A criminally underrated Eighties classic

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Maybe this is just my inherent bias as a proud Eighties kid, but I’ve always absolutely adored Can’t Wait to See the Movie, Roger’s seventh solo album, which released June 1987. It’s full of that signature Eighties sound, and has so many incredible songs that also have a timeless feel. It’s a shame this criminally underrated classic only went to #41 in Sweden.

Roger has admitted he wasn’t very ambitious about his solo career, didn’t do nearly enough marketing for his albums, and saw it as just a fun side hobby to fill his time when The Who weren’t touring or making an album. Even after the band broke up, he didn’t approach his solo work like a serious full-time job.

As he said in 1987, “I know it frustrates the hell out of my record company. If this album is a big success, I’d be happy. But if it just sells enough to recoup its costs, that’s okay by me too. I’m not making them for the money. I’m just doing these solo albums because I want to keep singing. I don’t have The Who to sing in anymore. If I had The Who. . . .”

Roger also made the decision early on, back when he released his first solo album in 1973, that he didn’t want to tour by himself to promote his solo work. Touring was mentally and physically exhausting enough with The Who, and doing it for something he approached as just a hobby didn’t make much sense.

Roger also realised most Who fans weren’t that into his solo stuff, and that he was targeting a different market.

Some contemporary critics lambasted CWTSTM as “too polished,” as though Roger were contractually obligated to only ever make Who-like records and never try anything new. I’ve never understood so-called fans and professional critics who expect artists to spend their entire careers constantly making the same album over and over again. It’s called evolving with a changing musical landscape and experimenting with different styles!

And as an Eighties kid, I don’t mind the heavy synths at all! I like that trademark musical calling card of my childhood decade!

Track listing:

“Hearts of Fire” (written by Russ Ballard) (#88 in the U.K.)
“When the Thunder Comes” (Damon Metrebian and Chas Sandford)
“Ready for Love” (Kit Hain)
“Balance on Wires” (Roger and Don Snow)
“Miracle of Love” (Mark Morgan and Jimmy Scott)
“The Price of Love” (Jack Blades and David Foster)
“The Heart Has Its Reasons” (Jimmy Scott)
“Alone in the Night” (Steve Bates, Larry Lee, Tom Whitlock, Richie Zito)
“Lover’s Storm” (Tom Kelly and Gary Usher)
“Take Me Home” (Roger, Axel Bauer, Michel Eli, Nigel Hinton) (#46 in the U.S.)

My favourite tracks are “Balance on Wires” (possibly one of the best songs Roger ever wrote, and one of the album’s standouts), “When the Thunder Comes,” and “Hearts of Fire.” The only complaint I have is that “Take Me Home” doesn’t quite feel like a proper closing track!