By JAY ROBERTS

The Cassette Chronicles is a continuing series of mini reviews and reflections on albums from the 1980’s and 1990’s. The aim of this series is to highlight both known and underappreciated albums from rock, pop and metal genres from this time period through the cassette editions of their releases. Some of the albums I have known about and loved for years, while others are new to me and were music I’ve always wanted to hear. There will be some review analysis and my own personal stories about my connection with various albums. These opinions are strictly my own and do not reflect the views of anyone else at Limelight Magazine.

SURVIVOR – CAUGHT IN THE GAME (1983)

“Jackie no, Jackie don’t go
You’re a hard act to follow”

That lyrical line from the song “Jackie Don’t Go” might also sum up the relative lack of commercial success that Survivor’s Caught in the Game found upon its release in 1983.

Let’s face it, when you write the #1 song in the world in 1982, there’s only one way to go from there. But dismissing this album in the face of being sandwiched between the “Eye of the Tiger” song and album and the Vital Signs album that came afterwards is doing quite a disservice to yourself and the band.

You might be asking why you should go back and check out Survivor’s 4th studio album and the simple reason is that it contains some of their best work. The album’s musical direction had a bit more of a harder edge to it, but it still maintained some great pop melodies throughout as well.

With all but one song written by guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboardist Jim Peterik (Peterik wrote the song “What Do You Really Think?” on his own), the album opens with the title track. And while the song itself failed to chart as a single, it is a memorably rocking track. I loved the riff that powers the song. You first hear it in the song’s intro but it is threaded throughout the song and is the first definitive example of how the guitar would be much more in the forefront of the music on Caught in the Game.

I mentioned the song “Jackie Don’t Go” and while the nostalgic look back at a lost love opens with more of a keyboard driven sound, the guitar dominates the rest of the song. It’s just a cool uptempo rocker that has remained one of my personal favorite Survivor songs from the first time I heard the track.

The one true straight up ballad on the album is the song “I Never Stopped Loving You”. It’s got a powerful delivery from singer David Bickler and while the song is more than forty years old at this point, it remains quite a draw and doesn’t sound dated in the least.

There’s a killer hook in the straight up rocker “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way” and the first side of the album closes out with another uptempo track in “Ready For The Real Thing”. Each of these two songs stand out on their own with great melodies threaded through the faster pace of the delivery.

The second side of the album opens with the song “Half-Life”. Now, I can’t remember if I’ve always thought this about the song or not, but when I was listening to it for this article, I thought the way it was presented in such a dramatic fashion, it felt like it was a track that belonged on the soundtrack of a science fiction movie. The song’s opening definitely feels like music you’d hear at a movie’s opening credits while the rest of the song would play over the end credits. But whatever the actual intent of the song, it was a damn fine piece of work.

“What Do You Really Think?” has a lively pace and hook that carries the listener along quite willingly.

As for the song “Slander”, I really loved the guitar work on this song. I felt this track had a darker tone to it that coincided with the song’s title and song lyrics. I found that tone really had a particular appeal for me.
The album closes out on what I think is one of Survivor’s finest works. The song “Santa Ana Winds” has an epic feel to it. I remember how blown away I felt when I first heard the song. It is vastly different from what most people who are only passingly familiar with the band’s music would expect. Peterik’s keyboards start off the song in the beginning but a more realized rock tempo soon takes over. Bickler’s performance is outstanding on this song and I loved the two extended instrumental breaks that help make up the song’s running time. In particular, the song’s outro really caught my ear.

While Caught in the Game barely broke the Top 100 on the Billboard album chart (#82) when it was released, this album is FAR AND AWAY better than it is given credit for. While nothing is going to replace the “Eye of the Tiger” song and by extension the Eye of the Tiger album atop the band’s list of successes, ignoring the fantastic work on this album is just criminal in my opinion.

NOTES OF INTEREST: The Caught in the Game album has been reissued on CD at least twice. There was a 1999 Japanese edition from Pony Canyon and then Rock Candy Records reissued a remastered edition of the album in 2010. This edition has no bonus material other than an essay/interview with keyboardist Jim Peterik about the recording of the album.

There were four singles released from Caught in the Game according to the album’s Wikipedia page. The title track, “I Never Stopped Loving You” and “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way” were released in the US while “Slander” was released in Germany. However, other sources including that interview in the Rock Candy Records reissue say only 1 or 2 tracks were given single releases.

Survivor singer David Bickler left the band in late 1983. Though he did return for two stints fronting the band (1993-2000, 2013-2106), the band never recorded another album with him after Caught in the Game.

Special guest appearances on Caught in the Game included Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) and Richard Page (Mr. Mister) on backing vocals. Daryl Dragon is credited for providing “additional keyboards”. He’s best known as the Captain from pop duo Captain & Tenille.