“Jubilee” closed out side one of the original LP, and is one of the best tracks on the album. That mix of late-'70s jazz and pop is a unique sound, and these guys really got it down, especially on this song. “Just a Fool” is about as close as these guys got to the blues, but it works well. The closing tune is “Tell Me How Love Survives.” Kenny Loggins receives a writing credit on this one as well, and his influence is definitely noticeable.
If there is one complaint I have about Nail Me to the Wall, it would be that it sounds almost too late-'70s, L.A.-studio slick. After the gargantuan success of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, it is not surprising that record companies were looking to repeat the formula. But the music business is a fickle beast, and in the case of Sanford-Townsend, I think they just kind of got overlooked in the piles of product that were released that year.
According to Gene Sculatti’s liner notes, the two have remained friends since their Warner Bros. days. Both have kept at it, in various capacities over the years, playing and writing music. There is also a collection of their early, unreleased work being compiled for the fans. This should prove quite interesting, as they had a great musical chemistry all down the line. For now though, this twofer will do nicely, and I am very happy to have finally gotten the opportunity to really hear what they were all about.
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