Don't be ashamed to hold your head up

Continuing my trip back through the 1977 album charts.

24/07/77 : Steve Winwood - Steve Winwood

We've met Steve once before as part of Traffic and my verdict then was "skilful, enjoyable nonsense" so who knows what I'm going to think of this!

He's got a nice voice over some gentle noodling - I wouldn't say it was exactly memorable, but it was certainly pleasant enough.  And do I have anything else to say about it?  No, I do not...

We're at #12 in the charts this week on his fourth week of a nine week run, with this being as high as it got.  The top five this week were the Johnny Mathis best-of, A Star Is Born, Yes (a rare new entry in the top five), a Neil Diamond live album and the Connie Francis best-of and the next highest new entry was a Rainbow live album (#17).

Wikipedia tells me this is "the debut solo studio album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood" which struck me as weird because I didn't know that "blue-eyed soul" was a thing and thought they were just picking up on. a strange physical detail.  The only critical comment is Robert Christgau describing it as "vague" and commercially it did better than Traffic albums managed over here, although not so well in the US - but it still got to #22 which seems way better than I'd imagine.

"Customers also listened to" Traffic, Todd Rundgren, Jim Capaldi and Bruce Hornsby - I was somewhat surprised to see Bruce on this list because I thought he was from a different era, so I Googled him and he both isn't (because he's a similar age) and is (because his first album didn't come out until '86).  I was also surprised to learn he's played live as part of The Grateful Dead over 100 times.  Anyways, back to Steve and I thought this was perfectly pleasant but completely inessential allbum.

17/07/77 - Interestingly forgettable 
31/07/77 - A potential grower