Song#: 3750
Date: 12/17/1988
Debut: 91
Peak: 48
Weeks: 11
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: The Philly rocker and his band scored a #1 Rock track with "I'm Not Your Man," the first single from their second album Rumble. The song crossed over to Pop, but it could only reach #74. For a follow up, this track was selected for release. It would once again do well over at Rock where it topped out at #9. The single would cross over to Pop and it would do better than the band's previous entry, but it still couldn't crack the Top 40. The performance of the two songs helped the album reach #103.
ReduxReview: While I prefer the original version of this song (see below), the heartland rock approach to it by Conwell was a good effort. The song had a pop feel and that made it more suitable for airplay beyond rock radio. It got near the Top 40, but couldn't quite make it even though it should have cracked that barrier. Sadly, I think Conwell got caught between what he wanted to do vs. what the label want him to do which then led to his two Columbia albums being mixed bags that didn't fully pay off. Conwell was an above average barroom rocker that got a deserved shot at the big time, but it seems the ever grinding wheels of the music biz kind of chewed him up.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) Conwell's third album, Guitar Trouble, wasn't able to capitalize on the momentum generated by Rumble and it would fail to chart. Still, it contained two tracks that made the Rock Top 30 including the #15 "I'm Seventeen." Conwell would then be dropped by Columbia, but MCA swooped in and signed him. Along with the label change came changes in the band and Conwell dropping the Young Rumblers moniker. He recorded an album with an edgier sound (grunge had begun to explode around the same time), but it seems MCA was not a fan of it and the LP that was to be titled Neuroticus Maximus was shelved. Along with it went Conwell's contract. He returned to Philly and played with a few local bands before joining the power pop outfit Buzz Zeemer. Cornwell would record two albums with the band. He would also return to the stage as a solo artist with his new band The Little Kings. In 2009, Cornwell would self-release his long shelved Neuroticus Maximus LP under the wink-wink title Thanks But No Thanks. He would eventually reunite with the Young Rumblers and in 2019 they would push out their first album together in nearly 30 years. 2) This song was written by Jules Shear and first recorded by his band Restless Sleepers. Following his 1985 solo effort The Eternal Return, which spawned the #57 "Steady," Shear would go on to form Restless Sleepers. They would sign with I.R.S. Records and record their 1988 debut album Big Boss Sounds! The Shear-penned "If We Never Meet Again" would be issued out as a single, but it would not chart in the US (it did reach #89 in Canada). However, some of Shear's cohorts were involved with making Conwell's Rumble album and got Shear to help out. The band recorded "If We Never Meet Again" along with "Tell Me What You Want Me to Be," which Shear co-wrote with Conwell.
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