Published on Mar 5, 1998
If you were growing up in the mid-’60s listening to the radio,
the name P.F. Sloan may ring a bell with you. He was the songwriter
behind such hits as “Eve Of Destruction” (a hit for Barry McGuire)
and “Secret Agent Man” (for Johnny Rivers), but he met with brick
wall after brick wall every time he tried to record his own
songs… kind of reminds me of the movie
Grace Of My Heart.
However, it has only been recently that Sloan has gotten the
chance to release an album of his own work, and while
(Still On The) Eve Of Destruction has a few warts, one
wonders what the hell the suits were thinking back around 1968 when
they said “no” to his recording solo.
With the assistance of a few friends, Sloan shows he has a
capable, if not stellar, voice to give life to his creations. It is
quite powerful in the gentle moments, and is right at home when the
tempo is increased. He likewise is a capable musician on guitar and
keyboards, but I often wished he hadn’t resorted to electronics in
the keyboard department. Acoustic piano is so much prettier.
Sloan took a big chance when he decided to re-record his two big
hits – this could have been very dangerous. Luckily, the versions
either stay in the same style or improve on the originals. While
Rivers will always be
the person who sang “Secret Agent Man,” Sloan (with the help
of Young Fresh Fellows as the backing band) is just as powerful of
a vocalist on this track. However, he chose to update “Eve Of
Destruction” to reflect some of the environmental risks we take
each day, and the new version, while thought-provoking, is also
much gentler than the original. (In one sense, the gentleness of
the track could work to Sloan’s disadvantage.)
But the highlight of
(Still On The) Eve Of Destruction is a light-jazz rendition
of “Crazy As A Daisy,” a song which made me think of Tony Bennett
for some reason. Sloan’s delivery on this track is nothing short of
incredible. Likewise, the ballad “Help Me Remember,” complete with
string quartet, is one of the more moving pieces of music I’ve
heard recently.
But there are times when a touch of pretentiousness sneaks into
the music, such as on “Beethoven’s Delight”. The problem isn’t in
the songwriting or Sloan’s performance – it comes this time in the
guise of pianist David Lanz – for some reason, the classical-tinged
lines he plays clashes with the mood of the song, and it tended to
distract me. After a few listens, it sounded a little more in
focus, in Lanz’s defense, and there’s not much I’ve heard from Lanz
I haven’t at least liked. The synthesizers are a bit too much on
songs like “Love Go Easy,” songs which might have benefitted from
more acoustic touches.
Guest vocalists John Auer and Ben Stringfellow (of The Posies)
wisely limit their contributions to background vocals, and let
Sloan have his long overdue place in the sun.
With the release of this album, one must wonder if Sloan will be
making his voice heard again soon. I would argue that he should;
(Still On The) Eve Of Destruction proves that he’s got many
more stories to tell, and as long as he’s able to keep writing
quality songs, why not continue to share them using his own
instrument? Lord knows, he’s waited long enough.