been released is great news.

Alan Haber
March 27, 2005