CoronaVinyl Day 353 (O): Nigel by Nigel Olsson

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "O," and yet another album I got in the most recent stack from my neighbor was Nigel Olsson's 1979 album Nigel.  With an album cover like this, how could I not be intrigued?  I hope that picture was taken between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

Olsson gained recognition as the drummer in Elton John's band in the early to mid '70s, playing on some of John's most successful and influential albums.  He was dismissed from John's band in 1975, but then rejoined John from 1980 to 1984 and then again in the early 2000s.  He has played on four more John albums from 2001 to 2016 and continues to tour with John, having played over 2,000 shows with Sir Elton.

He was also a successful session drummer with other artists, playing drums on albums by Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, B.B. King, Kenny Rogers, Neil Sedaka, and Eric Carmen, among others.

And on top of all that, he found time to release a few solo albums, including two self-titled albums in 1975 and 1978 and then just Nigel in 1979.  This one proved to be his most successful.  Even though it only reached #140 on the Billboard album chart, it produced two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100:  "Dancin' Shoes" (#18) and a cover of The Jarmels' "A Little Bit of Soap" (#34).  Both were also Top 10 songs on the Billboard Easy Listening (now Adult Contemporary) chart.  The album was produced by Paul Davis, who had a string of Top 40 hits (including two Top 10 hits) in the late '70s and early '80s.  When you listen to the album, there's no doubt it was made in the late '70s, straddling the line between pop and soft rock.  It's pretty schmaltzy.  I guess I expected it to be a little harder rocking, since Olsson is a drummer.

Nigel is not available on Spotify, but there is a Nigel Olsson best of album that includes every song on Nigel, so that's what's embedded below.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "Say Goodbye to Hollywood"
This is a cover of a Billy Joel song, and it's a little peppier than the other songs on Side 1.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "Thinking of You"
"Thinking of You" could very well be the theme song to a late '70s sitcom about a mom who has to raise three kids, including a teenage daughter who is always challenging her authority, while dad -- an investigative journalist -- is often out of the country on assignment.