Tommy Page - Tommy Page (Anniversary Celebration)

US release date: July 16th 1988
US album chart peak: #166

Buy Tommy Page's eponymous debut album here (Amazon UK)
Make donations to the Page-Wright Children's Trust here (external link)
Read my #TommyPage30 singles project here
Read my Tommy Page album anniversary posts here

INTRODUCTION (Updated 2018):

While Tommy Pages's album, regrettably, didn't light up the airwaves in the same way as Tiffany or Debbie Gibson did in 1988/89, the songs remain just as indelible to all the people who discovered them, either upon the album's release - or later, after his huge success from his New Kids On The Block collaboration (I'll Be Your Everything, 1990). Tommy's record label, Sire Records, must have seen the potential in his music as they stuck with him, commissioning remixes for his dance singles and getting new songs on soundtracks (more on that shortly). I've estimated that July 16th 1988 was around the time Sire unleashed the album onto the world as that was when it was reviewed in Billboard magazine (see here - Twitter). I bought the album, on import, on a whim, after hearing about 30 seconds of A Shoulder To Cry On as "one to watch" on the US Top 40 countdown which aired each Saturday afternoon. I wasn't disappointed and, in fact, felt slightly thrilled that I was in on the secret for an artist I knew was going to be huge.

When he passed away in 2017, among the many emotions I had, I knew I wanted to honour the legacy of his music in some way. As 2018 marks the thirtieth anniversary since the launch of his career, I've started a #TommyPage30 project, where I revisit the singles released from his debut album 30 years to the day of their release (or as close as I can ascertain). It was this eponymous debut album which had a lasting impact on me and turned me into a lifelong fan of his music. Tommy was a creative force I could look up to. He was someone who represented to me that it was ok to pursue artistic endeavours of music and writing, that you didn't have to excel in sports in the machismo world I grew up. He wasn't afraid to explore sensuality and lustful desires alongside his search for romance and friendship. The ten songs on his debut album encapsulate his inner emotions across a range of genres and sounds, with his smooth voice making it a cohesive collection of tunes. I still revisit the album regularly and, diving back in for this 30th anniversary celebration, has been a real joy...

THE SINGLES:

Tommy's debut single, Turning Me On, had a somewhat quiet launch. Back in May 1988, there was a small reference to the new artist in the dance column of Billboard magazine (see here - Twitter). It wasn't until I bought the album that I heard this sizzling gem, but I was soon able to track down a promo 12" with four mixes on for the bargain price of £2.49! I do remember thinking that Turning Me On was quite a bold debut single for a teen artist. The fourteen year old me, raised in a religious household, had to play the record quite quietly thanks to lyrics that wouldn't really pass muster if my parents heard them. Tommy penned, alongside L. Russell Brown (of Knock Three Times fame), quite the salacious tale of aching for a person because of the pure physical attraction you feel towards them. It put into words an inner monologue of mine which I didn't quite understand, setting it to freestyle inspired dance beats and a pulsing rhythm. It made for a deliciously addictive, up-tempo groove which showcased his pure-pop voice to perfection. I was quite pleased to note from the album liner notes that Tommy also played keyboards (being a pianist myself) - hopefully it was him on that decadent house piano riff that elevates the final run through of the chorus. It may not have been a chart hit, but it was a notable debut single and a piece of music which I find just as essential all these years later.

The success of ballads such as One More Try, Could've Been and Foolish Beat in 1988 must have swerved Sire towards what would become one of Tommy's signature songs, A Shoulder To Cry On, as single number two. This stunning, expressive song showcased a different side of Tommy and demonstrated his knack for crafting long lasting, meaningful music. Sumptuous strings and elegant piano provided the score for this inspiring story about that person who will always be your person, regardless of the path your choices and life journey take you on. I was absolutely transfixed by the beauty and message of this moving number - as a young lad who was relentlessly bullied for not fitting into young lad stereotypes, I would often find comfort in Tommy's soothing, soaring tones. He was a voice for the disenfranchised and lonely - it is, in retrospect, no wonder the song was a slow build success. It gradually scaled the Billboard Hot 100 before peaking within the top 30. One of only two solo penned songs on the album (the rest are all Tommy co-writes), this remains one of his finest moments. I managed to track down the piano sheet music for this song and spent hours learning to play it, rather than practice my scales. Time will spent - whenever I feel blue, I will either listen to Tommy's version or play it myself on the piano. Tommy would go on to re-record the song for his Ten Til Midnight album in 2000, infusing the song with a Disney soundtrack magnificence which was just as enchanting as the original version. Just gorgeous.

For single three, it was back to the uptempo songs and A Zillion Kisses was screaming to be chosen. As mentioned earlier, Sire records not only took a chance on an unknown singer-songwriter, they (like Atlantic records with Debbie Gibson) went all out on the remixes. A Zillion Kisses had a plethora of aptly named remixes which extended the magic of the song. It was a smart move to target the clubs as well as pop radio - this had definitely worked for Ms Gibson, with Only In My Dreams charting on the Billboard Hot Club Chart months before it debuted on the Hot 100. The tactic sort of paid off - A Zillion Kisses hit number 45 on the Club Play charts, but failed to chart on the Hot 100. Shame, because the remixes by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow (from UK hit factory PWL) are absolutely ravishing. The Endless Kiss Mix gave the song some Brit-friendly beats which amped up the bass and enhanced Tommy's still-fine original version. Overall, the song felt like a more parent-friendly version of Turning Me On with a sweet charm being attached to the titular refrain. Listen closely, however, and the fervent desires of his debut single are still the driving force of this ridiculously catchy, cavorting pop bop. Its a shame England never caught on to Tommy fever because this felt like a British top ten hit waiting to happen - and I can only imagine what the ensuing Top Of The Pops performance would have been like.

Whilst those are the three main singles from Tommy Page (the album), there were other songs that were either promo releases or made very little impact on the charts. I Think I'm In Love appears to have been serviced to radio in the US as a potential fourth single. It was a marketing strategy which had worked wonderfully for Whitney's second album (uptempo-ballad-uptempo-ballad), giving her four number ones in a row. It is easy to see why Sire and Tommy thought this song would lure top 40 programmers back to his music. It is a rather melancholy song about only realising your feelings for someone after its too late to do anything about it. A shuffling percussion, muted horns and elegiac piano all swirl around Tommy's yearning vocal style, making this feel like the type of song which does well in the Christmas charts (a big deal here in England), without actually being a festive composition. The b-side to this song could have easily been single number five - and is a stand out from the album. African Sunset is a dramatic, theatrical piece which opens with the calls of the Serengeti before launching into a decadent, synth-drenched number which would have done the Pet Shop Boys proud. Tommy's quasi-spoken-singing during the verses has a pin point precision to it whilst the chorus magics up images in the mind's eye, as powerful as any Patronus Harry Potter could have conjured up. Oh - and that piano in the middle 8? Utterly intoxicating...

One song that wasn't from the album, but appeared as the title song from the movie it featured in was The Shag. The soundtrack was released on August 2nd 1989 so I'm guessing the single came out sometime around then. It is a rather shimmering mid-tempo groove which would have fit nicely on his album. The sixties influences (when the movie was set) are subtle but present as he sings about casting off the cares of the world and just dancing your cares away. The song is certainly better than the movie it is lifted from (though it does have a certain appeal to it) and probably wasn't released in England due to the word also being slang for casual sex here, rather than being known as a dance craze to sweep a nation two decades before. I do remember seeing the video for this on holiday in Utah (of all places). Tommy basically performs the song in front of clips from the movie, looking like Danny Zuko from Grease. It was this video that gave me feelings which I wasn't sure what to do with (but would have me flinging myself out of that closet some years later). He. Looked. FINE.

THE ALBUM TRACKS:

To be honest, it felt like any of the songs from the album could have been waiting in the wings as a single. Sire were blessed to be shooting fish in a barrel with their choices. For example, Hard To Be Normal was a scintillating dance number with lyrics about not conforming with everyone's expectations of you ("turn down those defences"). This was the b-side to A Shoulder To Cry On in England and was the perfect companion piece for me. Having a euphoric, sing-along anthem about breaking free from what people wanted me to be was manna from heaven for me; a true gift from the pop gods. I Love London appealed to my sense of adventure, the part of me that (like Belle from Beauty and the Beast) wanted much more than this provincial life. It was just as descriptive and vivid as African Sunset, telling a story as compelling and bingeworthy as any Netflix drama. The off-kilter nature of the song felt as beguiling and exhilarating as the city itself - the perfect soundtrack to my big city adventures with my friends. It was clear Tommy had strong connections to places which provided him with memories and emotions - London, the African Sunset and Minetta Lane. The latter is a haunting ballad, as powerful and stirring as any soliloquy in a stage musical. It is so compelling that you can almost feel the misty fog roll in, the images of Tommy's memories glistening right before your eyes. It is not your standard pop song, but taking chances with it paid off and showed the breadth of both the music that influenced him as well as his talent for embodying said influences in his music.

Making My Move was freestyle glory mixed with pop sensibilities. It was the natural next stage of the story started in Turning Me On and A Zillion Kisses. Tommy knew how to express his innermost feelings in a way which was foreign but titillating to me. It was only later in life that I fully appreciated the depth of these songs, but the melodies hooked me from day one. Love Takes Over was another potential smash, an early co-write for Shelly Peiken (who would later co-author Christina Aguilera's What A Girl Wants and Come On Over). This resplendent uptempo nugget is just as enticing as the Christina hits with solid lyrics and a riveting chorus. It sounds great played loud on a summer day when you can dance like no-one's watching. Finally, completists will want to track down the US b-side of A Shoulder To Cry On, Christmas Without You. I'm a sucker for a Christmad song and this one, performed with such aching longing, is a perennial favourite. Along with The Shag it makes for a splendid addition to his ten track debut. Add in the remixes and you could have an excellent special edition rerelease.