Rick Springfield was already a TV soap opera heartthrob in 1981 when he released Working Class Dog so it would have been easy to dismiss him as the latest hollywood star trying to cross over into the music biz (ala Sean Cassidy or David Soul). But a funny thing happened with Working Class Dog .... it was actually a good album. In fact, it was a really good album.
Working Class Dog featured great songs and great players
From the catchy, guitar driven hook of "Jessie's Girl" to the tight yet rocking "I've Done Everything for You" it was evident that Springfield was not just a producer's puppet as so many of the previous actor/musicians had been. Springfield was actually a good guitarist and wrote many of the songs. His vocals were as good, if not better, than many of his contemporaries and in fact, at least on the aforementioned "I've Done Everything for You", he outshines the songs originator, Sammy Hagar!
Perhaps even more impressive than the songs themselves are some of the players involved. Neil Giraldo of Pat Benatar fame was possibly the best pop/rock guitarist of the time (though he never has gotten the respect he deserves) and his fingerprints are all over this album. He has a knack for creating cool guitar hooks and jaw dropping solos like nobody else.
The album also features the guitar work of Robben Ford. Yes, that Robben Ford; the grammy award winning jazz/blues/fusion guitarist who has worked with Myles Davis, Tom Scott, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, the Yellow Jackets, George Benson and others. With the likes of Giraldo and Ford in tow, let's just say Rick Springfield had his guitar bases covered.
Add to his guitar section the bass work of Jeff Rich, the keyboards of Gabe Katona and studio drum work by Mike Baird and Jack White and you have a solid unit that knew how to rock (albeit in a mainstream top 40 kind of way).
Songs from Working Class Dog you must hear
You really should listen to the whole album, but if you have to narrow it down, at least listen to the first side (or the first five cuts for those of us who don't remember albums having "sides"). Seriously, side one of Working Class Dog is a clinic on how guitar-centric power pop is done thanks to Giraldo and company.
You'll likely recognize the hits, "Love is Alright Tonite", "I've Done Everything for You" and the number one hit "Jessie's Girl". But "Hole In My Heart" and "Carry Me Away" are great songs as well. Side two, while not as good as side one, is still solid and you'll hear the same tasty guitar playing and polished vocals from the first side.
Working Class Dog 30 years later
So almost 30 years on how does the album stand up? Surprisingly well actually. It's still a great listen. Working Class Dog hearkens back to a time when power pop relied on great vocal hooks, attention to melody and harmony and, gasp, great guitar solos.
This album does it all and does it well. And while Rick Springfield might be remembered by many as the dreamy Noah Drake on General Hospital, he did provide us with at least one great album in Working Class Dog.
Jeremy Lunnen - Jeremy Lunnen is a 44 year old MBA and father of seven whose "grown up" job is as a corporate leadership trainer. His love affair with ...
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