Danny Wilde is the singer and songwriter behind bands like Great Buildings and The Rembrandts, the latter of which had a handful of chart hits including the smash "I'll Be There For You," the theme song to Friends. In-between these projects, Wilde has released numerous solo efforts, but none that produced a single that cracked the Top 100. But if you enjoy his work in The Rembrandts, you will undoubtedly appreciate his solo albums. "Time Runs Wild" may be the closest Wilde's had to breaking through as a solo artist. It is a great tune, and was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Dream A Little Dream. The track also kicks off his 1988 album, "Any Man's Hunger," his only one to chart on the Top 200.
Strange Celebrity is a little-known band from Tennessee that released a great one-off record in 2003 called "Remedy." It was produced by Danny Wilde of The Rembrandts and fit nicely with the modern rock of the day. Strange that this strong effort did not perform better. "Back To Life" is one of the highlights.
The singer and songwriting duo of Danny Wilde and Phil Solem traces back to the early 80s with their first collaboration in the band Great Buildings. They were denied a chart appearance until they reinvented themselves as The Rembrandts in 1989. They scored their biggest success right out of the gate with the melancholy single, "Just The Way It Is, Baby," which reached #14 in 1991. But wait...weren't these the guys who recorded "I'll Be There For You," which everyone knows from the hit TV show Friends? Yes! However, that song only went to #17 in 1995. It was also their last chart appearance to date. The Rembrandts really deserve to be remembered for more than this. A lack of imagination into their album titles might be one explanation few people remember them. Their debut was self-titled, their sophomore record was literally "Untitled," and their third LP was called...wait for it..."LP". Song for song, "Untitled" remains their best release to my ears. "Hang Onto Forever" is one of many enjoyable tracks on this record, which was probably done in by the poor choice of "Johnny Have You Seen Her?" as a lead single...which stalled at #54.
Before they formed the successful band, The Rembrandts, songwriting partners Danny Wilde (formerly of The Quick) and Phil Solem were in a post-punk powerpop band called Great Buildings. Their one and only record arrived in 1981, entitled "Apart From The Crowd." The record was critically acclaimed but commercially ignored. If you are a fan of anything Danny Wilde (who will be featured numerous times on this blog before we are through the alphabet) has done, you will love hearing his energetic early work. You can hear the hit-making potential of Wilde and Solem all over this fun record, and wonder why the hell radio just drove a wrecking ball into these Great Buildings.
