Pages

Sunday, February 17, 2019

"Mutual Surrender (What a Wonderful World)" by Bourgeois Tagg

Song#:  2682
Date:  04/12/1986
Debut:  92
Peak:  62
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Pop, Synthpop, Blue-Eyed Soul



Pop Bits:  Dallas area friends Brent Bourgeois and Larry Tagg were members of a band called Uncle Rainbow in the mid-70s. The band was encouraged to take their career to the next level and move to one of the coasts. They decided to give the San Fransisco area a try and made the move. The band became a popular live act and they caught the attention of Riva Records. A deal was signed and an album was recorded, but then music business rigamarole stymied the band and the LP never got released. Up-n-coming producer/artist Narada Michael Walden showed interest in the group, but a failed audition at Geffen left the band on their own again. Frustration within the band and lack of progress finally led to their demise in 1981. Bourgeois and Tagg remained together and set out to start a new band. They moved to Sacramento and with three other musicians began Bourgeois Tagg. Over the next few years they honed their sound and became locally popular. Island Records came calling and signed the band. They recorded their self-titled debut album and this first single was issued out. It got a little bit of traction and was able to make it over a third of the way up the Pop chart. It was enough to get the album on the chart at minor #139. While the results weren't spectacular, Island decided to invest in a second album, which would end up doing better.

ReduxReview:  This song is sneaky. It slowly creeps up and begins to infiltrate your brain after a few listens. At first, I really wasn't sure where the chorus was. In my head I seemed to be going "wait...is this it? No - this is it - or is it?" The pre-chorus sounds like a chorus, but then they actually get to the chorus. And then it isn't until after the second real chorus that the main title is mentioned. It's all kind of odd, but something about it caught my ears. I needed to hear it again. And one more time. While it doesn't have a hook that bangs you over the head, it's a really interesting tune and I like the progression of it and how it is written. Although I ended up liking it, I don't think it was Top 10 material. However, it could have done a bit better and maybe made the Top 40.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Brent Bourgeois posted a funny story on his website about the cover of the band's self-titled debut album. The artwork for the cover was done by his sister Coral. At the time, the Tower Records store in San Fran would create these masonry squares that featured the art of newly released albums up on the top of their building. After a while, these squares would be removed and recovered with the latest album covers up for promotion. When some of these squares would come down, the store would offer them up to anyone who might want them. Being that it was Brent's band and that it was Coral's artwork, their mom decided she wanted the square. She lived back in Dallas, so she paid to have the piece shipped to her. It ended up becoming a fixture in the family home. Bourgeois' site even has a pic posted of the square being delivered. It was not small and apparently weighed about 600 pounds! That is definitely a mother's dedication and support to her kids' careers.

_________________________________________________________________________________

No comments:

Post a Comment