Garage Sale Vinyl: Eddie Money
Life for the Taking / Columbia Records / 1978
by Christopher Long
It’s been said, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” And that’s SO true, on many levels. For instance, anytime I visit a garage sale, thrift store, flea market, or the like, in pursuit of vinyl “treasure,” I head straight to the “trash” bins. And it (almost) always pays off!
After 50 years on the scene, I relocated last summer from Florida’s Space Coast to southwest Oklahoma. (Don’t judge me. I could explain myself, but it’s a long story.) Shortly after getting settled into my new digs, I heard about a groovy new & used music joint up in Oklahoma City called Guestroom Records. Of course, I had to check it out, posthaste. Immediately upon arrival, I introduced myself to the store owner, Justin Sowers. Then I asked him straight away, “Where’s your ‘trash’ section?” Guestroom Records is expansive — well-stocked and well-organized. The “trash” section alone is large enough to be its own store, and it was WAY in back.
Oh my, what treasures I found: bins and bins brimming with reasonably well-cared-for vintage vinyl LPs, all on the cheap. By the end of my mission, I’d scored classics from Rod Stewart and Pete Townshend, Karla Bonoff and Dan Fogelberg, and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Styx — ALL for under $20. I also nabbed a clean, quiet copy of Life for the Taking, the 1978 sophomore set from all-American singer-songwriter and meat-and-potatoes rocker, Eddie Money — for just three bucks.
In the summer of ‘78, Eddie Money was hot as a pistol. An earnest effort, his double platinum-selling, self-titled debut record had been blasting from car radio speakers and home hi-fi systems from coast to coast since its release in late ‘77. Along the way, the album birthed a pair of massive and now iconic singles: “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.” And by late ‘78, it was time for Money to play dodgeball with the dreaded sophomore jinx.
Something of a left-hand turn, the title track made for a compelling, menacing album opener, while both “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” and “Rock and Roll the Place” were more familiar-feeling, high-octane rockers. Over the years, Life for the Taking has been criticized by some for refusing to pick a stylistic lane, with the Top 40 hit “Maybe I’m a Fool” possessing a distinctive ’70s disco flavor and the near-hit “Maureen” oozing an authentic ’50s sock hop vibe. Personally, I found that the oft-unpredictable direction defined the record’s charm. Decades following its release, it can be argued that the seemingly Bad Company-inspired AOR track “Gimme Some Water” and the brooding, heartache ballad “Call On Me” remain the record’s co-MVPs.
Overseen by celebrated producer Bruce Botnick (The Doors, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry), Life for the Taking charted higher than Money’s debut, yet sold less. However (for me), it packed an equal punch and it achieved platinum status. No small feat, to be sure. The songs still feel fresh and the album as an overall body of work endures as a super-tall standout in Money’s impressive gold, platinum, and multi-platinum-selling catalog. ◼
(4/5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Life for the Taking Track List
SIDE A
Life for the Taking (E. Money) – 4:48
Can’t Keep a Good Man Down (E. Money, D. Alexander, C. Solberg) – 3:40
Nightmare (E. Money, J. Lyon) 4:23
Gimme Some Water (E. Money) – 3:38
Rock and Roll the Place (E. Money, J. Lyon) – 3:05
SIDE B
Maybe I’m a Fool (E. Money, L. Chiate, L. Garrett, R. Taylor) – 3:05
Love the Way You Love Me (E. Money, S. Howard) – 3:38
Maureen (E. Money, E. Makaway, L. Chiate, C. Solberg) – 3:35
Nobody (R. Money, J. Lyon) – 4:40
Call On Me (J. Storch, E. Money) – 6:03
