Paul Carrack: A Retrospective (1974-2024)

Paul Carrack A Retrospective: 1974-2024

Overview: Rock singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Paul Melvyn Carrack was born on April 22, 1951 in Sheffield, England. Record Collector said, “If vocal talent equaled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John.” WK In the mid-‘70s, Carrack fronted Ace, singing lead on their 1974 hit How Long (#3). Then he served as the keyboardist for Roxy Music in the late ‘70s before launching a solo career which was occasionally interrupted by stints with Squeeze (Tempted, 1981) and Mike + the Mechanics (Silent Running, 1985; The Living Years, 1988). He found solo success with I Need You, Don’t Shed a Tear, and I Live by the Groove. Resume Ace (1974-1977) Roxy Music (keyboards: 1979) solo (1980-) with Carlene Carter (1981) Squeeze (keyboardist/vocalist: 1981, 1993) Spin 1ne 2wo (1993) Mike + the Mechanics (singer/keyboardist: 1985-2004) Links DMDB encyclopedia entry for Paul Carrack Top 30 Songs PaulCarrack.net (official site) Facebook Wikipedia

Awards

Studio Albums Ace Five-A-Side (1974) Ace Time for Another (1976) Ace No Strings (1977) Nightbird (1980) Carlene Carter Blue Nun (1981) Squeeze East Side Story (1981) Suburban Voodoo (1982) Mike + the Mechanics Mike + the Mechanics (1985) One Good Reason (1987) Mike + the Mechanics The Living Years (1988) Groove Approved (1989) Mike + the Mechanics Word of Mouth (1991) Spin 1ne 2wo Spin 1ne 2wo (1993) Squeeze Some Fantastic Place (1993) Mike + the Mechanics Beggar on a Beach of Gold (1995) Blue Views (1996) Beautiful World (1997) Mike + the Mechanics M6 (1999) Satisfy My Soul (2000) Groovin’ (2001) It Ain’t Over (2003) Mike + the Mechanics Rewired (2004) Winter Wonderland (2005) Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue (2007) I Know That Name (20008) A Different Hat (2010) Good Feeling (2012) Rain or Shine (2013) Soul Shadows (2016) These Days (2018) One on One (2021) Don’t Wait Too Long (2023) Compilations CC The Carrack Collection (covers 1974-85, released 1988) 21 21 Good Reasons (covers 1974-90, released 1994) SF Greatest Hits: The Story So Far (covers 1974-2005, released 2006) CT Collected (box set, covers 1974-2012, released 2012) B The Best of (covers 1974-2014, released 2014) HL How Long Has This Been Going On? (covers 1974-2024, released 2024) Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Ace Five-A-Side (1974): Ace’s first album gave them a top-5 hit with How Long and started Paul Carrack on the road to fame. How Long (11/9/74, 3 US, 1 CL, 20 UK, 63 AU, 2 DF) CC, 21, SF, CT, B, HL Rock and Roll Runaway (7/26/75, 71 BB, 63 CB, 40 CL, 35 DF) The Real Feeling 21 Ace Time for Another (1976): Ace’s second album didn’t find the success of their debut. The failure of single, No Future in Your Eyes, to even chart after the success of “How Long” was a definite disappointment. No Future in Your Eyes (48 CL, 37 DF) 21 Ace No Strings (1977): This was Carrack’s third and final album with Ace. You’re All That I Need was released as a single, but didn’t chart. You’re All That I Need (47 CL, 33 DF) 21 Paul Carrack The Rumour (1980): After fronting Ace and working with Roxy Music, this was Paul Carrack’s first solo album. The Rumour 21 Beauty Is Only Skin Deep CT Carlene Carter Blue Nun (1981): Paul Carrack dueted with Carlene Carter on these two cuts from her Blue Nun album. Do Me Lover CC, 21 Oh How Happy 21 Squeeze East Side Story (1981): After one solo album, Paul Carrack joined Squeeze as their keyboardist. He also contributed vocals to what is arguably the group’s best-known song. Read more about this album on its DMDB page. Tempted (6/20/81, 49 US, 8 AR, 3 CL, 41 UK, 45 CN, 85 AU) CC, 21, SF, CT, B, HL Paul Carrack Suburban Voodoo (1982): After fronting Ace, working with Carlene Carter, and working with Roxy Music, this was Paul Carrack’s first solo album. I Need You (9/4/82, 37 BB, 26 CB, 20 RR, 20 AC, 22 AR, 30 AU, 4 DF) CC, 21, SF, CT, HL Lesson in Love (10/16/82, 33 AR, 33 DF) CC Always Better with You (11/16/82, 31 DF) CC, 21, CT A Little Unkind (2/7/83, 37 DF) CC, 21 Mike + the Mechanics Mike + the Mechanics (1985): After another solo album, Carrack returned to a group, this time one led by Genesis’ Mike Rutherford. Carrack and Paul Young shared vocal duties with Carrack singing lead on the top-10 hit Silent Running. Read more about this album on its DMDB page. Silent Running (11/4/85, 6 BB, 5 CB, 5 GR, 5 RR, 1 AR, 7 AC, 21 UK, 8 CN, 23 AU, 1 DF) CC, 21, SF, CT

The Carrack Collection Paul Carrack

Recorded: 1974-1985 Released: 1988 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: pop rock Rating: 3.809 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: (1) How Long (2) Tempted (3) Do Me Lover (with Carlene Carter) (4) A Little Unkind (5) Silent Running (6) Lesson in Love (7) I Need You (8) Always Better with You About the Album: Although released in 1988, this compilation doesn’t include Carrack’s solo top-10 “Don’t Shed a Tear” (1987) or his chart-topping song, “The Living Years,” with Mike + the Mechanics (1988). Instead this too-slim retrospective stops at 1985. Still, that does mean one gets How Long, Tempted, I Need You, and Silent Running all in one collection.

Paul Carrack One Good Reason (1987): After the success of Mike + the Mechanics, Carrack’s next solo album gave him the biggest solo hit of his career with the top-10 Don’t Shed a Tear. When You Walk in the Room (5/16/87, 90 BB, 91 CB, 48 UK, 7 AU, 18 DF) 21, SF, CT Don’t Shed a Tear (10/24/87, 9 BB, 9 CB, 9 RR, 36 AC, 5 AR, 60 UK, 33 AU, 6 DF) 21, SF, CT, HL One Good Reason (3/12/88, 28 BB, 33 CB, 24 RR, 20 AR, 38 AU, 23 DF) 21, CT Button Off My Shirt (9/10/88, 91 BB, 12 DF) 21 Mike + the Mechanics The Living Years (1988): Back with Mike + the Mechanics for their second album, Carrack sang lead on this song which went all the way to the top of the charts in the U.S. Read more about this album on its DMDB page. The Living Years (12/27/88, 1 BB, 1 CB, 2 GR, 2 RR, 5 AR, 1 AC, 2 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, 1 DF) 21, SF, CT, B, HL Nobody Knows (7/22/89, 41 AC, 21 DF) Paul Carrack Groove Approved (1989): Back with another solo effort. I Live by the Groove (18/30/89, 31 BB, 27 CB, 25 RR, 22 AC, 23 DF) 21 Battlefield (1/27/90, 27 DF) 21, SF, CT Loveless (28 DF) 21 Only My Heart Can Tell (35 DF) 21 Dedicated (39 DF) SF, HL, CT

21 Good Reasons Paul Carrack

Recorded: 1974-1990 Released: January 25, 1994 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: pop rock Rating: 3.527 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: (1) How Long (2) The Real Feeling (3) No Future in Your Eyes (4) You’re All That I Need (5) Tempted (6) Do Me Lover (with Carlene Carter) (7) Oh How Happy (with Carlene Carter) (8) The Rumour (9) I Need You (10) Always Better with You (11) A Little Unkind (12) One Good Reason (13) Don’t Shed a Tear (14) Button Off My Shirt (15) When You Walk in the Room (16) I Live by the Groove (17) Only My Heart Can Tell (18) Battlefield (19) Loveless (20) Silent Running (21) The Living Years About the Album: This update to The Carrack Collection adds classic songs like Don’t Shed a Tear and The Living Years. Somewhere between this overly-hefty compilation and the too-light Carrack Collection lies the perfect Paul Carrack compilation.

Mike + the Mechanics Word of Mouth (1991): Everybody Gets a Second Chance (6/15/91, 24 AC, 56 UK, 21 CN, 20 DF) CT A Time and Place (6/15/91, 58 UK, 37 DF) CT Get Up (single, 24 DF) Spin 1ne 2wo Spin 1ne 2wo (1993): This one-time collaboration with Tony Levin found Carrack interpreting rock classics from Blind Faith (“Can’t Find My Way Home”), Cream (“White Room”), Jimi Hendrix (“All Along the Watchtower”), Led Zeppelin (“Black Dog”), and others. Can’t Find My Way Home CT <’ul> Squeeze Some Fantastic Place (1993): Loving You Tonight (10/18/93, 4 DF) CT Mike + the Mechanics Beggar on a Beach of Gold (1995): Over My Shoulder (2/25/95, 12 UK, 22 CN, 11 DF) SF, CT, B, HL Another Cup of Coffee (6/17/95, 51 UK, 53 CN, 38 DF) CT A Beggar on a Beach of Gold (June 1995, 33 UK, 27 DF) CT Paul Carrack Blue Views (1996): Carrack’s first solo album in seven years features “Love Will Keep Us Alive,” a song he wrote with Timothy B. Schmit that was first recorded by the Eagles. Eyes of Blue (1/6/96, 24 AC, 40 UK) SF,CT, B, HL Love Will Keep Us Alive (21 UK) SF, CT, B, HL For Once in Our Lives (6/28/97, 72 BA, 3 AC) Paul Carrack Beautiful World (1997): Beautiful World (single, --) SF The Way I’m Feeling Tonight (single, --) CT Mike + the Mechanics M6 (1999): Now That You’re Gone (6/5/99, 35 UK, 19 DF) CT Whenever I Stop (8/28/99, 73 UK, 20 DF) CT Paul Carrack Satisfy My Soul (2000): Satisfy My Soul (single, --) SF, CT, B, HL Better Than Nothing CT Paul Carrack Groovin’ (2001): This collection of covers featured Carrack’s take on songs made famous by the Four Tops (“Baby I Need Your Loving”), Marvin Gaye (“Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”), Ronnie Milsap (“Any Day Now”), Van Morrison (“Crazy Love”), the Rascals (“Groovin’”), James Taylor (“You’ve Got a Friend”), Dionne Warwick (“Walk on By”), Bill Withers (“Ain’t No Sunshine”), and more. Groovin’ (single, --) SF, CT, B, HL Any Day Now (single, --) SF Walk on By B Paul Carrack It Ain’t Over (2003): It Ain’t Over (single, --) SF, CT Where Did I Go Wrong? (single, --) SF, CT Empty Space CT Mike + the Mechanics Rewired (2004): If I Were You CT Paul Carrack Winter Wonderland (2005): Carrack’s first Christmas album featured his take on Christmas classics such as “White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “The Christmas Song,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Let It Snow” and the title cut alongside the non-Christmas classic “What a Wonderful World.” What a Wonderful World (30 DF) SF

Greatest Hits: The Story So Far Paul Carrack

Recorded: 1974-2005 Released: October 23, 2006 Peak: -- US, 146 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: pop rock Rating: 2.778 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: (1) How Long (2) Tempted (3) I Need You (4) Silent Running (5) Don’t Shed a Tear (6) When You Walk in the Room (7) The Living Years (8) Battlefield (9) Dedicated (10) Over My Shoulder (11) Love Will Keep Us Alive (12) Eyes of Blue (13) Beautiful World (14) Satisfy My Soul (15) Groovin’ (16) Any Day Now (17) Where Did I Go Wrong? (18) It Ain’t Over (19) What a Wonderful World About the Album: This update to The Carrack Collection adds classic songs like Don’t Shed a Tear and The Living Years. Somewhere between this overly-hefty compilation and the too-light Carrack Collection lies the perfect Paul Carrack compilation.

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Paul Carrack Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue (2007): This is a bit of a mish-mash, gathering covers (Marvin Gaye’s “What's Going On” and “Ain’t That Peculiar,” Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” the Beatles’ “Girl”) alongside re-recordings (“Love Will Keep Us Alive,” “I Live on a Battlefield”). What's Going On B Don’t Dream It’s Over CT, B, HL Paul Carrack I Know That Name (2008): I Don’t Want Your Love (I Need Your Love) (single, --) B I Don’t Want to Hear Any More (single, --) CT, HL Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City (single, --) CT No Doubt About It (single, --) CT Soul to Soul (with the London Community Gospel Choir) CT He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother CT Paul Carrack A Different Hat (2010): Once again, Carrack delivers a collection of covers and re-recordings. Moon River B, HL Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying (single, --) CT, B Paul Carrack Good Feeling (2012): When My Little Girl Is Smiling (single, --) CT, B Good Feelin’ About It (single, --) CT Time to Move On (single, --) CT Long Ago CT

Collected Paul Carrack

Recorded: 1974-2012 Released: September 11, 2012 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: pop rock Rating: 2.681 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks, Disc 1: (1) How Long (2) Tempted (3) Don’t Shed a Tear (4) The Living Years (5) Love Will Keep Us Alive (6) Groovin’ (7) When You Walk in the Room (8) Empty Space (9) Over My Shoulder (10) When My Little Girl Is Smiling (11) Satisfy My Soul (12) Eyes of Blue (13) Always Better with You (14) The Way I’m Feeling Tonight (15) A Time and Place (16) It Ain’t Over (17) Long Ago (18) Everybody Gets a Second Chance Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Dedicated (2) Loving You Tonight (3) Where Did I Go Wrong (4) Silent Running (5) I Need You (6) I Live on a Battlefield (7) Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City (8) Now That You’re Gone (9) I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore (10) Time to Move On (11) One Good Reason (12) Another Cup of Coffee (13) Better Than Nothing (14) Beauty’s Only Skin Deep (15) No Doubt About It (16) Whenever I Stop (17) Good Feelin’ About It (18) Don’t Let the Sun Catch You crying Tracks, Disc 3: (1) She’s Soulful (2) Don’t Dream It’s Over (3) Burning Love (4) Your Own Special Way (5) Love Me As Hard As You Hurt Me (6) If You Believe in Me (7) Too Late (8) Ride On (9) Wish You Were Here (10) Can’t Find My Way Home (10) Soul to Soul (12) He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother (13) Beggar on a Beach of Gold (14) If I Were You Songs Not Featured on Previously Noted Albums: Wish You Were Here (with Nick Lowe, 1983) CT She’s Soulful (1/27/90) CT Burning Love (with Snowy White, 1995) CT Love Me As Hard As You Hurt Me (1996) CT Your Own Special Way (with Steve Hackett, 1996) CT Ride On (with Gare du Nord, 2007) CT If You Believe in Me (from the movie Beautiful Joe,2008) CT Too Late (with Bill Wyman & the Rhythm Kings, 2012) CT About the Album: Box set. Would have been benefited from a chronological presentation and more material from early in Carrack’s career.

Paul Carrack Rain or Shine (2013): Stepping Stone B I’m Losing You (single, --) B One in a Million B Come Rain or Come Shine B

The Best of Paul Carrack

Recorded: 1974-2013 Released: September 7, 2014 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: pop rock Rating: 2.695 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: (1) The Living Years (2) How Long (3) Love Will Keep Us Alive (4) Eyes of Blue (5) Over My Shoulder (5) Tempted (6) Satisfy My Soul (7) Groovin’ (8) Walk on By (9) What's Going On (10) I Don’t Want Your Love (I Need Your Love) (11) Don’t Dream It’s Over (12) Moon River (13) Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying (14) When My Little Girl Is Smiling (15) I’m Losing You (17) Stepping Stone (18) One in a Million (19) Come Rain or Come Shine About the Album: This collection strangely ignores Carrack’s early solo years (“I Need You,” “Don’t Shed a Tear,” “I Live by the Groove”), omits one of his biggest hits (Mike + the Mechanics’ “Silent Running”), and substitutes re-recordings of “The Living Years,” “How Long,” and “Tempted” instead of the originals. This appears to be a case of trying to assemble a compilation without having the rights to all of the material.

Paul Carrack Soul Shadows (2016): Sleep on It HL Let Me Love Again HL Paul Carrack These Days (2018): none Paul Carrack One on One (2021): You’re Not Alone HL Paul Carrack Don’t Wait Too Long (2023): Don’t Wait Too Long HL

How Long Has This Been Going On Paul Carrack

Covers: 1974-2024 Released: August 23, 2024 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: pop rock

Tracks: (1) How Long (2) Groovin’ (3) Eyes of Blue (4) Satisfy My Soul (5) Don’t Shed a Tear (6) Dedicated (7) The Living Years (8) Moon River (9) Don’t Wait Too Long (10) Love Will Keep Us Alive (11) Sleep on It (12) Let Me Love Again (13) Tempted (14) I Don’t Want to Hear Any More (15) You’re Not Alone (16) I Need You (17) Over My Shoulder (18) Don’t Dream It’s Over (19) Raining in My Heart About the Album: This is another odd attempt at pretending to be a career retrospective but substituting some of Carrack’s earlier works with re-recorded versions. Not Featured on a Previously Noted Album: Raining in My Heart HL

Resources/References: PaulCarrack.net (official website) WK Wikipedia page for Paul Carrack Related DMDB Links: First posted 10/12/2020; last updated 4/9/2026.

Paul Carrack - Happy 70th birthday! His Top 30 Songs

Paul Carrack Top 30 Songs

The pop/rock singer and keyboardist Paul Carrack was born April 22, 1951 in Sheffield, England. Fronted the band Ace, offered guest vocals for Squeeze, and worked with Mike + the Mechanics. Also worked as a solo singer. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 30 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. This list includes songs by Ace, Squeeze, and Mike + the Mechanics which featured Carrack on lead vocals. Unless otherwise noted, songs are by Paul Carrack as a solo artist. Songs which hit #1 on the following charts are noted: Billboard Hot 100 (US), Cashbox (CB), Billboard adult contemporary chart (AC), Billboard album rock track chart (AR), Canadian pop chart (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU). DMDB Top 5%: 1. The Living Years (Mike + the Mechanics, 1988) #1 US, CB, AC, CN, AU 2. Tempted (Squeeze, 1981) 3. How Long (Ace, 1974) #1 CB DMDB Top 10%: 4. Silent Running (Mike + the Mechanics, 1985) #1 AR 5. Don’t Shed a Tear (1987) DMDB Top 20%: 6. I Need You (1982) 7. One Good Reason (1987) 8. I Live by the Groove (1989) 9. Everybody Gets a Second Chance (Mike + the Mechanics, 1991) 10. Over My Shoulder (Mike + the Mechanics, 1995) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 11. When You Walk in the Room (1987) 12. Button Off My Shirt (1987) 13. Rock and Roll Runaway (Ace, 1974) 14. Now That You’re Gone (Mike + the Mechanics, 1999) 15. Nobody Knows (Mike + the Mechanics, 1988) 16. Loving You Tonight (Squeeze, 1993) 17. Whenever I Stop (Mike + the Mechanics, 1999) 18. Romance (Paul Carrack with Terri Nunn, 1989) 19. Another Cup of Coffee (Mike + the Mechanics, 1995) 20. Eyes of Blue (1996) 21. Lesson in Love (1982) 22. Revolution (Mike + the Mechanics, 1989) 23. Battlefield (1989) 24. For Once in Our Lives (1997) 25. A Time and a Place (Mike + the Mechanics, 1991) 26. Love Will Keep Us Alive (1997) 27. Do Me Lover (Carlene Carter with Paul Carrack, 1981) 28. Beggar on a Beach of Gold (Mike + the Mechanics, 1995) 29. A Call to Arms (Mike + the Mechanics, 1985) 30. Oh How Happy (Carlene Carter with Paul Carrack, 1981) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Paul Carrack DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Mike + the Mechanics DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Squeeze Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 12/23/2019; updated 6/5/2022.

Eagles return with Long Road Out of Eden, first studio album in 28 years

Long Road Out of Eden Eagles

Released: October 30, 2007 Peak: 11 US, 11 UK, 2 CN, 16 AU Sales (in millions): 7.0 US *, 0.6 UK, 8.2 world (includes US and UK) Genre: heritage rock * Actual sales were 3.5 million, but because it was a double album, it was certified for twice that.

Tracks, Disc 1: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. No More Walks in the Wood How Long (8/16/07, 10 AC, 23 CW, 76 CN) Busy Being Fabulous (2/9/08, 12 AC, 28 CW) What Do I Do with My Heart (2008, 13 AC) Guilty of the Crime I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore (2009, 23 AC) Waiting in the Weeds No More Cloudy Days (7/9/05, 3 AC) Fast Company Do Something You Are Not Alone Tracks, Disc 2: Long Road Out of Eden I Dreamed There Was No War Somebody Frail Grasp on the Big Picture Last Good Time in Town I Love to Watch a Woman Dance Business As Usual Center of the Universe It’s Your World Now Total Running Time: 90:53 The Players: Glenn Frey (vocals, guitar, keyboards) Don Henley (vocals, drums) Timothy B. Schmit (bass, vocals) Joe Walsh (guitar, vocals, keyboards)

Rating: 3.960 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Quotable: “An album meticulously crafted to fit within the band’s legacy without tarnishing it” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: After 1979’s The Long Run and a live album the next year, the Eagles disappeared for 14 years. They were widely embraced when they returned 14 years later with 1994’s mostly live album Hell Freezes Over. They cashed in on that reunion, “driving up ticket prices into the stratosphere as they played gigs on a semi-regular basis well into the new millennium.” AMG They released a box set, which contained their 1999 Millenium Concert, a 2005 DVD of yet another tour outing, and a 2003 2-disc compilation. However, it wasn’t until 2007 that they released a full-fledged studio album. “It could be that they were running out some contractual clause somewhere, it could be that they were waiting for the money to be right, or the music to be right.” AMG When they finally did come out with Long Road Out of Eden, they did so with little fanfare, “indulging in few interviews and bypassing conventional retail outlets in favor of an exclusive release” AMG in which the album was only available in North America through their website or Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. AMG Billboard magazine controversially reversed a policy under which such exclusive releases were inelligible to chart, allowing the album to debut at #1. As for the actual material, it is “crafted to evoke the spirit and feel of the Eagles’ biggest hits…The J.D. Souther-written How Long recalls ‘Take It Easy,’ the stiff funk of Frail Grasp on the Big Picture echoes back to the clenched riffs of ‘Life in the Fast Lane,’ and while perhaps these aren’t exact replicas, there’s no denying it’s possible to hear echoes of everything from ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ and ‘Desperado’ to ‘Life in the Fast Lane,’ and Timothy B. Schmit turns Paul Carrack’s I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore into a soft rock gem to stand alongside his own ‘I Can’t Tell You Why.’” AMG “These tunes…but sonically… play as companions to Henley’s brooding end-of-the-‘80s hit The End of the Innocence, both in their heavy-handed sobriety and deliberate pace and their big-budget production.” AMG “The Eagles…sound utterly disconnected from modern times, no matter how hard Don Henley strives to say something, anything about the wretched state of the world on Long Road Out of Eden, ‘Frail Grasp on the Big Picture,’ and Business as Usual.” AMG However, “it’s all executed well and the doggedly out-of-fashion sonics only make the songs more reminiscent of the Eagles’ older records, especially if their solo work from the ‘80s is part of the equation.” AMG “It often manages to avoid sounding crass, as the songs are usually strong and the sound is right, capturing the group’s peaceful, easy harmonies and Joe Walsh’s guitar growl in equal measure.” AMG On the second disc, “Walsh spends seven minutes grooving on Last Good Time in Town as if he were a Southwestern Jimmy Buffett with a worldbeat penchant, Glenn Frey sings Jack Tempchin and John Brannen’s Somebody as if it were a sedated, cheerful ‘Smuggler’s Blues,’ and the whole thing feels polished with outdated synthesizers.” AMG If disc 2 “seem a bit like the Eagles’ lost album from the Reagan years, the first disc recalls their mellow country-rock records of the ‘70s – that is, if Joe Walsh had been around to sing Frankie Miller’s blues-rocker Guilty of the Crime to balance out Henley and Frey’s Busy Being Fabulous and What Do I Do with My Heart, a counterpoint that serves the band well.” AMG “That first disc is the stronger of the two, but the two discs do fit together well, as they wind up touching upon all of the band’s different eras…it’s an album meticulously crafted to fit within the band’s legacy without tarnishing it.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Eagles AMG,/sup> All Music Guide review by Stepen Thomas Erlewine WK Wikipedia.org Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/26/2008; last updated 8/20/2021.

Ace “How Long” charted

How Long Ace

Writer(s): Paul Carrack (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 9, 1974 Peak: 3 US, 11 CB, 3 GR, 3 HR, 3 RR, 24 AC, 1 CL, 20 UK, 3 CN, 63 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 45.22 video, 38.33 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer/songwriter and musician Paul Carrack was born in 1951 in Sheffield, England. The BBC called him “The Man with the Golden Voice.” WC He experienced some success as a solo artist (“I Need You,” “Don’t Shed a Tear”) but has generally achieved his greatest success as part of other people’s groups, including Squeeze (“Tempted”) and Mike + the Mechanics (“Silent Running,” “The Living Years”). He’s also been a touring member with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters and worked as a keyboardist with Roxy Music. Record Collector said, “If vocal talent equalled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John.” WC He was first thrust into the spotlight in the mid-‘70s as the frontman and principal songwriter of Ace from 1972 to 1977. They released three albums, with only the first, Five-A-Side, finding any real success (#11, US). That was primarily due to the song “How Long,” which was a #3 hit in the US and reached #20 in the UK. Phil Collins called the song a “classic single” and ranked it as one of his top 10 favorites. WH Carrack said the song “lifted Ace out of the London pub-rock circuit.” UCR Most bands were doing covers, but Ace wrote their own material. He wrote the lyrics on the back of a bus ticket while heading to his future mother-in-law’s house. UCR While the song is interpreted as being about adultery, Carrack said it was inspired by a different kind of cheating. His band felt betrayed when they found out bassist, Terry “Tex” Comer, had secretly been working with other groups. The line “friends with their fancy persuasions” is said to refer to the management of the groups Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. WH The song experienced a resurgence in 2020, topping Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart after its use in an ad for Amazon Prime titled “Binge Cheat” which featured the song’s opening line (“How long has this been going on?”). UCR Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Ace SF Songfacts UCR Ultimate Classic Rock (3/17/2020). “Ace Reach No. 1 45 Years After Release of ‘How Long’” by Martin Kielty WC Wikipedia: Paul Carrack WH Wikipedia: How Long Related Links: First posted 12/6/2022; last updated 12/29/2022.