

Certainly the album is most remembered for “The Show Must Go On,” which gave Sayer his first British hit, though Three Dog Night had the smash with it when they covered it for the American market; Sayer’s version is less ham-handed and more idiosyncratic, particularly in the extended instrumental circus intro. He usually played the part of the sympathetic, slightly confessional singer/songwriter, with a more straightforward keyboard-dominated rock base than many soft rock confessional singer/songwriters had, sometimes tilting toward one side more than the other. “The Dancer,” for instance, is a wistful piano ballad with impressive near-soprano singing, while the far less impressive “Oh Wot a Life” is an awkward attempt at throat-stretching party rock. [The 2002 CD reissue adds “Living in America,” the A-side of the sole single by his pre-solo career group, Patches, and “Quicksand,” an early solo Sayer non-LP B-side; both of these are harder-charging mainstream rock than his usual stuff.

Russ Ballard (guitar, keyboard)
Max Chetwyn (guitar)
David Courtney (piano)
Michael Giles (drums)
Robert Henrit (drums)
Leo Sayer (guitar, harmonica, vocals)
Henry Spinetti (drums)
Dave Wintour (bass)

01. Innocent Bystander 3.02
02. Good Night Old Friend 2.51
03. Drop Back 3.29
04. Silverbird 1.12
05. The Show Must Go On 3.32
06. Dancer 4.30
07. Tomorrow 4.12
08. Don’t Say It’s Over 3.15
09. Slow Motion 1.46
10. Oh Wot A Life 2.53
11. Why Is Everybody Going Home? 4.14
+
12. Living In America 2.47
13. Quicksand 2.46
14. Let It Be (Lennon/McCartney) 3.40
All songs written by Leo Sayer + David Courtney , except where noted