It was one of the biggest events in music history. Considered a supergroup, USA for Africa featured the likes of Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Dion Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Spingsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan Ray Charles and a slew of others.
What the heck, let's list them to. Give credit where credit's due. Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belefonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, The Pointer Sisters (Ruth, Issa and Sadako) and Smokey Robbinson.
Now, while the song is great, and certainly the spirit behind it, it's unfortunate that the rest of the record feels phoned in. None of the other tracks feel like they have the effort behind them that the title track does. As if they're there just to fill an album.
Excluding We Are The Work, of the remaining nine songs, only three really stand out. Those are The Pointer Sisters' Just A Little Closer, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Trapped and Prince and the Revolution's 4 The Tears In Your Eyes - The latter getting a pass only because of how much I like Prince. It's far from his best work.
Overall, it's just not a very good album. Disappointing considering the shear volume of talent behind it.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
Wow - didn't know there were other songs on the album. Always just thought it was a single. I hadn't heard it in ages and we used it for a fun video we made at work. Since then, I listen to it every now and then. It's a good song.
ReplyDelete