Ba-Fa was the band's fourth album and the last truly worthy entry in their repertoire. Bearing shades of the Beach Boys and Beatles, the material does sometimes tend to come across schizophrenic. In spite of its identity crisis, "Ba-Fa" is generally regarded as one of the band's classic recordings. If you've never heard the album, then enjoy this clean vinyl transfer. Check it!
As mentioned in my previous blog, The Rollers recorded three albums in a grasp towards artistic legitimacy between 1978 and 1981. The plan failed and within a few years, the original lineup reunited to the delight of their massive japanese following. "Ricochet", The Rollers' final offering is, at best, a lukewarm affair. Aside from a handful of strong tracks, the album is relatively forgettable. However, its omission from any reissue campaign over the years warrants its appearance here. Download this excellent vinyl rip and judge for yourself.
As promised, their 3rd LP "Hollywood Situation" from Casablanca Records in 1974. Having established some success on television, the band works in songs culled from their variety show as well as a pointless Chucky Margolis skit. The material is mostly strong, though there appears to be a lack of focus here. Nonetheless, fans should eat this one up. Enjoy!
If there ever was a band who personified both teenage idol fluff AND true artistic merit, it is the Hudson Brothers. Long before David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Bay City Rollers and other teen icons sprang upon the scene, the Hudsons were hard at work in the pacific northwest under the name, The New Yorkers. Several years on the scene finally landed them a label deal with Playboy Records and a name change. Their self-titled debut, "Hudson", was issued in 1972 but sales were slow and the album vanished quickly. Luckily, their new friend Elton John signed them to his Rocket Records label and Hudson mania quickly set in.
Like the "Gretain", "Kiss My Dick" and "Larger Than Life" series of tribute albums, the aim of this collection I've put together is to compile oddball cover versions of classic Kiss material that have not appeared on any official tribute album. Rather than spending a lifetime tracking down the EPs, singles and albums on which these Kiss covers originally appeared, I've put them all in one place. To my knowledge, none of these tracks have ever appeared on any of the aforementioned collections. Download and enjoy!
Wrathchild were one of those bands who seemed poised for massive success, only to end up strangled by legalities and label hassles. In retrospect, I suppose there was nothing extremely mindblowing about the band's music or image, but their timing couldn't have been more perfect. The band were the first to coin the term 'Glam Metal' and are arguably at the forefront of the movement that swept through Europe and the United States during the early to mid eighties. A curious cross between NWOBHM and the New York Dolls, Wrathchild were a brash and uncompromising quartet with a highly visual stage show and look. Over the years they would temper their look to fit the times, but the earliest stages of their career saw the band draped in spikes, studs, nails, black leather and mile high hair.
Birmingham's City Boy were one of those bands who were almost too clever for their own good. With two frontmen, intelligent writing, sardonic lyrics and mind boggling musicianship, it would seem they were tailored for major success. However, the band were almost too pop to be considered "progressive" and too complex to be considered "mainstream". Taking cues from fellow brits, 10cc, they wrote strange little pop songs about unusual topics and I guess people just didn't get them.320kbps @ http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PJC60NI0
I can think of dozens of bands/artists who made their fortune playing fluff only to later shed their image and shoot for legitimacy. More often than not, it failed miserably. Such is the case of The Rollers. After Les McKeown's unfortunate bust in Japan in 1978, BCR left him in the dust to search for a new voice for the band. Enter one Duncan Faure, South African poster boy and former member of Trevor Rabin's Rabbitt. In retrospect, some question whether this was a bad career move. While sales figures would certainly indicate so, Faure's writing and vocal talent DID lend a bit of credibility to the band. His first outing with the band, "Elevator", turned out to be an incredible collection of finely tuned power pop. At the time, audiences failed to take notice. Realizing that they needed to move quickly on another album, outtakes from the "Elevator" sessions were salvaged, embellished and eventually used for the bulk of their follow up, "Voxx".
Head East was an interesting anomaly of the 70's. They recorded what is surely considered one of the most familiar classic singles of their era, "Never Been Any Reason", yet they remained virtually unknown. I remember when the band was highly active and prolific, they still never appeared in the relevant magazines or television programs that most of their contemporaries did. AOR radio ate them up, but their records barely sold. It still puzzles me, as their writing was strong, their musicianship was top-notch and they had A&M Records going to bat for them.
Thanks to Terry Wachtsmuth and the fine folks at Wounded Bird Records, Detroit's Brownsville Station have finally been given the digital treatment. This terribly underrated hard rock act had a few hits in the early 70's and spent the rest of their career trying to top them. Sadly, it never happened, though there's no denying that alot of their later releases were more solid and aggressive than their early singles. In 1977, the band changed labels (Private Stock) and expanded their lineup by adding touring guitarist, Bruce Nazarian, to the fold. Bruce not only possessed formidable guitar chops, he was also an extremely powerful singer. "Lady" is a perfect example. This album also features the 7+ minute historic "Martian Boogie" which did manage to net some airplay in the midwest despite its long running time.
I pride myself on my knowledge of musical obscurities, especially those that relate to my favorite bands. This one, however, slipped by me until this past year. I almost fainted when I came across this album. Most people, myself included, believed that MF's debut album was the self-titled record in 1977 on Epic Records. WRONG! The band actually cut an album several years prior with RCA and believe it or not, it WAS released. So how did it stay invivisible all these years? That's a good question. Thanks to the internet age, it is now something we can share amongst ourselves easily. To my knowledge, it's the exact same lineup from the mid 70's, but it does sound vastly different. Rooted more firmly in soul, "Mother's Finest" is low on heavy rock and high on smooth jams. Download and make your own judgement. I normally do not post anything under 192kbps, but since this is the best I have, I'll post it anyway. Check it!
Mother's Finest fans will agree that the band has struggled quite a bit over the last two decades to reassert their name on the forefront of the modern rock scene. From 1976-1981, the band enjoyed many high profile tours and album releases. Since the departure of drummer, BB Queen and the termination of their contract with Atlantic Records in early 1982, it's been an uphill climb. Undaunted, this multi-racial funk/rock outfit continued touring the states and overseas for years, sporadically releasing albums that either would go out of print almost immediately or were only available in Europe.
Over the last decade or so, there have been literally hundreds of Kiss tribute albums flooding the market. Many of them, released on tiny independent labels, have vanished from sight. One such album is "Pucker Up". This was released in extremely limited quantities (500) in 1996 and has since become one of the most difficult to find. Luckily, one of the bands who participated in this tribute were kind enough to burn a copy of their disc for me. Realizing that it would be a crime not to share it with other Kiss fans, I am posting it here for your enjoyment. Like all other tributes, some of the performances are less than stellar but there are quite a few highlights as well. If you enjoyed Lee McCormack's interpretation of "Speedin' Back to My Baby" from the "Return of the Comet" tribute, you'll love his rendition of "Getaway" here. Snap this one up, folks. You'll be glad you did.
How can you accurately summarize a band like Sparks? Just when we thought they were an avant garde act they changed gears and became a new wave band instead. Years later they'd evolve into an electronica group and remain so for over a decade. Now it seems the Mael brothers are exploring new territories as their last two albums experiment with choral and orchestral themes. Somewhere in their evolution this bastard child known as "Introducing..." popped out...well, in 1977 to be precise. Most Sparks fans don't regard this as a masterwork simply because this is an album that plays it safe. Pop arrangements, session players running amok and even Russell's voice seems tempered. Now, that isn't to say this is a bad album. It's chock full of hooks and Ron's clever wordplay.
Ah, now here's a relatively obscure relic from the past. Slave Raider, the much maligned glam metal quintet from Minneapolis, were one of the many acts who seemed poised for breakthru success only to find apathy at every turn. With a campy pirate schtick & major-label backing, how did it all fizzle out? Well, I think timing is everything and Slave Raider just came along a little too late to really cash in on the hair metal craze of the late 80's. By the time these boys (and girl) stomped their way onto the scene, it was already saturated by copycat acts and kitschy wannabees all jockeying for airtime and exposure.
The first release for the Ben Mink era of FM was an interesting project funded and endorsed by the CBC. This project was called, "Headroom". Essentially, this involved recording two loosely improvised songs, each occupying an entire side of the album. What makes this all the more unique is that the album was recorded direct-to-disc, meaning that it was recorded in one take with no overdubs and no master acetate...quite an amazing feat when you hear the depth and complexity of these tracks. Only 200 copies of this album were pressed, easily making this the crown jewel of the band's repertoire.
Roy Wood, England's eccentric jack-of-all-trades, has had one seriously spotty career since leaving his two previous creations, 'The Move' and 'Electric Light Orchestra'. There was 'Wizzard', his brass driven ensemble which borrowed liberally from glam and 50's doowop. Then there was his 'Wizzo Band', which took the brass concept to even wilder jazz-based extremes. Adding more guitar, he launched 'Helicopters' in the early 80's. Staying much in the same vein, he later fronted his all-female 'Big Band', which later evolved into an augmented lineup under the guise of 'Roy Wood's Army'. Whew... Remember, that all the while, he was sporadically releasing solo albums on various different labels. Some were scaled back low budget affairs and others were excessive and eclectic Spectoresque experiments.
I can't think of a better way to open this blog than by posting a HQ live concert by my favorite band...Kiss. Until recently, this radio broadcast from 1984 had only been aired in truncated form. Now feast your ears on this complete show from early in the "Lick It Up" tour. Throw away those old bootlegs and download this fierce performance from the hottest band in the world!
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