2000 Great Songs #1305: Rusty Red Armour
I don't think early 70s UK R&B band Vinegar Joe got a ton of commercial attention at the time--certainly not here in the US--but they were sure packed with talent. They were one of several bands briefly fronted by a certain Robert Palmer, the band's 3 albums his final launching pad before a long-running and varied solo career; and he shared vocal leads with Elkie Brooks, an artist I don't know as well but also had a long solo career herself. "Rusty Red Armour," from their 1972 eponymous debut , has a pretty funky pub rock groove loaded up with wah-wah pedal, like an overly-talented band ripping up the local joint. I'll concede there's a certain blandness to the work--something I often associate with Palmer, who had a few killer singles but I always found fell just a shade short of his obvious frontman charisma--but I'm a sucker for that lost 70s vibe. Live on TV: See the entire Top 2000 to date in a sortable database !
