Judie Tzuke’s emerged in 1977, when she signed to Elton John’s Rocket Record label, and had her first major single success “Stay with Me till Dawn” in 1979. “Stay with Me till Dawn” was co-written with Mike Paxman (more of him later) and featured on Judie Tzuke’s debut album “Welcome to the Cruise”. It was a massive success and stayed in the UK charts for 16 weeks.In 2002, BBC Radio Two conducted a poll to determine the top fifty British songs of the past fifty years, and “Stay With Me Till Dawn” was at No. 39. In 1980 Judie Tzuke released her second album “Sportscar” which was a bigger success than her debut album. I saw Judie Tzuke at this time, when she toured the UK playing at Newcastle City Hall on 25th April 1980. It was great concert, by a superb artist.
But there are a few facts relating to this concert that I have to mention. The first is the Status Quo connection. The aforementioned Mike Paxman, who was Judie Tzuke’s co-writer for “Stay with Me till Dawn” and many other songs, as well as her guitarist, has more recently been a producer for Uriah Heep and Status Quo. Paxman had produced several Quo albums including Heavy Traffic (2002), The Party Ain’t Over Yet (2005), Quid Pro Quo (2011) and the recent Aquostic unplugged album. But that’s not the only Quo connection here. Judie Tzuke’s band also included John “Rhino” Edwards on bass, and Jeff Rich on drums. Rhino is of course Quo’s current bass player and Jeff Rich was drummer for the Quo from 1985 to 2000. If you look closely at the centrefold picture from the Judie Tzuke programme pictured here, you can see a young Rhino. He is the tall blonde guy in the leather jacket. Jeff Rich is the guy with the red curly hair, also wearing a leather jacket. 
But there is yet another interesting connection relating to this gig. The support act was an unknown new wave mod band called Graduate (see the flyer which I found in my programme). Graduate had just released their debut album “Acting My Age”, and a single “Elvis Should Play Ska” (which refers to Elvis Costello, rather than Presley). The single wasn’t a big success and Graduate soon split, but two of their members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith went on to form Tears for Fears. If you strain your eyes you may be able to recognise Curt and Roland.
Judie Tzuke’s music is classic adult rock with great melody and romantic lyrics. David Sinclair reviewed a London gig in the Times: “the central image throughout was of the disarmingly beautiful Miss Tzuke, face framed by a tangle of teeming blond hair, singing with a fragile passion in the voice of a convent schoolgirl turned waif. Combining a glacial poise with her innate sensuality, she projected with controlled emotion through the preponderance of haunting slow songs… dignified and compelling performance.”
Judie Tzuke continues to record and perform today.
Judie Tzuke setlist: Chinatown; Sukarita; Welcome to the Cruise; Stay With Me Till Dawn; Living on the Coast; The Rise of Heart; Nightline; Rain on the Hills; Southern Smiles; Katiera Island; The Choices You’ve Made; Sports Car
Encore: For You; Ladies Night; New Friends Again; These Are the Laws
Archive for the ‘Graduate’ Category
9 Nov
Vintagerock's Weblog. 