About a year ago I stumbled on this guy Andrew Gold…

The story starts when my mother came paid me an afternoon visit.  While sitting around as I filed a few of my records, she mentioned this song “Lonely Boy” (as heard briefly in one of the big 90s Adam Sandler movies).  Apparently this was a single of some note in her (and Sandler’s) youth.

Now, I was initially skeptical, but she insisted I look it up -more for her enjoyment than for sake of my exposure-.  The song starts out pretty corny, but what I dug was the resolved augmented chord mid-chorus (first heard at 0:51).  I was really blown away by the sharp pop writing, and, the over-the-top guitar solo towards the end.  I played the song a second time to tease said chord out, came up with a suitable fingering and so the story might have ended…

About 9 months later, after an all-nighter, a friend of mine suggested I go home, relax and watch Golden Girls.  Everyone present thought this was an awesome idea.  Instead of following through, however, I just wanted to listen to the theme intro music -and lo and behold- in the details below, the song was accredited to Andrew Gold!!  Maybe you’ve heard it before:  “Thank You for Being a Friend”.

With these credentials, I thought surely the guy-behind-the-songs deserved some investigation.  With a fairly limited and not widely celebrated nor circulated catalog, I figured I’d give his career a brief glance via the compilation Thank You for Being a Friend: The Best of Andrew Gold.  Bizarrely, things start off with a relatively late-in-the-going (Gold passed away in 2011) television theme – this one being the “The Final Frontier”, from 90’s sitcom Mad About You.  However, the other 20 songs are quite rewarding…

Gold, who through writing or session work has ties to everyone from Linda Ronstadt, Loudon Wainwright III and 10CC has a number of sounds floating around in his repertoire.  Earlier in his career, his “untamed” voice has a Tom Petty-like simplicity, his middle-of-the-road piano and production work something close to 70s Billy Joel via “How Can This Be Love”, with potential to write a potent pop ballad in line with contemporaries such as Daryl Hall and a Beatles obsession on the tasteful side of Jeff Lynne.

Along with the Tom Petty observation, listen to the original version of “Thank You for Being a Friend”.  A Golden Girls fan familiar with that version might be taken aback from the average-joe vocal, but, that ends up being apart of its charm.  Strangely, even with all of the exposure I had with the theme, I found the actual hook (first heard at 0:58, with subsequent call-and-response versions) more memorable, and, the bridge at 2:43 an especially happy surprise.

With songs “You’re Free” and “Endless Flight” we get the clearest Beatle-based inclinations:  first, from the George Harrison meets We All Together solo at 2:19, and then, note the plane cabin interlude at 2:55 in “Endless Flight” (wherein Gold asks an attendant for tranquilizers!!!) pulling from the classic “Yellow Submarine” mid-song commotion.

Perhaps Gold’s most effective, or most cited mode on this compilation, is that of balladeer.  At its most potent, there is  “Never Let Her Slip Away”, which could very well have been a McCartney B-side circa McCartney II.  Unfortunately, this set leans too heavily in this direction for its own good.  “Hope You Feel Good” and “One of Them is Me” are notably weak, where lyrics and/or delivery are relatively embarrassing.  The former has an especially dodgy vocal performance – so much so it’s hard to imagine there wasn’t a better take…

“Kiss This One Goodbye” is a fantastic departure from the above with a guitar sound and attitude akin to that of 80s-prime Paul Westerberg.  This truly has a fantastic, melodically descending hook.  By the way, “Go Back Home Again” rocks pretty hard as well!

For those looking to bolster their late 70s, early 80s melodic songwriting similar to what America or CSN (circa Daylight Again) was doing, look no further than “Heartaches in Heartaches” or “That’s Why I Love You”.  Naturally, you’d probably also be old enough and inclined to already know about Gold and his records from that time-

Lastly, the record ends with two new (as of 1997) compositions, the Wallflowers-esque “Can Anybody See You” and midi-drums tampered “The King of Showbiz”.  Despite the percussion in the latter, the final two tracks prove Gold was still very much in command of his pop-chops *yum* with co-writer Graham Gouldman (of 10CC).

While this compilation is not a revelation, wherein an obscure 70s singer-songwriter, overlooked by time and acclaim is given new life, with a “Lonely Boy” commercial campaign theme and rap-remix of “You’re Free”, it does highlight a respectable music career by a forgotten pop craftsman.

Surely the only classic here is “Thank You…”, with a number of honorable mentions, BUT, I found this retrospective both charming and enjoyable despite being a few songs too long.  They can’t all be Randy Newman, Fab or something, but surely most songwriters would be happy to leave such a well-lived and nurtured catalog.

If you find yourself on a long trip sometime soon, and want to hear some delightful little pop songs, I feel …The Best of Andrew Gold might be a fun listen.

-MYH