ARTIST: Bill Lloyd
TITLE: Feeling the Elephant
YEAR RELEASED: 1987
CHART ACTION: None
SINGLES: None
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Er…no
LINEUP: Bill Lloyd with some help from David Russell, Scott Sullivan, Marc Owens, Jim Hodgekins, and Kim Richey
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: A set of power-pop demos recorded over a four year period is a hidden gem for a singer-songwriter who was about to break big in country.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: In a few months after this was released, Bill Lloyd would become famous in the country music as part of Foster & Lloyd, but these songs were firmly in power-pop territory, and they hold up a lot better than that country duo’s tracks.
Most of these tracks are self-recorded as a one-man band, and date from a four year period. Yet they sound cohesive, tight, and very much like a self-contained album project.
Lloyd’s sense of melodies and arrangement are demonstrated on each track, and he’s well known as a rock and country guitarist and that’s also in evidence here. The only drawback is some of the production – very 80’s sounding at times. Still, it’s a must for power-pop lovers.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: He’s an in-demand session guy and also tours as a sideman besides his solo work.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No
GRADE: A: It’s surprising how good this is. A very much hidden power-pop gem.