|
|
 |
Rick Springfield: Best Of
• I've Done Everything For You [2:46]
• Jessie's Girl [3:15]
• Affair of the Heart (Radio Edit) [3:38]
• Human Touch (Radio Edit) [3:58]
• Souls [4:07]
• Love Somebody [3:35]
• Living in Oz [3:50]
• Love Is Alright Tonite [3:22]
• What Kind of Fool Am I [3:20]
• Don't Talk to Strangers [2:59]
• Motel Eyes [3:15]
• Celebrate Youth [3:56]
• Just One Kiss [3:18]
• Bop Til You Drop (Radio Edit) [4:02]
• Walking on the Edge [5:09]
• Walk Like a Man [4:09]
• State of the Heart [4:04]
• Calling All Girls [3:26]
• Rock of Life [3:28]
|
|
|
Born Richard Springthorpe on 23 August 1949 in Sydney, Australia, Rick Springfield grew up in army bases in his native country and England, as his father pursued a career as a professional solider. As a teenager in England during the 1960’s he remembers his earliest musical influences as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Springfield received his first guitar as a gift for his thirteenth birthday and soon leapt at the chance to play at regular weekend dances.
On leaving school and joining a full time band, Rock House, Springfield found himself in the middle of the Vietnam war. “The band was asked to go to Vietnam to entertain and we jumped at the chance to make some money”.
Back in Australia, Springfield recorded his own material with a new and immediately popular band, Zoot. A solo single, “Speak to the Sky”, reached number one in Australia and started record company interest on both sides of the Pacific. Capitol Records nabbed young Springfield and sent him to London to record his first album ‘Beginnings’.
In 1972 Springfield moved to the USA where he was groomed to become a new teenybop idol. A new version of ‘Speak to the Sky’ was released and became a US Top 20 hit.
He released the album ‘Comic Book Heroes’ for Columbia Records in 1974 and following drawn out legal wrangles he released ‘Wait For Night’ for Chelsea Records in 1976. The album featured Elton John’s rhythm section , Dee Murray (bass) and Nigel Olssen (drums). He also began to branch out artistically by developing his acting talents and by studying with drama coaches Vincent Chase and Malcolm McDowell.
His creative hard work convinced Universal Studios of his talent and they signed him to a two year contract. Television guest appearances soon followed in series like ‘Six Million Dollar Man’, ‘The Rockford Files’, ‘Wonder Woman’ and a two series dramatic role in ‘General Hospital’.
RCA Records signed Rick Springfield in 1980 and more than a decade of hard work and tough times turned into unqualified success as his debut album, ‘Working Class Dog’, went double platinum and the classic single, ‘Jessie’s Girl’, won a Grammy award for ‘Best Male Rock Performer’.
His second RCA album, the tongue in cheek titled ‘Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet’, was also a huge success, producing hits such as ‘Don’t Talk to Strangers’ and ‘Calling All Girls’. The album went double platinum-plus and Springfield took the American Music Award’s ‘Favorite Male Rock Vocalist’ for 1982. In addition he was nominated for another two Grammy awards for ‘Don’t Talk To Strangers’ and ‘I Get Excited’.
The success continued in 1983 with ‘Living in Oz’. The double platinum-plus album produced three hit singles, the US Top 5 ‘Affair of the Heart’, the pulsating ‘Human Touch’ and the powerful yet romantic ‘Souls’. The ‘Oz’ album gave Springfield his fifth Grammy nomination in three years for ‘Best Male Rock Vocalist’ for ‘Affair of the Heart’.
His next major step was into film, starring and producing the soundtrack for ‘Hard To Hold’, which featured the hit single ‘Love Somebody’. He went on to form his own production company to develop and produce feature film projects. Springfield also continued to tour his stunning live show on both sides of the Atlantic including a sell out show at the old Hammersmith Odeon in 1985, Also in ’95 he released the ‘Tao’ album which went gold in the USA and contained the hit singles ‘Celebrate Youth’ and ‘State of the Heart’. In 1988 after a long, self imposed absense from recording he returned to the studio to produce the ‘Rock Of Life’ album which featured the hit single of the same name.
|
|
