Farewell Fairbanks

Now best known for his work in film music, Randy Edelman received a musical education from childhood. He began his career writing music for the theatre and arranging for orchestras, and working with Judy Garland led him into the world of pop. After making his debut as a singer-songwriter in 1970, he moved from New York to Los Angeles and released this album in 1975. Guest appearances include Jackie DeShannon, whom he had just married, as well as Melissa Manchester and Andrew Gold.

Beginning with ‘Let the Sailors Dance’, co-written with his wife, the songs are filled with sparkling melodies and dramatic arrangements, creating the elegant feeling of a fresh, rain-cleared sky. The show-business flair of Tin Pan Alley—where he once worked on Broadway—blends with the sophisticated sheen of West Coast AOR. To my ears, it is a flavour of pop quite unlike that of the singer-songwriters of the day.

Listening closely, vivid musical landscapes rise before me, like scenes from a film.