Dean Friedman -

Dean Friedman is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from New Jersey who released three albums between 1977 and 1981. He scored a US Top 40 hit with “Ariel” and a UK Top 3 hit with “Lucky Stars.” Between 1999 and 2021, he self-produced six albums on Real Life Records.

Background

Dean Friedman was born on May 23, 1955, in Paramus, New Jersey. He acquired his first guitar at age nine and soon began composing songs. During adolescence, he worked odd jobs and played weddings and bar mitzvahs with Marsha & the Self-Portraits.

Friedman later majored in music at City College of New York, where guitarist David Bromberg taught one of his courses. Bromberg introduced him to Bottom Line owners Allen Pepper and Stanley Snadowsky. The pair signed Friedman to management in 1975 and secured a contract with Lifesong, the label formed by Terry Cashman and Tommy West.

Dean Friedman

Dean Friedman released his self-titled debut album in February 1977 on Lifesong.

Friedman plays piano, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, harmonica, and percussion. Bassists Tony Levin and George Mraz join drummer Rick Marotta, while harpist Corky Hale and arranger Kenny Ascher complete the principal studio group. Friedman wrote nine songs and composed “Company” with Stuffy Shmitt.

“Ariel” sprints through rapid suburban detail and opens full harmony at its first return. “Company” saunters through conversational phrasing and spare piano support. “Funny Papers” scampers through dry comic timing and compact extended-chord turns. “Woman of Mine” lingers on elastic phrasing and direct, intimate delivery.

A1. “Company” (3:16)
A2. “Ariel” (4:19) — recounts a suburban romance that moves from a chance meeting at Paramus Park through a concert date and a late-night encounter. He presents Ariel as a Jewish vegetarian with progressive politics, a taste for countercultural fashion, and an independent streak. “Looking for change” links Ariel’s fundraising to the narrator’s search for a different life.
A3. “Solitaire” (4:17)
A4. “Woman of Mine” (2:58)
A5. “Song for My Mother” (3:43)

B1. “The Letter” (4:38)
B2. “I May Be Young” (3:16)
B3. “Humor Me” (2:41)
B4. “Funny Papers” (2:17)
B5. “Love Is Not Enough” (3:24)

Friedman recorded the album during 1976 at CBS Studios in New York. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Stevens directed the sessions, while CBS engineer Don Puluse recorded and mixed the album. Stevens also produced the 1977 Lavender Hill Mob album Street of Dreams. Puluse engineered the 1976 Crack the Sky album Animal Notes.

Lopaka directed and designed the original package, with Susan Senk coordinating the cover. Hauser & D’Orio photographed Friedman seated beside a wine bottle, glass, flowers, and manuscript pages. The inner-sleeve features a profile pic by Peter Cunningham, credited on multiple sleeves for Janis Ian and D.C. LaRue.

Lifesong issued “Ariel” in March 1977 (b/w “Funny Papers”). The single reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 19 on the RPM Top Singles chart. “Woman of Mine” followed in July 1977 (b/w “Humor Me”) and reached No. 52 in Canada.

Real Life Records issued a 25th Anniversary Edition on CD with bonus material.

“Well, Well,” Said the Rocking Chair

Dean Friedman released his second studio album, “Well, Well,” Said the Rocking Chair, in May 1978 on Lifesong.

Friedman expanded the studio group around bassist Jonny Mann, drummer Bill Ward, guitarist Don Sarlin, and saxophonist Mark Rivera. Dean harmonizes with Trenton singer Denise Marsa on “Lucky Stars.”

“Rocking Chair (It’s Gonna Be All Right)” reassures through fanciful household repartee and lightly syncopated turns. “Lucky Stars” banters through a coy two-person exchange, with simple accompaniment exposing each retort.

“The Deli Song (Corned Beef on Wry)” sketches a cinematic counter scene as shouted orders punctuate each exchange. “S&M” sidles through urbane chord turns and dry satire. “Let Down Your Hair” darkens into a tense city tableau under restrained accompaniment.

A1. “Rocking Chair (It’s Gonna Be All Right)” (4:34)
A2. “I’ve Had Enough” (3:26)
A3. “Lucky Stars” (3:56) — a couple trade accusations after the man meets a former girlfriend, then move from jealousy and evasion toward apology and reconciliation. “I have no alibis” marks his surrender of further excuses.
A4. “Shopping Bag Ladies” (2:34)
A5. “Don’t You Ever Dare” (4:40)

B1. “The Deli Song (Corned Beef on Wry)” (3:15)
B2. “Lydia” (4:49)
B3. “S & M” (3:54)
B4. “Let Down Your Hair” (4:59)

Friedman cut the basic tracks at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, with Nick Blagona, then completed the album at CBS Studios and the Hit Factory in New York, where Stevens produced and mixed the sessions. Rocking Chair features string and horn arrangements by Kenny Ascher, a recent orchestrator for Phoebe Snow, Flame, and Artful Dodger. Blagona also engineered the 1978 Cat Stevens album Back to Earth.

Marc Hauser and Tony D’Orio photographed the original US sleeve from above. Friedman lies on a patchwork bed amid records, papers, books, a guitar, and stereo equipment.

Lifesong issued “Lucky Stars” in the United States during June 1978 (b/w “The Deli Song (Corned Beef on Wry)”). The British edition followed in September (b/w “Company”) and reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Rocking Chair (It’s Gonna Be All Right)” followed in the United States during September 1978 (b/w “Shopping Bag Ladies”). Lifesong issued “Lydia” in Britain during November (b/w “S & M”), where it reached No. 31. The album reached No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 70 in Australia.

Chiswick coupled the album with Dean Friedman on a 1991 CD. A later 40th Anniversary Edition restored the nine-song sequence on remastered vinyl and CD; the CD included a 12-page booklet.

Rumpled Romeo

Dean Friedman released his third studio album, Rumpled Romeo, in May 1981 on his DIY, the Record Co-Op. In 1982, the album appeared in the UK on Epic.

Friedman wrote all ten songs and reduced the studio group to bassist Jonny Mann, drummer Bill Ward, guitarist Don Sarlin, and synthesizer player David Frank. Dean himself handles keyboards, guitar, and harmonica, while Paul Friedman adds effects to “Marginal Middle Class.”

“First Date” hesitates through nervous preparation and tender detail under unobtrusive small-group accompaniment. “Hey Larry” climbs into a broad, sustained return. “McDonald’s Girl” teases through adolescent courtship with plainspoken comic timing. “Marginal Middle Class” lingers on romance and security through wry, domestic phrasing. “I Will Never Leave You” settles into sentimental reassurance with unhurried accompaniment.

A1. “First Date” (5:38)
A2. “McDonald’s Girl” (3:55)
A3. “Are You Ready Yet?” (3:00)
A4. “Hey Larry” (4:46)
A5. “Love Is Real” (3:54)

B1. “Buy My Baby a Car” (4:12)
B2. “Special Effects” (2:59)
B3. “I Depend on You” (3:55)
B4. “Marginal Middle Class” (2:56)
B5. “I Will Never Leave You” (5:50)

Friedman produced Rumpled Romeo at Eastern Artist Recording Studios in East Orange, New Jersey, with engineer Neal Steingart. He took sole production credit after the two-album association with Stevens.

CBS art director Rosław Szaybo designed the sleeve during the period that also produced his cover for the 1980 Judas Priest album British Steel. Hal Wilson supplied the tightly cropped front-cover portrait, and Friedman contributed the package illustrations.

Epic issued “McDonald’s Girl” in Britain during March 1982 (b/w “I Will Never Leave You”). The BBC withheld airplay because the refrain named the restaurant chain; the single reached No. 99 in Australia.

“Hey Larry” followed in April 1982 (b/w “I Will Never Leave You”). Epic issued “First Date” in July (b/w “McDonald’s Girl”).

Chiswick reissued Rumpled Romeo on CD in 1996 with four bonus tracks: “The Lakelands,” “Nookie in the Mail,” “Follow Your Heart,” and “I Didn’t Mean to Make You Cry.” Real Life Records followed with a 2008 CD.

Discography: