LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Label: Second Harvest

This 2-in-1 CD brings together the two Arista albums by Baby Grand, the Philadelphia group built around David Kagan, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian. Their music sits in a polished late-1970s space where melodic rock, AOR, progressive pop and studio sophistication all meet. The debut album has a smooth but restless character, with layered keyboards, sharp guitar lines and dramatic vocals giving the songs more personality than ordinary soft rock.

Ancient Medicine pushes the band into a fuller and more confident sound, with Carmine Rojas and David Prater strengthening the rhythm section and the arrangements leaning further into energetic, keyboard-coloured rock. Heard together, the two albums also document the roots of The Hooters, since Hyman and Bazilian would soon move on to far greater commercial success. This Second Harvest edition presents both original albums on one CD.

1. Never Enough – 4:18
2. Can't Keep It Inside – 4:30
3. Bring Me Your Broken Heart – 3:51
4. Lady Of My Dreams – 4:46
5. Down, Down – 7:00
6. Alligator Drive – 5:16
7. Shinin' In The Spotlight – 3:54
8. Boy In The Band – 5:07

9. All Night Long – 4:07
10. Much Too Much – 4:17
11. Weekend In New Jersey – 3:24
12. Runner In The Rain – 5:54
13. Walk Away Renee – 5:02
14. Right Here, Right Now – 4:54
15. Flame In The Wind – 4:22
16. It's Not A Figure Salon – 4:55