In stark contrast to the raw human emotion found on his powerful 2003 critically acclaimed CD, “shock/denial/anger/acceptance”, Rick Springfield has hit the ground running with The Day After Yesterday, (release date July 12, 2005 Gomer/DKE Records). The Day After Yesterday is self described by Rick as a warm and soulful collection featuring his own interpretations of hit songs that Rick says, “I’d wish I’d written.” Each of the 14 tracks remain both faithful to the originals while equally allowing Rick the freedom to add his own spin on classics from the Beatles, 10cc, Foreigner, Cliff Richard and more as well as a new Rick penned original.
“I've always wanted to record these songs” Rick Springfield says. “They have been favorites of mine for a long time. They ‘re songs I wish I'd written. I wanted to be faithful to the originals but still treat them a little differently and also give them the benefit of the new technology. Plus, I wanted to see if it would be easier and less painful doing a CD of songs I hadn't written...and it was.”
Tracks include I’m Not In Love (10cc), Under The Milky Way (The Church), Life In A Northern Town (Dream Academy), Broken Wings (Mister Mister), Human (Human League), Holding On To Yesterday (Ambrosia), Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty), Waiting For A Girl Like You (Foreigner), Let’s Go Out Tonight (Blue Nile), For No One (Beatles), Miss You Nights (Cliff Richard), Blue Rose (Lizz Wright), Cry (Rick Springfield) and Imagine (John Lennon).
In December of 2005, Springfield will be returning to, ABC’s daytime hit show, “General Hospital”, as Dr. Noah Drake in the roll he originated nearly 25 years ago, for several episodes. “I guess there was a reason why they didn’t kill Noah off in the ‘80’s,” says Springfield. “This should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
On April 26, 2005, Sony/BMG released Written in Rock, Rick Springfield Anthology, a 2-Disc set spanning Rick Springfield’s recording career to date. Rick writes in the liner notes: “This is the first time I’ve ever been involved in a compilation of my work, and this one covers the whole span of my career so far. I consider these songs to be the highlights of my past albums and they definitively represent the different eras of my songwriting. I’m happy to be a part of this. It was a blast hearing all these songs again.”
Rick Springfield has withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined writing and performing some of the best-crafted power pop of the past 30 years. Rick formed his first band in high school, and eventually joined the group Rock House, who’s who dodged mortars while performing for troops during a tour of Vietnam in 1968. A much sought after and highly accomplished lead guitarist in his native Australia, he moved on from Rock House to join the popular band The Zoot in 1970. Springfield went solo after Zoot’s breakup in 1971, and garnered his first U.S. success the following year with a re-recording of his Australian hit "Speak to the Sky" (Capitol, 1972, #14). 1974 and 1975 saw Rick’s skill as a songwriter evolve as pure pop confections oozed from the grooves of his next two album, Comic Book Heroes and Mission Magic, the later being the soundtrack for the Saturday morning cartoon series of the same name starring Rick as a rock-n-roll troubleshooter with each episode featuring one of Rick’s original tunes.
Perfectly poised for chart-topping success, Rick went on to record the masterful Wait For Night, only to have the album abandoned promotionally when the parent record label collapsed in 1976. A breakthrough came when Rick was able to secure a recording contract with RCA on the strength of his next batch of demos. In the midst of recording what would become the quintessential pop album Working Class Dog, for his debut on the RCA label, Rick was cast to play the young, eligible Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital in 1981. As one of the show’s most popular cast members in its history, Rick’s popularity skyrocketed, setting the stage for the imminent release of Working Class Dog later that year. Powered by 3 Top 40 hits including the classic the classic Number One Hit Jessie's Girl, (RCA, 1981, # 1) and the Top Ten follow-up I've Done Everything for You, (RCA, 1981, #8) as well as the party-starter, Love is Alright Tonite, Working Class Dog enjoyed multi-platinum smash success, and Rick eagerly left his first major TV role behind to fully focus on his first love of music when television taping conflicted with his sold-out tour schedule.
The follow-up album, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet, again reached multi-platinum certification after its release in 1982, spawning the smash hit Don't Talk to Strangers (RCA, 1982, #2); Both multi-platinum albums featured nods to Rick’s story of hard work and perseverance on their cover art as portrayed by his beloved canine companion, Ronnie. 1983's Living in Oz took an edgier stance musically, spawning the Top Ten Hit Affair of the Heart. (RCA, 1983, #9) as well as the crowd pleasing arms-in-the-air hit Human Touch (RCA, 1983, #18) When Springfield made his big screen debut in 1984 for the movie Hard to Hold, the soundtrack found Rick with another Top Five hit, Love Somebody. (RCA, 1984, #5)
Rick’s recording career continued with Tao (1985), and 1988’s Rock of Life whose title track remains a fan favorite and live show staple. Rick took time off from recording to settle in with family life and subsequently released Sahara Snow in 1997, his first full album of collaborative work with Tim Pierce and Bob Marlette. Karma , released in 1998, coincided with Rick’s full blown return to the concert stage performing to sell out crowds as fans clamored to the internet, hungry for word of Rick’s return to their hometown. The much anticipated Greatest Hits Alive (2001) illustrated Rick’s unique brand of unstoppable energy in the live arena while the power of the critically acclaimed shock/denial/anger/acceptance (2004) propelled Rick onward, touring continuously through 2004 into 2005. The “Shock Tour” culminated with a raucous cold-out concert in Rockford, IL filmed in high-definition for forthcoming broadcast and DVD release that also provided fans with their first glimpse of songs from Rick’s latest CD, The Day After Yesterday.
Rick has sold over 19 million records while charting a whopping 17 Top 40 hits to date. Having performed for millions of fans over the last three decades, and showing no signs of slowing down, Rick continues to play 100 shows a year, sharing his love of performing, unstoppable energy and his unique brand of crowd interaction with thousands of fans each night. Rick literally wades deep into the crowd at each show. Rick Springfield is currently on tour to support his new release The Day After Yesterday.
More information available at www.rickspringfield.com
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