Thursday, November 15, 2007

Whiteface - Whiteface (1979)

Atlanta was home to Whiteface, one of the city's greatest hopes near the end of the 70's. Having conquered the area and honed their skills gigging as the house band at The Bistro, the band came to the attention of Mercury Records and inked a deal in the summer of 1978. Work commenced on their debut, which came in the form of "Whiteface" in 1979. With a highly stylized funk/pop/AOR hybrid sound, the band forged a unique musical vision that failed to net any real success with the masses. Though the band did tour quite a bit during this time, their powerhouse reputation did not translate elsewhere, leaving them frustrated and exhausted. This setback signalled the exit of bassist, Kyle Henderson in 1980.

Determined to move forward, the band ushered Barry Dunaway into Henderson's place and soon began work on their followup. In 1981, "Change of Face" hit the streets and once again Whiteface were met with indifference at every turn. Despite their virtuosity and sleek production, the changing climate in the industry proved to be the death knell, prompting a breakup in late 1982. Henderson went on to success with The Producers for over a decade, while the remaining members worked in various capacities with artists like Blackfoot, Ted Nugent, Pat Travers, John Mayall and Yngwie Malmsteen.

"Whiteface" is a prime example of style over substance. Though there's no denying the band were masters of their instruments, the album falls flat in its own effort to dazzle the senses. Sounding like a cross between Pablo Cruise, Doobie Brothers and Baby Grand, Whiteface fail to make a musical statement here. Sure, it's all well played and there are some hooks....but most of the material here is inoffensive generic pop. There are some highlights like "Talk of the Town" and "Three Ring Circus", but much of this is heavily steeped in whitebread disco, which was sweeping the nation during this time. Simply put, though this is a commendable effort, it misses the mark completely. Be sure to download this pristine vinyl transfer from 'melodicrocker123' and judge for yourself.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks J, Been looking for this.

I might have a copy of Glyder, I'll check...

All the best

Daz (uk)

Anonymous said...

I saw this band Open for KISS in '79 - Can't remember a thing about them? BUT, I listen all over again!
Thanks, Ronnie...

torbendeen said...

Wow - great stuff - never heard of these guys before. Keep 'em coming Ronnie. I love that period (that means I'm ooold, right?)

Anonymous said...

Actually the Glyder I've got isn't the one you're after. Sorry..

Daz

Anonymous said...

could you please re-upload this one ?

Ettore said...

all the rapidshare links are dead!

John Sposato said...

I saw this at the store today. I remembered it from here. If anyone wants me to get it for them, let me know. It's rare to actually find any of these LPs in person.
The store had a bunch of free LPs on a table. Some of them would belong here. If I can find little info on them, I'll tell you who they're from. I'll even mail them to you, as I don't want them. I don't think they're on the wishlist, though. I have packaging that was used for an LP I must have ordered.

knownote said...

I just discovered this site and really hate I missed whiteface. been looking for it. anyone willing to re up this one?

Anonymous said...

here is a new link for whiteface

http://www.mediafire.com/file/negcnjtqjym/Whiteface.rar

Anonymous said...

Hi Ronnie

I was reading your post on Whiteface they had a second album titled
Change of Face Any idea where i might find the mp3s for that one

I know that Steve Hardwick of Whiteface Played with Paul Davis on a album of 2 and I thought Barry Dunaway
Benny Rappa Doug Bare did too

Thanks for the post