Magical Music of 1978

As a music fan, I consider 1978 to be a fantastic year for music. There were many popular songs that resonated with me from that year. I decided to write an article talking about the magical music of 1978.

The first song I’m mentioning is “Hold the Line” by Toto. It opens with the rocking piano riff by David Paich who also wrote the song. Steve Lukather provides great guitar and lead singer Bobby Kimball sings intensely in this incredible rocker. Georgy Porgy by the same band has both a soft rock and a jazz rock feel. Steve Lukather sings the verses and the choruses are sung by guest singer Cheryl Lynn. Steve gives an enjoyable jazz influenced guitar solo in this relaxing song.

Hold the Line - Toto

I’m now moving on to Toto’s Columbia labelmates Journey. Wheel in the Sky is a hard rock song with an aggressive feel. Steve Perry sings powerfully, there’s a great guitar solo by Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie underpins the song well with his piano. The next song “Lights” is my favourite Journey song. Like with Toto, we go from a hard rock song to a soft rock song. Lights is incredible with its melody, piano, Steve’s singing, guitar solo, organ and rock feel.

Lights - Journey

I’m a big Bob Seger fan. He’s one of the topics I write about on this blog. These are four songs by him. His signature song “Old Time Rock & Roll” is a rock & roll tribute to that music of the 1950s. We’ve Got Tonight is a special melodic piano ballad with Bob showing his softer side. Hollywood Nights has a hard rock feel unlike the previous two. Bob’s guitars drive the song and he’s backed well by Bill Payne’s keyboards (piano & organ). David Teegarden’s double drums give a special sound. Still the Same is a catchy ballad that takes in some country influences. Bob does double duty on piano (including a solo) and acoustic guitars. All these great songs come from Bob’s album “Stranger in Town” which is the first album of his I listened to 15 years ago.

We’ve Got Tonight - Bob Seger

Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” is a funny satirical comedy rock song. Its simple piano notes are repeated on a consistent loop. This is done creatively as the song isn’t repetitive. Warren sings other melodies over his piano part. The Power of Gold by Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg is sung by Dan who also plays piano and guitars. He doubles the two instruments very well including playing a great guitar solo. Album collaborator Tim Weisberg plays flute. Eric Clapton had a warm soft rock US hit “Promises”. This ballad features Dick Sims’ relaxing keyboards (electric piano & organ) and good guitar parts.

The Power of Gold - Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg

The following songs all have acoustic piano, electric piano, saxophone, guitar and orchestra. Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty had the worldwide soft rock hit “Baker Street” that’s very musical. The sax part comes repeatedly in the song to great effect. The guitar solo contrasts well with the sax. We’ll move on to another singer born in Scotland Al Stewart. He grew up in England and is US based. His US hit “Time Passages” is another six minute soft rock song. There are two solos in a row which are Spanish influenced acoustic guitar and sax ones followed by electric guitar parts. English singer Chris Rea is a one-hit wonder in the US unlike in his country. His US hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” is driven by electric piano and an acoustic piano is featured in much of the song. Chris gave us a special melodic ballad.

Fool (If You Think It’s Over) - Chris Rea

We’re going from one fool song to another. The previous three songs all have a British sensibility (including US based Al Stewart). This time it’s to America with soul influenced soft rock by Michael McDonald’s version of The Doobie Brothers. In “What a Fool Believes”, Michael’s piano riff is brilliant and he sings greatly. Synths also form a major part of the song and they are played by Michael and Bill Payne (the keyboardist on Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights”). On “Minute by Minute”, Michael plays electric piano. The synth parts are different from the previous song. Michael sings expressively and is supported well by the backing vocals.

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers

Michael wrote the previous two songs with Kenny Loggins & Lester Abrams. He co-wrote “Dependin’ on You” with bandmate Patrick Simmons. This was a minor hit unlike the previous two. Patrick sings this song and brings more rock into this version of the band. Michael gives good rock & roll piano and backing vocals. There is rocking guitar including solos. Horns have a good presence. This rock song is fused with soul and a hint of jazz.

Dependin’ on You - The Doobie Brothers

Billy Joel gave us the powerful rock ballad “Honesty” with his rich piano. It’s a moving song that’s very melodic and rocks. I'm a big Elton John fan and he had two global hits that year. Part-Time Love was big when it came out except the US where it was a minor hit. This song has been forgotten now. It’s a pop rock song with a soul influence. Elton’s original guitarist Davey Johnstone plays great lead guitar backed on rhythm guitar by Tim Renwick who was the main guitarist on the “A Single Man” album. Elton’s other hit was “Song for Guy” which was popular globally except the US. This instrumental pop song features Elton on piano & keyboards accompanied by percussion and bass. Elton sings some words near the end.

Part-Time Love - Elton John

List of Articles Featuring these Songs

Below are articles where I featured these songs in a list with it described in a paragraph plus an article about the original demo of “Old Time Rock & Roll” which compares it with the released version. I provide links to these articles.

Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players

Old Time Rock & Roll - Bob Seger

We’ve Got Tonight - Bob Seger

Ten Great Universal Music Group Songs

Still the Same - Bob Seger

Promises - Eric Clapton

The Original Version of Old Time Rock & Roll

An article about the original demo of the song by George Jackson. Both George’s version and Bob’s version are embedded and compared.

Conclusion

I'm going to make comments and comparisons about these songs. The saxophone was popular during this period which included memorable sax parts in “Old Time Rock & Roll” and “Baker Street”. There are iconic piano riffs for songs in different types of rock which are hard rock (“Hold the Line”), rock & roll (“Old Time Rock & Roll”), comedy rock (“Werewolves of London”) and soft rock (“What a Fool Believes”). It was common to have piano ballads featuring orchestra as seen most prominently in “Honesty” and “We’ve Got Tonight”.

I love the fact that so many of these songs are by singing pianists. It includes the two biggest names in that field who are Elton John (“Part-Time Love”) and Billy Joel (“Honesty”). Michael McDonald did this with The Doobie Brothers’ hits “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute”. Warren Zevon’s piano part for his hit “Werevolves of London” is memorable. Chris Rea who’s known as a guitarist played acoustic piano on “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. This was an anomaly in his career where he didn’t play guitar on one of his songs. Bob Seger played piano and acoustic guitar on “Still the Same”. Dan Fogelberg played piano & guitar even more impressively on “The Power of Gold” with him playing rock piano, electric & acoustic guitars including a solo.

These songs are melodic and reflect great things music can do. They are reflective of the year 1978, but do so in a timeless way that transcends that year. They continue to resonate in 2025 and will continue doing so in the years going forward.

Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen Vol. 2

This article is a collection of ten songs I like featuring musicians from the Elton John Band. The Elton John Band is the backing band Elton John uses. This is the second volume as I previously wrote “Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen”. This article features a new set of songs. I’m beginning with a popular Elton John hit.

Honky Cat by Elton John - Elton John Band (1972)

This comes from the “Honky Château” album recorded with the original Elton John Band of Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray. Davey plays banjo instead of guitar giving a folksy americana vibe. Dee Murray’s bass supports the song well with its deep notes. Drummer Nigel Olsson provides a good beat. Elton plays both acoustic and electric pianos with his electric piano notes adding to the song. Elton’s band supports his music with their superb playing. The horns offer a good presence on this New Orleans influenced pop rock song.

Just Keep Playing by Michael Stanley - Kenny Passarelli on Bass (1973)

This melodic song by Michael Stanley in his early career has both a gentle and rock feel. It sounds like it would fit on Elton John’s “Honky Château” album the previous song comes from. Paul Harris is on piano and organ. His piano part reminds me of “Amy” from that album. Paul gives a jolly piano solo. Paul plays the same instruments on Bob Seger’s iconic hit “Against the Wind”. Kenny Passarelli’s bass is soft, but you can feel his notes which support the song suitably. This was a few years before Kenny joined the Elton John Band.

A Man for All Seasons by Al Stewart - Tim Renwick on Guitar (1978)

This midtempo rock song sounds like an Elton John song as it’s piano driven. The piano is similar to Elton’s playing and rocks in sections. There is a nice organ which has a light presence throughout the song. Tim Renwick gives a gentle guitar solo which matches well with the piano. Tim was also the main guitarist on Elton’s album “A Single Man” released around the same time and would join Elton’s band in a few years. The song reflects the songwriting strength of Al Stewart as it’s an epic song of nearly six minutes in length.

Dancin’ Shoes by Nigel Olsson - Nigel Olsson on Drums (1978)

This is a solo song recorded by Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson which was a US Top 20 hit for him. It’s produced by singer Paul Davis who had the memorable hit song “I Go Crazy”. The song opens with just Nigel and piano and soon the whole band comes in during the chorus. I like Nigel’s singing voice, who sings expressively. There is a nice guitar solo. The album “Nigel” it’s from credits Nigel Olsson as one of three drummers on the album as well as Elton John Band members Ray Cooper and Richie Zito. I don’t know if Nigel, Ray and/or Richie played on this song. This sounds like a soft rock song Elton would feature on his album “21 at 33” a few years later which Nigel was involved in.

Wouldn’t It Be Good by Nik Kershaw - Charlie Morgan on Drums (1984)

Nik Kershaw sings great in this melodic and catchy song. He brings a rock feel with his guitar playing. There is creative synth work in this song. Drummer Charlie Morgan who joined Elton’s band the following year provides a strong beat. There are horns arranged by Jerry Hey which come in around the two-thirds mark which add to the song. This song is both pop rock and new wave. Elton’s album “Ice on Fire” the following year used those two genres. Nik played on that album including on a similar song “Satellite”. Nik would write & record the duet “Old Friend” with Elton in 1993.

The Loving Cup by Dan Fogelberg - Kenny Passarelli on Bass (1984)

This song has a good rock feel. Mike Hanna’s piano has a prominent part in this song. Mike also plays electric piano and synth. The mix of these three instruments are similarly used in some Elton songs. Kenny Passarelli’s bass gives the same approach he did on Michael Stanley’s “Just Keep Playing” as featured above. Dan Fogelberg plays all the guitars and gives aggressive playing at the end.

She’s Waiting by Eric Clapton - Ray Cooper on Percussion (1985)

The song opens with guitar and is soon joined by all instruments. Eric sings aggressively in this song he wrote with Peter Robinson who plays synth on this song. I can hear Elton’s original percussionist Ray Cooper play a tambourine including his signature shake. Ray’s percussion sounds good on this song. Eric offers a nice relaxing guitar solo. There is good snare drumming at the end by Phil Collins. This pop rock song has a good mix of guitar and keyboards. It’s similar to Elton’s 1983 song “Kiss the Bride”.

Just Another Night by Jude Cole - James Newton Howard on Keyboards (1992) 

This song rocks so well. The powerful backing vocals are effective. Jude Cole sings soulfully and plays the guitar. He gives a good guitar solo. Keyboardist and film composer James Newton Howard is credited with keyboards which includes piano. James’ piano holds the song together. He gives rock piano playing reminiscent of Elton. James was in Elton’s band in the mid 70s and early 80s. Mike Finnigan plays a bright organ part.

When a Woman Cries by Joshua Kadison - Tim Renwick on Guitar (1993)

Joshua Kadison, like Elton, plays the piano and sings. There is a great organ presence in this song. Tim Renwick supports the song well with his subtle guitar playing. This ballad has a gospel influence reminding me of some Elton songs as he’s also influenced by that genre. One Elton song I find it similar to is “Man” released a few years later as that song also has piano, organ and strings. Joshua who’s American recorded this song in England, which is the inverse of Elton who’s English and has recorded some songs in America.

Some Things Happen by Boz Scaggs - Curt Bisquera on Drums (1996)

I like the jazzy soft rock feel this song has. Randy Kerber’s piano leads the song well and gives a nice piano solo. Curt Bisquera offers strong drumming with his drums giving a good sound. Curt would join the Elton John Band four years later for a brief stint. Boz Scaggs sings in his signature soulful way. Lisa Frazier supports him well on backing vocals. Despite the tempo differences, I’m reminded of the Elton John song “Give Me the Love”.

This is the selection of songs I made. I wanted them all to have something in common with Elton’s music, so piano is featured in most of them. These songs are a 50/50 mix of British and American artists. They reflect the great musicianship of Elton John's sidemen.

Russ Kunkel’s Drumming for Bob Seger

This article is about Los Angeles session drummer Russ Kunkel’s work for Bob Seger. He first appeared on Bob Seger’s 1982 album “The Distance”. He played on all but one track on that album. He played one or two tracks on subsequent studio albums until 1995’s “It’s A Mystery”. In this article, I’m discussing his work with Bob Seger, mentioning many of the songs he played on. I also embed the official audio from five of these songs just before the conclusion. The first Bob Seger track he played on is “Even Now”, my favourite Bob Seger song. This is a very heartland rock song and a wonderful way for Russ to begin working with Bob Seger. On this song, he is drumming with passion with some fancy hits. He was also on the two other singles “Roll Me Away” which is another heartland rocker and the country hit “Shame On The Moon”. Highlights from that album include “Love’s The Last To Know”, a ballad with soft drumming in its first half transforming into intense drumming in the second half. Another song worth mentioning is the rock & roll song “Makin’ Thunderbirds” where he opens the song. He played on the first two tracks of the 1986 album “Like A Rock” which were both hits in the US. These tracks were the heartland rocker “American Storm” and the rock ballad “Like A Rock”. In the title track, he opens with soft drumming. In the choruses and Rick Vito’s slide guitar solos he hits the drums harder giving powerful drumming moments. He is rocking well on a slow song. Five years later, he played the drums on the rocker “The Fire Inside” with a hard hitting drum opening. The drums are prominent on this song. It’s driven by the drums and piano. He played on the sessions of the 1995 album “It’s A Mystery”. Three songs have been released from these sessions, the first is “In Your Time” which appeared on 1994’s “Greatest Hits” album. The two songs which appeared on the “It’s A Mystery” album are “I Can’t Save You Angelene” and “West Of The Moon”. On these three songs, Bob played piano. Two of them are rock ballads with it clearly being an electric piano. The song that stands out is “I Can’t Save You Angelene” which is an uptempo blues song with acoustic piano. On this song, Russ does blues playing including closing the song. Even Now (1982)
Roll Me Away (1982)
Shame On The Moon (1982) Like A Rock (1986) The Fire Inside (1991) Russ Kunkel has a full drum sound, being a great rock drummer. His drumming is sharp and powerful. He supported Bob Seger excellently as a session musician. Some other songs he has played on that I like are “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne”, “Let Her Go” by Dan Fogelberg, “Johnny Strikes up the Band” by Warren Zevon, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” by James Taylor and “Volcano” by the recently deceased Jimmy Buffett. Russ hasn’t played on a Bob Seger studio album since 1995. I’d like to see him work with Bob again. I’ll conclude by wishing Russ Kunkel a happy birthday for turning 75 this week.

Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen

This post is about Elton John’s backing band who are known as the Elton John Band. I decided to select ten songs I like which feature at least one Elton John band member. One Elton song is of course included. I previously featured the Bob Seger song in my article on Bob Seger piano songs. To maintain a connection with Elton’s music all these songs feature piano.

Magic by Pilot - David Paton (1974)

This is by the Scottish rock band Pilot. David Paton had been a bassist for Elton in the 1980s. He plays bass and sings this song. It opens with intense guitars. Piano then appears which has a supporting role in this song. There is an orchestra and the guitars are understated in sections and are stronger in other parts of the song. There is an intense guitar solo about the three-quarter mark. David sings cheerfully in this fun pop rocker. This song reminds me of Elton’s “Rock Of The Westies” album with it sounding like “Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)”.

Bad Blood by Neil Sedaka - Nigel Olsson (1975)

This is a fun pop song. Elton provides prominent backing vocals echoing Neil in the words “bad” and “blood”. Elton and Neil also sing sections together which sounds good. Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson plays the drums, who provides a good beat. Neil plays piano and this song sounds like an Elton song. David Foster plays clavinet which has a good presence. An Elton song this brings to mind is “Dark Diamond” featuring clavinet played by Stevie Wonder.

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John & Kiki Dee - Elton John Band (1976)

This is one of Elton’s most popular songs, a duet with Kiki Dee. The Elton John Band at the time (Caleb Quaye, Davey Johnstone, James Newton Howard, Ray Cooper, Kenny Passarelli & Roger Pope) played on the song, though my understanding is that Davey does not appear on it. This is a catchy pop song with elements of soul. There is an orchestra in the song. The guitars make a more prominent presence in parts of the song. Elton and Kiki sing well together and it’s even more impressive as they recorded their parts separately. The Elton John Band plays in a gentle, relaxing way.

Year of the Cat by Al Stewart - Tim Renwick (1976)

This soft rock song opens with piano. Alan Parsons who produced this also produced “Magic” by Pilot making him the only producer to produce two songs on this list. Tim Renwick who plays guitars on it would be the main guitarist on Elton’s “A Single Man” album a few years later and briefly be in Elton’s band in the early 80s. Tim plays both acoustic and electric guitars, playing a unique acoustic guitar solo followed by an electric guitar solo. Following this, there is a saxophone solo which comes back later at the end of the song. This is similar to the Elton songs “Burn Down The Mission” and “Blues For Baby And Me” that also feature an orchestra.

It’s A Laugh by Daryl Hall & John Oates - Caleb Quaye, Kenny Passarelli & Roger Pope (1978)

Guitarist Caleb Quaye, bassist Kenny Passarelli & drummer Roger Pope joined Daryl Hall & John Oates after Elton John. The album featured guest guitarists, so it’s possible that the lead guitar part isn’t played by Caleb, but I’m writing assuming it’s him. This fun rock song opens with Roger’s drums which goes into a saxophone intro. Caleb plays light rocking electric guitar parts which add power to the song. The piano sounds like the piano in an Elton song. I wonder if Daryl is playing it as he often plays piano. An Elton song I’m reminded of is “Elderberry Wine”.

Hey Deanie by Eric Carmen - Nigel Olsson & Richie Zito (1978)

The song opens with Eric singing the chorus with backing vocals and claps. Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson and future guitarist Richie Zito play on this song. Nigel and Richie would play together with Elton in the early 80s when they would both be in the Elton John Band. This could be an Elton John rock & roll song with its brilliant rock & roll piano. There are some glissandos. Horns are featured in parts of the song. Nigel gives rock drumming similar to what he’s played for Elton before.

Do You Still Dream? by Chris Rea - David Paton (1981)

The dark rock song opens with piano. There are light electric piano parts that come in and out of the song. The acoustic and electric pianos sound well together. The guitar gives a good presence with there being a guitar solo at the end of the song. A little after a minute when it becomes a full band song, David Paton’s bass gives deep bass notes which are tied with the drums. The guitar solo at the end of the song adds a good contrast to what we heard before. This is a bit like the Elton song “Cry To Heaven”. Both of them are 80s rock songs made in England.

Love’s The Last To Know by Bob Seger - Davey Johnstone (1982)

Bill Payne’s piano starts off the song. Bill is the keyboardist of southern rock band Little Feat. Little Feat is one of Elton’s influences. Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone plays an acoustic guitar. He comes about a third into the song with the drums and plays a good supporting role. Bob sings gently, changes to intensely once the strong drumming comes and transitions back to gentle singing in the last section. This song is a bit like an Elton ballad with it reminding me of his 2006 rock ballad “Blues Never Fade Away” (also featuring Davey) that is mostly piano in the first half with intense drumming in the second half.

The Language of Love by Dan Fogelberg - Kenny Passarelli (1984)

I get heartland rock vibes from this track. It features a good mix of guitars and keyboards (piano & organ). Dan Fogelberg sings with a rock voice and also plays lead guitar. His guitar solo is aggressive. Kenny Passarelli who was mentioned previously plays bass. Kenny’s playing is subtle and suits the rock style of this song. Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles sings harmony vocals. This song’s lyrics remind me of Bernie Taupin’s lyrics for Elton’s 1995 “Made In England” album such as its hit single “Believe”.

Been There, Done That by Christopher Cross - Matt Bissonette (1995)

The song opens with an electric piano. After a while an acoustic piano soon comes in. There are rocking guitars. The bass is played by Elton’s bassist Matt Bissonette. Matt’s bass notes are really deep. There is a strong guitar solo at around the two and a half minute mark. It has the signature Christopher Cross soft rock sound. An Elton song this is a bit like is “Spiteful Child”. Both of them have acoustic piano, electric piano, electric guitars and similar synths.

Hope you enjoyed these songs. I was celebrating classic rock music through the lens of my Elton John fandom. Elton has featured talented musicians in his band who made great contributions to popular music. Thanks to all Elton John band members including the ones not featured in this article for their work as sidemen.