He sadly passed away Monday at 80 which is a pretty good run and for me he left behind a great legacy by helping define Soft Rock in the Seventies. Sure you could poo on that but hear me out on why I would defend Seals & Croft. Firstly, Jim and longtime partner Dan were fantastic musicians years before their partnership. They were even members of the Champs, a band we all know for their hit “Tequila,” session performers and I’ve seen YouTube clips of them performing on Soul Train and Glen Campbell’s variety show. You don’t get invited on the former unless you have credibility.
Despite 11 albums, I can only name four of their hits immediately. Maybe they’re in the same company as 10cc or Ween, their appeal is very esoteric.
I mostly got hooked on their swan song “Get Closer” a few years ago and when you listen to it with headphones, you can gain a greater appreciation on how the song builds with all the instruments in the background (those infamous Seventies Strings!) and it also captures what I feel was another zeitgeist of the Seventies; all this “friends with benefits” crap or “casual sex” attitude before AIDS and Herpes slowed it down. The lyrics are really something too, hey, if you want me to be more involved in your life and exclusive with you, you have to reciprocate. If you knew much about Jim though, he was nothing of the sort, he remained married to the same nice lady to the end and I doubt his Bahà’í faith had anything to do with it, I’m going with character. Speaking of his religion, I do remember my parents talking shit about it when I was a kid, not completely understanding what they were mocking. Thanks to Rainn Wilson being a member and explaining it, my parents couldn’t have been more wrong. Seals & Croft were not clergy or something, the religion doesn’t have such a thing. What they may have heard get mangled in a distorted game of telephone was that the artists would stick around after their concerts if any audience members had questions regarding the relatively new faith (it’s only been around since the 19th Century). Compared to other movements, it isn’t as sinister as current religions or the new pyramid schemes that require either a ridiculous tithe or all your assets.
Thanks for everything Jim! Screw those who said you helped pioneer Soft Rock. With your hits “Summer Breeze” and “Get Closer,” you created imagery through music on par with another contemporary favorite act of mine, Fountains of Wayne. Long may your hits be played in any context.