Skyband - Skyband (1975)

Skyband were a multinational act based out of Los Angeles. Consisting of Peter Beckett (Paladin, Tin Tin) from the UK, Steve Kipner (Tin Tin) from Australia and Lane Caudell from the US, Skyband evolved from the ashes of Friends, a band Steve and Peter had worked in after relocating to the states in early 1974. With the addition of Caudell, the band's lineup was solidified. Quickly snapped up by RCA Records, the band flew to London and self-produced their debut which landed in stores in early 1975.

Though the band had stellar road jaunts with acts like Peter Noone, Jackson 5 and the Alex Harvey Band, their bubbly brand of pop had become obsolete in the face of changing tides within the music industry. RCA dropped the band the following year. Refusing to go down so quickly, the band renamed themselves Zed and began shopping new material to labels but no one was interested. In a few short months, Zed were gone too. Beckett went on to form Player and work in the industry as a songwriter. Kipner also continued working as a writer while recording his own solo material. Caudell performed as a solo artist for a short time before moving into acting. He later moved into the country business as a solo artist, where he resides confortably now.

Ok, so aside from the hilarious cover photo...what else is worth mentioning about Skyband? To be honest, this is actually a great record. With a tasteful balance of glam, Beatlesque pop, bubblegum and west coast rock, their self-titled debut is worthy of praise for its solid writing and production. Tracks like "Bang! Ooh! Ya Got Me", "Pie in the Sky", "Cold Light of Day", "Hollywood" and "Easier Than Saying Goodbye" are all over the place stylistically, but at the core are well written nuggets. Granted, some of this has not aged well, but there's absolutely nothing terrible about this mid 70's effort. I recommend everyone check this one out and find something they like. It won't be hard, I promise :)

320kbps @ http://rapidshare.com/files/72587506/skyband320.rar