Dion DiMucci
Sanctuary/Suite For Late Summer-Dion ACE-release date September, 2001 Maybe You Had to Be There. I hate to throw a wet blanket on this pairing of albums now available on one CD, but the truth is, the individual ventures have lost something over the years. Begin with Sanctuary-at the time a warm and original singer-songwriter showcase, with live tracks to boot. The problem was then-no one seemed to care, if sales figures are any indication, and part of the problem was the lack of a tenable single. "Sanctuary" (penned by Dion fave-rave Dick Holler) is a nice tune about the faded youth movement dream, but it just misses. Vocals-outstanding. Backing-competent. But the cryptic refrain, "I've got John and Mary / and sanctuary /on Telegraph Avenue" leaves listeners grasping an enigma rather than significance. Dion's original songs here rank among my favorites. "Willigo" is an up-tempo cut that echoes Van Morrison (especially the horn arrangements); "Harmony Sound" is a brilliantly melancholy look back at his years with the Belmonts, and is graced by his sister Donna's beautifully poignant vocal accompaniment. "Gotta Get Up" is the winner, though, for its sheer innocence in rejoicing over the fulfillment garnered by the simple and natural act of child rearing. Dion should know a thing or two about that subject, having brought three daughters safely, and one can't help believing very happily through maturity. But the live tracks seem an anomaly. Why reprise "Abraham, Martin and John" when the single itself did the job just a few years before? For that matter-"Almond Joy" is superfluous, and the smattering of "Ruby Baby" we get is spirited, but at odds with the otherwise fresh sound of the rest of the album. And the package lacks the immediacy now that it might have possessed all those years ago. Suite For Late Summer was adequately appraised for me by Dion himself back in the 1970s as we visited at ABC TV studios in Chicago: "That album was a bit out of my backyard." There are some beautiful songs here, but the production and arrangements get mired in Russ Titleman's lethargic attempt to create a stylistic package of country-flavored ballads. Bill Tuohy's lyrics are at times touchingly poetic, at others overly lush. Bonus Tracks: I waited 24 years to have a copy of "Young Virgin Eyes," having heard Dion sing the hell out of it one night in a Chicago area supper club. The Michael Omartian-produced single (Omartian should not have been allowed to produce anything other than AM radio jingles) is a bit disappointing in its clean and predictable production values-and sadly here Dion recycles the hook from his previous "Baby Let's Stick Together" which appears in the "I'm all wrapped up in you" chorus. Hey-it hadn't been released in the States. No one would have heard it. Still. The song is a hybrid. Go back to the BORN TO BE WITH YOU cd and have a listen. My pick for best bonus track is the understated acoustic guitar-backed "Richer Than A Rich Man." Confidently articulated, masterfully played-it's a DiMucci gem, and it is written in the spirit of the "Kotter" theme song he penned for Gabe Kaplan's hit TV series. (John Sebastian got the contract-but Dion wrote the first, and for my money, superior theme.) Track listings: Sanctuary: Sunshine Lady, Sanctuary,
Willigo, Harmony Sound, Gotta Get Up, Medley: Please Be My Friend/Take
A Little Time, The Wanderer, Abraham, Martin And John, Almond Joy, Ruby
Baby, Brand New Morning Suite For Late Summer: Soft
Parade Of Years, Running Close Behind You (1st Version), Traveller In
The Rain, Tennessee Madonna, Seagull, Wedding Song, Jennifer Knew, Didn't
You Change, It All Fits Together, To Dream Tomorrow, Bonus Tracks Richer
Than A Rich Man, Running Close Behind You (2nd Version)· Young
Virgin Eyes (I'm All Wrapped Up) More
reviews of Dion albums by Greg Greg Herriges ...and here is
a link to Greg's site |
