Thursday, July 12, 2007

Bulldog - Smasher (1974)

Bulldog were an obscure spinoff of the Rascals that formed in 1971. Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli, after leaving their successful act behind, enlisted Billy Hocher, John Turi and Eric Thorngren to round out the lineup. After a successful showcase performance, Decca Records came calling and soon Bulldog's self-titled debut was released. Though the album sported some uncharacteristic heaviness that surely surprised Rascals fans, the album was a bit too short on hooks to captivate the fickle record buying public. Perhaps the gruff Bob Seger/Joe Cocker vocals of Hocher seemed like a strange pairing with the material presented. In any case, their contract with Decca came to an abrupt end and Bulldog spent the majority of 1973 attempting to secure another contract.

That contract came with the arrival of Neil Bogart's Buddah Records in 1974, which yielded their sophomore release, "Smasher". Now this was a different sounding album, showing the band's tightened and more elaborate sound somewhat removed from the vibe of their rudimentary debut. Perhaps Buddah's primary reputation for bubblegum and novelty records can explain why this release was virtually ignored upon its release. In retrospect, it has become quite a collectable with its sophisticated die-cut cover and ornate design. Packaging aside, the content itself is patchy like the first album, but once things get rolling, it's an improvement. Bulldog's rendition of Derringer's "Rock & Roll Hootchie Coo" is among one of the more inspired moments of the album. Despite the promise found here, the album sank without even a slight showing on the Billboard charts and Bulldog was dead by early 1975.

Cornish and Danelli would resurface a few years later, teaming up with Wally Bryson (Raspberries) in the excellent power pop act, Fotomaker. Though they issued several strong albums, they too were dealt a merciless death, leaving Cornish and Danelli on the oldies circuit in a revived lineup of the Rascals. They would later be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of their former bandmates. Turi and Thorngren went on to work as studio engineers, as well as teaming up in several low profile bands throughout the years.

Take a stab at this one, as it's often at the top of MP3 wishlists and has become quite the rarity since its release in 1974. There something for everyone to admire in this short-lived but distinctive sounding quintet.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
You site is fantastic. I`ve been serching this album for years. Thanks a lot
Miguel

Anonymous said...

file is deleted... i cry... it's fantastic band. can you reload this album once more? respect from moscow russia. Alex

Anonymous said...

Can you reload this album once more? Please.

Anonymous said...

Please reload this album,Thanks

Anonymous said...

Reload album. Please.Thanks

Lyn Nuttall said...

At my blog, I wrote about "No" from the first Bulldog album, and put in a link to your post for info on the second album. Not many people have written about it. http://poparchivesblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/only-in-oz-11-bulldog-no.html

Only Good Song said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
flash harry said...

someone, any reload album please

laurie9300 said...

Please re-post +1

alexrun3333@hotmail.com said...

please, repost the album. your site is great! I got a single "are you really happy together" from this album,but it sound terrible!
thanks
alex Ica Peru

Anonymous said...

says unavailable

Anonymous said...

Reload album. Please.Please.Please.

Anonymous said...

Can you reload this album once more? Please.Please.please.

Socram said...

Re-up: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5K3IT4E3

unkerz said...

Thank you very very much for the re-up

Jay Smith said...

Their self titled album is killer! Not a bad track on it. This band should've been a lot bigger than they were.

Unknown said...

bulldog lp, smasher lp. also shows up on a Christmas tune on a B.J. Thomas lp. later, even more obscure came "Pepper", featuring most of them... Then came Fotomaker.

Unknown said...

This album has good music on it. I tip my hat!