"No Time to Lose" by The Tarney/Spencer Band

Redux Spotlight Alert!

Song#:  0747
Date:  09/19/1981
Debut:  84
Peak:  74
Weeks:  4
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Australians Alan Tarney and Trevor Spencer formed this duo in 1975 but they had been working together on other recordings and projects since the late 60s. Throughout the 70s both would support Cliff Richard and the Shadows on many sessions with Tarney formally joining the Shadows in 1973. The duo's first album was a UK-only release in 1976. Then they signed with A&M Records and issued their second album in 1978, which did a little business due to the #86 single "It's Really You." The following year their third album, "Run for Your Life," came out and featured this single. Initially released in 1979, the song reached #84. This lackluster showing got A&M to cancel their contract and the duo broke up. Enter the fledgling MTV channel who began airing the video for this song and it gained enough popularity to have the single reissued two years after its initial release. It peaked slightly higher the second time around, but it wasn't enough to really revive the group.

ReduxReview:  This has a lot that I really like - the opening is great and the chorus is like a cross of Fleetwood Mac and Alan Parsons Project. I can't say it is the strongest single, but it if I heard this on the radio, I would have picked it up right away. I like Tarney's work with Cliff Richard and others (see below) and his songwriting is strong, so I'm not too surprised I liked this so much. The surprise is that I didn't know it existed. I think the song deserved a better fate, so I'm Spotlighting this tune as being a terrific lost song from 1981 (or really, 1979). I've already got this album ordered and coming my way!

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Tarney's career took a turn from performing to being behind the boards. He wrote/co-wrote songs and produced them for Cliff Richard including the hits "We Don't Talk Anymore" (#7, 1979) and "Dreaming" (#10, 1980). But his biggest success would be producing the first three albums for Norwegian group a-ha, who reached #1 with "Take on Me" (1985).

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