Les Fradkin – “Spare Change” Feat. Mick Ronson

Les Fradkin – “Spare Change” Feat. Mick Ronson – Single Review

It’s a short & sweet burst of melodic Rock this time around from Les Fradkin, who has clearly been rummaging around the ol’ tickle trunk for files stored for years throughout his archives lately to see what kind of gold still exists there.  Some of that we’ve experienced through his music in California, and we’ve been workin’ our way through that in reviews here this year, but it turns out he’s also got some solo stuff that he could polish up and put out there for ya as well.  Good move on his part, I think “Spare Change” would be right up there with the best that I’ve heard from this dude so far on this side of the speakers.

As to why that is…well I reckon there are a couple of reasons at the very least.  For starters, it’s no secret that Les knows his way around…the man’s been a dedicated musician for what I’m assuming is the majority of his life at this point…let’s see – born in 1951, active as a musician since 1969 in the world according to Wiki…yep…that checks out as correct.  That’d be the vast majority of his life according to the math I’m doin’ over here.  Anyhow – you get where I’m going with this…he knows what he’s doing because he’s been doin’ it longer than most folks on your playlist right now.  Heck – he was doing what he’s doing before there even WAS playlists, you following me?  Les has had a legendary career and quite clearly, he ain’t ready to call it quits just yet, based on the amount of times we’ve had California appear on our pages this year alone.  Secondly, “Spare Change” features another extraordinary player and well-known name in the history of Rock music, guitarist Mick Ronson.  An unquestionable titan and icon that many musicians still pattern their own styles around to this very day, Ronson sadly passed away back in 1993, but not before establishing himself firmly as an all-time great, playing with the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and much more famously guiding bands like Mott The Hoople & artists like David Bowie to extreme levels of success.  And I mean, c’mon…even Mellencamp credits him for the existence of a little song you might know, called “Jack & Diane.”  The dude was no joke folks…Mick was right up there with the best of the best and influential beyond what so many people even realize.  Having these two guys together, Les and Mick, instantly creates a powerful duo of songwriters that would have a much harder time failing than they would succeeding, know what I mean?  I don’t wanna say that it was a given that having these two remarkable writers/musicians at the helm would lead to victory, but kinda?

I felt like the third reason “Spare Change” worked so well though, was perhaps the most key of all.  If you’re listening to it closely, and you’re hearing the way the piano accents the melody & whatnot, you’ll probably come to the same conclusion I did – this is Les & Mick’s Pop/Rock version of something like “Baba O’Riley.”  Ultimately, that’s really tough to pull off without sounding like some kind of carbon copy, which “Spare Change” doesn’t – it’s its own tune without a doubt, but it does possess striking similarities if you ask me.  It also doesn’t have that long extended intro that “Baba O’Riley” had either – we’re talkin’ about the nuts and bolts of the music comparatively, and not a whole lot more.  Enough to justify the comparison, and though it sounds like “Spare Change” would have been originally released nearly a decade later than the Who’s mega-hit, let’s be real – people still love that song just as much now as they did back then.  The ol’ piano/guitar combination just creates a genuinely epic vibe…it’s a combination that’s tried, tested, and true.  “Spare Change” makes great use of that…but truthfully, it’s really got everything else in the right place too – the drums are spot-on, the bass has got significant presence, the backing vocals are perfection & the lead vocals are too, the hooks are memorable, and the energy is inspired…there’s simply nothing to complain about & I don’t invent things outta thin air just for sport.

So it’s a big thumbs-up from me.  Given that “Spare Change” was released in the year I was born, I’m actually somewhat surprised I haven’t heard this before and kind of wonder if maybe I have somehow.  It’s so hard to say at this point…there are definitely a bunch of tunes that have tried similar things throughout history, and it does have that familiar sound to it…but I’ve heard so many songs by now, so who really knows?  It’s possible though I’d wager, maybe “Spare Change” and I have crossed paths out there somewhere along the lines before…by all accounts and measures, this should have been a huge hit back in the 80s if it was officially released…and if not, that in itself is a noteworthy crime.  Hopefully this tune finally gets its due credit through its remastered version being released now – it’s a single-worthy cut featuring a couple of genuine legends, with timeless vibes that come straight from the source…if you’re looking for ‘new’ Classic Rock, chances are this is the summer song you’ve been searching for.

Find out more about Les Fradkin at his official website at:  https://lesfradkin.com

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