RENEE GEYER Love So Sweet 7 Inch Version

An itinerant single in the middle of 1982 that kept diehard fans of the inimitable Renee Geyer happy until the next album came along! Renee had begun her career nearly a decade before, and had released several hit albums and hit singles, although her greatest year was 1981 with the Gold selling 'Say I Love You' which made #1 across the ditch in New Zealand, as well as Top 5 in her homeland of Australia. 'So Lucky' was the long player that was issued late in 1981 to capitalise, and it was a wonderful opus, recorded at the Shangri-La studios in Malibu with members of Bonnie Raitt's backing musicians: The Bump Band and produced by Rob Frabroni who had also helmed projects by The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton among others. Renee's album was co-produced by Ricky Fataar who has had a long association with Australian music and who also was associated with The Beach Boys and worked on Bonnie Raitt's 1982 set 'Green Light' which was also recorded at Shangri-La in the same year as Renee's 'So Lucky' Three singles emerged from Renee's 1981 long player: the aforementioned 'Say I Love You' (an Eddy Grant cover) as well as two other covers Lee Michaels' 'Do You Know What I Mean' and Ronnie Wood's 'I Can Feel The Fire'. The last of those missed the Top 40, only reaching #60 back in May of 1982, so Mushroom set about recording a new song for Renee and 'Love So Sweet' emerged. Penned by New Zealand musician Tony Backhouse, and Produced by Ricky Fataar and Mark Moffatt (one of the most prolific and successful Australia has seen), but sadly the single was not a success; only reaching #87 after its July release. I have previously posted the very rare 12 inch mix, in 2016, and other than one other person also doing so years later, there is no full length version of this 1982 recording on youtube. I loved it immediately, and it has remained a gem among my vast collection of Renee Geyer songs. After 'Love So Sweet', Renee released her second live album sensibly titled ''Renee Live' in early 1983 which yielded a minor hit with 'Goin' Back' (a duet with Glen Shorrock) #and65 (AUS) and also her second Greatest Hits' album called 'Faves' later that year, which thankfully included this post's track as well as two other non album singles: 1980's 'Hot Minutes' (Renee's brief foray into new wave rock) and 'Trouble In Paradise', a 1983 single which also failed to crack the Top 40 (#81). It wasn't for lack of exposure - 'Countdown' promoted Renee often and she was a regular co-host, but her switching genres seemed to get lost in the mix, which actually was a very fertile period for Australian music; but synth pop was the genre de jour and Renee generally veered in and out of R&B/ Jazz and Blues more than she did the conventional pop route. That said, 'Love So Sweet' is perfect 'Middle Of The Road' fare, with its vibey production and Renee's soulful funk edge she brings to the vocal. Mushroom Records ended their relationship with Renee Geyer and in 1985 Renee signed with WEA, producing the one album 'Sing To Me' which did produce a moderate hit for her at home in 'All My Love' but it was at that point that the singer packed her bags and relocated to America for the next 9 years working with the greats: Neil Diamond, Sting, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and others. That's where I will leave Renee Geyer for now (she came home in the mid 90's to settle in Melbourne), but there are loads of clips of her music on my channel and I will link the extended version of 'Love So Sweet' in the comments.

Category