If, as I've suggested elsewhere, Rod Stewart was an iconic seventies figure who recklessly squandered his talent, then David Essex would also be a junior partner in the same firm. After the spacey weirdness of 'Rock On' and the kookiness of its follow up 'Lamplight', 'Gonna Make You A Star' brings the party back to earth with a shuddering bump - not because it's particularly 'bad', but because it disappoints in its ordinariness and lack of musical daring after such a promising start. While the above mentioned singles gave Essex ample opportunity to twist and bend his voice to fill the gaps the music left behind, the straight forward narrative of 'Gonna Make You A Star' leaves him no hiding place and it shines a bright spotlight to lay bare the limitations of his flat, London tone. And it's a tone that renders the song cold and uninvolving, making its sly comment on fame sound more irritatingly petulant than humorously wry. But if we're talking about faults, then mention must be made of the blaring synthesiser hook that carpet bombs the mix whenever Essex shuts up. This new fangled technology may have sounded like the future in 1974, but to modern ears it annoys in its forthright datedness.
Although it doesn't feature in the movie, 'Gonna Make You A Star' compliments Essex's star turn in 'Stardust' the way vinegar compliments salt on chips and the multi-media attack on two fronts marks the point where Essex became a bona fide star. So it's kind of ironic that both gave a negative 'Oooh it's tough' commentary on stardom. But rather than subvert from within, Essex was to prove only too willing to play the game and the early promise shown was destined to never be fulfilled.
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