San Bernadino (J Christie) Yellow River
was such commercial perfection that no-one believed Jeff
Christie could come up with another song of such finesse yet
he did just that with San Bernadino
(and indeed, he would come up with many more in the months to come).
San Bernadino is a pop
tune that rocks and pleases with a melodious refrain, without stooping
to a sickly saccharine hook. In some ways I prefer this song to Yellow
River. San Bernadino is notable for Vic Elmes' twangy
in-your-face introduction, which would eventually become a signature
riff for many Christie songs. San Bernadino 1980s versions (J Christie) Jeff recorded two new versions of San Bernadino in the 80s with a studio band and it was released on special compilation albums as well as a single. One version comes to a clean finish, unlike the original, which faded out at the end. Here I Am (J Christie) This is a fast-paced downright rocker, with tremendous lead guitar work by Vic, both in the introduction and in the instrumental bridge. Jeff provides great echoey vocals and Jerry Lee Lewis-type keyboards. Interestingly, most of Jeff's songs did not focus on love relationships, as most writers tend to do this song is one of the few exceptions ("Here I am, baby, waiting for you to come home"). This is a great selection for a B-side. New York City (V Elmes) In Malaysia/Singapore only, the flipside was New York City. The song received much airplay and was very popular among the locals, so much so that they protested when Christie did not perform the song when they played in those countries. |