Susan was the hard rock band that got the gigs at the Rat in Boston in the '70s. Their thunderous sound was created in no small part by John Kalishes, who could have passed as
Leslie West's little brother. Kalishes would join the late
Ben Orr to create a
Led Zeppelin-meets-
the Cars group toward the end of the '90s. It is that powerful sound that is missing from
Falling in Love Again. The original
Susan was documented on the Live at the Rat album and those two tracks give a hint of their significance. By the time they landed a management contract with Tommy Mottola,
Ricky Byrd had replaced Kalishes and despite
Byrd's enormous talent -- he would eventually join
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts -- the change came too quickly. This album sounds like a band in transition rather than a strong debut.
Byrd shines on "A Little Time," one of two strong tracks on side one, but the band's performance on another
Byrd composition, "I Was Wrong," is downright embarrassing for a group once so mighty. "Marlene," which features
Marlene Dietrich, and "Falling in Love Again" have that "Be My Baby" drum sound and comes closest to what
Susan was all about. The Leland brothers were a phenomenal rhythm section, and Charles Leland had that
Bowie look down pat. It was Leland who was the star during their club days, but on this debut, Leland doesn't fit with the Tom Dickie and "Ricky Bird" material he has to work with. Dickie brings some life to the record with his vocals on "Really Gonna Show," but the material is still substandard. Tom Dickie maintained his relationship with the Mottola organization, moving over to Mercury to record two albums as Tom Dickie & the Desires. Falling in Love could have been so much more -- it's a document of a band recording after their prime, and even decent songs like "Don't Let Me Go" and "Love the Way" aren't strong enough to carry this disappointing and fragmented production. ~ Joe Viglione