CoronaVinyl Day 445 (K): Innuendo by Danny Kortchmar

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "K," and I listened to Danny Kortchmar's second studio album, 1980's Innuendo.

If you're not familiar with Kortchmar's name, you have undoubtedly heard his playing dozens of times and perhaps not known it.  He was largely a session musician and side man, as well as a producer, and he worked with some of the biggest names from the '70s to the early '90s.

Kortchmar was a teenage friend of James Taylor, and they had a band together called The Flying Machines -- which is referenced in Taylor's seminal song, "Fire and Rain" -- and in the early '70s, he played guitar on Taylor's 1970 breakthrough album Sweet Baby James, followed up by Carole King's massive 1971 album Tapestry.  That put him in demand, and throughout the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s, he played on, produced, and/or co-wrote songs on albums by the likes of Bill Joel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Jackson Browne, Jon Bon Jovi, Hanson, Tracy Chapman, Boz Scaggs, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.  My favorite trivia fact is that he had a cameo in This is Spinal Tap as Romeo Pudding, one of the band's early bassists.

Given Kortchmar's association with Taylor and Ronstadt, I assumed Innuendo would be some combination of acoustic and soft rock, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It's much more rocking than I anticipated, and Kortchmar's voice kind of reminds me of a combination of Mick Jones and Pete Townshend.  The album has some elements of punk, new wave, heartland rock, country rock, reggae, power pop, and just regular straightfoward rock and roll.

On the album, Kortchmar got help from session drummer and future Jerry Garcia Band and Bob Dylan drummer David Kemper, famed session drummer Jim Keltner, session drummer and future TV composer (including of the Everybody Loves Raymond theme) Rick Marotta, veteran session bassist (who was then in Jackson Browne's band) Bob Glaub, session bassist and longtime fellow James Taylor band member Leland Sklar, session bassist and longtime Linda Ronstadt bassist Kenny Edwards, session and movie score keyboardist Michael Boddicker, session guitarist (and co-writer of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London") Waddy Wachtel, and backing or harmony vocals from Ronstadt, Louise Goffin, Jules Shear, David Lasley, longtime Taylor touring backing vocalist Arnold McCuller, and Wachtel.

All in all, it was a pretty pleasant listen for a Monday.  Kortchmar has continued to make music, both as a session/backing musician and as a member of various of his own bands, since then.  Clearly, his solo work isn't as recognized as his session/backing/production work, as the most plays any song on this album has on Spotify is just over 11,000, with all but three songs having under 3,000 plays.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "You and What Army"
The first track on the album is an up-tempo, new wavey, power pop song, with backing vocals from King's daughter, Louise Goffin.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "I Starred in That Movie"
This one has kind of John Cougar Mellencamp/River-era Springsteen feel to it, so I obviously enjoyed it.