David Werner -

David Werner is an American rock singer and songwriter from Pittsburgh. At nineteen, he signed with RCA and released the 1974–75 albums Whizz Kid and Imagination Quota, both influenced by the UK glam rock of David Bowie and Mott the Hoople. In 1979, he resurfaced with a new wave rock album on Epic.

As a songwriter, he co-wrote “Cradle of Love,” a 1990 hit for Billy Idol.

Background

David Werner (b. circa 1955) was a Pittsburgh songwriting prodigy when he teamed with guitarist Mark Doyle, a recent member of New York blues-rockers Jukin’ Bone, which made two albums in 1972 for RCA Victor.

Whizz Kid

David Werner released his debut album, Whizz Kid, in March 1974 on RCA Victor.

The album contains ten Werner originals with David on keyboards and electric/acoustic guitars, backed by Mark Doyle and his Jukin’ Bone colleague, drummer Tom Glaister. Pittsburgh bassist Gary Link rounds out Werner’s backing band, augmented by baritone saxophonist Joe Farrell, an early Return to Forever member. Guitarist Max Kendrick (once of Alabama’s Rogues) plays lead guitar on the first, fourth, and penultimate tracks.

A1. “One More Wild Guitar” (3:29)
A2. “Whizz Kid” (3:34)
A3. “The Lady in Waiting” (3:36)
A4. “The Ballad of Trixie Silver” (5:56)
A5. “It’s a Little Bit Sad” (2:50)

B1. “Love Is Tragic” (4:36)
B2. “Plan 9” (1:07)
B3. “Counting the Ways” (4:53)
B4. “The Death of Me Yet” (3:37)
B5. “A Sleepless Night” (4:40)

Sessions occurred at RCA Studio D, also used for recent albums by Annette Peacock, Jon Lucien, Michael Konstan, and Italian singer/songwriter Rosalino Cellamare. Werner co-produced Whizz Kid with Bruce Somerfeld, a soundman on 1973–75 RCA titles by Mick Ronson, Lou Reed, Nina Simone, and White Chocolate. Doyle co-engineered the album with Gus Mossler, also credited on 1974 titles by Carla Bley, Elephant’s Memory, and Sarah Kernochan.

Whizz Kid features three backing singers: Linda November, Maeretha Stewart (both heard on 1971–73 albums by Jackie Lomax and Elliott Murphy), and Tasha Thomas, a longtime jazz/soul sessionist with credits behind Grover Washington Jr., Hubert Laws, Johnny Hammond, Pat Lundy, Roberta Flack, and Stevie Wonder.

Photographer Robert S. Costa snapped the album’s cover images, which show Werner white-clad on an air-bound sofa between a Deco cinema facade (front) and portrait-shot in makeup and neo-Regency attire. RCA lifted two singles: “Whizz Kid” (b/w “It’s a Little Bit Sad”) and “The Ballad of Trixie Silver” (b/w “The Lady in Waiting”).

Imagination Quota

David Werner released his second album, Imagination Quota, in 1975 on RCA Victor.

The album contains nine originals by Werner, who plays piano, organ, and percussion. Mark Doyle plays guitar, synthesizer and additional piano/organ on Imagination Quota, which also features returning bassist Gary Link and Buckingham/Nicks drummer Gary Hodges. Additional guests include Sly & the Family Stone saxophonist Jerry Martini and two veteran percussionists: marimba/steelpanist Emil Richards and congaist Peter Escovedo (Sheila E.‘s father).

Imagination Quota features vocal backing by Karen Friedman of the Thunderthighs, the female trio heard on songs by Lou Reed (“Walk On the Wild Side”) and Mott the Hoople (“Hymn for the Dudes”)

A1. “Imagination Quota” (4:12)
A2. “Prose” (2:25)
A3. “Cold Shivers” (4:20)
A4. “Thoughts of You” (3:46)
A5. “In and Around You” (4:01)
B1. “Talk” (5:16)
B2. “When Starlight’s Gone” (3:26)
B3. “Aggravation Non-Stop” (3:23)
B4. “Body and Soul” (6:11)

Sessions occurred at Record Plant locations in Sausalito and Los Angeles, where Werner co-produced the album with engineer Ron Nevison, an assistant Quadrophenia soundman with credits on 1974/75 albums by Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, and Chilli Willi & The Red Hot Peppers.

Imagination Quota features string arrangements by veteran conductor Jimmie Haskell, whose orchestration graces mid-Seventies albums by Chicago (X), Patti Dahlstrom, Tina Turner, Vernon Bunch, and Michel Polnareff‘s soundtrack to Lipstick, a 1976 crime thriller about an electronic musician turned sex offender.

Photographer William Douglas King took the greyscale photographs that show Werner profiled (front) and reclined in a fedora and leisure suit with his two main bandmates (back). On the inner-sleeve, he appears with his entourage in a mirror-walled living room with mid-Seventies furnishings (crushed-velvet sofa, low glass coffee-table, shag carpet, palm plants).

RCA lifted “Cold Shivers” as a single (b/w “Imagination Quota”). After Werner’s contract expiration, Doyle and Link joined the backing band of Andy Pratt for the 1976/77 Nemperor albums Resolution and Shiver In the Night.

David Werner

David Werner released his self-titled third album in July 1979 on Epic.

The album contains ten originals by Werner, who plays piano, percussion, lead and rhythm guitar; doubled on all by Mark Doyle, who splits bass across half the album with Albritton McClain, a Cruiser and future Innocent.

David Werner also features Nazz/Paris drummer Thom Mooney, Cosmic Echoes synthesist Ken Bishell, and session saxophonist Tim Cappelo. Ian Hunter mixed “Every New Romance” and sings backing vocals on “High Class Blues.”

A1. “Can’t Imagine” (3:38)
A2. “What’s Right” (3:42)
A3. “What Do You Need to Love” (4:01)
A4. “Melanie Cries” (4:50)
A5. “Eye to Eye” (4:52)

B1. “Hold On Tight” (4:13)
B2. “Every New Romance” (5:35)
B3. “Too Late to Try” (2:39)
B4. “High Class Blues” (4:07)
B5. “She Sent Me Away” (4:31)

Sessions occurred at New York’s Power Station, where Bob Clearmountain (a prior Rupert Holmes engineer) produced and mixed Davis Werner in sequence with 1978/79 albums by Carolyne Mas, Marlena Shaw, The Rezillos, Talking Heads, and Narada Michael Walden. Cappelo played most recently on the second Peter Gabriel solo album (“scratch”).

Former Atlantic graphic illustrator Paula Scher co-designed the cover with Janet Perr, who also earned visual credits on 1978/78 CBS/Epic releases by Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club, Flash & The Pan, and The Only Ones. David Werner modeled his updated look for Benno Friedman, whose photography appears on contemporary albums by Ellen Foley, Lake, Steve Forbert, Pat Travers, and the 1980 Polydor release by Cyndi Lauper’s Blue Angel.

David Werner reached No. 65 on the Billboard 200. Epic lifted “Can’t Imagine” as a single (b/w “Eye to Eye”). It peaked just outside the disco-saturated Billboard Hot 100.

On October 3, 1979, Werner played a show at LA’s Whiskey A Go-Go, the source of Epic’s promo EP Live, which features renditions of three David Werner numbers (“Can’t Imagine,” “Every New Romance,” “What Do You Need to Love”) and one track each from Whizz Kid (“Death of Me Yet”) and Imagination Quota (“Aggravation Non-Stop”), plus the album version of “Too Late to Try” and a radio/TV tie-in track.

Discography: