In Search Of .. The Beat Of Love

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Randy Vanwarmer? Take your pick, choose your poison..

1. “Randy who..??”
2. “Err.. what???”
3. Isn’t he the guy who sang “Just When I Needed You Most?”

Number one and two is, more so than not, the illicited response from the I’m-familiar-with-the-song-but-not-the-artist types, while the Pop geek’s reply would be number three.

Colorado-born Randall Van Wormer moved to England to live with his mother at 15. A visiting American girlfriend became the inspiration of his long-enduring and only Pop hit, the aforementioned “Just When I Needed You Most” which reached #8 in the UK in 1979.

But in 1981, VanWarmer released the upbeat The Beat Of Love which spawned “Suzi Found A Weapon,” a minor cult hit, which was Randy’s tribute to a Bearsville (his record label) P.R. Rep whom he wooed and later wed. Though VanWarmer veered away from writing mushy stuff, he would later rue publicly his decision to turn away from dreamy ballads.

He died of Leukemia, at age 48. His remains were cremated and sent to space in 2007. No kidding, lamentably. Randy’s death also came within six months of other Pop/Rock luminaries such as Greg Guidry, Warren Zevon, Robert Palmer and Roger Voudouris. Sad.

And though The Beat Of Love album still remains unreleased on CD, here's a crucial download link to the album.