The Hounds - Unleashed

The Hounds - Unleashed
Released 1978 on Columbia 35085
Promo copy with all the accoutrements

Since returning to collecting vinyl, and my niche of the unknown and forgotten bands, this one release stands head and shoulders above almost all others. This album is not just a cool novelty for me, this is a start to finish solid album that stands the test of time and is, without any question, a forgotten masterpiece. It should sit alongside Glam classics released by Bowie and Mott. Yes, it is cut from the same cloth and obviously is heavily inspired by both of those bands, but it is its own creature.

The Hounds hail from the Chicago area, so it might not be too shocking that the music now will possibly be compared to Cheap Trick. But as this is from 1978 it is awful hard to say they are copying them. More than likely we are hearing the Midwest sound from the mid - late 70s. Granted, Trick had released three albums by the time this came out, but their first one came a year earlier. Some influence? Possibly, but I am betting the location had a greater impact.

The best way to describe through a comparison is basically that they are a mix of every band that gets the "Glam" label from the 70s. Is there Bowie and Mott? Yes, especially on the second track "Where the Boppers Turn to Rockers," which is kind of their own "All The Young Dudes." But one also find Cheap Trick, Sweet ("Bad Blood Between Us"), Slade, Aerosmith ("Portrait of a Dead Man" is straight-up a 'Smith tune musically) and almost everybody else.

But what Hounds do wonderfully is that they create their own sound. They take these sounds and create a fresh creature in having a pretty unique songwriting style. There is no predicting where the songs will go. Yes, we know a chorus is coming, but that chorus not sound like you are thinking it will. Partially due to to John Hunter's completely original singing style. The man is all attitude and theatrics. He adds a new dimension to every single word and almost seems to refuse to sing any line identical to the another. The ultimate in expression.

While the Hounds might not be completely forgotten, if they are remembered at all it is mostly for their second album, Puttin' on the Dog (Columbia, 1979), with the slightly risque cover of a scantily clad woman in a disheveled bedroom, where one can spy the shadow of a dogman creature who is more than happy to see the lady. But these two albums are drastically different creatures. Puttin' on the Dog is a stab at being Power Pop that never rocks too hard.

Unleashed, however, is full on R-O-C-K. Right down to the band photos we can see a difference in the direction. While they definitely have an image at the time, Puttin' on the Dog shows us a Pop outfit. Unleashed shows us a band decked in leather jackets and walking that fine line of Glam and Hard Rock.

So, what happened to Hounds? Why are albums one and two fairly different creatures? Unleashed consisted of a line-up of John Hunter (vocals, keyboards), Jim Orkis (guitars), John Hovarth (drums), Glenn Rupp (guitars and backing vocals), and Joe Cuttone (bass and backing vocals). Most of the songs were written by Hunter and Orkis. Puttin' on the Dog consisted of John Hunter (vocals and keyboards), Glenn Rupp (guitars and vocals), Don Griffin (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Cuttone (bass and backing vocals) and Michael Neff (drums). This time all songs (aside from the covers) are written just by Hunter.

If I was to use my fancy detective skills I would have to guess that there was a control issue at play. Reading the inner promotional material for the first album it is only Hunter that does all of the talking. But listening to the album there is no doubt that Orkis and Hovarth played serious roles. While Orkis wrote a lot of the music, leading one to believe much of the band is his vision as well as Hunter's. The drumming on the album also stands out as a definite high point.

With the style change between the two albums I would have to guess that Orkis and Hovarth wanted to stick to the harder edged style. This is also a guess due to it being those two guys who are dressed the most "ROCK" in the pictures. Heck, one of them could easily be placed in the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene and nobody would bat an eye.

I can't recommend this album highly enough, especially if you have a soft spot for 70s Glam and Hard Rock. The only weak spot on the album are the lyrics. "Angeline Tangerine" is possibly my favorite song on the album, but the lyrics are easily the worst batch of combined words I have heard in a long time, even including the 70s predilection for statutory rape in song lyrics. But other than those spots, this is a fantastic album that truly does deserve the moniker of a forgotten or overlooked classic. I have not seen many copies of it, but the store I bought it from had three copies, so they are out there. Granted, I live in their home turf of the Chicago area, so copies were more prevalent here I would guess. But keep an eye open and buy this one of you see it in your shops.

Record Store Report - Rochester Records

Rochester Records
Location: 2130 S. Broadway, Rochester, Minnesota.
Website: www.RochesterRecordsMN.com
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10:00 - 6:00, Sat. 10:00 - 5:00 (These are the hours on the sign and according to the Facebook page. However, I attempted to go to the store at 5:45 and it was closed. I was told by a worker from another store that the owner usually closes up shop by 5:30.)

What is on offer: 33 RPM, 45 RPM, CDs, DVDs, video, stereo equipment, memorabilia

Prices: Cheap discount prices range $1 - $3. Most records land in the $12 - $20 range. Digging will find some prices in the $6 - $8 range, but these are a little hard to find.

So, honestly, how is the place? Rochester Records runs the gamut of a saving grace to a frustrating little store. On the one hand it is jam packed with records, both common and un-common finds. Some of the albums are found in a section that is in alphabetical order. But, the majority of the albums are just spread out through the store all willy-nilly, defying both alphabetical order AND genre classification. This can be cause for a very lengthy amount of time spent in the store if your plan is to either just rummage around or even try to find something specific.

Listening to conversation I learned that the owner is in the process of finding order in the store. As it is now it appears that the ones that are in order are possibly the original stock. The ones that are all willy-nilly appear to be collections that have been bought and cleaned. Some of the crates look very much like a collection. One crate had a good amount of 80s Metal. One can look at the crates and see the makings of collections. As for the alphabetical section, Jethro Tull was found in the "T" section. Come on.

This did lead to a little frustration, as searching would turn up five of the same album, but scattered through the store. I found Sly and the Family Stone's Greatest Hits five times, one in a budget bin, then the others scattered about. The price ranged quite a bit with each one, with the cheapest being $5. Once you see this happening it gets a little frustrating because the first copy you find might not be the cheapest one in the store or the best quality (depending on what you are buying for).

Speaking of prices, those are also all over the place. Most of the vinyl seems to land between the $12 - $20 range. Now, while that might be a turn off to some people, inspecting the vinyl shows that much of the product on offer is in very good condition. I did compare the prices in the store with Discogs and the prices seem to reflect the higher end of what is on offer on Discogs. A few of the finds were a little high priced.

If you are looking for one album in particular the store could be frustrating. As an example, if you are looking for Hanoi Rocks and you can't find it in "H," that does not mean it is not available in the store. It very well could be anywhere else in the store. Not to mention Jethro Tull is found in the "T' section.

If you are just out to browse for new Metal, well, same problem. Your Metal could be anywhere in the store almost. It will require some time to do the searching.

If you just like to bin dive (as I do), then you will need about 2 - 3 hours (how long I spent in the store was about 3 hours). The problem is that there is a lot on offer, and by the end my finger tips were fairly sore from flipping so many records. I should also stress I am a guitarist and have callouses on my finger tips.

The owner is very friendly. I didn't get into a deep conversation, so I am not sure on his knowledge. Some of the stickers on the albums mention the genre of the album. This is very helpful for buyers such as myself. Those buyers who are always searching for something unfamiliar to them. I rarely buy with a certain band on my mind. I am always searching for that band I have never heard of, and a genre label is a very welcome addition. So when one finds these stickers one has to figure the owner either knows the products, or he cares enough to check out the items he is placing on the floor.

So what did I leave with? I did score pretty big there with my finds. I got three bands I love and one I was completely unfamiliar with.

Detective - It Takes One to Know One, $6
Mott The Hoople - Rock and Roll Queen, $8
Artful Dodger - Babes on Broadway, $15
Trigger - Trigger, $15

I believe I over paid a bit for the Artful Dodger, but at the same time it is one I haven't run across yet, and I do love them. Great band, great album. The vinyl is in mint condition. Even though it is a promo copy it does come with the normal sleeve insert with lyrics.

According to Discogs the Trigger album was over priced. Searching the internet, however, it seems that this is a very rare find. A one off record from a band that didn't get any backing from a floundering Casablanca records. So, much like the Artful Dodger, I decided to buy the album with the idea that this could very possibly be a tough one to track down. My main love are the 70s Glam and Power Pop bands that only released an album or two. Score! Again, vinyl is in mint condition.

The Detective album came with a sneaky ploy inside the cover. Upon checking the sleeve when I got home I found the insert for the debut album by Legs Diamond. The Detective insert is present, but I now have a Legs Diamond insert also. It would seem that I now have to go find the Legs Diamond debut.

All in all Rochester Records is a worthwhile stop. Just be sure you have the time and be ready to possibly spend more than you planned to or expect to walk away with less than you had hoped to. I had to walk away from about five albums I felt were a little too pricey for what they were. If the prices had been a little lower I would have blown my self-imposed budget. That being said, I have not left Rochester yet and I am not saying I won't return for one of them that keeps calling my name.