Next week’s featured album of the week on “Crazy Chucky’s
Classic Country Corner” is definitely one that takes me back to a simpler time
– Alabama’s The Closer You Get.
Released in March of 1983, I remember carrying this cassette
around in my boombox (remember those) as I would play in the backyard – whether
it be in my father’s old GMC, or in the woods behind the house. I don’t know if
this was their most successful album or 1984’s Roll On (you would have thought that Mr. Research would have
checked them out, but in this context, it doesn’t really matter too awful
much!), but both albums definitely made an impact on me.
When I think of “The Closer You Get,” I think of summer. Pure
and simple. It’s one of those songs that was all over the radio at that point –
whether you were listening to Country or Pop – and to me, it kind of was the
blueprint for Alabama’s sound. Tight harmonies with a rock and roll type
swagger. I will stop short of saying it’s my favorite Alabama single, but it’s
well within the top ten. “Dixieland Delight” was a little more country, but
still one of the songs that served as part of the soundtrack of my growing up
years. The other hit from the album is the one that I point to as Randy Owen’s
finest moment as a singer / songwriter – “Lady Down On Love.”
Having written the song about a woman who came into a club
one night who was going through relationship problems with her man, the song
has always stuck with me. Owen was so mournful and forlorn in his approach to
the song. It never comes out and says that it was him that made the mistake. It
could have been third person, after all – which is the genius of a songwriter
in keeping the options open, so to speak. One of the reasons this song appealed
to me so much is it brings to mind someone – and I will never say who. It was
someone I knew when I was a child who I had somewhat of a crush on. The rumor
on the street was that her significant other was running around on her.
LOL….When I hear the song to this day, I think of her……and others like her.
Owen once said that if a couple are having problems, it’s usually the man’s
fault. There’s some degree of truth in that I guess, but that songs till evokes
those memories of…….(Oops, said I wasn’t going to tell!)
Album-cut wise, there were other great moments on the album.
Between Teddy Gentry’s “Alabama Sky,” which was an emotional tribute to his
grandfather and Owen’s pure country vocals on “She Put The Sad In All His
Songs” (also recorded by TG Sheppard and Ronnie Dunn) remain a classic.
And, the beat goes on for Randy, Teddy, and Jeff. Coming up
next month, the band releases their first studio album in fourteen years – Southern Drawl – next month. Many of
their fans – me among them, are looking forward to that, but coming up on
August 12 – join me for a look back at their history with The Closer You Get on Crazy Chucky’s Classic Country Corner on WNKX
96.7 FM. Showtime is 1pm, and is brought to you by Tennessee Properties.
