Search - Robert Palmer :: Secrets

"SECRETS" IS ROBERT PALMER'S BEST!

andy8047 | 02/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the one that turned me on to Robert Palmer. He has so many musical styles, he's without a doubt someone who's music I appreciate. The best songs here are "Bad Case Of Loving You", "Jealous", "Can We Still Be Friends", "What's It Take?", and "Remember to Remember". I also like the album before this, "Double Fun". If you are a connisseur of great music, you'll appreciate this one."

No secrets to tell or keep

andy8047 | Nokomis,Florida | 11/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album opens with its biggest hit BAD CASE OF LOVIN' YOU(DOCTOR,DOCTOR). That would also be Robert Palmer's first #1 hit of his career and an "addiction"* in 1989,a decade after the release of SECRETS. CAN WE STILL BE FRIENDS was on the hit parade for a while also. That was written by Todd Rundgren who recorded the song himself. I love the harmonica heard in IN WALKS LOVE AGAIN. WHAT'S IT TAKE? became an "addiction" also. All the other songs are very good. The cover illustrates Palmer in a pencil sketch,shaving. Inside the CD booklet and on the LP inner sleeve,is an actual black and white photo of Palmer shaving with shaving cream on his face and a razor in one hand. I dedicate this album to the memory of Palmer who died suddenly of a heart attack on September 26,2003. * This version is slightly different than the SECRETS version. It sounds like it was recorded in a garage also,the word "loving" appears in the title rather than the apostrophe on the SECRETS version."

Secrets Another Good Album From Palmer's Early Days

Thomas Leonard | Pittsburgh PA | 08/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"1979's Secrets marked Robert Palmer's fifth slo album since 1974 and at the time was his biggest seller. Though still largely unknown in the UK, Palmer was developing a strong US fan following with consistent airplay on FM radio and noteable if not overwhelming sales of his previous albums. The previous year's Double Fun album found Palmer moving away from the R&B funk leanings of his first three albums and embracing a more adult contemporary sound with flourishes and island rythyms and disco. For Secrets, Palmer moves in a more radio friendly hard rock direction, with heavy percussion and less string laden arrangements, similair to the dance freindly hard rock music he topped the charts with in the mid to late 80's during his commercial heyday.



Cuts like "Under Suspicion" and "Jealous" drive home the almost arena rock type feel of this set best exemplified by "Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)", an oft recorded classic rock hit that is best known for being being performed by Palmer. The single just missed the US Top 10 during the summer of 1979 and helped push the album into the Top 20, Palmer's best showing to date in the US. There are few noteable moments when Palmer leaves the hard rock behind, embracing African music influenced arrangement on "What's It Take" and going back to the blue eyed soul balladeering featured on some of his earlier efforts with a remake of Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Freinds". Some of the better songs on this set turned up on the excellent Robert Palmer compilation albums "Addictions Vol 1" and "Addictions Vol 2", as well as the 2 CD set "Best Of Both Worlds" collection. Of all Palmer's early albums, this is probably the one that best shows the musical direction his career was heading in as he moved into the MTV era of the 80's.

While not as artistically challenging as his earlier work, Secrets is an enjoyable radio freindly rock album with enough diversions to remind fans that Robert Palmer was a musician eho embraced many varied musical genre's, even if he excelled best at hard rock."