by Richard Skelly » Sat Oct 28, 2017 1:00 pm
Stand Tall sold over a million copies Stateside. And it could well have been a Guess Who smash. But in 1975 the other members of the band's final edition (guitarist Domenic Troiano, bassist Bill Wallace and drummer Garry Peterson) reportedly dismissed Burt's return to balladeering. In particular, they apparently laughed off I'm Scared. Inspired by a chance visit to a New York cathedral, it apparently drew bandmate brickbats for being overly melodramatic.
Feeling isolated and realizing that the others wanted to be '"cool" by pursuing ever more jazzy, multi-chord offerings (with dubious commercial potential) Burt mustered the courage to leave. I'm Scared wound up as the followup single to Stand Tall. For its part, Stand Tall chronicles Burton's state of mind following the demise of a longtime relationship with Jan Shnider. The majestic strings were probably arranged by Paul Buckmaster. Reknowned for his work with Elton John, Buckmaster was hired by producer Richard Perry for at least some of the Cummings' sessions.