Turning garbage into gold, that's the David Hasselhoff touch! Say what you will about the man, he makes money across the world, and plays to his strengths in every territory he reaches.
With Knight Rider airing the second half of the fourth season, and the upcoming fifth and final, Hasselhoff was branching out, looking for his next buttered bread. Sure, he could probably go off and do another television series, but why do that when you can cut an album? Mind you, all of what I just said is from my own perspective. I don't honestly know what would ultimately lead up to the man deciding that a music career was his next best venture.
Regardless of how it happened, the point is, it did. In 1985, the world was introduced to the man, the actor, the signer, David Hasselhof with his debut album, Night Rocker. Is the title coincidence? Or was it meant to play on the popularity of Knight Rider? I'm guessing probably the latter.
Going into this, I expected to be rolling my eyes, possibly even laughing at it from the silliness. This definitely seemed the case as Night Rocker, the song, launched it all off. The lyrics were cliche, and not helped by knowing who was belting them out. In my mind, there was no way that David Hasselhof could record an album that was anything short of dreadful.
While this wasn't entirely the case, yes, there were what I would call, "good" songs on it, when the bad ones hit, they were bad. The man isn't a ballad singer, nor is he a power singer. Meaning, he doesn't have the voice to swoon, nor does he have the range to shout. However, when he stays in the middle ground, and specifically gets help from his (at the time) wife, and backup singer, Catherine Hickland, tracks fair better.
Side Note: More surprising than David Hasselhoff recording music was how many times Catherine Hickland has been married. Four times! Yikes. Stop getting married! You're clearly not good at it!
Overall, Night Rocker fairs as subpar for me, and I'm slightly disappointed by this, but again, not surprised. My disappointment stems from the success that Hasselhof has had overseas. Between 1985 and 1993, his first seven albums went gold and / or platinum in several countries. I really wanted this to be a hidden gem for me - especially considering the price tag it came with. Because of his success mainly being overseas, finding these on CD is quite a difficult and costly task.
I suppose, at the end of the day, he still gets a thumbs up for his music. He was, after all, so popular in Germany that he was invited to sing at the Berlin Wall when it was coming down in 1989. There aren't too many American artists who can claim that honor.
Still, for me, I don't suspect I'll be tracking down his two remaining 80's albums. Again, they're not only expensive, but I simply don't think I want them. Unfortunately, saying that means they'll ultimately end up in my collection one day.
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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.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS April 25, 1981 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS April 25, 1987 |
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