Falling In Love starts more strongly with When I'm Away From You, contains Darlin' (probably his best known track) but there’s a fairly ordinary reading of Bob Marley’s Is This Love before Falling In Love With You rolls along to square up the ledger. Much of the intervening material, and the run through from Falling to the end of the album is solid, mainstream-friendly rock that doesn’t have a whole lot to distinguish it from its late seventies peers apart from the Miller tonsils.
That’s largely true of 1980s Easy Money, though the final album in the set does have its share of highlights including Why Don't You Spend The Night, Heartbreak Radio and No Chance, alongside a vigorous reading of the old Jo Jo Zep classic So Young, So Young. A slightly over the top take on Randy Newman’s Sail Away (from a 1977 EP) winds things up.
As far as the consumer goes, while the collection isn’t consistent there’s a definite economic argument in favour of $25.99 rather than a couple of $16.90’s (High Life and Once in a Blue Moon are highly recommended, and you really should take a look at Full House). The audio has been remixed for the collection, which is another argument for bulk buying and you’ll end up with close to the whole box and dice from the pub rock that kicked his career off through the harder-edged rock in the middle to the AOR friendly relatively slick stuff at the end.
And we are, after all, talking about the bloke Rod Stewart described as The only white guy that’s ever brought a tear to my eye.
Track list: Frankie Miller…That’s Who! The Complete Chrysalis Recordings (1973-1980)
Disc One
Once In A Blue Moon (1973)
You Don't Need To Laugh
I Can't Change It
Candlelight Sonata in F Major
Ann Eliza Jane
It's All Over
In No Resistance
After All (Live My Life)
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Mail Box
I'm Ready