Pat Benatar
Reviewed on this page:
In The Heat Of The Night - Crimes Of Passion - Precious Time - Get
Nervous - Live From Earth - Tropico - Seven The Hard Way -
Wide Awake In Dreamland - True
Love - Gravity's Rainbow - Innamorata - Go
In the early 90s I lived in a loft on Avenue D in Manhattan with five or six other people of varying backgrounds: one of those group houses where nobody wants to clean the bathroom, each person's trying to be more radical and intellectual than the next, and no one can ever agree on anything. One day I came home with Pat Benatar's Greatest Hits, went into my room - without saying a word to anybody - and cranked it up. One by one, each of my roommates came into the room and started rocking out. It's the most pure fun I remember that group ever having together.
To put it another way, Pat Benatar's a guilty pleasure for me and many other veterans of the
early 80s: she wasn't subtle, original or profound, and really the
only emotion she's good at projecting is betrayed anger on the verge of
tears. But she projected that one emotion really well on a slew of
hooky rockers: "Heartbreaker," "You Better Run," "Hit Me With Your Best
Shot," and her two melodramatic masterpieces, "Fire and Ice" and
"Promises In The Dark." Plus, for rock fans, she was practically the
only female even in the game: Janis Joplin was
dead; Grace Slick was irrelevant; and
Deborah Harry had gone pop. As a result, rock
radio was five or six tracks deep into each new album, Benatar's sales
were spectacular, and she won the Grammy for best female rock vocal
four years running. She even married her lead guitarist/producer Neil
Giraldo (then known as Geraldo) in 1982. Things looked good.
Then, for reasons I don't exactly understand, she moved farther and
farther from her rock roots, and - after an initial bump with early MTV favorite "Love Is A Battlefield" - her record sales declined correspondingly. She still tours, and has her devoted fans, but only
releases a record every few years to little acclaim.
There's a Fan Club site with everything you'd expect. (DBW)
Lineup:
Pat Benatar, vocals; Neil Geraldo, lead guitar; Scott
St. Clair Sheets, guitar; Roger Capps, bass; Glen
Alexander, drums. Alexander left 1979, replaced by Myron
Grombacher. Sheets left 1981, replaced by Charlie Giordano,
keyboards. Capps left in 1984, replaced by Donnie Nossov. By
1991 Nossov was gone, replaced by Chuck Domanico. 1997 lineup:
Benatar; Giraldo (note spelling change); Mick Mahan, bass;
Allison Cornell, violin and keyboards; Ray Brinker,
drums.
 In The Heat Of The Night (1979)
An instant success, but it's a very uneven record. Signed to Chrysalis
Records, and with three tracks produced by Mike Chapman, it's not
surprising that the band sounds like Blondie
for much of this album: stripped-down uptempo pop-rock ("If You Think
You Know How To Love Me") or pseudo-disco (the single "We Live For
Love"). But Benatar's trademark angry/vulnerable rants are in full
effect on "Heartbreaker" and John Cougar Mellencamp's "I Need A Lover."
The band wasn't writing much at this point: Geraldo wrote only "We Live
For Love," and Pat and Capps contributed two absurd numbers, "My Clone
Sleeps Alone" and "So Sincere" - the other material was written by
Chapman or by hired guns like Alan Parsons. Mostly produced by
Peter Coleman. (DBW)
 Crimes Of Passion (1980)
Keith Olsen produces this time, and he drops the New Wave affectations
in favor of good old mindless rock and roll. The entire first side is a
triumph, as good as Benatar's ever going to get: "Treat Me Right," "You
Better Run" (a 1966 Young Rascals tune), "Never Wanna Leave You," "Hit
Me With Your Best Shot" and "Hell Is For Children" are all memorable,
assertive loud rock and every track got heavy airplay. She won her first
Grammy for this record, and for all her stylistic limitations, she
probably deserved it. On the second side, though, the band runs out of
steam: "Prisoner Of Love" and "Little Paradise" are listless ballads,
the cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" isn't going to make you
forget the original, and the rambling "Out-A-Touch" may inspire you to
bring the record to an early conclusion. The band did more of the
writing this time around, though "Best Shot" was written by Eddie
Schwartz, also known for penning Paul Carrack's "Don't Shed A Tear"
(thanks, Eric). (DBW)
8-15-80 (rec. 1979-80, rel. 1998)
One of those bootleg-looking cut-rate live records, actually recorded at two shows: 8-15-80 and 11-13-79. (DBW)
 Precious Time (1981)
Benatar's only #1 album, and easily her most consistent. The album
opens with Pat emoting like crazy on "Promises In The Dark" and "Fire
And Ice," with corny yet effective dynamics changes and false endings.
Future Madonna hitmaker Billy Steinberg came
up with the mellower title track, which brings the tempo down enough for
you to notice that Benatar really can sing. Then there are the
cookie-cutter rockers "Just Like Me" and "Take It Anyway You Want It," a
direct copy of "Best Shot." There's even a smidgen of stylistic growth:
"Evil Genius" incorporates an all-star horn section (Tom Scott, Larry
Williams, etc.) into the band's sound. The only real waste of time
is an amazingly faithful remake of the
Beatles' "Helter Skelter" - it really sounds like the original
(except for the ending), but what the hell's the point of that? Anyway,
if you don't get into this disc, you probably won't enjoy anything
Benatar ever did. Neil Geraldo was taking an increasingly major
role, and on this disc he produces with Olsen. (DBW)
King Biscuit Presents: Greatest Hits Live (rec. 1981, rel. 2000)
 Get Nervous (1982)
By now Sheets had left the band, and a keyboard player (Charlie
Giordano) had joined, giving the record a Brit New Wave feel on
tracks like "Anxiety (Get Nervous)" and "The Victim." Presumably
they were just trying to keep up with trends, and predictably it sounds
dated today. Several of the tracks were cowritten by Steinberg and
Geraldo; the rest are by random outsiders, including the overwrought pop
single "Shadows Of The Night" and the two most Benatar-sounding tunes,
"Little Too Late" and "Tell It To Her." The record had solid sales, but
it marked her first step away from the style that made her famous.
Produced by Geraldo and Coleman, as were the next two records. (DBW)
Live From Earth (1983)
A generally pointless live set, since Benatar already belted like a
banshee on the studio recordings, and the band didn't have the chops
to play extended solos or jams. Also, with Geraldo as the only remaining
guitarist, the sound is thin on the rockers ("Heartbreaker," "Hit Me
With Your Best Shot"). Still, her theatricality is amusing on "Promises
In The Dark" and the six-minute showstopper "Hell Is For Children." The
set list is mostly predictable, except for the relatively obscure
"Lookin' For A Stranger" and "I Want Out." Then there are the two studio
tracks, the generic "Lipstick Lies," and the huge hit single "Love Is A
Battlefield," an atmospheric dance-pop tune (by Chapman) with a Michael Jackson-style video that
continued Benatar's defection from the rock and roll camp. (DBW)
Tropico (1984)
The keyboards are in the background by now, but the drums have acquired
an obnoxious electronic sound, and the guitars focus on playing
distorted chords instead of catchy licks. It's not an improvement. There
are a lot of midtempo ballads here, most of which Pat didn't write; on
the hit "We Belong" she's in fine voice, but nobody needs to hear
half-baked tunes like "Love In The Ice Age" or "A Crazy World Like
This." The rock numbers lack any of the band's earlier drama - with no
dynamics changes or riffs, "Ooh Ooh Song" and "Temporary Heroes" are
rote and boring. Capps apparently left while the album was being made;
Donnie Nossov plays most of the bass parts. Produced by Geraldo and
Peter Coleman. (DBW)
 Seven The Hard Way (1986)
Continuing the downward slide; the unimaginative, thudding rockers that appeared
on the last disc take over the whole first side, and every damn song
sounds the same ("Sex As A Weapon," with absurd "thought-provoking"
lyrics, was a single). Then the band does what every desperate
rock band does: they cover Motown, in this case the
Four Tops' "7 Rooms Of Gloom," but they stick with their droning power
chords and fake drums formula, and it's dreary. The hit was the one
track produced by Mike Chapman, "Invincible (Theme From The Legend
Of Billie Jean)," which is a silly would-be anthem, but still the best
piece of music you'll find here. Grombacher was doing more and more of
the songwriting in these days, and for once Pat doesn't have a single
co-write. (DBW)
Wide Awake In Dreamland (1988)
A moderate step up; Pat and the band are a bit more energetic this time, and not as annoyingly modern. The singles "All Fired Up" and "One Love," plus other hard rock like the title track, will satisfy less discriminating Benatar fans (or is that redundant?). Pat was involved with the songwriting again, which may have helped.
Still, though, the same montonous thudding snare appears on nearly every
track, the ballads are dull ("Let's Stay Together," not the Al
Green tune), and the social commentary numbers are silly ("Cool Zero,"
"Suffer The Little Children"). Bassist Frank Linx came on board for this
release (Fernando Saunders also plays on some tracks) and stuck around
for a while, though like Grombacher he sat out the following release.
(DBW)
True Love (1991)
Recorded with the Roomful of Blues horns, and why anyone thought the
world needed another rocker-sings-the-blues album is beyond me. The songs are
mostly from the mid-50's, with two tunes by B.B. King ("Payin' The Cost
To Be The Boss" and "I've Got Papers On You"); the two band-written
selections (title track and "I Feel Lucky") blend right in. Benatar
plays it straight, effectively recreating the tunes, but without adding
any new spark or flair. Geraldo succeeds in sounding pretty much like
any other King-influenced blues guitarist, John Rossi lays down a steady
backbeat, the horns wail in all the right spots, and it's very, very
boring. (DBW)
Gravity's Rainbow (1993)
Benatar's first rock and roll album in five years, and the band finally
landed on all fours, with a sturdy mix of funky bass (courtesy of Linx),
crunching guitar, and intriguing drum sounds. It all adds up on
"Everybody Lay Down," her best song in a decade, and the rockers
"Disconnected" and "Rise (Part 2)" are also satisfying. The ballads are
more uneven, though Giraldo (reclaiming his name's original
spelling) shows new sensitivity on guitar on "You &
I." Pat's vocals are more subdued than before, though, which makes
"Somebody's Baby" fall flat, and "Crazy" sound like a Heart tune. A
surprisingly credible outing, though it's unlikely to convert a non-fan.
(DBW)
Benatar contributed a cover of the Fontella Bass hit "Rescue Me" to the 1994 Speed soundtrack.
Innamorata (1997)
The first new record after leaving Chrysalis. Since the return to hard
rock hadn't paid off commercially, Giraldo next taught himself to play
acoustic, and what you get is basically roots rock (standard rock
and roll chord progressions played with a rural Midwestern feel), with
Alison Cronell adding folksy violin to most tracks ("Only You"). As you
might imagine, the new style doesn't suit Benatar's still-powerful voice
particularly well, except on a couple of higher energy tunes
("Purgatory," "River Of Love"). But it's very carefully made (writing,
arrangements and production, all by Neil and/or Pat), without any of the
gimmicks, tackiness or throwaways tunes of their late 80s output, so if
you're a mellowing (not to say aging) Benatar fan, this could easily be
the disc of your dreams. (DBW)
Synchronistic Wanderings (1999)
A 3-CD boxed set, with a handful of outtakes. (DBW)
Live (Pat Benatar/Neil Giraldo: 2002)
 Go (2003)
Another Neil-produced attempt to play commercial catch-up, this time biting the angry lyrics, looping drums and whiny, high-pitched
vocals of Alanis Morrisette. But there's no emotional resonance in all the kiss-offs
("I Won't," "Have It All," the title track), because there's no ambivalence (not much melody, either). The production is aggravatingly
in-your-face, with double-tracked rhythm guitars mixed way up front, and he overuses a gimmick where a loud chorus suddenly
fades to silence. Even the slower numbers sound overly bright ("Brave") and contrived ("Out Of The Ruins," with Neil adding
hurdy-gurdy keyboards), as if they know the tunes aren't memorable and they'd better do something to keep us distracted.
Most embarassing is the endless ballad "Brokenhearted," such an obvious ripoff of the Jimmy Ruffin hit
"What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted" you can't believe the Giraldos didn't notice.
A tacky 2001 recording of "Christmas In America" is included as a bonus track.
There are some nice touches, like the acoustic guitar flourishes on "Sorry" and the slide solo on "In My Dreams," but I can't see this record making anyone's
day, either a novice or a long-time fan.
With Mick Mahan on bass and Matt Lawg on drums, though most of the percussion seems to be programmed.
(DBW)
Fire away.
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