Rick Springfield - Living In Oz (1983) [2008 Rock Candy Remastered]

“Living In Oz” appeared at a time when Rick had made name for himself as a beloved actor in various TV series and as a rock&pop artist, having released the multi-platinum albums Working Class Dog and Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet.
After that he wanted a lot more Rock credibility and started to write harder-edged material that would take his (already) outstanding career to a new level.

Recorded with such luminaries as incredible guitarist Tim Pierce, drummer Mike Baird (Stan Bush, Journey), keyboardist Alan Pasqua (Giant), Richard Page & Tom Kelly doing backing vocals, etc, and produced by Bill Drescher and Springfield himself, it was another album that reached the platinum status, even though it differed a lot from the ones previously released.

“Living In Oz” showcased a slightly different creative tack for Springfield, who opted to modify his existing sound with deeper, more personalised lyrical themes, yet still retain a glossy melodic sheen.
The album boasts two major hit singles in the brilliantly evocative guitar-driven ‘Affair Of The Heart’ and the instantly catchy ‘Human Touch’ which excellently mixed state-of-the-art sound of the era with warm vocals.

“Living In Oz” is probably one of the best rock&pop / melodic rock albums from the US first half of the ’80s scene, and one of the best in Rick Springfield’s career. It is a truly exceptional and quite brilliant work.


Tracks:

01 – Human Touch
02 – Alyson
03 – Affair Of The Heart
04 – Living In Oz
05 – Me & Johnny
06 – Motel Eyes
07 – Tiger By The Tail
08 – Souls
09 – I Can’t Stop Hurting You
10 – Like Father, Like Son

Personnel:

Rick Springfield: vocals, guitar, bass, backing vocals
Tim Pierce: guitars
Mike Seifrit, Dennis Belfield: bass
Mike Baird: drums
Alan Pasqua, John Shenale, Mitchell Froom: keyboards
Jack White: electronic drums
Richard Elliot: sax solo on “Human Touch”
Michael Fisher: percussion
Richard Page, Tom Kelly: backing vocals