Robert Palmer was born on 19 January 1949 in the county of Yorkshire, England. In the early 1970s, he was part of bands such as Mandrake, Alan Bown Set, Da Da and Vinegar Joe (with Elkie Brooks and Mike Deacon).
Worldwide fame
When this last band split up in 1974, Robert Palmer remained solo at Island Records. That same year he released his first solo album: Sneakin Sally Throu the Alley, followed by Pressure Drops (1975) and Some People Can Do What They Like (1976). Palmer moved to the Bahamas and in 1978 Double Fun was released with his first worldwide – modest – hits: 'Every Kinda People' and 'Best of Both Worlds'.
Bad Case Of Lovin' You
The following year Palmer broke through even further with the solid rock track 'Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)'. In 1980 things took off: he hit the charts with 'Can We Still Be Friends', written by Todd Rundgren. Later that year the album Clues was released with the singles 'Johnny and Mary' and 'Looking For Clues'. They weren’t number one hits, but Palmer established his name as a consistent provider of good pop songs that were played a lot on radio stations worldwide.
Powerstation
In 1985 he was asked to join the musical project of John and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran: The Power Station. The trio, also featuring drummer Tony Thomson from Chic, made an album produced by former Chic producer Bernard Edwards, including the singles 'Some Like It Hot' and the T Rex cover 'Get It On'. Palmer did not want to participate in The Power Station’s live performances and left the band.
Addicted To Love
That same year his own album Riptide was released, again produced by Bernard Edwards. The single 'Addicted To Love' became a worldwide hit, not least because of the striking, provocative video clip eagerly shown by MTV. He won a Grammy for it. With the second single from Riptide, 'I Didn't Mean To Turn You On', he repeated the trick: the video featuring the same sexy female band in the background was again heavily played by MTV and this single also became a hit.
Simply Irresistible
Palmer moved to Switzerland in 1987. A year later he scored again with 'Simply Irresistible' (for which he received another Grammy) and 'She Makes My Day'. In 1990 he released the single 'I'll Be Your Baby Tonight' together with UB40, with whom he had previously toured.
Last highlight
With 'Mercy Mercy Me' Palmer reached a final peak in 1991. In the 1990s he regularly released singles and albums, toured the world and appeared on various TV shows. Real hits remained elusive, but Palmer remained a highly regarded artist who occupies a unique place in pop music.
Bluesbrother
After five years, in 1999 an album with entirely new material appeared again: Rhythm and Blues. In 2003 Palmer released an album full of blues songs: Drive. Critics praised his return to blues and rhythm & blues (R&B).
R.I.P.
During the promotional tour for this album, Robert Palmer suffered a heart attack on 26 September 2003 in a Paris hotel. Palmer was in the French capital briefly with his partner Mary Ambrose shortly after a television appearance in Great Britain. He died the same day.
Top 2000
Palmer has appeared many times in the Top 2000, but in the last few editions he has been conspicuously absent. That simply cannot be right! In our own Top 2000, which can be found on Spotify, we have certainly given him a place.
Sunday Morning Classic: Some People Can Do What They Like
During his life Palmer released many beautiful and also successful albums. On 13 March 2022, the album Some People Can Do What They Like was on the turntable as the Sunday Morning Classic at our place.
Some People Can Do What They Like is Robert Palmer’s third solo album, released in 1976. It includes "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" which peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and number 46 in the UK in 1977. The album was dedicated to Mongezi Feza (South African jazz trumpeter who died in December 1975 at the age of 29 or 30 from the effects of untreated pneumonia). The model on the cover, in which Palmer is involved in a game of strip poker, is Denise Michele, Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Month for April 1976.
It’s a great album, swinging funk as we expect from Palmer. Accompanied by almost the entire then Little Feat band. Throughout the album the bass and percussion are very tight and on piano we have Bill Payne at his best. Robert Palmer’s vocals are full of energy and soul. There’s really not a single weak track. Fun is the cover of King Radio’s Man Smart, Woman Smarter (originally from 1936!!). A good rendition of the Feat classic Spanish Moon. Nice fat funk in Some People, and so I could go on. For those who like the genre, an absolute must.
There are three Robert Palmer albums worth owning, and this is one of them. The other two are "Pressure Drop" and "Sneaking Sally Thru the Alley".
Photo: Nathan Callahan
