Sucker for a Pretty Face

Before he became the voice of Mr. Big, Eric Martin sang with 415, a San Francisco Bay Area band that became the Eric Martin Band when it signed with Elektra Records. Its manager, Herbie Herbert, also managed Journey; he brought in Journey's producer Kevin Elson for this album and put the band on Journey's arena dates as the opening act. Elson and Rodney Mills are credited as producers, and the album was recorded at Studio One in Doraville. The line-up was Martin on lead vocals and piano, John Nymann on guitar and keyboards, Mark Ross on guitar, David Jacobsen on keyboards, Tom Duke on bass and Troy Luccketta on drums. Side one opens with the title track and "Don't Stop", which the Scottish singer Frankie Miller wrote with Andy Fraser. According to Rock Candy Records, which reissued the album on CD in 2016, the work was held up when changing A&R staff sent the band back into the studio to record more songs. Japan's Avalon label says that eight of the songs also exist in recordings made before the versions prepared for the major-label release, and those came out in 2023 as Sucker for a Pretty Face -Original Sessions-. Elektra released the album in 1983 on LP (60238-1) and cassette, and Radio & Records of 12 August 1983 showed the title track reported by 48 album-rock stations. Rock Candy adds that Elektra, cutting costs in 1983, dismissed staff the band depended on. The notes issued with Looks Can Be Deceiving in 2026 say the band recorded its next album before going on tour with ZZ Top, but lost its contract over an old dispute between Herbert and Elektra's newly appointed chief executive, and that album stayed unreleased for more than 40 years. According to the biography on Martin's website, the band opened for ZZ Top, Night Ranger and Journey and broke up in 1985. Luccketta later joined Tesla, and Martin released Eric Martin on Capitol Records the same year. A 1997 Japanese CD of this album (AMCY-2062) added "Stop in the Name of Love" and six live recordings.