John Waite- No Brakes

Just does not seem possible that John Waite’s June 1984 second solo album, No Brakes, could be marking its fortieth anniversary, because that means its #1 song “Missing You” is similarly dated. And if that is the case, then that means all of those long distance calls, all of those letters, all of those nights parked out on the bluff, all of those indelible memories triggered by that song are four decades in the rearview mirror, too.

When you aggregate the many high points from the recorded body of work of John Waite over the last four decades of popular music, his well-known world class singing voice is readily on display, but what emerges is a dedicated, well-read, mature songwriting craftsman who has maintained the highest standards over a lengthy career. Whether with  the woulda-coulda-shoulda-been UK band The Babys ( “Isn’t It Time”,”Head First”,”Back on My Feet Again”,”Midnight Rendezvous” ), the late Eighties supergroup Bad English (#1 song “When I See You Smile”,” Straight to Your Heart” ), or solo ( “Change”, “Missing You” #1 again; “Encircled”,”Downtown”, “New York City Girl”,”If You Ever Get Lonely”, which is also a Country hit covered by Love and Theft), John Waite never underestimates the power of a song to tattoo indelibly a memory on your heart forever.

Waite’s #1 song “Missing You” from No Brakes   in 1984 made such an indelible impact that New York Times  best-selling author Harlan Coben nicked the title for his  novel featuring an almost Blue Velvet   twist. But no one outdid AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlrwine in accurately getting his arms around Waite’s impact with “Missing You” thirty-five June’s in the rearview mirror: ” ‘Missing You’ wasn’t just a hit, either. It was one of those thrilling pop moments where perfection appeared in the last place you expected to hear it…A minor miracle…not just a number one hit, but one of those records that everybody knows, capturing a time yet transcending it to become part of the very fabric of pop culture.” – Redbeard