Revolutionary Moderation

Robert Palmer, 1949-2003



You know, after not noting the death of Johnny Cash on this blog, I feel a little silly here. But as much as I enjoyed Johnny, and as much as his music has entered my adult life, he was just... you know, there while I was growing up.



But Robert Palmer was something else. The CBC's article on his death suggests he'll be remembered for the videos filled with identical attractive women with detached expressions on their faces. And that was certainly my introduction to him (despite having Doctor Doctor in my head from years before). But to me, Palmer changed while I did. As I lost interest in the "hard pop" music he was so successful with in the mid-eighties, he was experimenting with all sorts of genres. Despite the bad review on this page, this remains one of my favourite albums when I'm in the mood for some smooth-voiced crooning.



Like Cash and Warren Zevon, Palmer was doing interesting work, challenging himself to the end. He left us with a lengthy and varied discography.