DAVID MALLETT
"VITAL SIGNS"
Mastodon Post

Evidently "Vital Signs" is the David Mallett fan favorite. It starts strongly with "Midnight Madness" and ends with "Highways," which, according to an apparently knowing Amazon customer comment, was often a very big number in concerts. Side One's "April" and the title track are spoken of favorably by Mallett's followers. The first side ends with one of Mallett's best known songs, "Red Red Rose," which was covered to perfection by Emmylou Harris. It is surprising how many covers and interpretations of David Mallett songs closely follow the original arrangements. This may be seen as a testimonial to the production.

"Vital Signs" is notable for the team effort - from piano to drums - of the players, with each contributing catchy riffs.

"Vital Signs" is something like David Mallett's forbidden fruit album. It has never been reissued; and, as far as I am aware, it does not stream. (Some re-recordings do.) A track that once was posted to YouTube has been removed. Evidently the label, Flying Fish Records, made a mistake on the cover which is mirrored on the LPs label, crediting all words and music to Mallett. Judging by the publisher credits, the first song on the second side, "(Coming Apart) At the Seams," appears to be an exception. Evidently pianist Chris Neville claims a co-writer credit. The album got locked up by a lawsuit. Vinyl LPs and at least one cassette can be had online and, one would imagine, in used record stores.

Following popular concert attractions "Good Times" and "These Times," the album ends with Mallett's re-recording of "Highways," which first came out on the live "Hard Light" album. Mallett's singing here on "Highways" is so different that it ought to be considered as a rearrangement.

Jim Rooney did his usual excellent job with this production. David Mallett's home, Sebec, Maine, shares a town line with my old hometown, Milo. For me, then, it is more than a little ironic that Jim Rooney got his start performing on Boston's WCOP Hayloft Jamboree for Nelson Bragg, "The Merry Mayor of Milo, Maine."

A clean burn of the vinyl LP keeps me happily listening. Anyone who has read this far may want to hunt up a copy of the vinyl album. If you are a devoted singer-songwriter fan, chances are good that you have a friend who has burned it. A reissue would have been ideal but ways still exist to enjoy what may very well have been David Mallett's most popular record release, "Vital Signs."

Here are two of the best covers of David Mallett songs:

Summer Of My Dreams
Kathy Mattea - Topic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFUG4zQWGU

Red Red Rose
EmmyLouharris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmL0QSPJhTo

And one by David Mallett:

David Mallet - Summer Of My Dreams
from Live At The Iron Horse Vol. 1 by Signature Sounds Recording Inc.

https://signaturesounds.bandcamp.com/track/summer-of-my-dreams

Music Museum of New England (MMone) Jim Rooney article

https://www.mmone.org/jim-rooney/

:

#april #bostonmusic #chrisneville #comingapartattheseams #davemallett #davidmallett #emmylouharris #flyingfish #flyingfishrecords #goodtimes #hardlight #hayloftjamboree #highways #jimrooney #kathymattea #mainemusic #merrymayorofmilomaine #midnightmadness #mmone #music #musicfeed #musicmuseumofnewengland #musicnews #nelsonbragg #nemsbk #newenglandmusic #redredrose #sebec #sebecmaine #singersongwriter #summerofmydreams #thesetimes #vitalsigns #wcop #wcophayloftjamboree

:::