Robert Palmer’s 1976 album brought together Little Feat musicians, accomplished session players and a calypso standard, capturing the English singer’s distinctive soul and funk sound before his late-1970s commercial breakthrough.
Robert Palmer’s Some People Can Do What They Like turns 50 in October 2026, marking a key chapter in the English singer’s development as a solo artist. Released on Island Records in 1976, the album continued Palmer’s musical partnership with members of Little Feat, combining blue-eyed soul, funk, reggae and rock into a carefully arranged set that demonstrated his vocal restraint and instinct for rhythm. Its commercial performance remained modest, but the record established a foundation for the wider recognition that followed with Double Fun and Secrets.
Some People Can Do What They Like was Palmer’s third solo album in three years, following Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley in 1974 and Pressure Drop in 1975. Both earlier records had drawn on American R&B, New Orleans rhythms and the musicians associated with Little Feat. The 1976 album extended that approach, retaining the musical sophistication while giving Palmer’s own material a more prominent place.
The album reached number 68 on the US Billboard 200, number 46 on the UK Albums Chart and number 80 on Australia’s Kent Music Report. It became Palmer’s best-performing album to that point, although it did not establish him as a major commercial star. That distinction would come later in the decade.
Palmer’s musical connections were central to the album’s sound. Little Feat members Bill Payne, Paul Barrere and Richie Hayward contributed alongside bassist Chuck Rainey, drummer Jeff Porcaro and an ensemble of accomplished instrumentalists. Carol Kaye was among the guitarists, with Pierre Brock on bass and percussionists Sam Clayton and Jody Linscott adding further rhythmic detail.
Producer Steve Smith oversaw the album, recorded and mixed by Phill Brown at Clover Studios in Los Angeles. The personnel gave Palmer access to a broad range of American musical styles without turning the record into a showcase for individual virtuosity. Instead, the performances serve the songs, allowing bass, keyboards, guitar and percussion to establish the grooves around Palmer’s measured, soulful vocals.
That approach is evident on “Keep In Touch”, one of the singer’s own compositions, where the arrangement favours economy and feel over an obvious pop hook. The title track similarly demonstrates Palmer’s interest in understated, rhythm-led songwriting. “Gotta Get A Grip On You (Part II)”, co-written with Alan Powell, adds another original composition to an album that balances Palmer’s writing with carefully chosen material from other songwriters.
The cover versions provide a revealing picture of Palmer’s musical interests. Lowell George’s “Spanish Moon” connects the album directly to Little Feat’s distinctive mixture of funk and rock, while Don Covay’s “Have Mercy” draws on the American soul tradition. James Gadson’s “What Can You Bring Me” adds another strong groove to the sequence.
The most commercially visible selection was “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)”, the calypso song associated with King Radio, the pseudonym of Norman Span. Palmer’s version reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 46 on the UK singles chart in 1977. The song gave the album a recognisable single without substantially changing Palmer’s commercial position.
The record also carried a personal dedication. The album was dedicated to South African trumpeter and flautist Mongezi Feza, who had contributed to Pressure Drop and died in December 1975, aged 30. The dedication placed a note of remembrance within a record otherwise characterised by its relaxed musical confidence.
The album’s visual presentation was equally distinctive. Photographer Moshe Brakha created the front-cover image, with design by Ria Lewerke. The photograph depicts Palmer playing strip poker with Denise Michele, Playboy’s April 1976 Playmate of the Month. The image helped establish the polished, playful presentation that would become part of Palmer’s public identity, although the music itself was more concerned with subtle arrangements than overt showmanship.
Palmer’s commercial breakthrough followed with Double Fun in 1978. That album included “Every Kinda People”, written by former Free bassist Andy Fraser, which reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Secrets followed in 1979, producing another major American hit with Moon Martin’s “Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)”, which reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Those records expanded Palmer’s audience, while his later work with The Power Station and the success of “Addicted To Love” in the 1980s established him as an international star. Yet the musical foundations were already evident in his mid-1970s catalogue, where his interest in soul, funk and Caribbean rhythms was developing into a distinctive solo identity.
Fifty years on, Some People Can Do What They Like remains an important document of that period. Its combination of original songs, American soul material, calypso and the contributions of Little Feat musicians shows Palmer refining a sound that did not depend on immediate chart success. The album captures an artist still developing his commercial identity, but already confident in the musical choices that would underpin his later career.
Robert Palmer – Some People Can Do What They Like (1976)
Original Album Tracklisting
One Last Look (Bill Payne, Fran Tate) – 4:22
Keep In Touch (Robert Palmer) – 3:25
Man Smart (Woman Smarter) (King Radio) – 2:35
Spanish Moon (Lowell George) – 5:58
Have Mercy (Don Covay) – 3:50
Gotta Get A Grip On You (Part II) (Robert Palmer, Alan Powell) – 3:57
What Can You Bring Me (James Gadson) – 3:43
Hard Head (Johnny “Guitar” Watson) – 4:30
Off The Bone (Robert Palmer, Phill Brown, Steve Smith) – 2:18
Some People Can Do What They Like (Robert Palmer) – 4:09
Total running time: 36:29
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