If you’re wondering what Gilbert O’Sullivan is doing on MV, let me explain.
Earlier this year, I reviewed Engelbert Humperdinck’s rock covers record, “Faithfully”, and rather enjoyed it. When this arrived, I gave it a listen on much the same basis: you don’t spend 60 years doing something unless you’re really good at it.
I’m in my early 50s, and Gilbert has been around for as long as I can remember. “Alone Again (Naturally)” always seemed to be there somewhere, and his music has been part of the furniture of my life, even when I wasn’t necessarily paying attention to it.
“On The Record” rewards paying attention.
“It’s Me” starts things with gentle, welcoming pop, and “I Suppose” has some wonderful slide guitar. That’s the point, really: whatever he puts into these songs seems to fit perfectly. He always appears to find the right way of doing things.
“Growing Old Disgracefully” was the single, or the “focus track”, as they call these things now. I’m fairly certain we weren’t calling them that when Gilbert started. The piano, the clever lyrics, the strings – and why not grow old disgracefully?– all come together beautifully, and there’s plenty of life in him yet.
“Go the Way I Came” is simply timeless music. Happy and content, it has the sort of ease that comes when someone knows exactly what they’re doing. There’s always something going on in these songs, too. On “I Must Be Going”, it’s the guitar and the backing vocals that catch the ear, those little touches that make you want to hear it again.
“Don’t Shout” has a very British Isles feel to it, something that runs through parts of the record. There’s a particular character to this kind of pop songwriting, and Gilbert seems entirely at home with it.
Right in the middle, “She Never Ceases to Amaze Me” offers a moment of real tenderness. It sounds like a song for his granddaughter, and as an uncle to two young nieces, I can certainly understand the feeling. There’s something lovely about hearing that affection expressed so simply.
By the time “Our Love Is Gonna Grow” arrives, it needs saying plainly: the music here is perfect. Everything seems to sit exactly where it should, giving these songs all the room they need.
“Is That You?” features Andrea Corr, whose light, airy voice is a lovely fit. It’s another example of how well judged everything feels here, while “Wait” has just a touch of Squeeze about it.
Love is the standard, surely. There must have been millions of songs written about it over the years, and Gilbert still finds something worth saying. “Minus Is a Plus with You” might as well be a cover, such is its familiar feel. It explores the many strands of love, and it’s so lovely in the way it does it.
The bit about being “mostly happy too” is particularly telling. That’s what makes it feel real. There’s something much more recognisable in that little qualification than in any claim that everything is picture perfect.
“No Place Like Home” gets to the contentment at the heart of this music. It’s there throughout the record, really, and it suits him.
Then “See Us Gone” brings a grandiose, choral finish. You can imagine it as the last number in an am-dram production, the whole cast coming together before the curtain falls. It’s a wonderfully fitting way to bring things to a close.
There’s so much to enjoy here: the songs, the playing, the little details and the sheer pleasure Gilbert still seems to take in making music.
Let me put it on the record, then: “On The Record” is an absolutely lovely piece of work, and a lovely way to spend 49 minutes.
Rating: 8/10
