"Dirty Water" by Rock and Hyde

Song#:  3099
Date:  04/25/1987
Debut:  97
Peak:  61
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  This Canadian duo of Paul Hyde and Bob Rock had been working together since 1978 when they formed the band the Payloas. They were signed to A&M Records and had some success at home with a couple of Top 10s. The band and their label wanted to crack the US charts and with some prodding from A&M the band changed their name to Paul Hyde and the Payloas and recorded an album with superstar producer David Foster. The results were not as good as expected and they ended up being dropped from A&M despite getting their first single on the US Pop chart with the #84 "Your the Only Love." The core duo then went out on their own and struck a deal with Capitol Records. With the new moniker of Rock and Hyde, they recorded the album Under the Volcano. This first single was issued out and it became a hit at Rock reaching #6. It then crossed over to Pop where it floated around the bottom half of the chart for two and a half month. It helped the album get to #94. The lackluster results didn't do them any favors with Capitol and the duo went their own ways. They would reunite for a five-year period beginning in 2003.

ReduxReview:  This is another one where I might have heard it on MTV first as I don't remember hearing it on the radio. I ended up buying the single. The shuffling rock beat attracted me along with its solid, sing-a-long chorus, its excellent production (by Bruce Fairbairn), and the scruffy vocals of Paul Hyde. It was a terrific track and I was rooting for it to go higher on the chart. Rock radio responded well, but it just didn't catch on in a more mainstream way. The album also contained a nice pop confection called "I Will" that didn't chart in the US but made it to #40 in Canada. These guys had the right stuff to make hits, but it just never fully gelled for them.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Even while in the Payloas and Rock and Hyde, Bob Rock started a side career as an engineer for other artists. He worked with rock bands like Loverboy and Honeymoon Suite. His behind-the-boards career got a major boost when he worked on Bon Jovi's mega hit album Slippery When Wet. Rock continued to work as an engineer but also moved over to the producer's chair. Over the years he would produce hit albums by Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Bryan Adams, The Offspring, Bush, and even Michael Bublé. It would end up being his work on Bublé's 2013 album To Be Loved that would earn Rock his first Grammy. That LP would win for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and as producer Rock received a Grammy along with Bublé.

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