Introducing Lou Christie

Lou Christie's self-titled debut LP introduces a singer and songwriter of uncommon substance. Where other teen idols swooned over puppy love, Christie explored the ugly twists and turns of the male psyche with depth and honesty, unleashing the operatic intensity of his potent falsetto to articulate emotions long verboten in popular music. Compare the facile drama of covers like Maurice Williams' "Stay" and Little Anthony's "Tears on My Pillow" to Christie-penned hits like "The Gypsy Cried" and "Two Faces Have I." The latter songs travel into dark, disturbing terrain where no one else dared go, exploring romantic turmoil in explicitly adult terms. Because the cover material wins out — only four of the album's 12 songs were penned by Christie and writing partner Twyla Herbert — Lou Christie is by no means a great album in any conventional sense; the material worth hearing is readily available on several greatest-hits collections, however, and demands the attention of all serious pop aficionados.