Album: Can You Hear Me OK?
Artist: John Howard
2005 RPM Records (Cherry Red Record Ltd)
CD: RPM293

John Howard: lead vocals, liner notes
Gerry Shury: arranger (2, 10)
Pip Williams: arranger (1, 3-9)
Geoff Downes: keys (11-14)
Bruce Woolley: guitar (11-14)
Louis Jardim: percussion (11-14)
Linda Jardim: backing vocals (11-14)
Kip Trevor: backing vocals (11, 12)
Anne Dudley: keys (13, 14), string synths (13, 14)


Produced by Biddu (1-10), Trevor Horn (11-14)
Engineer: Richard Dodd (1-10)
Remastered by Ian Shepherd


Tracks:
1. "19th September" (3:08)
2. "Frightened Now" (4:27)
3. "Two People In The Morning" (2:53)
4. "You Keep Me Steady" (4:16)
5. "Finally Adored" (2:23)
6. "Can You Hear Me Ok?" (2:59)
7. "You're Mine Tonight" (3:00)
8. "Missing You" (3:23)
9. "Play Me a Love Song" (2:58)
10. "I Got My Lady" (3:10)
11. "I Can Breathe Again" (3:36)
12. "You Take My Breath Away" (3:39)
13. "Don't Shine Your Light" (2:57)
14. "Baby Go Now" (3:11)

Enhanced CD track:
15. "I Got My Lady" promotional film

all songs written by Howard



Notes: Tracks 1-10 constitute the album Can You Hear Me OK?, which was recorded in 1975 for a planned release by CBS Records. However, the album was pulled, with just (10) being released as a single. This CD release adds four bonus tracks (11-14), which is where the Yes interest lies. These are two singles produced by Trevor Horn, with Geoff Downes on keys, recorded in 1978.

Singer-songwriter John Howard was born Howard Michael Jones. (He is not to be confused with the 1980s singer Howard Jones, who was born John Howard Jones!) He signed to CBS Records in 1973, who released his first album, Kid in a Big World, in 1975, but BBC Radio 1 chose not to play its two singles (describing the first as "too depressing" and the second as "anti-woman") and it had not sold as well as expected. Paul Phillips, who mentored Howard and had co-produced Kid in a Big World, thought the lack of radio play was because of homophobia against Howard. Howard soon recorded a second album in a similar style, Technicolour Biography, but CBS chose not to release it because they felt it had no hits. Thus, a third album was to be recorded. CBS wanted hits, they wanted disco. CBS paired Howard with hit disco producer Biddu. Howard had known Biddu since 1973 and Biddu had wanted to produce Howard since first hearing his music, but between their first meeting and the recording of Can You Hear Me OK? in spring/summer 1975, Biddu's fame had exploded after he had produced Carl Douglas's "Kung Fu Fighting" (1974).

The first song Howard wrote for what would become Can You Hear Me OK? was "I Got My Lady", which he deliberately wrote to be a hit. Biddu and his manager Stuart Reid were happy with the song. Demos of the song and "Frightened Now" were made, and they entered the studio on 22 Apr 1975 to record the two songs, working with Biddu's arranger Gerry Shury. CBS were happy with the result and predicted a "smash" hit. "I Got My Lady" was scheduled for a Jul 1975 release, Howard's third single. Working out of Denmark St in London, Howard quickly worked on another 8 songs to make an album. Shury was busy with Biddu's own album, so Howard now worked with arranger Pip Williams (who later produced Status Quo).

However, "I Got My Lady" was pulled from the schedule, replaced by Biddu's own "Summer of '42". Howard and Biddu continued recording the album, finishing in Sep. Reid took the album to CBS, but CBS were unhappy. That may have been because the album was not disco and stuck with Howard's singer-songwriter style. Meanwhile, it was also in 1975 that Biddu met singer Tina Charles, whose touring band included Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley. Biddu produced Charles' "You Set My Heart on Fire" (1975) and then the hit "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)" (1976). Horn and Downes became regular session players for Biddu, and Biddu's production style was an influence on The Buggles. But we're getting ahead of the story... While Biddu and Charles were working on "I Love to Love", Howard was still waiting to hear what would happen to his album. In Dec 1975, he was told "I Got My Lady" would be released in Jan 1976. The song got played on Capital Radio by Gerald Harper, but otherwise made no impact. Can You Hear Me OK? was never released.

Howard gave up on recording and went back to performing in clubs and restaurants. In spring 1977, Reid introduced him to Horn, at the time Charles' boyfriend. Horn wanted to produce Howard. They recorded some demos in Camden, material Howard had been performing live. Howard offered Horn "I Can Breathe Again", a song he had written with Charles in mind and which he performed in falsetto to sound like her. But Horn suggested Howard do the song himself instead of giving it to Charles. The song was demo'd with Downes on keys, Woolley on guitar and Louis Jardim on percussion. Reid took the song to Ariola Records who saw hit potential and planned a Feb 1978 release. A B-side was recorded (12), again sung in falsetto. Horn added backing vocals by Linda Jardim and Kip Trevor to both songs. Despite some radio play (more for the B-side at Capitol), the song was unsuccessful. However, Ariola wanted a second single. The same team of Howard, Horn, Downes, Woolley and the Jardims, now plus Anne Dudley, recorded (13) and (14). But Ariola rejected the songs. Reid instead entered (13) into the Song for Europe competition (to choose the UK's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest). The song made the final 30, but not the final eight. Reid then negotiated a double A-side release in 1979 on new label, SRT Records. (14) began getting some radio play. However, Howard had changed manager and re-signed to CBS Records, who weren't interested in supporting a single on another label.

Howard largely stepped away from performing by the mid-1980s, moving to an A&R role in the music business. But, beginning in the early 2000s, there was something of a renaissance of interest in Howard's work. RPM Records re-issued Kid in a Big World in 2003 and then released the Technicolour Biography and Can You Hear Me OK? material. There was also a Special Edition of this album in 2010 that included (between the original album and the Horn-produced tracks) "Is This My Love (1976 demo)" (3:15) and "Staying at Home Kinda Guy (1978 Chris Rainbow production)" (2:32). There was also a vinyl release of the album in 2018 with just the original album. Complete performing credits are not given; what's above is based on what's described in the liner notes. The success of these archival released then encouraged Howard to return to performing.

These two singles are among Horn's earliest productions, coming around the same time as Chromium's "Fly on UFO" single. You can hear hints of the Horn/Downes style in the four songs, although I'd recommend Chromium as a better starting place if you want to explore the proto-Buggles catalogue. (HP, 21 Aug 21)
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