I know it's almost unbelievably corny, but I've always had a soft spot for this classic cycle of 5ths based number, particularly in this, its original version.
Absolutely masterful. I've long been a fan of Elvis, though I know some people find his voice whiney, particularly on this record. I find this...just incredibly expressive. It's a first rate song, superbly performed. In fact the whole album is quite excellent.
from Painted from Memory (Mercury) available on CD - Mercury (538 002-2)
Wonderfully melodic virtuoso blues guitar work. Minor key tonality. As usual on Gary's tracks, the vocals are rather dwarfed by the over top magnificence of his guitar playing.
I think this song is possibly Supertramp's best, though I think it could have been better too. The lilting first verse is particularly striking, although as the song builds, the shrillness of Roger Hodgson's voice becomes wearing and there is an excess of repetition. The instrumental breaks in particular show one of the band's more positive characteristics - a jazz-inspired rhythmic urgency, and the sax solos are as excellent as always.
from Even in the quietest moments, available on CD (A&M)
One of those superb rock instrumental tracks which I think my fellow musical taster Delicado would describe as "Miketastic". Led by a series of driven electric guitar sounds over an overlaid backing of mellotron string and keyboard pads, it's richly expressive. The LP contains several strong songs and could well be his best yet.