David Courtney

Multi-talented, internationally acclaimed and Grammy award winning – songwriter and record producer David Courtney is a man for whom the word ‘superlative’ was invented! From drumming for Adam Faith to discovering Leo Sayer, and from writing and producing hits for the likes of Roger Daltrey and working with other giants like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton… Courtney is a man whose life is steeped in music!

To celebrate such phenomenal achievement, Angel Air Records recently released this monster double-disc set. What we get is a generous treasury of golden hits, performed by the best in the biz! Which is precisely as it should be to ‘celebrate’ the man responsible for over 30 million global record sales.
The 37 tracks are monopolised by the ever excellent Roger Daltrey (11 tracks), Leo Sayer (10 tracks) and Adam Faith (5 tracks). In between, we are treated to contributions from Steve Ellis, Maggie Bell, Dollar, Odyssey, Joe Egan, Smokie, Roger Chapman, Russian singer Marina Kapuro, and some other special guests…

CD-1 starts with two Leo Sayer hits: the catchy ‘The Show Must Go On’ and the jolly ‘Long Tall Glasses’. Next up is Adam Faith (with a little help from Ritchie Blackmore) on ‘I Survived’ (uplifting backing chorus and cracking boogie-woogie piano on this one!).
The poignant evergreen ‘Giving It All Away’ is passionately performed by Roger Daltrey, followed by Roger ‘Chappo’ Chapman’s R&B infused ‘Midnight Child’.
Glaswegian blues-rock belter Maggie Bell is almost restrained on ‘In My Life’ (co-written by Leo Sayer).
The now iconic ‘Stuck In The Middle’ (thanks to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs) gets the Daltrey and Faith treatment here, with a generous helping of country-style twangs. It can easily give the Stealers Wheel original a run for its money, which is no less than what you can expect from the likes of Daltrey and Faith!
Russian singer Marina Kapura delivery of the melancholic ballad ‘The Easy Way Out’ is inspired, and it is one of the saddest songs on the album. Sayer’s ‘Train’ is the closing track on the first CD.

CD-2 kicks off with the laid-back ‘Back On The Road’ by the one and only Joe Egan (Stealers Wheel). Steve Ellis (with Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy and Motörhead fame) delivers the anti-dote with the rocking ‘Blackmail’ – it’s spanking with scorching riff work by ‘Robbo’!
The Adventures of Chappo and Robbo… can’t you just see it?! Only kidding…
‘Work’, a rather untypical number from Leo, gets beefed up by American heavyweight guitarist Steve Cropper and the result is one which this reviewer prefers.

‘One Man Band’ – already featured on CD1 performed by Sayer (who is also the co-writer of this ditty), is once again featured on this second CD, here sung by Daltrey and it sounds a lot edgier.
The maestro himself (yes, David Courtney) treats us to ‘When Your Life Is Your Own’ (together with David Gilmour) and this is a truly anthem-like composition.
With regards to ‘Say It Ain’t So Joe’… it is a track that Courtney wished he had written himself. Alas, it was written by actor/singer Murray Head and apparently was inspired by a 70’s docu about Richard Nixon prior to his resignation. It is performed by Daltrey who delivers the goods again.
Pete Townsend’s fabulous and energetic ‘Squeeze Box’ features Daltrey and Faith. Absolutely brilliant this, with folky Cajun undertones and everything else that evokes images of the Big Easy.
It’s swap time once more (and you can make up your own mind) when Sayer sings ‘Giving It All Away’ which we already heard on the first CD sung by Daltrey. Sayer acquits himself very well here in a stripped down version of the song that also features lovely string arrangements.

Two more tracks sung by Daltrey – the feverish ‘Avenging Annie’ and the reflective ‘You Put Something Better’ – feature Rod Argent/John Entwistle on the former and Eric Clapton on the latter.
Mr. ‘Ghostbusters’ Ray Parker Jr. adds gravitas to ‘When The Money Runs Out’ on which he collaborates with Sayer. The result is stomping and infectious, with honking sax solos.
Closing number on this mammoth anthology is ‘Why Is Everybody Going Home’ – a dreamy and also quite melancholic track once again performed by Leo Sayer.