Kenny Loggins, "The Real Thing"

Posted by Luminator (A) on March 5, 2017 at 12:32:32

Unfortunately for lite rock artist Kenny Loggins, his album Leap Of Faith came out during the Fall 1991 quarter, right when the grunge revolution exploded, and wiped out Loggins' brand of music. The album went nowhere.

To start the Winter 1992 quarter, I got a new housemate, Dave (replacing Todd, who had moved out to be with his girlfriend). The gregarious Dave was skilled at getting people together. Because my other housemate, Doug, and I had put together a stereo system, Dave often had our building's neighbors, all girls, come over.

The ground floor unit had Heather, a wannabe hippie, who frequently toted her acoustic guitar around. She loved to play parts of The Church's "Under The Milky Way" for us. She was the unquestioned leader of the building.

The second floor, immediately below us, had four anonymous and quiet girls. During the Fall '91 quarter, we had very little to do with them, even though they were right below us.

So I think it was in February-March '92, a lazy and cool Saturday afternoon. Dave worked his magic, and got the second floor girls to come up, and prepare some salad, pasta, and baked dishes. Doug and I were kind of stunned, to be interacting with these neighbors. They weren't unfriendly; just kind of reserved, quiet, and deferential. They were not loquacious and articulate. Instead, they talked in a concise, two-sentence pattern.

Our Sony/Denon/JBL/Monster Cable Frankenstein of a system could be kind of disjointed and raucous, especially with the types of music we grooved to. But while some food was in the oven, one of the quiet girls played her Kenny Loggins Leap Of Faith CD. When track 3, "the Real Thing" came on, it not only matched the girl's personality, it had a calming effect. It was like the sanctuary of being in the eye of a hurricane. It got us to relax. And even after the oven went "ding," we were still relaxed.

I made note of Loggins' "The Real Thing."

During the summer of '92, while home in San Francisco, I joined my friends very frequently at parks, where we played (primarily) football, basketball, and softball. Of course, in sports, it's all about intimidating the opposition, and kicking ass. And the music reflects that take-it-to-'em approach. But when your team settles onto the diamond's bleachers, softball is more laidback.

One of Patricia's girlfriends had Loggins' Leap Of Faith on cassette, and I popped it into a boombox, and fast forwarded/rewound to "The Real Thing." All of us (we usually had 12 or so) calmed down, took a breather, munched on snacks, and got on the same page.

As an audiophile, you know the deal. Regardless of music, they always play it at ear-splitting levels. Well, Loggins' "The Real Thing" is an antidote to that. It's meant to be played at sensible levels. And there is a maturity in that. Hard to believe that "The Real Thing" is now a quarter century old...

-Lummy The Loch Monster

The Real Thing (Open in New Window)

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Topic - Kenny Loggins, "The Real Thing" - Luminator 12:32:32 03/05/17 (1)

RE: Kenny Loggins, "The Real Thing" - fantja 17:43:12 03/06/17 (0)

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