Sea Level – “Long Walk On A Short Pier”
I got this one around eleven years ago, and as you can see, Value Village strikes again ruining album covers. The bright side, the sleeve was already water damaged. Which is ironic since it’s a wet cover. Let’s dive in. (See what I did there?)
The album opens with “Tear Down This Wall” and it’s a good opening, these guys kind of have that Doobie Brothers vibe to them, but a bit more funky. If this album had been recorded in the late 80’s instead of the early 80’s, I’d think by the title that the album was about the Berlin Wall (it’s not – it’s about that wall that divides communication in relationships), definitely a solid opener. “Canine Man” comes next, and the guitar playing in the opening with the drums and percussion is pretty good, this song definitely has that southern rock sound it, and it’s good. “My Love” comes next, and once more we keep going with that Doobie Brothers feel, and this is an incredibly well done album. The A-Side closes out with the track “Just a Touch” which is the first instrumental of the album, but a great way to close out the A-Side.
“Thirsty” opens the B-Side, and truthfully, this is not what I was expecting or anticipating on this album as I was completely expecting some sort of southern rock, Allman Brothers-esque type of album. This is really upbeat, Discogs labels it as “Jazz Rock” – but a solid opening to the B-Side. “A Two N’ Two” comes next, and it’s definitely got a funky beat to it. We’ll see how to vocals play out. The piano playing is nice on this one, and the guitar playing is pretty solid. No vocals, but solid instrumental. “Morning Light” follows up, and we have some vocals, it’s more of a slow paced album, but that doesn’t always necessarily mean bad, because it’s got soul to it. “Too Many Broken Hearts” comes next, and we continue with this funky beat and so far, so good with this release. It definitely seems to be another win for sure. Lastly, we close out the album with “Twenty Miles from Nowhere” and it seems to be another instrumental track, and a fantastic way to close out this album.
Catalog Number:
CPN 0227
Credits:
Alto Saxophone & Baritone Saxophone – Charlie Brent
Baritone Saxophone – Harold Williams
Bass & Vocals – Lamar Williams
Drums & Vocals – Joe English
Engineer – David Pinkston
Guitar – Davis Causey & Jimmy Nalls
Mastered by Bob Ludwig
Percussion & Congas – David Earle Johnson
Piano, Organ & Vocals – Chuck Leavell
Producer – Sea Level
Producer & Engineer – Sam Whiteside
Saxophone, Keyboards & Vocals – Randall Bramblett
Tenor Saxophone – Jon Robert Smith & Tony DaGrady
Trumpet – Ed Dowling, Joe Woolie & Rodney Lafon
Recorded and remixed at Capricorn Studios, Macon, GA
Horn Section Recorded at Sea Saint Studio, New Orleans, LA
Mastered at Masterdisk, New York, NY
Released:
1980
Find it on Discogs:
