[.ca] Living In Marina Del Rey And

Amazon.ca:
Songwriter Marc Jordan may be best remembered for his late '70s AM hit "Marina Del Ray," a sort of poor Canadian's answer to Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville," as well as more original tunes like "Survival," "I Am a Camera," and "This Independence" (covered by Manhattan Transfer). As this compilation makes clear, these songs' melodies have stood the test of time. The same, however, cannot be said for Jordan's eco-friendly, synth-heavy, late-'80s period. As commendable as the sentiment behind "Burning Down the Amazon" may be, its ludicrous guitar solo, pompous keyboards and wailing backup vocals render it nearly unlistenable--truly, the path to the underworld is paved with earnest lyrics about saving rainforests. "Edge of the World," from the same period, is so cheesy that it could cause nightmares even for Aldo Nova or Gowan or (because other parts of the world aren't immune) Simple Minds. Thankfully, the smooth-voiced Jordan eventually saw the error of his ways, and even if nothing he's written since has had the impact of his early hits, at least plaintive songs like "Little Lambs" (1993), "Let's Get Lost" (1999) and "Rockets" (2002) aren't embarrassing. --Shawn Conner

Marina Del Rey:
Marc Jordan is one of Canada's best kept secrets at the moment. While many vocalists who began their careers 25 or more years ago have already screamed out their voices, Marc's voice is still pure emotion and full of range. He is, of course, a well-known songwriter, having produced songs for Rod Stewart, Cher, Manhattan Transfer and Amanda Marshall to name only a few. The poetry of his lyrics could stand alone, but his voice lends an emotive power to the songs that ,in many cases, the more famous reenditions do not. You will not be disappointed with this career compilation CD. I especially recommend "Little Lambs", Rhythm of My Heart", "Let Me Be Your Boat" and of course his famous hit "Living in Marina Del Rey".

• Rockets
• Sex Symbol
• Marina Del Rey
• Survival
• I'm A Camera
• Catch The Moon
• This Independence
• I Ching
• Edge Of The World
• Burning Down The Amazon
• Inside My Piano
• Little Lambs
• Rhythm Of My Heart
• Let Me Be Your Boat
• Soul On Soul
• Let's Get Lost
• Charlie Parker Loves Me