Pierre Brock - bass; Steve Robbins - keyboards; Kenny Mazur - guitar; Robert Palmer - guitar, keyboards, vocals; Jack Waldman - keyboards; Donny Wynn - drums
This mini-set by the late British vocalist Robert Palmer shows the charismatic singer near the peak of his commercial career. Recorded while promoting his multi-platinum Secrets album, he was coasting on the popularity he had achieved with his early hits (such as "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley" and "Every Kinda People"), and made himself a household name with his first big rock hit, "Bad Case Of Loving You."
"Bad Case Of Loving You," was written by Capitol Records artist Moon Martin, but his own version paled by comparison to the hard rockin' read by Palmer. Secrets also yielded other hits for Palmer, including "Jealousy" and a brilliant cover of Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Friends?" Obviously, this performance is scaled down from a full 90-minute show, but "Bad Case Of Loving You," "Give Me An Inch," "Every Kind of People," and "You're Gonna Get What's Comin'," (as well as others) are here and the band is simply terrific, making for a top-notch show.
Palmer was a co-vocalist with fellow Brit Elkie Brooks in the 12-piece, horn-driven funk/pop band Dada from 1970 through 1972. The band fell apart and re-grouped in a smaller version called Vinegar Joe, with Palmer and Brooks in 1972. That group released three more albums, before Palmer signed with Island Records as a solo artist in 1974.
Initially, for his solo LP, he embraced the songwriting of Lowell George and his band, Little Feat. That group contributed both material and performances to Palmer's debut LP, Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley. By the time Secrets was released in 1979, Palmer had moved in a more rock direction, which can be heard here.
It would be 1985 when Palmer had his biggest commercial breakthrough. He struck platinum twice with a side project called the Power Station (featuring members of Duran Duran and Chic), who had hits with "Some Like It Hot" and a cover of T-Rex's "Bang A Gong, Get It On." He also found success that year with his own solo album, Riptide. Sounding close to the Power Station record, it contained the massive hit "Addicted To Love." Palmer, who made a legendary MTV video for that song featuring a band made up of female supermodels, established a new image, wearing tailored three-piece suits and making hard rock/pop albums.
His solo career would take him though a number of musical adventures, and he even reunited with the Power Station before his untimely death. Palmer, who appeared to be in perfect health, died suddenly of a heart attack in September, 2003, while in Paris enjoying a two-day break from a promotional tour.