Graeme Edge Band - 1977 - Paradise Ballroom

The Graeme Edge Band

1977

Paradise Ballroom

01. Paradise Ballroom 8:25

02. Human 6:25

03. Everybody Needs Somebody 4:55

04. All Is Fair 5:10

05. Down, Down, Down 6:01

06. In The Night Of The Light 3:10

07. Caroline 6:05

Bass, Vocals – Paul Gurvitz

Drums – Graeme Edge

Flute – Lannie McMillan

Guitar, Vocals – Adrian Gurvitz

Keyboards – Blue Weaver, Tony Hymas

Keyboards, Synthesizer [Moog] – Ann Odell

Percussion – Rebop Kwaku Baah

Saxophone – Emerson Able

Saxophone, Flute – Bill Easley

Steel Guitar [Pedal] – BJ Cole

Trombone – Bill Floores, Ken Spain

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ben Cauley, Edgar Matthews

Vocals – Brian Parrish

Having been pushed to the periphery on his sophomore solo album, Kick Off Your Muddy Boots, Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge wrestled back control for the follow-up, Paradise Ballroom. On Boots, singer/guitarist Adrian Gurvitz shared the limelight only with keyboardist Mickey Gallagher, leaving his own brother, bassist Paul, and his putative employer, Edge, to languish in the shadows. Now the tables were turned, as Edge insisting on co-writing all the tracks with Gurvitz (the drummer contributed only three on his debut), and promoted Paul to lead vocalist. This resulted in a much more coherent set, and a far funkier one, throwing the spotlight directly onto the rhythm section, bolstered by guesting Traffic percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah. Of course, Gurvitz's lead guitar still splays across the album, but so does a full horn section, as the set sashays around disco, reggae, Motown, funk, and soul, the upbeat songs counterbalanced by gorgeous, introspective numbers. The discofied adaptation of "Everybody Needs Somebody" is inspired, the breezy "In the Light of Night" a delight, and the funky title track a soul-filled extravaganza