On Friday, as Mrs. Bear and I were driving home after a long week of work I put on one of my favorite movie soundtrack CDs, Invincible. This soundtrack not only includes the previously discussed I've Got A Name by Jim Croce, but also the great 70's single How Long by the band Ace. How Long - without a question mark - was the only hit for this English "pub band," but this did not stop singer-songwriter-keyboardist Paul Carrack from going on to success.
Carrack next joined the critically-loved Squeeze; a band that is well loved by every musician I know. Squeeze had the twice-a-hit single Tempted (1981 and 1993), on which Carrack sang the lead, and the great album track Black Coffee in Bed. Their work is well represented in The Squeeze Singles collection.
And then Paul joined Michael + the Mechanics, where he was the force behind the single All I Need Is A Miracle and the No. 1 hit The Living Years.
For a lot of musicians, this would be enough to cap off a lifetime career. However, Carrack continues to record solo albums, a number of which are purchased by other musicians looking for great songs to cover. As a prime example, when the Eagles made their come-back in 1994, it was Carrack's Love Will Keep Us Alive - co-written with Jim Capaldi of Traffic and Pete Vale - that was released as the first single from Hell Freezes Over.
The Eagles' fine current double-CD set Long Road Out of Eden features I Don't Want to Hear Anymore, written by Paul. I've already predicted that I Don't Want to Hear... will be included on the soundtrack album when Bill Hazelgrove's novel Rocket Man is made into a film.
Keep rockin' Paul!
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