Chip Taylor's Last Chance (Gadfly, 1997)
Chip Taylor
Reviewed by Joel Bernstein
Only one of these songs ("Son Of A Rotten Gambler," covered by Anne Murray) ever became a hit, but these clever ditties all fit Taylor's laconic vocal style beautifully. Lyrically, the album seems almost prescient at times. "(I Want) The Real Thing" is about the watering down of rock 'n' roll (and other things). "I Read It In Rolling Stone" may have been the first song to touch on the celebrity gossip mentality. Likewise, the music-industry inside joke "101 in Cashbox" is outdated in its details but the idea behind it is truer than ever.
"Last Chance" is an underappreciated classic. The caveat is that a 34-minute album is too short for a full-priced reissue. The entire "Big River" album would have fit on the disc as well and made the disc an absolute must.
CDs by Chip Taylor







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