Hero - S/T

Hero - S/T
Released 1977 on Mercury SRM-1-1137
Promo copy with lyric insert

Let's be honest, as the years roll by it gets a little more difficult to be as excited as I once was for music. Bands like Hanoi Rocks, The Lords of the New Church, T-Rex, Slade, The Damned, and so on, when first exposed it was a life changing moment. Finding bands that the radio doesn't play, but who are actually better than the bands the radio does play, is an amazing experience. The excitement continued for years, but eventually those bands have influenced so many others that one starts to experience a little bit of the "been there, done that" with music.


Which is part of the reason why finding bands like Hero (and Hounds below) is such an exciting experience!

This is not to say there is anything super original going on with Hero, or that they are playing something I have never heard. In fact, it is completely the opposite. Hero is a 70s Glam act, complete with stomping drums drums and big choruses. The type of sound that was perfect for the 70s. The soundtrack for an afternoon cruising in the summer with your t-tops down, girls in halter tops, roller skates, tight t-shirts, feathered hair and tube socks. Video games played not in an arcade, but a pizza shop.

What is so refreshing is that it is that sound, that exact sound, that era, and I have never heard it before. Yes, there are nostalgia acts, bands influenced by the era, but nobody is able to nail it right on. There is always something missing. The keyboard at the beginning of "Taxi Driver" would not exist like it does here. The vocals would not sound like they do here.

On top of all of that, the songs here are as good as anything any band of the time period was doing, if not a little bit better. Every song rocks, there isn't a ballad to be found anywhere. They seemed to be interested only in giving a hell of a great party record, one that would stick in your head with hook after hook. Nothing seemed to have been done half-hearted.

Stand out tracks are easily the opening number "I Love The Way You Rock and Roll," which features a brilliant verse and response that adds a energy to the song that is infectious. Vocalist Scott Phares also really shines on this song and really tears it up. No vocal acrobatics, just a performance that lets the listener know he is serious about what is happening here.

"I Love The Way . . ." leads right into the follow-up track, "You Are The People." First off, I could listen to this song combo for no other reason than the way these two songs roll into each other. No, it isn't smooth, but it is brilliant in its execution. But if that wasn't enough, the chorus on this one is insanely catchy. One of those choruses that needed a 70s arena, pyro, lights, everything. If it wasn;t a magical experience, it should have been.

I am not sure what caught my eye with this album. The cover isn't the greatest, nor is the name and logo. It might have been the back cover. If I had opened the record and read the lyrics, I can pretty much guarantee that the lyrics to the third song "Smile" would have been what made me walk straight to the counter. "Your girlfriend she's a junky / You're best friend he's a queen / The two of them / broke into your house / And they rob you while you sleep." Come on . . . I'm walking to the counter with that one right away, smiling the whole way.

"I'm the King, I'm the Star" is classic 70s all around and everything is wonderful about it. Hooky, borderline Bubblegum. Wonderful vocal line that has that 70s feel, with a chorus that could only have been produced in that era. It is everything that made the era what it was. To make this one better, check out this opening verse: "Ladies here I am / Gentlemen's answer to Superman / Standin' on the stage / Posin' for tomorrow's front page." This leads into the chorus of "I'm the king, I'm the star." Again, come on . . . that's pretty cool. No, that's really cool.

As mentioned earlier, the beginning keyboard on "Taxi Driver" is a thing of beauty. The song itself is every bit as wonderful. The drive of the verse is perfect, the chorus is a slight build up on that verse. Then we have the solo that takes all those elements and just twists it up slightly. The song moves and takes you along with it and builds to a wonderful end.

I have no idea who they are, or were. At this point they seem to be my perfect example of what I am on the hunt for in music. That great band that only released one or two albums and then vanished. In this case there was a second album, Boys Will Be Boys. But then what happened? What got them to the label? Why did they disappear? They have two brothers in the band, was it their band originally?

The only thing I have found is that guitarist Neil Citron (https://www.neilcitron.com) has slugged it out through the years. Becoming more of a behind the scenes guy who owns a studio and even winning a Grammy! He has a pretty impressive list of credits on his website. He also happens to be the cousin of Howard Leese from Heart. Around 2006 he played with Quiet Riot and has remained close with Frankie Banali.

As I mention, there is a second album. Normally I am a "wait until I find it at the shop" kind of guy when it comes to buying my vinyl. I love the hunt. But in this case I have a feeling that as soon as the holidays get out of the way I will be sending some money out to a faceless place on Discogs to get the second album. This album is that good that I would rather not leave hearing more from these guys up to chance.

If you love Glam, if you love 70s Rock, if you love Bubblegum, if you love Power Pop, if you love Rock and Roll, then this album is everything you need. This is the very definition of under appreciated, a forgotten masterpiece. Yes, I place it right up against any other Glam release from that time period. Yes, I am aware somebody is out there thinking "He's crazy," or the band will stumble onto this and think "This guy is an idiot," but I also have no doubt many others who are fans of this style will also love this album as much as I do. I paid $10 for it, and I would have gladly paid three times that price.