RIP Andrew Gold*

There is too much independent confirmation now, he has passed. Someone edited the Wikipedia entry, removing the information on his passing, apparently waiting for mainstream news confirmation.

 

I'm shocked! RIP.

 

Very sad. I adore Lonely Boy.

 

Man, this one hurts a bit more with me for some reason. Just way too young. Andrew was one of those artists who didn't have a huge number of hits. "Lonely Boy" was really the big one - but "Thank You For Being A Friend" probably earned him the most money - and in the end, became the song he was most known for, because of it's use in The Golden Girls.

The only LP I have by him is the first one - but I have something like seven 45s. "Heartaches In Heartaches" just blew me away the first time I heard it - and as mentioned above, I grabbed a copy of every 45 I could that crossed my desk back in those days. And I was tickled when he finally had that first hit.

Without doubt, my absolute favorite is "Never Let Her Go"! How the heck that was not a huge hit is just beyond me - other than the fact we were in the thralls of disco then & that's all the stations were looking for. What pop gem! (Edit: Thankfully, our friends in the UK realized what a great tune this was!)

Andrew, thank you so much for sharing your gift with us!

Dexter

 

"Lonely Boy" was always an interesting song for me,as I was born virtually the same time frame mentioned in the song,and,while not an only child then,when my brother was born in 1955,I felt much the same way as the protagonist singing the song.Add to that I pretty much left home winter of 1969,add the mention for becoming a father(yes,the sister is actually becomes the parent) ,and that was an eerie song to hear from pop radio in the 1970s.Always bookmarked it with Harry Nilsson's cheery yet dark,autobiographical "1941".

 

totally bummed.

 

Dumbfounded.
A terrific singer-songwriter whose work I always enjoyed.
R.I.P Andrew.

 

"Lonely Boy" is very probably how Andrew will be remembered and discussed in the immediate future, and it's a great song that takes me back to the summer of 1977.

I wish he had more hits, because he wrote some very interesting and engaging songs for quite a while and his career deserved more legs. "Kiss This One Goodbye" (the last song played on the original "Saturday Night Live" in 1980), "Hope You Feel Good", "The King Of Showbiz," and "You're Free" all stand out in my mind. Then there's that song he cut in 1997, "Cyberspace," one of the first and darkest songs about that form of personal connectivity we are all engaged in right now.

He never was idle even after his solo career dried up, with his work in Bryndle and that 10cc spinoff. When I visited him in 1997, he was putting together a record of Halloween scary noises in his home studio. He always was ready to talk about his music with anyone who reached out to him.

I remember he had that handle "QBrain" and used to talk to a bunch of us on AOL message boards about his music. I always wondered if it really was Andrew Gold, or a very clever and amiable imposter, then People magazine did an article about him (a recording of his "Final Frontier" song from "Mad About You" had just been played by NASA on Mars) and there was a photo of him holding a guitar. Written on the guitar was the phrase "QBrain." I like to think of it as his shout-out to us AOL pals.

 

Now the official confirmation has been linked to on Wikipedia.

 

Always identified with Lonely Boy. Decades later, I found out that he was a Kevin Gilbert fan, and somewhere I have him covering one of his songs. I'm saddened to hear this.




Dan

 

he was one of my musical heroes.
this really sucks.

 

Aww, No! Heard both 'Lonely Boy' and 'Building a Bridge to Your heart' on radio last week, and was struck by how good they were. Damn shame, only 60.

 

If he's dead, I'm sorry to hear it. If he's sick, I wish him a recovery. If he's fine, I'd like to kill the ******e that started the rumor. Andrew Gold did fine work for a long time with just a few moments in the spotlight. He deserves better.

 

As of right now, removed again and I still haven't found a mainstream news source with information about his passing.

 

I have a daughter named Hannah who is a real drama queen on his album Intermission he has a song called Hannah and a song called Drama Queen. We've always enjoyed listening together.

 

This is sad. One of the Asylum mates, and a singer/songwriter I really related to. I was born on a spring day, etc. This may be the first sh.tv RIP about someone who mattered to me.

 

Jeez, I hope it isn't so. He was such a kind and friendly soul. But it's a good time to give a shout out to my favorite album of his: "Greetings from Planet Love," recorded under the fake group name The Fraternal Order Of The All. He recorded new songs in the style of his favorite bands from the '60s, like the Beatles, the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Doors (similar to what XTC did with The Dukes of Stratosphear, but with much more reverence to the sounds of those original bands). If I recall, he did the whole project in his home studio. Regardless, it's an amazing listen!

 

Andrew, thank you for being a friend! R.I.P.

 

I can't find comfirmation on this, but RIP if so. Really dug his music!

Jeff

 

The Andrew Gold entry at Wikipedia has been locked.

There is no mention on that page that he has died.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Gold

Andrew Maurice Gold (born August 2, 1951) is an American singer, musician and songwriter. His work includes the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" (1977), as well as single "Thank You for Being a Friend" (1978) and "Never Let Her Slip Away" (1978).

 

Well, I just got an episode of "The Lefsetz Letter" in which Bob mourned AG's passing, and Bob's an industry insider, so that's pretty much confirmation for me.

Very sad at his passing. I got his first two albums on vinyl just last year. Both are remarkable. The first one is my favorite. It was a great Beatles fix by way of quirky SoCal sensibilities. And what a great player and arranger he was. RIP.

 

Very sad, if true.

Andrew Gold was very early to the internet. He used to be quite interactive on his own website. His discography is quite underrated, especially the albums he released after he ended his tenure with major labels (Asylum by himself, Wax (UK) with Graham Gouldman, plus the Bryndle reunion).

And he was a good guy.

This one hurts.

 

How sad...I always enjoyed his work...love the album cover and music of What's Wrong With This Picture? R.I.P...

 

Yeah, the first thing you think of is him looking at the TV set, and figure that's what the album title refers to. Then you look around and pick up on the other stuff.

 

Gold, and Kenny Edwards last year - that's half of Bryndle right there.