Ten Songs Produced by Barry Beckett

This article is my first collection of songs by a music producer. The producer I’m featuring is Barry Beckett. He’s a keyboardist who was part of a group of session musicians known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They worked with singer Bob Seger who I’m a fan of. In most of the songs I selected, Barry shared production credit with others. Barry played piano on some of the songs he produced. Sometimes albums Barry produced did not specify which tracks he played on. Therefore, I only mention Barry’s piano playing if I could verify that he played on the song. The songs cover a 20 year period beginning in 1973.

Turn Out the Light - Orleans (1973)

Barry produced the album with Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section drummer Roger Hawkins and plays piano. Barry’s piano opens the song and dominates. His playing is powerful. The start of the song is John Hall’s singing who also plays the guitar. We get a bit of guitar and backing vocals. After a while it becomes a full band song. This soft rock ballad has gospel influences. John gives a nice guitar solo followed by Barry’s powerful piano solo. This song is produced wonderfully as it’s clear sounding. It’s able to be both intimate in its sections dominated by piano and epic when it has the full band sound. It uses the full band to give power and energy to this ballad.

Smoke from a Distant Fire - Sanford-Townsend Band (1977)

The Sanford-Townsend Band consisted of Ed Sanford and John Townsend. They are both singer-keyboardists. This is a pop rock song with a southern rock feel. Barry produced this song with Jerry Wexler which is also the case for the next song. This song was a hit in the US. There is a warm saxophone part. John’s singing is soulful. Ed supports John with his good backing vocals. There are many elements in this song, acoustic piano, electric piano, electric guitar, organ and saxophone which the production balances very well. Sections of the song are driven by the electric piano while others are driven by the acoustic piano. There are two relaxing solos, one guitar and the other saxophone. This song has a good jolly feel.

Communiqué - Dire Straits (1979)

Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler wrote, sang and played lead guitar on this song. It opens with Mark’s guitar playing with it soon joined by Barry’s piano playing. Some of the notes Barry plays reminds me of his piano part in Bob Seger’s “Sunspot Baby”. His playing goes well with Dire Straits. Mark’s provides creative guitar playing. The production brings in southern American sensibilities to a uniquely English rock band. This is an epic rock song over five minutes long.

Paris - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (1979)

This is the first song on the list Barry produced by himself. Kevin Kavanaugh’s piano playing is powerful. Southside Johnny sings with passion. Horns are featured in parts of the song. There is a relaxing saxophone solo. Kevin’s organ plays a good supporting role. Barry’s production is true to Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ brand of rock as it features both heartland rock and soul sounds.

Lucretia - Levon Helm (1982)

Barry produced this song with Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section guitarist Jimmy Johnson. This is a solo song by Levon Helm who was in The Band. Levon sings powerfully. His singing of the line “hey Mister can you tell me where to go” reminds me of similar lines he sang in The Band’s song “The Weight”. The piano underpins this americana sounding rock song. The guitars bring in both country and rock vibes. The production does a good job of balancing the guitars and the piano.

I Got Love - Glenn Frey (1984)

This is a solo song by Glenn Frey who was in The Eagles. I’d classify it as soft rock with soul elements. Barry produced this song with Glenn & Allan Blazek and plays all the keyboards on it. The song opens with mainly Glenn’s singing, Barry’s piano and light drumming. Soon, the drumming gets more intense with all the instruments appearing. Barry plays some organ notes which make appearances during the chorus. Glenn sings very well. You can hear his emotion. The horns contribute greatly to the song. Barry plays a few rock & roll piano notes near the end. The production feels epic giving different instruments their moments throughout the song.

Southern Star - Alabama (1989)

Barry plays piano on this country song and produced it with the Alabama band. Southern Star has multiple instruments: piano, organ, acoustic and electric guitars. Lead singer Randy Owen sings very well. The band provides good backing vocals. There are some rock elements as Barry’s piano seems to give brief rock & roll sounds and the guitar solos sound a little rockish. The production feels epic with its full band country sound.

Go On - Delbert McClinton (1990)

Barry and Delbert McClinton produced this song. This song is in Delbert’s style which mixes country, blues and rock. There are two bluesy guitar solos. The piano provides a good base for the song. There are moments where the piano does some additional notes. The horns provide a good presence. The production gives a relaxed uptempo feel.

 

Always in My Heart - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1991)

This rock ballad Barry produced with Bob Seger. It came out 35 years ago in August 1991. The piano is played by Bob’s classic rock peer Bruce Hornsby. The opening section is dominated by Bob’s singing and Bruce’s piano. They pair well together. This song is an example of a great Bob Seger ballad. Bruce’s piano playing is epic. Bob sings incredibly. The production showcases the power of a Bob Seger ballad. It mixes this piano led song with its guitar and keyboard parts.

A Woman’s Needs - Elton John & Tammy Wynette (1993)

Barry produced this duet between Elton John and country singer Tammy Wynette. Elton wrote this country song with his lyricist Bernie Taupin. Tammy sings at the start. She sings well in her southern accent. Elton sings after that and comes with very powerful singing. Their singing styles are totally different yet work so well. They sing in conversation in the chorus. There are similarities in this song and the preceding one. Both are ballads featuring the musicians Don Potter (acoustic guitar), Dan Huff (electric guitar), Michael Rhodes (bass) and Eddie Bayers (drums). The difference is the country genre of “A Woman’s Needs”. Elton brings his signature brilliant piano playing in a country setting. Barry’s good production brings the guitars in and out of this Elton John piano ballad. He deserves credit for bringing a strong collaboration between an English rock singer and an American country singer.

Barry’s productions have an organic clear sound. He gives an important place for the piano whether it's his playing or someone else’s. Barry balances the different instruments well. He brings in southern sounds like country and blues into songs produced by rock artists. He did work in the country genre which I included. As I’m a classic rock fan, most of the artists I featured are rock artists. It’s interesting to note that the last four songs feature the rhythm section of drummer Eddie Bayers and bassist Michael Rhodes. Barry Beckett is a great producer and keyboardist who made a great contribution to popular music.

Heartland Rock Piano

As the piano is my favourite instrument and I listen to a lot of heartland rock, I decided to write an article discussing the heartland rock piano sound. I mention the use of piano in heartland rock songs ranging from big hits to album tracks. I’ll start with the song “American Storm” by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. Bill’s piano contributes wonderfully to the full band sound with his playing. The piano notes go up the scale in a very heartland rock way. In their other song “The Ring”, it’s led by the piano of Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost. Craig brings an epic feel with his playing and has two solos. The Ring fuses heartland rock with pop rock.

The Ring - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1986)

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers had a piano-driven hit “Don't Do Me Like That”. Keyboardist Benmont Tench gives a memorable jolly piano part. Nearly a decade later, their song “Jammin’ Me” is a different type of heartland rock song. Benmont brings rock & roll piano sounds into a heartland rock setting. I love what the piano does in the chorus. In Billy Joel’s hit “Allentown”, he leads the song greatly with his piano playing. There is a great piano riff throughout the song.

Don’t Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1979)

Cleveland heartland rock singer Michael Stanley had released music both with the Michael Stanley Band and solo. When keyboardist Kevin Raleigh joined the band, he was a songwriter and co-lead singer. The songs I’m featuring have two keyboardists Kevin Raleigh and Bob Pelander. They both contributed piano and I don’t know who was the piano player for each song. I wonder if Kevin played piano on the songs he wrote and Bob played the piano on the songs Michael wrote. Last Night, written by both Michael and Kevin is opened by the piano which has a majestic presence on this song. There is a section in the song where the piano notes go up and down in an epic rocking way.

Last Night - Michael Stanley Band (1979)

Promises, a Kevin Raleigh written song has the verses sung by Michael with the choruses seemingly sung by both Kevin and Michael. The piano is lively and energetic. There is a nice glissando after the first chorus. The song “Lover” has a nice piano riff which comes in following the guitar intro. The piano part isn’t the loudest, but it contributes greatly to the song’s sound. My Town is an epic rocker about Michael’s hometown. While this is a guitar-driven song, the piano provides good support including prominent notes during the choruses. How Can You Call This Love written and sung by Kevin has powerful rocking piano playing. The piano goes fast with deep notes.

How Can You Call This Love - Michael Stanley Band (1983)

Bruce Springsteen’s piano player Roy Bittan played wonderful jolly piano on Bruce’s hits “Hungry Heart” and “Glory Days’. Roy gives those songs a great upbeat feel with his playing. Singer Southside Johnny’s song “It’s Been a Long Time” has three lead vocalists with the other two being Bruce and Bruce’s E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes keyboardist Rusty Cloud provides a good musical base with his piano. Bruce Springsteen wrote, was one of the producers and his E Street Band played on the song “This Little Girl” by Gary U.S. Bonds. Roy’s piano fuses rock & roll and heartland rock sounds. He brings a similar jolly sound to what he brought to the Bruce songs I mentioned. I’ll continue mentioning other artists Roy played for.

Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen (1984)

On the Dire Straits song “Skateaway”, Roy’s piano comes about a minute into the song. Roy alternates between slow playing and fast playing. In the choruses, Roy plays in an epic way with his piano rocking in sync with the drums. Roy is driving the heartland rock sound of this song. In Dire Straits' more popular song “Romeo and Juliet” from the same album, Roy plays melodically. Roy’s strongest moments in the song have a very heartland rock feel. He backs Mark Knopfler’s guitars (which are both acoustic and electric) very well. Michael Stanley did a very good cover of this song. He’s an American heartland rock artist covering a heartland rock song by an English band going back musically to where it came from. The piano by Bob Pelander is more prominent than the original. Some people will hate what I’m about to say. I think it’s better than the original.

Skateaway - Dire Straits (1980)

Even Now is my favourite Bob Seger song. It’s one of his forgotten US hits. Roy’s piano goes up and down the scale in an incredible way. The piano matches greatly with Bob’s vocals with there being sections where Roy’s notes seem to be a musical response to what Bob sang. On “Roll Me Away”, another hit from the same album, Roy gives us majestic rocking piano. Another song Roy played for Bob is “The Fire Inside”, an epic rock song nearly six minutes long. It’s led by the piano and the fact that the guitar part is acoustic gives more room for the piano to rock. Roy’s piano is incredible and detailed which includes two solos.

The Fire Inside - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1991)

On Jackson Browne’s “Here Come Those Tears Again”, Bill Payne plays piano in a warm way. The piano gives off its heartland rock vibes in the way the notes jump from one place to another. Jackson Browne’s epic rock song “The Fuse” has Craig Doerge play incredible heartland rock piano. Craig’s piano has deep dark notes that are so effective. The piano goes very well with David Lindley’s slide guitar. I love how Jackson fuses piano and guitar in a heartland rock setting in many of his songs. Jackson’s classic song “The Pretender” has rich piano from Craig. In parts of the song, the piano shifts from one note to another. 

The Pretender - Jackson Browne (1976)

Running on Empty is a faster rock song driven more by guitar, but Craig’s piano is still a big part of the song. It has an iconic piano opening. Craig incorporates rock & roll influences while maintaining the heartland rock sound. That Girl Could Sing is a case where Jackson played piano on one of his own songs. Jackson’s piano is catchy and has both slower and faster sections. In “For America”, the piano by Jai Winding has sections going back and forth between musical notes. It also has a few short parts led by the piano. Jai’s piano holds this guitar-driven song together very well. Jackson’s lyrics are thought provoking, especially in relation to America’s current issues and 250th anniversary.

That Girl Could Sing - Jackson Browe (1980)

So far these songs by classic rock artists were in the 20th century, with most of them being in the 70s and 80s. I’ll now feature three 21st century songs from classic rock artists. In Michael Stanley’s solo song “My Brand New Day”, Bob Pelander offers amazing, rich piano playing filled with depth. Elton John did a rare case of a heartland rock song in “England and America” ten years ago. Elton showcases his brilliant piano skills by playing different to the way he normally plays where he nails the heartland rock piano sound. Bob Seger’s “Forward Into the Past” is a guitar-driven song, but it’s supported well by Bill Payne’s piano. Bill brings out prominent piano notes in parts of the song which contribute greatly to its rock sound.

My Brand New Day - Michael Stanley (2009)

Companion Articles

I’m providing links to previous articles of mine which are companion articles as they discuss some of the same songs.

Ten Great Jackson Browne Songs by Ten Different Piano Players

Russ Kunkel’s Drumming for Bob Seger

Bill Payne’s Keyboards for Bob Seger

Ten Great Rock Songs Opening Albums

Ten Great Heartland Rock Songs

Six Strong Silver Bullet Band Work for Bob Seger

These songs show the prominent place piano has in heartland rock music. I like the fact that many of them feature a piano/organ combination. They cover a wide range on the rock spectrum going from soft to hard rock. Some of them fuse heartland rock with other styles such as rock & roll and pop rock. Most of the songs are by American artists, but I did include two English artists. They are Dire Straits and Elton John who fuse English rock with American heartland rock in the songs of theirs I featured. Elton’s song is apt for this as it’s literally about England and America. Heartland rock is a genre which has some epic long rock songs like “The Pretender” and “The Fire Inside”. I’d be interested in hearing what you think of the heartland rock piano sound.

Ten Great Mercury Records Songs

Mercury Records is a popular American record label which is now part of the Universal Music Group (UMG). I am familiar with Mercury Records as it’s Elton John’s record label. Elton deals with Mercury Records in the UK. His albums get released in most countries on Mercury Records, except mainly the US which releases it on another UMG label. These songs were made for Mercury Records or had been released by them in a particular region or for a reissue.

Takin’ Care of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1973)

This fun rock song is written and sung by guitarist Randy Bachman. It opens with a guitar part and the piano soon joins it. I love the rock & roll piano part which matches well with the guitars. There are three guitar solos. The combination of piano and guitar including on the guitar solos remind me of the similar song “Sunspot Baby” by Bob Seger. The backing vocals in the chorus give off a celebratory feel.

Heat Treatment - Graham Parker & The Rumour (1976)

It opens with a few piano notes which are joined by all the instruments. There are great horns throughout the song. I like Bob Andrews’ jolly piano. The guitar has a good supporting role adding colour to the song. There is a relaxing saxophone solo. Graham sings with passion. I like his vocalisation of “yeah” near the end in a stretched out way. This is a rock song influenced by soul.

The Things We Do for Love - 10cc (1976)

This song is written by Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart. Eric sings this song in a warm, relaxed way. He plays the keyboards and the lead guitar. The piano has an upbeat feel. Organ is featured in parts of the song and has a good presence. There is a gentle guitar solo. The three band members play all the instruments through the magic of overdubbing. This is an example of good pop rock.

Take It Easy - Delbert McClinton (1978)

This is an americana ballad which has elements of country and blues. There are horns in the song and also a saxophone featured including a solo. The song is led by melodic piano playing. There are female backing vocals. Delbert brings the feel you get from late 70s ballads.

Run for Home - Lindisfarne (1978)

This song is produced by Gus Dudgeon who was Elton John’s producer during his peak. It has a relaxing soft rock feel. There is a gentle melodic piano. The band sings together nicely during the chorus. An orchestra is featured. At the halfway mark, I like what the piano does. Lindisfarne gives us an example of the soft rock & pop rock songs of the time in England.

Le bon temps du rock and roll - Johnny Hallyday (1979)

This is a French language cover of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” by France’s Johnny Hallyday. He also covered Bob Seger’s “Feel Like a Number” and “Brave Strangers” from the same album. It opens with a piano intro different to the original but gets the same feel. Johnny sings strongly. The first guitar solo is more intense than Bob’s version. There is no saxophone solo, but there’s a second guitar solo featuring great rock & roll piano backing including glissandos. Johnny kept the part from the original with singing and drums only. Johnny was able to maintain the musical style of the Bob Seger original and put his own spin on it. It’s unique hearing this song in French.

Long Distance - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (1980)

It opens with drums and the instruments come in. This song is piano driven. There are horns. Southside Johnny sings with emotion on this mid-tempo rocker. The guitar solo features good interjections by the horns. This song is Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ brand of heartland rock which includes soul influences.

Private Investigations - Dire Straits (1982)

This progressive rock song is written by Dire Straits’ singer and lead guitarist Mark Knopfler. It opens with a synth part. We get guitar and piano notes which come in and out. Following this, piano and classical guitar comes in. Mark says the words in a singspeak way. There is a classical guitar solo with few other instruments including vibraphone. We get synth and piano coming back. Keyboardist Alan Clark gives good rock piano notes at the end.

I’m Still Standing - Elton John (1983)

This is when Elton John reunited with his original band of Davey Johnstone (guitar), Nigel Olsson (drums) and Dee Murray (bass) to make the “Too Low for Zero” album. Elton’s band provides great backing vocals. Elton plays both piano & synths and sings loudly in celebration. Dee Murray’s bass guitar is more noticeable including some slap bass parts. I like Davey’s guitar solo. This pop rock song has positive energy.

Always - Bon Jovi (1994)

This is an epic power ballad. It opens with a drum part, brings in all the instruments rocking and then goes intimate mainly with Jon Bovi Jovi’s singing and David Bryan’s piano. All the instruments come in strongly during the chorus. The second verse is softer than the chorus, but the band has more to do than the first. An orchestra has a presence in this song. There is a light relaxing guitar solo by Richie Sambora. Jon gives great rock singing. David’s piano playing holds the song together. He provides great rock piano playing.

The music featured comes from Europe and North America. The countries the artists are from are the UK (Graham Parker & The Rumour, 10cc, Lindisfarne, Dire Straits, Elton John), the US (Delbert McClinton, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Bon Jovi), Canada (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) and France (Johnny Hallyday). These songs reflect the legacy of Mercury Records. If you enjoyed reading this, you may be interested in my article “Ten Great Capitol Records Songs”.

Ten Great Heartland Rock Songs

I decided to write an article compiling a collection of songs in heartland rock, a type of rock music that originated in America. I am familiar with heartland rock as Bob Seger, who I’m a fan of works in that genre. Most of the artists in this list are American, but I do also include three British artists. I featured some heartland rock songs in my previous article “Ten Great Rock Songs Opening Albums”. We’re going to go to the mid 70s.

The Fuse - Jackson Browne (1976)

This song opens with Craig Doerge’s piano which has a uniquely heartland rock sound. David Lindley’s guitar plays a good supporting role. David’s playing has a slight country influence, while maintaining a clear rock feel. Country is in fact an influence of heartland rock. Craig does powerful heartland piano rocking including during instrumental passages. I like how Jackson sings aggressively in this track. This song rocks in a dark way.

Talk to Me - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (1978)

This song was written by Bruce Springsteen. There are nice horns throughout. A soul influence is present including in Southside Johnny’s singing. The piano has a jolly feel in contrast to the previous song, yet it maintains its heartland rock style. There is a nice saxophone solo.

Lover - Michael Stanley Band (1980)

This song by the Michael Stanley Band is sung & written by Michael. Michael mentions the “cold Ohio night” (his state) which is apt for this genre. Lover is one of the songs I’ve been listening to the most this year. There is a great saxophone presence in this song by Bruce Springsteen’s saxophonist Clarence Clemons. I love how Michael sings “Oooh Lover” in the chorus. This is contrasted well with Clarence’s saxophone notes. The bridge is great as it takes the melody in a different direction.

Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen (1980)

This is the first hit song featured on this list. Pianist Roy Bittan of Bruce’s E Street Band is also on the next three songs. This song is very melodic and led wonderfully by Roy’s piano. There is a nice organ solo by Danny Federici where Bruce lightly sings along with it. Bruce's vocals are unique as he’s singing neither softly nor aggressively. He sings the same sounds that he sang during the organ solo plus others at the end of the song.

Skateaway - Dire Straits (1980)

Dire Straits are English and aren’t a heartland rock band, but producer Jimmy Iovine and keyboardist Roy Bittan bring a heartland rock sound to the proceedings. They fuse American styles into an English sounding song. This song is written and sung by Mark Knopfler who’s Dire Straits’ lead singer & guitarist. Roy’s piano works wonderfully. He also plays organ. Mark speaks in parts of the song. He alternates between speaking and singing. Roy’s piano is a good match to Mark’s guitar which does nice playing in the end section.

Roll Me Away - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1982)

Jimmy Iovine also produced this song. Roy’s piano drives the song and he has two powerful solos. Drummer Russ Kunkel provides a great beat. Waddy Wachtel’s guitar supports the song well. Craig Frost of The Silver Bullet Band adds colour to this tune with his organ. Bob is singing about a motorcycle trip in his state of Michigan. He sings powerfully as a rock singer.

Have You Ever Seen the Rain? - Bonnie Tyler (1983)

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler covers a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The original only has a few piano notes in parts of the song. Bonnie’s version wonderfully changes the lead instrument from acoustic guitar to piano. Roy plays his signature heartland rock piano sound. Bonnie sings so intensely. She reinterprets a light country rock song into a heartland rocker that rocks way more than the original including its awesome electric guitar parts. There is an aggressive guitar solo.

The Valley Road - Bruce Hornsby & The Range (1988)

Bruce plays powerful improvisational piano playing. He brings a possible jazz influence into heartland rock. It’s creative how he brings his brand of piano playing into a mainstream rock hit. There is a guitar solo and two piano solos. Bruce sings soulfully. I like how he sings “walk on” expressively. This song has a fun feel of the late 80s time period.

England and America - Elton John (2016)

This song written by Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin is paying tribute to England and America. England is Elton’s primary residence where he’s from and America is his second home where he lives part of the time. This song sounds different to the usual Elton John style. Elton displays his creativity in writing a heartland rock melody. He nails that genre’s piano sound. It’s rare to hear Elton rock out like this now. I love the 80s rock sound this song has. Elton’s band backs him well. I’d like to see Elton make a whole album in the heartland rock style.

More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows - Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers (2018)

The song opens with a piano riff which is repeated throughout the song. It soon becomes a powerful rocker driven by guitar and organ. During the guitar solo, the piano riff supports the solo well. There is a brief moment where most of the instruments stop and it’s led by the organ, similar to a section in the previous song with the piano. Joe sounds similar to Southside Johnny who I featured earlier. Joe’s singing about the importance of connecting with people.

This was my selection of ten heartland rock songs. I like the fact that heartland rock has a strong keyboard presence. These songs all feature piano and I can hear organ on six of them. It seems that one component of heartland rock is a mix of piano, organ and guitar. I love the melodies of all these tracks.

Ten Great Universal Music Group Songs

The Universal Music Group is one of the world’s leading record labels. I am a fan of Elton John & Bob Seger who are both part of the Universal Music Group. There are many other songs I enjoy that are part of the Universal Music Group. This article is a collection of Universal Music Group songs. It features a 50/50 mix of British & American artists.

Reelin’ In The Years - Steely Dan (1972)

This jazz rock song opens with the incredible guitar playing by Elliott Randall whose guitar is prominent throughout the song. Singer Donald Fagen gives a good piano part with the piano being the main instrument in the verses. The guitar part in the verses is subtle so you almost can’t hear it. This reminds me of Elton John’s 1973 song “Grey Seal” where guitarist Davey Johnstone does not play guitar during the verses. Elliott also plays two intense and powerful guitar solos.

 

Ramblin’ Man - The Allman Brothers Band (1973)

This is a southern rocker written and sung by guitarist Dickey Betts. Chuck Leavell’s piano drives the song with good organ support from Gregg Allman. There are intense guitar parts which come throughout the song. There is a guitar solo a little after the one minute mark. The guitars are played by Dickey and Les Dudek. The last two minutes of the song feature guitar soloing by them.

Still The Same - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1978)

This ballad shows us Bob Seger at his best. Bob does double duty playing piano and acoustic guitars. The song features those two instruments in the intro. The other instruments join in and Bob starts singing. Bob sings from his heart. Bob plays the piano well providing a good selection of musical notes and he gives a moving piano solo. Keyboardist Robyn Robins gives good organ accompaniment.

Promises - Eric Clapton (1978)

This is a country leaning song featuring electric piano. The guitar parts are a mix of acoustic and electric. Eric sings “la la la la .. ” in the chorus. It’s nice how there’s an electric guitar part doubling it which could be played by Eric himself. Eric sings gently on this song. Keyboardist Dick Sims also plays organ in addition to electric piano.

Twisting By The Pool - Dire Straits (1983)

This is a good, fun rock & roll song. Mark Knopfler wrote, sang and played lead guitar on this song. Keyboardist Alan Clark provides a jolly piano part. As this is a rock & roll song, Mark’s guitar solo sounds like one you’d hear in 50s music. There are a few brief drum solos. The backing vocals offer adequate support to Mark.

I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues - Elton John (1983)

It opens with Elton’s warm melodic piano. The other instruments slowly come in, with it becoming a full band song once Elton starts singing. The most prominent instrument alongside Elton’s piano is Davey Johnstone’s guitars. Davey co-wrote the song with Elton and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. This song seems like blues pop to me. Stevie Wonder gives a touching harmonica solo.

That’s All - Genesis (1983)

This is a piano driven rock song. It opens with piano and soft drumming. Phil Collins sings this song and also plays drums on it. The drumming gets more intense close to the one minute mark. There is an organ solo a bit before the halfway mark. There is an interesting guitar solo in the last section of the song. Phil does some subtle singing during the guitar solo.

Dancing On The Ceiling - Lionel Richie (1986)

While Lionel Richie is a soul artist, he has done some songs which went in a rock direction such as this one. I’d classify this as both a pop rock song and a soul song. It opens with cheering, Lionel talking and John Robinson’s drum intro. The piano and guitars give off a rock vibe. There are many glissandos on the piano. A rocking guitar solo is given. This song seems to be influenced by rock & roll music. This is a fun, energetic song.

Alone - Heart (1987)

This is an epic arena rock song. The song opens with a piano with some synth. The verses are slow and the choruses go into intense rock mode with strong guitar and synth parts. Ann Wilson sings powerfully in the choruses. There is a guitar solo three quarters of the way in the song. This is a pure 80s power ballad.

Roll With It - Steve Winwood (1988)

This song has a soul and blues feel. Steve Winwood plays all the instruments on this song except for the horns and some keyboards by Mike Lawler. The main keyboard parts of piano & organ are played by Steve. It opens with drumming, a horn intro and then the lead instrument of piano comes in. Steve sings powerfully. Nice organ parts first appear in the chorus and are used throughout the song. There is a soulful saxophone solo.

I featured a diverse collection of songs I like from the Universal Music Group. Their musical styles are a mix of rock, pop, soul, blues, jazz and country.