Another one was Boz Scaggs. When Rita Coolidge recorded “We’re All Alone” in 1977, I was stunned to find that the song was written by Scaggs. I didn’t think him capable of writing a beautiful song with such a long line.
This was recorded in 1966 by a British band produced by the legendary George Martin, producer of the Beatles and a man with classical training. The song oscillates between C Major and C minor, and the sense of menace in the verses is palpable. The chorus goes up a half-tone – the Neapolitan modulation so beloved of Schubert – into D-flat Major that is almost California sunshine pop. Catch the harpsichord that Martin inserts into the arrangement.
Boz Scaggs wrote some very interesting songs with cool jazz chord changes.
Unfortunately, a lot of his stuff was popular during the “Disco” era, but his music was more sophisticated than run-of-the-mill disco.