PLAYER the band 70's rock

"BABY COME BACK" 2007

By Ty Schrock August 31, 2007

There’s something about late night infomercials that is like a harrowing car crash. You just can’t take your eyes off of them. Maybe it’s the product of too many sleepless or drunken nights, but now I actually find myself staying up on purpose to watch them. One of the first noticeable things is that there are so many to choose from. There’s Extenz for the small-penised man, get rich from doing nothing schemes for the small-brained man, and plenty of cooking and beauty aids to keep the ladies subdued and preoccupied. But none of these fine programs can hold a candle to what has become the best half hour on television: The Time Life Soft Rock Collection.

Hosted by possibly the worst band in the history of bands, Air Supply, we are magically transported to a world and time where men could be both sensitive and macho. A time when men had a lot of hair on their faces and even more on their chests. Yes, it was a time when artists like Elton, Billy, Rod, Pete Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, and James Taylor ruled the charts with music perfect for driving with the top down and not thinking too many deep thoughts.

The hilarity of this show does not come from these established artists though. For the most part, we are familiar with them and their songs, and I will admit that I do sorta like “Maggie Mae” by Rod and “Dreams” by the Fleetwoods. No, the real cream of the soft rock crop lies in the many forgotten artists and deep cuts contained in the set. Its through these so-bad-you-can’t-look-away artists that we can gain a real perspective of the times they came from.

An abridged mini-commentary:

Player- “Baby Come Back.” A sexy slow burner played by a bunch of feathered hair sleaze balls who undoubtedly spent their first royalty checks on an army of matching Camaros.

Robert John- “Sad Eyes.” A falsetto tinged ballad. I can’t believe anyone ever let this guy on TV. Wearing a half zipped track jacket and a neatly groomed beard, John looks like the perverse gym teacher who left town in a shroud of secrecy and disgrace.

Exile- “Kiss You All Over.” By far the most frightening moment of the half hour. This dude-chick is so scary that I guarantee you that no-one ever kissed him anywhere.

Rupert Holmes- “Him.” This is only included only because Holmes’ backup singer looks and acts exactly like SNL vet Cheri Oteri. I swear it has to be her. Check it out. It's somewhere near minute 22.

I really could go on all day, but the point is it’s truly hard to believe that this was popular to younger people back then. The show includes several testimonials from forty-somethings clad in polo shirts and capri’s exclaiming things like “This reminds me so much of high school. That was the best time in my life,” making me think that if Kenny Loggins or Hall and Oates were indicative of their happiness, they must have led very sad lives. But then I happened to catch the program one day while my parents were around, as watched in horror as they sat and observed in fond reminiscence. While I wanted to scream “Why the hell weren’t you guys listening to The Clash instead?” it dawned on me that these songs, although appearing very ridiculous to me, really belonged to people like them. They captured a place and time, and for that reason, they serve a valid purpose.

So please, I beg you… Stay up really late one night and watch The Time Life Soft Rock Collection. Watch it for the chest hair. Watch it for the V-neck sweaters. Watch it for the white kimonos with lavender sashes. Watch for the Richard Simmons-esque perms. Watch it for the dragon-embroidered jeans that the smaller half of Air Supply is sporting. Watch for the only remaining video footage of Boz Scaggs. But just remember, posters of these hideous creatures once hung on the walls of the lovelorn youths of yesteryear.

A Future Soap Star Plays with Player
By A. Flockofseagulls at Retrouniverse
November 30. 2008
I have no idea how many popular songs have been worked into gags on The Simpsons, but I’m sure aficionados of the show would have some clue. I am certain there have been some memorable one’s along the way, and among those that provided the biggest laugh (to me at any rate) was ‘Baby Come Back’ by Player. The basic premise was that Maggie Simpson (the baby) had gone walkabout and Homer called some hotline number for missing kids. When he was put on hold the recorded music playing was‘Baby Come Back’ by Player - I’m sure the hilarity is lost in translation, but regardless it gave the song added significance to me, above and beyond the fact that it was a rather pleasant soft-rock hit from the late 70s.

Player (not to be confused with Player1 - see earlier post) were a pop rock quartet that formed in L.A. during 1977, and among its players were Peter Beckett (vocals/guitar), John Crowley (vocals/guitar), Ronn Moss (bass), and John Friesen (drums). Peter Beckett originally hailed from Liverpool and was a veteran on the music scene via several years playing with an outfit called Paladin. He felt the need for some sunny weather so hopped a plane over to California where he joined another band called Friends (of the non-sitcom variety), who recorded a self titled album in 1975. Friends evolved into Skyband thereafter, which likewise released a single album in 1975 (again self-titled), followed by a tour overseas prior to disbanding.

So in 1976 Beckett found himself a singer/guitarist without a band, but not without an invitation to a swanky L.A. party - the kind where lots of out of work actors and musicians try to make contact with all the right people. Apparently at this particular party all the guests were expected to wear white, but Peter Beckett wasn’t big on convention, so he rocked up wearing his favourite pair of denim jeans. To his relief he wasn’t the only rebel in jeans that night, and found a denim compatriot in John Charles Crowley III, a musician hailing from Galveston Bay in Texas. So they both wore jeans and both played music - it must be destiny that they should start a band. The pair first met up to jam a little and get a feel for the musical tastes and talents of one another. They first played together for a brief time in a band called Riff Raff, which released one single ‘Jukebox Saturday Night’ to little notice. The chemistry was good enough for Beckett and Crowley to agree to the idea of organising another band to play their own songs. It was L.A. and it was the mid 70s, so finding talented and available musicians willing to join a new band shouldn’t be a problem.

First player added to the mix was bassist Ronn Moss, who had played in L.A. groups Count Zeppelin and his Fabled Airship, and Punk Rock. Moss knew a drummer by the name of John Friesen (the two were childhood buddies), who had previously been the drummer and assistant musical producer for the Ice Follies. The initial quartet set about recording material for a debut album, and at that point were signed to the Haven Records label (with the production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter). They adopted the name Player, the inspiration for which was no more interesting than taking the word ‘players’ (in reference to the cast on a television show) and removing the ‘s’. They also took a cover photo for their proposed album, but that was before the final unofficial member of the band, Wayne Cook, joined on keyboard duties (for touring purposes). The finishing touches were put on the album which was to be called, um wait for it….‘Player’ ta-dah! Sorry to get your hopes up there. With ten songs of promising soft rock in the can, Player suffered a bit of a set back when Haven Records went belly up. But Lambert and Potter weren’t going to let the project sink without a trace, so they negotiated a deal with the R.S.O. label, which just happened to be the home of the Bee Gees.

Just as well really because otherwise the great romantic soft-rock song ‘Baby Come Back’ may have been lost to world. Beckett and Crowley co-wrote the song reportedly inside of three or four hours. The pair took inspiration (lyrically at least) from the fact they had each recently broken up from their respective girlfriends, and it was a way of exorcising some of that angst and heartache (familiar story). They rehearsed the song with the band in Crowley’s garage during a heat wave over the summer of ‘77, and instinctively knew they had a potential hit single.

With the R.S.O. distribution/marketing machine behind them, Player released ‘Baby Come Back’ as their debut single in September ‘77. The radio friendly song was soon being added to every play list across the U.S. and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in October ‘77. Music critics were quick to start drawing comparisons between ‘Baby Come Back’ and a lot of the other A.O.R. (adult oriented rock) songs, citing the Hall & Oates hit ‘She’s Gone’ as one. Player were also labelled as being derivative of groups like Foreigner, Steely Dan and even their R.S.O. label-mates the Bee Gees. Player themselves were unperturbed by the criticism, after all 99% of popular music is derivative to some degree. Besides, by January ‘78 ‘Baby Come Back’ had reached #1 in the U.S., spent three weeks at the summit, and went on to sell over two million copies during a seven month stint on the American charts. Incidentally the artist that Player replaced at #1 in the U.S. was none other than the Bee Gees (‘How Deep Is Your Love’). ‘Baby Come Back’ hit the Australian charts in January ‘78 and went on to a peak of #15 (UK#32).

Whilst ‘Baby Come Back’ was still on its ascent of the U.S. charts, Player hit the road for the first time and were soon the opening act for Gino Vanelli (see future post). Over the next couple of years they toured with the likes of Heart, Kenny Loggins (see future post) and Eric Clapton. Their follow up single maintained the band’s high profile Stateside, but ‘This Time I’m In It For Love’ (US#10) didn’t make an impact elsewhere. On the strength of the two hit singles, the ‘Player’ album racked up solid sales in the U.S. (#26/OZ#47) in early ‘78, and was a solid mix of laid back soft rock, with an occasional flirtation with harder edged fare.

For their sophomore album Player (now the quartet of Beckett, Moss, Crowley, Friesen) decided to ramp up the harder edged approach, and introduced more of a heavy guitar feel to some of the songs, even daring to experiment with some prog-rock material. ‘Danger Zone’ sold well enough (US#37), but didn’t manage to produce any major hits. The lead out single ‘Prisoner Of Your Love’ climbed to US#27, whilst the follow up ‘Silver Lining’ (US#62) achieved more in the way of an imitation leather lining in terms of sales. Crowley left soon after to pursue a solo career in country music.

The remaining core trio of Beckett, Moss and Friesen signed with the Casablanca label and released the album ‘Room With A View’ in 1981, with new vocalist/guitarist Miles Joseph. By now the popularity game was over for Player and the album tanked, though it did realise one minor hit in ‘It’s For You’ (US#46). Ronn Moss then departed and Beckett carried the Player name forward as the only founding member, along with Friesen, still involved. 1982’s album ‘Spies Of Life’ (US#152) was issued on RCA and Player managed to notch up one last hit with ‘If Looks Could Kill’ (US#48). Beckett then retired the Player brand to pursue song writing and performing as a solo artist, though he briefly played with Little River Band in the early 90s. Ronn Moss had opted for an acting career, appearing in a few minor movie roles before trying his hand at daytime television. He played the role of Ridge Forrester in the long running TV soap ‘The Bold & The Beautiful’. Moss and Beckett dusted off the Player name in 1995 and released the album ‘Lost In Reality’ (originally titled ‘Electric Shadows’) a year later, followed by occasional touring in the late 90s. Moss later released an album titled ‘I’m Your Man’ (2000) which featured a rerecorded version of ‘Baby Come Back’ and alerted many, who only knew him from his TV soap work, to the fact that he was also an accomplished musician. At time of writing Moss and Beckett are planning to resurrect Player once again.

JANUARY 14,1978

1978 - Player started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Baby Come Back', a No.32 hit in the UK, the groups only UK hit. Peter Beckett grew up in Liverpool, England, where he spent four years playing in a band called Palladin. He quit to come to America and join another group, Friends, which recorded for MGM. After a short time, they evolved into Skyband, which released one album on the RCA label. Skyband lasted long enough to play one concert in L.A. and tour abroad before breaking up. In 1976, Peter slipped on his jeans and attended a classy Hollywood party. To his surprise, everyone there was wearing white except for one other guest, who had also come in Levi's. Peter figured the other guy had to be a musician, so they sat down together and began to talk. As it turned out, he was John Charles Crowley, a singer/songwriter from Galveston Bay, Texas. The two hit it off, and made a date to listen to each other's material. THE TOP FIVE Week of January 14, 1978 1. Baby Come Back Player 2. How Deep is Your Love Bee Gees 3. Here You Come Again Dolly Parton 4. You're in my Heart Rod Stewart 5. Back in Love Again LTD A few days later, Peter and J.C. held a jam session, and afterward decided to form a band. They added Ron Moss, a bass player from L.A., and veteran of two bands: Punk Rock and Count Zeppelin and his Fabled Airship. Ron brought along a high school friend, John Friesden, who, at one time, had toured the world as the assistant producer and drummer with the Ice Follies. Keyboard man Wayne Cook came abroad just a little too late; he missed being included in the photo used on their first album cover. The boys were spotted by the production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, and signed to their company, Haven. Lambert and Potter then negotiated a deal with RSO. A debut album was planned, which one critic was to call "a ten-song exercise in straightforward, romantic pop." One of those tunes was "Baby Come Back." We wrote that pretty quickly," recalled Peter. "It took about three hours one night, and then we spent about an hour the next night polishing it up. J.C. and I had just broken up with our girlfriends, and we were still feeling the sting. When we sat down to write, our moods just blended, and it came out as 'Baby Come Back.' "I remember rehearsing the song in J.C.'s garage studio. It was the middle of summer, hotter than hell, and there we sat with our acoustic guitars, working it up amid the spiders and cockroaches. We knew it sounded like a hit, though. There was so much personal feeling in the song that we knew we had something special." "Baby Come Back" broke on the radio in October 1977 and reached number one early in January. It spent three weeks at the top -- more than seven months on the charts. During that time, over two million copies were sold. This infuriated some critics, who felt that the boys' style was a "blatant carbon" of several other groups. However, reviewers couldn't seem to agree as to the source of their familiar sound. Various writers claimed that "Baby Come Back" was an imitation of Hall and Oates' "She's Gone," while others insisted the band copied Foreigner, the Bee Gees, Steely Dan, the Eagles, Journey, and even Andy Gibb. "Just call it rock 'n' soul," said Ron Moss. "We pull from the best of both worlds." Player didn't perform live until November 1977, when they appeared as the opening act for Gino Vanelli. Later, they toured with Heart, Boz Scaggs, Kenny Loggins, and Eric Clapton. Their second single, "This Time I'm in it for Love," was a Top 10 hit in the spring of 1978. "Prisoner Of Your Love" was a Top 40 hit in November of that year. Their last charting singles were for Casablanca in 1980 and RCA in 1982. And their name? "We saw the word on television when the players from the show were listed," Peter explained. "We knocked off the 's' and went with it. I think the word holds a certain ambiguity." "And also, people can hold up our album, point to it, and say, 'That's a great record, Player'."