Twin sons of the teen icon, Ricky Nelson, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson struck platinum (twice) with their debut 1990 record, "After The Rain." A masterpiece of melodic rock, this album spawned four chart hits, including the #1 "(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection." Thanks to this hit, they are included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only family to reach #1 across three successive generations. Can the Nelson family go for four? Only time will tell...(which incidentally was this duo's last top 40 appearance; it reached #28 in 1991). The boys took a huge detour with their follow-up, a concept album called "Imaginator." Deviating from their sunny, wholesome sound, it was darker and explored more sinister themes. The record company said no way, make another "After The Rain." So Nelson did, but now it was 1995 and no one wanted to hear that kind of music anymore. The record was called "Because We Can" and tanked. (They released "Imaginator" at a later date). Nelson never recovered from this dropped ball. They tried country and Christmas records, and records featuring covers of their Dad's tunes. In 2010, they appeased many of their original fans by returning to form with "Lightning Strikes Twice," and again in 2015 with "Peace Out." "Whats Not To Love" is lifted from "Peace Out" and is a fine throwback to the 1990 sound and harmonies that made them famous.
Ricky Nelson was a teenage singing sensation, only 17 when he scored his first hit: a cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walking" (#4). As he grew up, he went from Ricky to Rick. Little Ricky's songs could be heard in malt shops across the USA throughout the 50s and 60s. He landed so many hits that he is ranked the 7th and 24th most successful charting artist for each decade, respectively. Nelson is ranked the 25th most successful artist of all-time, and was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987. Among his many hits, Nelson topped the charts twice: "Poor Little Fool" hit #1 in 1958 and "Travelin' Man" hit #1 in 1961. Nelson made a living performing songs written by others, but as his career began to fade away in the late 60s, he began writing his own material. He scored a comeback hit of his own authorship in 1972 when "Garden Party" hit #6, but could not sustain this momentum. His last chart appearance came in 1973 with "Palace Guard," which peaked at #65. "Mean Old World," written by Billy Vera, was released in 1965 and only reached #96. It's a sharp contrast from most of the sunny stuff in Nelson's catalogue. A bit true to the lyrics, Nelson's life was tragically cut short in a plane crash in 1985. He was only 45 years old, and missed seeing his twin sons conquer the charts as "Nelson" just a few years later.
