The Tarney Spencer Band - I'm Alive

In 1978 the Tarney / Spencer Band signed a contract with A&M Records for 10 albums but only completed 2 albums after being un-expectantly released from their contract by A&M.

In 1978 the single "Takin' me Back" reached the top 10 on the South African singles charts. What was unusual though was that the exact same song, by a different band named Sweet Chocolate, was on the charts at the exact same time, and climbed higher than the Tarney-Spencer version.

The band's second 1978 album (1st for A&M), was titled Three's a Crowd, produced by David Kershenbaum and featured cover art with rounded corners, shaped like an American style cafe menu card. The album received modest airplay on AOR radio station in the US and reached #174 on Billboard Magazine's album chart. A single from the album, "It's Really You" hit #86 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The third album, Run For Your Life (2nd for A&M), again produced by David Kershenbaum appeared in 1979. Again, with airplay at AOR radio, the album charted in the US reaching #181. One of the album's tracks, "No Time To Lose" was released as a single and rose to number #84 on the singles chart.

After the release of a non-LP single, "Cathy's Clown", this time produced by Bruce Welch, in 1979, the band was released from their contract with A&M and discontinued their work together as Tarney-Spencer Band.

Two years after the band broke up, the track "No Time To Lose" got the attention of MTV. In 1981, when MTV launched, the channel occasionally aired a video clip for "No Time To Lose". A&M then reissued the track as a single. The song charted a second time on Billboard's Hot 100, fairing slightly better that the first time around, reaching #74. Their biggest achievement, "No Time To Lose" has never officially seen mainstream release on CD, either as part of the Run For Your Life album or on a various artist compilation (though a very limited import edition of Run For Your Life with questionable legitimacy was issued in the early 90s - see below).

Alan Tarney began working as a producer in 1979 and was largely responsible for masterminding Cliff Richard's resurgent chart career in the late 1970s and mid-1980s with the world-wide-hit "We Don't Talk Anymore" and the albums I'm No Hero, Wired for Sound, Stronger and Always Guaranteed.

However, Tarney's most notable commercial success was with A-ha. Alan produced their first three albums Hunting High and Low (including their massive world-wide-hit single "Take On Me"), Scoundrel Days and Stay on These Roads. Additional production work included sides for Squeeze, Charlie Dore, Elkie Brooks, Bow Wow Wow, Leo Sayer, Pulp, Thomas Anders, Morten Harket, The Hollies, Voice of the Beehive, The Bluebells, The Dream Academy and others.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tarney
• Spencer
• Band
• I'm
• Alive

[tschiwi]

geiles teil ... habe es letztens in einer DVD-Folge von "der ganz normale Wahnsinn" gehört ... bin echt nicht drauf gekommen und habe das Lied wie wild gesucht .... dabei steht es seit 15 Jahren in meinem Plattenregal *lol*

[Stealheart09]

@tschiwi So was in der Art ist mir auch schon passiert ... lol ... danke für deinen Kommentar ;)

[Samudra208]

Ich liiiiieeeebe es !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eines meiner absoluten 70er Favoriten!! Habe das immer aufgelegt!! War ein ganz großes MUSS für mich :))

So ein cooler song.... da hast ja wieder mal ein Hammer-Schmankerl eingestellt!!!

Hundert Daumen hoch und tausend Dank!!

[Stealheart09]

@Samudra208 Bitteschön und gerne geschehen ;) Wird Zeit, dass du wieder "zuschlägst" :)

[summahamma]

Musik wie ich sie mag !

Ich nehm mir ein Stück von deinen Sahneteil !

[Stealheart09]

@summahamma Ich gebe dir gerne ein Stück ab ;)

[michaelhigh1958]

What happened? Record company belly-up? Too much cocaine? Another fastastic band ate up by record company politics and personal excess, I'd guess...

[Stealheart09]

@jdoe9772 Mich freut's, wenn's dich freut ;)

[jdoe9772]

I Love it....