The S Blog deals with the interests of a Sri Lankan abroad and is called The S Blog due to the many S topics covered. They include Sri Lanka, Songs, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Science Fiction, Star Trek and even other non S topics.
I discovered a one minute YouTube video by the Huntley Film Archives called “Colombo, Sri Lanka, around 1960. Archive film 95260”. The quality isn’t the best with a watermark, but it is in colour and it does offer a glimpse into what Colombo, Sri Lanka was like in the 1960s. This blog post is a companion piece to my blog post “A Look Back at 1970s Colombo” from a few years ago. I’ll be embedding the video below and will be giving my thoughts on it.
We see ships at sea in Colombo Port. We are soon joined by the Colombo Port Commission building in the same area which is now the Sri Lanka Ports Authority building. We see people walk outside the building. The video then moves into the Colombo roads. I see a brief flash of a double decker bus. We see the Grand Oriental Hotel. Interestingly, I attended a wedding at the Grand Oriental Hotel two years ago in December 2019.
The Colombo Tram is featured. The Colombo Tram is a transport system that used to exist in Colombo, but was discontinued in 1960. I notice that some cars seem to be driving too close to the tram with them crossing the lines of the tram section. It’s my observation that some of the same type of small shops seen here still exist in Colombo. There are what appears to be vegetable stalls. We see the Colombo Tram again going through a narrow road with tiled roofs. It closes with an old building. I wonder what building this is.
It was good to see a look into 1960s Colombo. I notice that Colombo seems to have a strong British influence unlike now, which is no doubt as this was not long after colonialism. Colombo in the 1960s was a very busy city like how it has always been. If you have lived in Colombo in the 1960s or been in Colombo during that time, I hope this video brought back positive memories.
Ever since I began my blog in 2016, I’ve featured one blog post every year featuring embedded content from Google Street View. I decided to write a blog post featuring Google Street View views of five cities in Asia. There are two views of each city and it’s possible to explore these embedded views further. You can click the “View on Google Maps” button to view it in another window if the embed does not load. The order I’m using for this post is from left to right geographically.
Amman, Jordan
We’re beginning in the Middle East which is on the left edge of Asia. Amman is a historical city in Jordan.
A look at the Abdoun Circle.
A roundabout with a hotel in the background. I find it interesting that the traffic island & roundabout are painted blue & purple instead of the black & white painting that are used in my country Sri Lanka.
Colombo, Sri Lanka
We’re now moving into South Asia going to Sri Lanka which is a topic I write about on this blog. Colombo is my hometown which holds a special place in my heart.
This is Union Place which features the Columbo style of having big trees on an urban road.
A view of Beira Lake.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bangladesh is also in the South Asian region. Dhaka is its capital and most populous city.
This overpass reminds me of the overpass that used to exist in my Sri Lankan childhood.
A view of Hatirjheel Lake.
Singapore
Singapore is a developed city-state in South East Asia. I notice that it is an advanced city with several buildings while also having a lot of trees and greenery.
This is from the road featuring the Marina Bay Sands. The Marina Bay Sands has a cool overpass.
A Singaporean intersection.
Seoul, South Korea
The last city Seoul is in South Korea, another developed Asian nation. This is in East Asia and is located in the right edge of Asia being a fitting end as we began from the left edge of Asia.
Here’s a look into the city of Seoul with its big buildings. I find it interesting that while English isn’t spoken widely in South Korea, the road signs are bilingual and English is used in some shop signs.
Looking at skyscrapers over the Han River with the Wonhyo Bridge to the left.
So that was a selection I made of Asian cities. We have covered historical cities (Amman), South Asian cities of developing countries (Colombo & Dhaka) and leading global cities of developed Asia (Singapore & Seoul). Feel free to comment. I’m interested in hearing if you’re from any of the places on this list.
I am a fan of piano so I decided to write an article of great Jackson Browne songs featuring piano with each piano player being different. Jackson has musical similarities with my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. Also, Elton played piano on one of Jackson’s songs which is on this list. This is the Jackson Browne version of my Bob Seger article “Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”. Two of the piano players are the same in both articles. I’ve previously featured Jackson Browne songs in my articles about piano rock songs, non-relationship rock songs and songs David Paich played on. I’m using the same song from my David Paich article with an added sentence. The first song comes from Jackson’s self-titled debut album.
Jamaica Say You Will - Jackson Browne (1972)
This is a melodic and gentle ballad featuring piano played by Jackson himself. This song sounds like Elton John. This is a piano driven song whose guitar part is only a little acoustic guitar. David Crosby’s harmony vocals mix well with Jackson’s voice. Jackson’s piano sounds full and powerful giving the best kind of playing for a ballad.
These Days - David Paich (1973)
This song begins with just Jackson and his acoustic guitar with some slide guitar parts. It continues that way until just before the chorus when David Paich’s piano comes in at just under a minute. David’s piano is a welcome addition that makes the song whole. He gives good accompaniment including being a good match for David Lindley’s slide guitar. This song is a piano and guitar driven rock ballad.
Red Neck Friend - Elton John (1973)
We’re now increasing the pace to a full on rock song. It opens with David Lindley’s slide guitar which is soon joined by the piano. The piano is played by none other than Elton John. This slide guitar is prominent. Elton’s piano goes very well with David’s guitar playing. Eagle Glenn Frey provides noticeable harmony vocals during the chorus. The piano is most prominent in the chorus. Elton plays incredible rock & roll piano in the chorus featuring four glissandos in a row. In the final chorus he gives an instance of eight glissandos in a row. His piano playing is reminiscent of the piano in Bob Seger’s “Katmandu” (1975). I’m pleased that the Jackson Browne song Elton John played on is an intense rock song as that enabled him to feature his great rock & roll piano playing.
Fountain of Sorrow - Jai Winding (1974)
This is the first epic long song on this list. It opens with Jai’s piano which is soon joined by Jackson’s soothing vocals. The piano is supported by David Lindley’s guitar which provides interesting subtle accompaniment. The harmony vocals by Don Henley, Dan Fogelberg & J.D. Souther are gentle which match well with Jackson’s singing. At the five minute mark, there’s a short section with only the piano. It’s great how Jai plays the piano in a slow way while giving a clear rock vibe.
Your Bright Baby Blues - Roy Bittan (1976)
The song is initially driven by acoustic guitar and organ. About forty eight seconds into the song, the piano comes in. The piano gives off a gentle pop rock vibe. At three minutes and seventeen seconds, we get a slide guitar played by Lowell George that comes in via a solo. The slide guitar comes back in a subtle way in the last chorus before closing with another guitar solo. Roy Bittan’s piano playing is warm. This song reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock” (1986) as they are both six minute rock ballads having acoustic guitar and organ in the first verse before the piano comes in and two slide guitar solos. Bill Payne who played the piano on “Like A Rock” (1986) plays the organ on this song and piano on the next one.
Here Come Those Tears Again - Bill Payne (1976)
We are now going to a shorter song after two long ones. This song starts with the song title being sung. The only instrument we hear is the piano for the first eighteen seconds. It’s interesting how the piano does sudden jumps in places. Mike Utley’s organ is featured prominently in parts of the song. It’s interesting that Jackson sings “You might look like a friend of mine” as he would later have a hit duet “You’re a Friend of Mine” with Clarence Clemons in 1985. Bonnie Raitt and Rosemary Butler sing powerful harmony vocals. This is a mid-tempo rocker with a full band sound. This song is driven by Bill’s melodic piano.
Running on Empty - Craig Doerge (1977)
This is one of Jackson Browne’s big hits. It opens with Craig’s piano notes. His piano notes in the song are iconic and instantly recognisable. This is a live song as no studio recording has been released. It rocks very well. Craig plays his piano fast and delivers good accompaniment to David Lindley’s two incredible slide guitar solos. While this song is more guitar driven, the piano has a good prominent place.
My Problem Is You - David Garfield (1995)
This is from an album by Cuban percussionist Luis Conte. It was recorded by Jackson a few years earlier which Luis played on. The original version has a pop rock sound whereas this version has a latin jazz sound. Luis plays congas and maracas on this. David Garfield’s latin piano playing gives off a relaxed lounge vibe. His playing is warm. A saxophone is featured. Parts of the song are sung in Spanish which wasn’t in the original version. The next two songs also have a latin vibe.
Lausoa Kristalean - Mikel Azpiroz (2011)
This is a duet with Basque singer Jabier Muguruza, who along with pianist Mikel Azpiroz are from Basque Country, an autonomous community in Northern Spain. It’s the only song on this list not written or co-written by Jackson. It’s an unusual collaboration which isn’t widely known. I hope this song is a nice surprise for Jackson Browne fans, finding a duet of his which they didn’t know existed. It opens with Mikel’s piano which is soon joined by Jabier’s singing in the Basque language Euskara. After the first verse, there is an accordion played by Jabier.
Jackson then sings a verse in English. His English singing offers a good contrast to Jabier’s singing in Euskara. We have another verse from Jabier with accordion before and after it. This is a slow ballad with few instruments that works very well. It has a good melody. Mikel and Jabier do a good job to make this song captivating with mainly the two instruments of piano and accordion. As the piano is my favourite instrument, I enjoy discovering a new style of music featuring piano. Special thanks to Mikel for answering my questions about this song via email.
A Song For Barcelona - Jeff Young (2021)
This is a new song which Jackson co-wrote with the five musicians in his band who play on it alongside Spanish musician Raúl Rodriguez who plays palmas (a Flamenco form of hand clapping). This song has a great beat. This is an epic eight and a half minute long latin rocker bringing back rock to this list. This is a very musical song with a great melody. It’s interesting to hear Jackson make reference to the “ninety-nine words for snow”. I wonder what that means.
Jeff fuses the latin and rock styles in his piano playing very well. The two guitarists Greg Leisz & Val McCallum provide great guitar playing. I like how Jackson refers to many different places in the world where people visit Barcelona from. Places he mentions include the US, Canada, Norway & China. Close to the seven minute mark, the song stops seemingly concluding especially by the specific piano notes. Four seconds later the song comes back powerfully with Jeff’s piano notes. It’s soon joined by Catalan singing by Jackson and the backing vocalists. The band gradually comes back, has a brief instrumental section followed by places in or near Barcelona sung solely by Jackson. This song is not only a celebration of Barcelona, but also a celebration of humanity.
While the first song “Jamaica Say You Will” is referring to a girl’s name, I am interested in different countries so I’m pleased how we’re both beginning and ending with an international destination in this list. This list went into rock and beyond. The rock songs covered rock ballads, soft rock, pop rock, mid-tempo rockers, intense 70s rock & roll and heartland rock. The latin flavoured songs cover jazz, Basque music and a latin rocker. The latin rocker “A Song For Barcelona” comes full circle fusing the two styles thus going back to rock, the primary genre of this article. Jackson Browne is known for being a rock artist. Jackson used piano less over the years and I’d like to see him make an album with a lot of piano again. Even though his debut album which opens this list was released in 1972, it was recorded in 1971 so these songs cover a 50 year period from 1971 to 2021.
GIFs are video images which are popular online. I decided to write a blog post featuring GIFs of American rock singer Bob Seger whom I’m a fan of. They come from his official profile on the site GIPHY. I’m dividing the GIFs into three sections which are Studio, Hits and Live & Beyond where I give my thoughts on them.
This album came out a year before Bob Seger became a rock star. Its most famous songs are the title track, “Katmandu” and “Travelin’ Man”. It’s cool how this GIF has a white flash through Bob Seger’s name and the atmospheric colour effects in the background. Bob has an unusual posh look in this picture with his top hat, cane and costume. He looks like Doctor Strange which is fitting as the 2016 “Doctor Strange” film referenced the “Katmandu” song with this album mentioned.
This album came out during the time that Bob Seger made it big. This is his first album credited with the Silver Bullet Band. My favourite songs from it are “Mainstreet” and “Sunspot Baby”. Mainstreet is a rock ballad featuring an incredible guitar part. Sunspot Baby is a piano and guitar driven rock song using those two instruments very well. It’s fitting that the sun’s brightness is one of the effects of this GIF due to the album’s two songs “Sunspot Baby” and “Sunburst”. Sunburst has the unique combination of alternating between a soft rock piano ballad and an intense hard rock song.
This album has Bob Seger’s hit songs “Old Time Rock & Roll”, “We’ve Got Tonight”, “Still The Same” and “Hollywood Nights”. It’s the first Bob Seger album I listened to and I consider it to be his best album. This GIF has text effects like the previous two, but it’s unique as the album’s title appears and disappears giving the effect of it being handwritten by Bob himself. It’s cool to see the Los Angeles lights go off and on in the background.
This is Bob Seger’s “Against The Wind” album which is his only number 1 album in the US. Its title track is one his most famous songs with it having the other hit songs “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” and “Fire Lake”.
Bob Seger’s “Greatest Hits” album is his most successful album. This is the first album GIF to feature both the artist & the album’s name text appear and disappear.
Bob Seger’s “Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets” album came out ten years ago and was his first 2-disc CD hits album. This GIF has interesting flashing lights and there are subtle effects with the blue light and steam. I like the fact that this album is the first Bob Seger compilation album to feature his first hit song “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” from 1968 and his version of “Little Drummer Boy” from 1987.
This is the 1981 live album “Nine Tonight”. The lighting effects on this GIF are so cool. One song on this album that stands out to me is “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” which has a more energetic piano part than the studio version. The 2011 Remaster features the bonus track “Brave Strangers” where Bob plays rock piano. He rarely does this and I’d like to see him do it more.
These GIFS are taken from a live performance of “Roll Me Away”. This live performance was featured in the song’s music video which was produced and remained unreleased until last year on Bob Seger’s YouTube channel. Roll Me Away has incredible rock piano by Roy Bittan.
As I featured the “Roll Me Away” music video GIF, I’m including one from the “Like a Rock” music video. Like a Rock comes from the album of the same name and the album cover for “Ultimate Hits” seen above was taken during the filming of this music video. I love the slide guitar playing by Rick Vito on this song. Interestingly, the GIFs of the last two songs come off the two albums that followed “Against The Wind”.
So this was a fun way to look at the music of Bob Seger. I hope you enjoyed the GIFs. Feel free to say which GIF is your favourite.
This month marks the 20th Anniversary of Elton John’s 2001 studio album “Songs From The West
Coast” which was released in October 2001. This was a comeback album that had a back to the 70s
approach. The album was produced by Patrick Leonard. It featured a mix of session musicians and
Elton John’s original band members Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson on it. According to Jennifer
Hilliard, one of the album’s assistant engineers, the musicians who played on the album were chosen
by Elton John and producer Patrick Leonard.
The songs were written by Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. Arranger Paul Buckmaster, who had done arrangements and conducting for Elton in the 1970s, worked on this album arranging and conducting strings on four songs & horns on the opening track. I consider “Songs From The West Coast” to be one of Elton John’s best albums. I decided to write an article about the making of the album for its 20th anniversary. I had previously written a blog post about the song “Birds” from this album.
The songs alternated with guitar and drums played by Rusty Anderson & Matt Chamberlain and Elton’s band members Davey Johnstone & Nigel Olsson. There was an interesting contrast in the playing of these two groups. Rusty & Matt’s playing was more modern and Davey & Nigel’s playing was more traditional. There were some other guitarists on this album, but Rusty & Davey were its main guitarists. Interestingly, Rusty & Davey played together on the two tracks “Dark Diamond” and “Mansfield”. Matt also played percussion on one of the seven tracks he was on which was the song “Birds”. I was wondering what percussion part he played. According to recording engineer Brian Scheuble, “he has a large array of percussion. I’m not sure exactly what he played on Birds other than some shakers & a few odd percussion. All combined to make a sound that would work for the song.”
The album was recorded mostly in Los Angeles and began its recording from September to October 2000 at Cello Studios with another set of recording sessions from January to February 2001 at Sony Studios. There were other recordings carried out during the first half of 2001 in Los Angeles with Elton’s vocals recorded at The Townhouse in London. According to Jennifer Hilliard, most of the album was recorded at the initial 2000 sessions, probably about three quarters of the album.
According to tracking and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli, “the songs were built from piano and guide vocals on up. The band was added after the initial songwriting piano/vocal tracks were recorded.” The guide vocals are the vocals Elton initially uses alongside his piano playing while recording. Brian Scheuble says the following on how the songs were recorded, “Elton recorded with the band. Elton was in the piano booth and would play and sing live with the band. We would do a few takes of the song & pick the best take.”
Jennifer Hilliard pointed out that each day could be very different. She says “from recording the main part of the songs on some days and then recording orchestras on some other days. When we were recording the main part of the songs it was usually a few songs a day. It was honestly the most amazing session I worked on in regards to how fast we would get songs recorded.” She further says the following of the songwriting process: “Bernie Taupin would bring in a stack of lyrics, Elton John would go through them and pick a song. Then he would sit behind the piano and play and then they would record it. 20 minutes later we’d have a mostly completed song.”
When it came to Elton’s vocals, Joe Chiccarelli mentioned that Elton provided great guide vocals in Los Angeles. He says “We all felt the initial vocals were exceptional and passionate and exciting but Elton wanted to try and beat them. He wanted to fix the little idiosyncrasies in the guide. He wanted to go back home to London. We worked at Townhouse Studios in Shepherd’s Bush near his London home.” As Elton is known to work fast, that was also the case with recording his vocals. Joe Chiccarelli who recorded them states “they were only one or two takes with some touch ups. He would then go about adding double tracks or harmonies to the vocal. It would never take more than an hour to record one song. ... He knows what is a great vocal take and is very hyper focused on achieving that quickly so he doesn’t lose the inspiration by over thinking.”
It’s interesting to note that Elton John wanted to feature banjo on this album. Joe Chiccarelli elaborates “I think he wanted to regain some of the character of the “Madman Across the Water” album. We tried overdubbing banjo on several songs on the record but none of it ever made the final cut. It just didn’t seem like the appropriate texture for the songs. Eventually one day I found the banjo in the dust bin with a note on it saying that it had 'outlived its usefulness'.” Brian Scheuble has this interesting story: “I would say the one thing that was pretty cool & I’ll never forget was that Pat the producer always wanted Elton to feel at home & inspired. So everyday there would be a new huge arrangement of flowers. One arrangement was flowers all around a bicycle & a bike basket full of flowers. Another day there was an Elton John pinball machine with flowers all around it.”
Contributors to the album have very positive experiences of working with Elton John. Joe Chiccarelli says “Elton is a true pro, focused, passionate and an absolute pleasure to work with. Always funny, in great spirits and excited to go about the process of recording.” Jennifer Hilliard had similar experiences saying “Elton John was great to work with. He was very nice and generous with everyone that worked on the session.” She also says of working on the album: “this session was such an amazing experience. ... It was truly amazing to see such high levels of talent by everybody on that album.”
The album’s singles were the songs “I Want Love”, “Original Sin” and “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore”. I Want Love is the most popular song from the album which is famous for having the video of Robert Downey Jr. lip-synching the lyrics while walking around a house. I Want Love has the signature Elton John rock ballad sound featuring Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson. Davey delivers a powerful guitar solo on it. Personal highlights for me include the intense country rock song “Birds”, the blues rocker “The Wasteland” about Robert Johnson, the ballad “Dark Diamond” featuring Stevie Wonder on clavinet & harmonica and the upbeat pop rock song “Look Ma, No Hands”.
The pop rock song “Look Ma, No Hands”
Video of “I Want Love” featuring actor Robert Downey Jr.
Thank you very much to Joe Chiccarelli, Jennifer Hilliard and Brian Scheuble for your contributions to this article. You helped me to learn and write about how this album was made. Patrick Leonard did a great job with the production. He made an album that sounds fresh, doesn’t date, is unlike any other Elton John album yet so faithful to the Elton John sound. The album has an organic sound with all its different instruments mixed well into a cohesive whole and does rock. I would like to see Elton make an album with producer Patrick Leonard again. Songs From The West Coast showcases Elton’s strengths as a singer, songwriter and piano player.
David Paich is a keyboardist and founder member of the American rock band Toto. He sang their most popular song “Africa”. Toto is a band of session musicians, thus David has a prolific session career playing on numerous albums. In this article, I am featuring ten songs David has played keyboards on including one song by his band Toto. David is joined by most of his original Toto bandmates on some of the non-Toto tracks on this list. I had previously featured two songs David Paich played on in my article “Ten Great Piano Rock Songs by Ten Different Singers”.
These Days - Jackson Browne (1973)
This song begins with just Jackson and his acoustic guitar with some slide guitar parts. It continues that way until just before the chorus when David Paich’s piano comes in at just under a minute. David’s piano is a welcome addition that makes the song whole. He gives good accompaniment including being a good match for David Lindley’s slide guitar.
Put Out the Light - Joe Cocker (1974)
This is a soulful rocker featuring David Paich’s piano, wacky guitars, horns and powerful backing vocals. Joe Cocker sings with such passion. While the piano isn’t the loudest instrument, it has a great presence including some glissandos. The saxophone is there throughout a lot of the song including some solos.
Doctor Wu - Steely Dan (1975)
This is a piano driven soft rock song with a jazz influence as Steely Dan are a jazz rock band. David stated that he played on this song, so I’m assuming that the piano part is his. David is joined by his future Toto bandmate Jeff Porcaro who also plays on the next two songs. There is a saxophone through sections of the song including a solo. The guitar part is subtle. The piano playing is cool and melodic. The sax and piano goes in a more jazz direction towards the end of the song.
Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs (1976)
This is a popular song by Boz Scaggs which is co-written with David Paich. Elton John is an influence of David Paich which comes through in this song as it sounds like an Elton John song including its piano. The song features the bass and drums in the first twenty seconds until all the instruments come in. There are horns which are most prominent during the chorus. David is playing all the keyboards on this song which include piano and synths. He is joined by another future Toto bandmate, bassist David Hungate. Boz sings powerfully with his high voice. There are prominent synth parts in the last minute of the song which David doubles with his piano. Having both piano and synths gives a foreshadow of Toto’s sound.
Manuela Run - Toto (1978)
I’m now including a song by David Paich’s band Toto. This is a song from their 1978 debut album (which also features their hit song “Hold the Line”) which he wrote, played on and sang lead vocals. It opens with David’s piano riff which is played throughout the song. David sings “round” in an interesting way. Bobby Kimball sings good backing vocals. It also features good synthesizer playing by Steve Porcaro and a guitar solo by Steve Lukather. It has a unique end with a few piano notes followed by a closing door. This song is both pop rock and progressive rock.
The Retreat - Elton John (1980)
This is a great Elton John ballad about the American Civil War. The guitar is played by fellow Toto member Steve Lukather. It has Elton’s piano and singing for up until the end of the first verse. The full band comes in from the first chorus featuring prominent organ by David Paich and interesting guitar parts by Steve Lukather. The organ continues throughout the song and adds to it. There is a synthesizer by James Newton Howard which comes in during the last minute of the song. The synthesizer goes back and forth with the organ and then with the guitar.
Allies - Heart (1983)
This song features David Paich on piano and synth. It was written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain and this song is somewhat reminiscent of the Journey hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” with its combination of piano and intense guitars. It opens with the piano and is soon joined by Ann Wilson’s voice. The strong guitars come in as brief interjections in the first verse before fully coming in during the chorus. Ann sings powerfully on this song, especially in the harder rocking parts. The verses are piano driven. There is a section with David’s piano playing with his synth which reminds me of Toto. This is an intense ballad featuring powerful rock piano.
New York Minute - Don Henley (1989)
This is an epic six and a half minute song which has a jazz influence. It opens with an orchestra that’s arranged by David Paich with flourishes of his piano. Following that there are keyboard notes which are soon joined by Pino Palladino’s bass and David’s piano. Jeff Porcaro’s drums and Pino’s bass have some jazz vibes. David’s piano too does this in the verses. Close to the two minute mark, Danny Kortchmar’s guitar brings rock to the song which goes away in the second verse and comes back for the chorus. African-American Christian vocal group Take 6 provide backing vocals during the chorus. At around the three minute and forty five second mark, the trumpet appears and has some notes throughout the remainder of the song.
There Is No Greater Love - Wayne Watson (1992)
As a Christian, I was pleased to find out that David Paich played on a Christian song. The opening orchestra notes are similar to the previous song. This song has the simple arrangement of piano and orchestra. Piano and orchestra without any guitar, bass and drums is not my favourite arrangement as that runs the risk of it being a boring ballad for me. Thankfully, that is not the case here. David plays his piano powerfully.
Please Forgive Me - Bryan Adams (1993)
David Paich’s acoustic piano comes for a short moment at the start of the song. What appears to be an electric piano replaces it until the chorus where the acoustic piano comes back. The acoustic piano is powerful when it returns. The chorus rocks with strong guitars and some hard hitting piano. This is a powerful rock ballad.
David has played on a variety of different rock styles featured here being pop rock, soft rock, hard rock, progressive rock, jazz rock and rock & roll. There is also a Christian song featured. These songs cover a twenty year period from 1973 to 1993. I’m a fan of piano in rock music and piano is featured in all of these songs. David played piano on all the songs except one which is played by Elton John. This is fitting as Elton is a hero of David’s. These songs showcase David Paich’s great piano & keyboard playing as well as his skills as a songwriter, singer, arranger and producer.
