Love is the Answer: Ten Classic Light Rock Tunes on Dan Seals' Birthday
Today would have been the 64th birthday of Dan Seals, one half of England Dan and John Ford Coley, the songwriting duo that had a big hit with "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" and a minor one with "Love is the Answer." He also had a string of chart hits in country music in the '80s and '90s. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2009, but his music lives on with other "yacht rock" from an era in the late '70s when the lighter side of rock music was dominating the portion of the charts not filled with disco songs.
Despite being a softer version of classic rock music, it has been cited as an influence for dozens of rock bands including the Foo Fighters. Anyone who grew up with an inkling of memory from the '70s probably remembers some if not all of the songs on this list I put together in honor of Mr. Seals, who also happened to be a native Texan.
Summer Breeze - Seals and Croft
Dan Seals' old brother, Jim, also had some success in the music industry including this oddly haunting light rock classic that reached number one on the charts and has been covered numerous times over the years.
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Speaking of the Foo Fighters, they did a killer cover of this tune, a soft rock guitar and sax jam by Gerry Rafferty, who sadly passed away from liver failure last year.
How Long - Ace
This smooth groove came from one-hit wonder Ace. Despite the lack of success by the band, you might recognize the singer, Paul Carrack who went on to front both Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics.
How Much I Feel - Ambrosia
We might have to live with bad band names, particularly in from emo artists, it's hard to imagine names as cheesy as Ambrosia and Bread, both contenders for the light rock crown in the late '70s, but this hit from Ambrosia includes some fairly sophisticated musical and vocal arrangements.
Lady - Little River Band
The term "lady" was used in the '70s like we use girl today. It's sort of quaint in a creepy guy-hitting-on-you-in-a-bar way. Little River Band had a string of hits, but this is my favorite of the bunch.
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