The Guess Who
Lie Down/Glamour Boy


Released 1973 on RCA
Reviewed by Dave Furgess, 28/09/2000ce


The Guess Who were an incredibly frustrating group, when they were good they could hang their hats with almost anyone when they were bad they were truly awful and some of their albums contain stuff that's so embarrassing it's beyond description (kinda like the real bad stuff on The Doors-"Other Voices" album).
By 1973 their run of American hit singles was coming to it's end and their albums began to turn up in bargain bins in months after their release. "Lie Down" was clipped from the album "The Guess Who #10" and it's a real lost treasure. This is a big sad ballad with a country influence and a good healthy dose of Burton Cummings' twisted gutter lyrics, his voice is fine form and the group's background vocals are stellar. It wasn't a hit probably due to it's length but it's a damn fine record.
The flipside is a big production number called "Glamour Boy" that may just be a poke at RCA labelmate David Bowie who at the time was all the rage. It's a pretty good song that was also included on "The Guess Who #10" lp which is in fact a pretty impressive album that's worth tracking down if only for the great cover with Burton sporting shoulder length hair glowering at the camera like Jim Morrison's second cousin!!. Here it is the year 2000 and Burton Cummings is my number one HERO, who would have thunk it!!


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