IAN MCLAGAN "Troublemaker" 1979

Troublemaker is the debut album from former Small Faces and Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, released in 1979 on Mercury Records. Backed by a core group of Johnny Lee Schell (guitar and vocals), Paul Stallworth (bass) and Jim Keltner (drums), McLagan's rough-hewed voice and keyboards along with the party atmosphere permeating throughout the album - especially on the lead-off "La De Da" and Schell's donated "Little Troublemaker" - make the album a late sequel to Ron Wood's 1974 debut, I've Got My Own Album to Do, which had featured McLagan as core keyboardist. In the period Troublemaker was recorded, McLagan toured with The New Barbarians, and the other members of that band - Wood, Keith Richards, Bobby Keys, Stanley Clarke and Zigaboo Modeliste - are all featured on the reggae number "Truly". (Allmusic)Troublemaker is a sequel five years in the making to the Ron Wood 1974 disc I've Got My Own Album to Do. Guitarist Johnny Lee Schell augments Keith Richards and Ron Wood here, while Stanley Clarke and Paul Stallworth provide the bass (it was the wonderful Willie Weeks holding the bottom on the Wood disc), with Ringo Starr and Jim Keltner on drums (Wood's album had Andy Newmark). Though McLagan's third album, 2000's Best of British, is the real phenomenon, Troublemaker has lots to rave about. There's a tremendous Ronnie Wood tune which concludes the album, "Mystifies Me," a bit of gospel, a bit of reggae, these veteran rockers giving it that intangible which keeps kids in their garages banging away to find the same magic. Six of the ten tunes are Ian McLagan compositions, the opener, "La De La," a perfect choice for when Rod Stewart and the boys put the Faces back together. "Headlines" follows the opener with rowdy guitars and solid production. It could be mistaken for Mott the Hoople doing the Rolling Stones' "Shattered." Well, what the heck, with Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Bobby Keyes participating on different portions of this disc, it's going to lean as much towards the Stones as it will the Faces. This version of Carl Levy's "Truly" borrows heavily from the 1973 Johnny Nash reggae hit, "Stir It Up," and at almost six minutes, it is pretty much double the two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half minute range framework that the other nine tunes stay within. Speaking of Mott the Hoople, McLagan's closing number on side one sounds like a distant cousin to that band's "Jerkin' Crocus." The title track tumbles off of side two with enthusiasm and spirit, the keyboard player for Small Faces has his friends from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones creating some instant fun all over this very musical disc. Another McLagan original, "If It's Alright," has that "Country Honk" ragged edge that served the Stones so well, the record with just enough of a laid-back attitude to avoid the sterile atmosphere some of the Faces tracks got bogged down with. "Sign" is one of the more polished tunes, McLagan co-writing with guitarist Schell, nice organ runs bubbling under the beat. There are no surprises on this amazing musician's debut solo disc: It is what you expect, and fans of the Beatles and the Stones will consider it a must-have for the collection, but one that you won't mind pulling out and playing when your party guests want a nice change of pace at 3 a.m. (Allmusic)trax:
01 La De La 02 Headlines 03 Truly 04 Somebody 05 Movin' Out 06 Little Troublemaker 07 If It's Alright 08 Sign 09 Hold On 10 Mystifies Me
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