Amazon.com Onetime working-class dog Rick Springfield has kept his nose to the grindstone since his early-80s "Jessie's Girl"/"General Hospital"/Tiger Beat-centerfold heyday. It seems as though he's realized he's making as big of a dent in the national consciousness as former co-stars Luke and Laura. Thus The Day After Yesterday, a disc of covers that, despite Springfield's raspy best efforts, communicates a certain last-ditch desperation. "I wanted to see if it would be easier and less painful doing a CD of songs I hadn't written ... and it was," Springfield writes in the album's liner notes. The trouble is, that ease devolved audibly into disillusionment: his song choices couldn't be less interesting and his delivery lacks soul, if not grit. Longtime fans, however, may want to soldier on. Springfield's reading of Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You" may be snoozy, but the original wasn't exactly a thrill ride either. The same goes for Human League's pleasantly humdrum "Human." In a split second of boldness, Springfield closes the disc with a palatable, clear-eyed cover of "Imagine." It's a song about possibilities, and mixed with a healthy shot of inspiration, its message should serve the artist better next go-round. --Tammy La Gorce About the Artist The Day After Yesterday, being released on, July 12, 2005 (Gomer/DKE Records), is an album of 13 covers that have influenced Rick Springfield throughout his career, and one original song. "I've always wanted to record these songs" Rick Springfield says. "They have been favorites of mine for a long time. They are songs I wish I'd written. I wanted to be faithful to the originals but still treat them a little differently and also give them the benefit of the new technology. Plus, I wanted to see if it would be easier and less painful doing a CD of songs I hadn't written...and it was." Tracks include I'm Not In Love (10cc), Under The Milky Way (The Church), Life In A Northern Town (Dream Academy), Broken Wings (Mister Mister), Human (Human League), Holding On To Yesterday (Ambrosia), Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty), Waiting For A Girl Like You (Foreigner), Let's Go Out Tonight (Blue Nile), For No One (Beatles), Miss You Nights (Westlife), Blue Rose (Lizz Wright), Cry (Rick Springfield) and Imagine (John Lennon) On April 26, 2005, Sony/BMG released Written in Rock, Rick Springfield Anthology, a 2-Disc set, spanning Rick Springfield's entire career. "I consider these songs to be the highlights of my past albums and they definitively represent the different eras of my songwriting." - Rick Springfield. Rick Springfield has withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined, writing and performing some of the best-crafted mainstream power pop of the past 20 years. A musician turned actor turned musician, Rick formed a band in high school, and eventually joined the group Rock House which toured Vietnam in 1968. A much sought after lead guitarist in his native Australia, he moved on from Rock House to join the popular band The Zoot in 1970. Springfield went solo after Zoot's breakup and garnered his first U.S. success the following year with a re-recording of his Australian hit "Speak to the Sky" (Capitol, 1972, #14). After stints with both Columbia (1973) and Chelsea Records (1976), Rick was able to secure a recording contract with RCA on the strength of his demos; in the midst of recording his debut for the label, he was signed to play the young, eligible Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital in 1981. Springfield's popularity skyrocketed, setting the stage for the release of Working Class Dog later that year. Powered by the classic chart topping single "Jessie's Girl," (RCA, 1981, # 1) and the Top Ten follow-up "I've Done Everything for You," (RCA, 1981, #8) Working Class Dog was a smash success, and Springfield eventually returned to his first love- music- when concerts conflicted with his television career. The follow-up album, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet, was released in 1982, spawning the Top Five smash "Don't Talk to Strangers" (RCA, 1982, #2); 1983's Living in Oz offered more of the same, including the Top Ten "Affair of the Heart." (RCA, 1983, #9) as well as "Human Touch" (RCA, 1983, #18) When Springfield made the leap to the big screen in 1984 with Hard to Hold, the soundtrack had another Top Five hit, "Love Somebody." (RCA, 1984, #5) Hitting the Top 40 a total of 17 times, Rick has continued to record several more albums during his career, including Tao (1985), Rock Of Life (1988), Sahara Snow (1997, with Tim Pierce and Bob Marlette), Karma (1998) Greatest Hits Alive (2001)and the critically acclaimed Shock Denial Anger Acceptance (2004)., ISBN13: B0009S87EY ISBN10: B0009S87EY Material Type: audioCD