Tim Moore -

Tim Moore is an American singer/songwriter who emerged beside Daryl Hall in Gulliver and released the 1974/75 Asylum albums Tim Moore and Behind the Eyes, followed by the 1977–79 titles White Shadows and High Contrast. He charted with “A Fool Like You,” “Second Avenue,” “Charmer,” and “In the Middle.”

His songs inspired covers by Cliff Richard (“Love Enough”), Clifford T. Ward (“I Got Lost Tonight”), Colin Blunstone (“I Can Almost See the Light”), and Maxine Nightingale (“(I Think I Wanna) Possess You”). In 1985, Moore scored a Brazilian No. 1 with “Yes” from his Elektra comeback album Flash Forward.

Background

Moore was born on December 31, 1949, in New York and grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended art school and performed original songs in local coffeehouses. He began his band career as guitarist and singer with D.C. & the Senators, an opening act at Philadelphia arena concerts. In 1966, Moore drummed for local blues-rock stalwarts Woody’s Truck Stop alongside a pre-Nazz Todd Rundgren.

Moore teamed with lyricist Jeff Scott in The Muffins, which cut the 1967 RCA Victor single “Subway Traveler” (b/w “You Better Find It Now”), produced by Cameo-Parkway co-founder Bernie Lowe. The Muffins group opened a week of Velvet Underground performances at Philadelphia’s Trauma club. Frank Zappa later brought Moore to New York with a prospective Bizarre Records deal, but Moore declined when Zappa could not produce the proposed album.

Back in Philadelphia, Moore worked as a staff songwriter and session guitarist with Thom Bell and the Gamble–Huff organization. He lived next door to Daryl Hall, then another staff songwriter, and the pair formed Gulliver with bassist Tom Sellers and drummer Jim Helmer. They album appeared in late 1969 on Elektra while members also partook in The Electric Indian, a a soul-funk studio project in United Artists.

After Gulliver, Moore moved to Woodstock and sang backing vocals on “Dallas,” the withdrawn 1972 debut single by Steely Dan, whose frontman Donald Fagen returned the favor on Moore’s 1973 debut solo single “A Fool Like You,” released on Dunhill.

Tim Moore

Tim Moore released his self-titled debut album in March 1974 on A Small Record Company. Asylum reissued the album after Paramount and Famous Music ended their record operations later that year.

Moore handles guitar, keyboards, and most bass parts. Roy Markowitz drums on four tracks, while Los Angeles session drummer Russ Kunkel appears on two and Bernard Purdie plays on “I Can Almost See the Light.” Howard Johnson adds baritone saxophone to “Charmer.”

“A Fool Like You” glides through elegant strings and subtle melancholy. “Second Avenue” mourns through plaintive parting lines and smooth accompaniment. “Charmer” glows through soulful turns and an atmospheric orchestral haze. “High Feeling” quickens into a buoyant workout with handclaps around its chorus.

“I Can Almost See the Light” declares with blues-toned force and emphatic accents. “Aviation Man” scuffs through an acoustic figure under raw-edged production. “When You Close Your Eyes” pivots through tuneful turns and deft rhythmic punctuation. “I’ll Be Your Time” settles into introspective delivery with gentler accompaniment.

A1. “A Fool Like You” (3:43)
A2. “Second Avenue” (3:55)
A3. “Charmer” (2:51)
A4. “Sister Lilac” (3:16)
A5. “High Feeling” (3:20)

B1. “I Can Almost See the Light” (3:00)
B2. “Love Enough” (3:08)
B3. “Aviation Man” (2:48)
B4. “When You Close Your Eyes” (3:12)
B5. “I’ll Be Your Time” (3:25)

Sessions took place at Connecticut Recording Studios in Bridgeport and Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, with additional work at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, where Nick Jameson produced and engineered the album around Moore’s overdubbed guitar, keyboard, and bass parts. Jameson moved directly into 1974 production work on Foghat (Rock and Roll Outlaws). Mike Leary engineered “Second Avenue,” and Tom Sellers arranged the strings. Manager Harris Goldberg supplied the cover photograph.

Dunhill issued “A Fool Like You” in February 1973 (b/w “Thinking About You”), which reached No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A Small Record Company issued “Second Avenue” in May 1974 (b/w “Aviation Man”). Asylum reissued the single in August 1974 with the same B-side; it reached No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 41 on Billboard Adult Contemporary, and No. 60 on RPM Top Singles.

Asylum followed with “Charmer” in September 1974 (b/w “I’ll Be Your Time”), which reached No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Art Garfunkel cut “Second Avenue” as a 1974 standalone single. Cliff Richard covered “Love Enough” as the b-side to his 1975 comeback single “Miss You Nights.” Colin Blunstone rendered “I Can Almost See the Light” on his 1976 fourth solo album Planes. Blundstone also issued a non-album cover of “When You Close Your Eyes.”

Behind the Eyes

Tim Moore released his second solo album, Behind the Eyes, in May 1975 on Asylum.

Moore rotates guitar, keyboards, piano, and selected rhythm parts. New York session drummer Allan Schwartzberg appears across most of the album, while guitarist John Tropea recurs on four tracks. The Simms Brothers join the backing harmonies.

“(I Think I Wanna) Possess You” stomps through dark insistence. “Now I See” glows under Moore’s open, expressive delivery. “Rock and Roll Love Letter” grinds through a gritty guitar lick and pounding piano before a tuneful bridge checks its heavy tread.

“If Somebody Needs It” bounces through bright, buoyant phrases. “The Night We First Sailed Away” drifts beneath restrained strings and tender delivery. “Kaptain Kidd” barrels into a loose, extended workout. “Bye Bye Man” swells through orchestral backing.

A1. “For the Minute” (3:41)
A2. “Lay Down a Line to Me” (4:46)
A3. “(I Think I Wanna) Possess You” (5:02)
A4. “Now I See” (3:11)
A5. “Rock and Roll Love Letter” (4:23)

B1. “If Somebody Needs It” (4:30)
B2. “The Night We First Sailed Away” (3:50)
B3. “Kaptain Kidd” (3:38)
B4. “Sweet Navel Lightning” (5:06)
B5. “Bye Bye Man” (4:29)

Sessions returned to Connecticut Recording Studios and Bearsville Studios. Nick Jameson produced “(I Think I Wanna) Possess You,” “Now I See,” “Rock and Roll Love Letter,” and “Bye Bye Man”; Paul Leka produced the remaining six tracks with engineer Ron Bacchiocchi. Leka worked in sequence on 1974/75 albums by Harry Chapin (Verities & Balderdash, Portrait Gallery) and Gloria Gaynor (Never Can Say Goodbye), with Bacchiocchi attached to both Chapin sessions. Leka and Moore arranged the strings, while Moore developed the backing parts with the Simms Brothers.

Asylum art director Glen Christensen oversaw a sleeve designed by Katherine Palladini, with photography by Mike Martineau.

Asylum issued “If Somebody Needs It” in July 1975 and “Rock and Roll Love Letter” in September, each backed with “Sweet Navel Lightning.” “Lay Down a Line to Me” followed in November with the same B-side.

Polydor issued “Rock and Roll Love Letter” as a September 1976 UK single (b/w “The Night We First Sailed Away”).

“(I Think I Wanna) Possess You” inspired a cover by Maxine Nightingale for her 1976 debut album Right Back Where We Started From, which also contains her version of “Love Enough.” Dirty Angels cut a 1975 single version of “Rock and Roll Love Letter,” covered again in 1979 by The Records.

White Shadows

Tim Moore released his third solo album, White Shadows, in 1977 on Asylum.

Moore juggles guitar, keyboards, piano, and selected bass parts. Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro appears on most most tracks, with Leland Sklar among the rotating bassists. Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne and Doobie Brothers singer-keyboardist Michael McDonald make recurring appearances; Eagles Timothy B. Schmit joins the backing harmonies.

“In the Middle” threads acoustic strums through hand percussion and group harmonies. “I Got Lost Tonight” unfurls beneath a three-singer harmony bed. “The Light of You” pairs Moore and Laurel Massé over spare piano.

A1. “In the Middle” (3:13)
A2. “Love Overnight” (3:33)
A3. “Strengthen My Love” (4:26)
A4. “It’s Your Life” (3:45)
A5. “Dolorosa” (4:41)

B1. “I Got Lost Tonight” (4:21)
B2. “The Light of You” (3:03)
B3. “The Devil Inside My Heart” (4:53)
B4. “Little Bo’s Peep Show” (2:36)
B5. “To Cry for Love” (4:24)

Basic tracks were recorded at Sunset Sound and Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles with producer Michael James Jackson and engineer John Haeny. Jackson came from 1976/77 production on Tom Snow (Tom Snow) and Paul Williams (Classics), while Haeny worked in sequence on albums by Linda Ronstadt (Greatest Hits) and Bonnie Raitt (Sweet Forgiveness). David Campbell arranged the strings, which Greg Ladanyi recorded before mixing the album with Dennis Kirk at the Sound Factory. Ladanyi continued into work on Jackson Browne (Running on Empty) and Warren Zevon (Excitable Boy).

Anne Garner designed the sleeve under joint art direction with Tony Lane. Garner also handled 1977 sleeves for The Dictators (Manifest Destiny) and Jelly (True Story). Ethan Russell supplied the photography after earlier cover assignments for The Beatles (Let It Be), Rolling Stones (Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!), and The Who (Who’s Next).

Asylum issued “In the Middle” in May 1977 (b/w “To Cry for Love”), which reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 89 on RPM Top Singles.

In August 1977, Asylum reissued Moore’s 1974 track “Second Avenue” (b/w “Strengthen My Love”). Clifford T. Ward covered “I Got Lost Tonight” for his 1977 album New England Days.

High Contrast

Tim Moore released his fourth solo album, High Contrast, in 1979 on Asylum.

Moore worked from a core group with bassist Bob Lizik and drummer Steve Shive. Bassist Carl Sealove and drummer Ed Greene replace the pair on “Gonna Try Again” and “Everybody Loves a Hero.” Ex-Kaleidoscope violinist–mandolinist David Lindley appears on “Hermit Rock” and “Fallen Angel,” while saxophonist Joel Peskin joins three tracks. Guitarist Geo Conners and percussionist Wm. Lee Rybacek complete selected arrangements.

“Right of a Lover” settles into intimate, heartfelt phrasing. “Fallen Angel” lilts with a light, measured sway. “Crisis in the Thin Yard” rises toward a dramatic close with octave guitar and Joel Peskin’s saxophone.

A1. “Hermit Rock” (4:33)
A2. “Right of a Lover” (4:29)
A3. “Gonna Try Again” (3:37)
A4. “Everybody Loves a Hero” (6:12)

B1. “Cocoa” (3:50)
B2. “Fallen Angel” (4:11)
B3. “I Can’t Wait” (3:55)
B4. “Nightingale” (3:07)
B5. “Crisis in the Thin Yard” (4:43)

Sessions spanned fall 1978 through winter 1979 at Chateau Recorders in Los Angeles, where Ken Scott produced and engineered the album. Scott worked in sequence on 1979 albums by Devo (Duty Now for the Future), Dixie Dregs (Night of the Living Dregs), and Gamma (Gamma 1).

Asylum art directors Johnny Lee and Ron Coro built the sleeve around a front-cover photograph by Elliot Gilbert, with rear and inner-sleeve photography by Glen Wexler. Gilbert also photographed Van Halen for their debut while Wexler’s imagery graces Blam! by the Brothers Johnson.

Asylum issued “Fallen Angel” in May 1979 (b/w “Crisis in the Thin Yard”).

Flash Forward

Tim Moore released his fifth solo album, Flash Forward, in 1985 on Elektra.

Moore handles guitar, synthesizer, piano, and bass. Multi-instrumentalist Carter Cathcart provides the principal outside support across bass, drums, keyboards, and guitar, with Alan Childs on additional drums.

“Yes” lingers over a measured beat with restrained romantic phrasing. “Body and Soul” coasts at midtempo beneath Moore’s delicate singing. “Surrender” glides through keyboard-saturated backing. He reinvents his 1975 anthem “Rock & Roll Love Letter” with denser studio layers and an updated finish.

A1. “Let’s Get Activated” (4:37)
A2. “Yes” (3:39)
A3. “Body and Soul” (3:44)
A4. “I’ll Find a Way” (4:01)
A5. “Anything and Everything” (3:37)

B1. “Rock ’n’ Roll Love Letter” (3:45)
B2. “Surrender” (4:18)
B3. “Telepath” (4:34)
B4. “Theodora” (4:09)
B5. “Get It Outta My System” (4:11)

Rob Freeman oversaw Flash Forward as producer-engineer, with responsibility for arrangements and mixing. Harris Goldberg and Johanan Vigoda held executive-production credits. Freeman had engineered New York albums by Ramones (Ramones), Blondie (Blondie, Plastic Letters), and Robert Gordon with Link Wray (Robert Gordon with Link Wray).

Top Tape issued “Yes (English Version)” as a 1986 Brazilian single (b/w “Yes (Portuguese Version)”). Rede Globo included the song on the international soundtrack for the television serial Selva de Pedra, and the single held No. 1 in Brazil for ten weeks. Moore followed with a 75-day Brazilian tour. Vidisco issued “Yes (Versão Portuguesa)” in Portugal, where it reached No. 1 in 1988.

Later Activity

Moore replaced Saga keyboardist Jim Gilmour for the Canadian band’s 1988 Wildest Dreams tour.

In 2004, the Japanese label Air Mail Archive returned Moore’s solo catalog to compact disc. EMI also paired Tim Moore and Behind the Eyes on a combined 2004 edition.

Discography: