Gary U.S. Bonds
Dedication

In the seventies, I spent my days with some friends, with the sole purpose of getting something to blow our minds. We were certainly not of the kind that knows the difference between working hard on a construction site and being a jerk, going around bars filling up with beer or any other drug that would blow our minds.

We spent the weekends in an abandoned farmhouse in the woods, supporting ourselves with about thirty bottles of wine, with the sole desire to get high and do nothing. Protesters who didn’t protest, whose motto was: ‘Who cares!’ We thought we were special but we were just fools and, deep down, without admitting it, we felt a great dissatisfaction inside.

In essence, forerunners of the Punk, who instead of the Clash, Nuns, Avengers, listened to CSN&Y, Loggin and Messina, Eagles, or America. Music that didn't send messages, wasn't denunciatory, but was made just to be listened to, to enjoy its harmonies. Mind you, not trash, but records conceived by great artists who had the only "flaw" of not being precursors of what would soon become the most important musical phenomenon of the last thirty years, Punk.

"Dedication" can be viewed through the lens of this type of music. Gary was an eclectic artist, a talented composer, but above all a great Rhythm and Blues and Rock'n'Roll singer, able to captivate the audience present at his concerts, on par with Sam Cooke, or Otis Redding. Bruce Springsteen, a fan of Gary Anderson, aka Gary U.S. Bonds, from a young age, produced, arranged, and wrote most of the tracks together with his friend Miami Steve. My favorite tracks are "It’s Only Love" by Lennon McCartney, and "Daddy’s Come Home" by Miami Steve himself. Minutes of intense Rock where you can sense the vital breath of a singer, who with his passionate, almost moved voice, manages to penetrate the listener's sensitivity to the heart. "Jolie Blom" by Moon Mullican and the "Springsteenian", "This Little Girl" are two songs with a simple structure and immediate impact. Both entered the charts in the United States. "The Pretender" is a Soul reinterpretation of the beautiful song by Jackson Browne.

The rest of the tracks (all enjoyable) are attributed to Dylan, Clemente Conte Anderson, and Gary himself. Clearly indebted to the "Boss," built with competence and creativity, the CD consists of about forty minutes of lively, at times exhilarating, Soul-Rock. But in my opinion, what stands out most of all is the warm voice and the tremendous feeling with which Gary sings the songs.

PS You can also buy it together with "On The Line," the record that followed "Dedication" and if I remember correctly, it was also produced by Springsteen.