Time has been more than kind to Glenn Hughes’ first solo record, although those who couldn’t quite bring themselves to forgive him for bringing the funk to Deep Purple should look away now, because this two-disc reissue includes not only his questionable Glimmer Twins Rolling Stones medley, but also the disco EP Four On The Floor he cut for Casablanca Records in 1979.
Listening to this now it’s hard to imagine that anyone was having a better time in the late 70s than Glenn Hughes. Even the neon-flecked album artwork suggests flickering disco lighting and cocaine sweats accrued in the toilets and on the dancefloor.
Overall, though, it’s fairly impeccable and not just a sign of the times, Glenn turns the funk up to 10 with the help of Trapeze alumni Mel Galley and Dave Holland as well as Pat Thrall, strings and a horn section. It’s rumoured still that David Bowie was in the seat to produce and as remarkable as those results might have been, it’s debatable how much of the album’s heft would have remained intact with the starman behind the glass.
That’s a three pint conversation for another time, what remains is this woozy rocker that’s as much Sly Stone as it is Deep Purple. It recalls Trapeze and even hints at Hughes/Thrall to come in the extra disc’s Fools Condition while Smile and Getting Near To You suggests how imitating Stevie Wonder is truly the sincerest form of flattery.
