Splinter – Streets At Night CD

Splinter was essentially a two-man vocal group hailing from South Shields, England, consisting of Bill Elliott and Bobby Purvis. But they were connected with powerful people (George Harrison, for example) and had good groups of instrumentalists to back them on each album. One of those musicians was a guitarist by the name of Hari Georgeson (Harrison's pseudonym). Splinter was the first artist signed to Harrison's Dark Horse label, when it was still partnered with A&M. All of Splinter's albums were out of print for decades until 2017, when a U.K. label called Greyscale reissued the first two albums, as well as the last one. The first three proper albums were released digitally in 2022, in newly remastered form.

Although Two Man Band was Splinter's last release in the U.S. and most other parts of the world, the duo did record two more albums that were each released in no more than two countries. Both albums were done without Harrison. The first of these, titled Streets At Night, was released only in Japan in 1979. Purvis and Elliott produced and arranged this album themselves. It has a more natural sound than the overproduced Two Man Band. This album also benefits from the musicianship of Alan Clark (the Dire Straits keyboardist-to-be), who played keyboards, synthesizers, and clavinette. Streets At Night is heavy on ballads, but most of them are agreeable enough. "Stateside Girl" is reminiscent of their earlier work, complete with Harrison-like guitar chords. "Evergreen" is a good bluegrass picker. The thumping "Where Do I Go From Here?" is the closest that this mellow album comes to rock and roll. On the downside, the last two tracks are too schmaltzy, and they hint at the adult-contemporary blandness that would soon sink Splinter's final album.

5056083200665

GSGZ077CD

Grey Scale, 2018

UK

Good condition / NM

C16