Wobbler - Hinterland (2005, 2022 Reissue)

I first came into awareness of Wobbler a little over a year ago. Maybe more. But, it was recently, especially considering the age of the band. But, it was with the release of their fantastic Dwellers of the Deep album that I found them, so during their most recent album. 

Recently, their label Karisma Records was able to get the rights to the first three Wobbler releases for reissue. So, the obvious course of action to take is to buy the blasted things. 

For those unfamiliar, Wobbler is a Norwegian progressive rock act. They are of the symphonic version of prog, so expect lengthy pieces that border on the classical side, rather than the jazz side. However, they draw from enough influences that they dabble in all aspects of prog. We get a little classical at times, and a little jazz at times. But, regardless of the exact version of prog, they are sticking to a 70s influence, and even try to stick to the vintage instruments of the time. 

All of that being said, I am only really familiar with their two newest albums. Although all of their material is available on Apple Music, I never spent much time digging into the earlier albums. I do believe that the first two (one of which is what I am about to write about here) sticks even more true to the vintage ideals. The first two albums also feature a different lead vocalist and lead guitarist than the two albums I had previously. 

So, how do these compare to the two newest albums? The band, according to the liner notes inside Hinterland, seems to feel that the first album shows a band that was still earning the ropes, a band that didn't know what to do in the studio. I have to say they are dead wrong. From their perspective it might be full of amateurish ideas and studio abilities, but to this listening, this is some fantastic music!

Even on this, their first, they manage to throw everything into the mix. One thing about Wobbler is that they are a very high energy act, and that goes all the way back to this era. They don't play mellow. They definitely play around with dynamics, but for the most part, everything is extremely hard hitting. Bass and drums pound away, while the guitars and keyboards whirl around series of notes and passages that cause your head to swim. 

Vocally we are in the same territory that we were in with a lot of bands during the 90s and early 2000s. Borderline Fish/Gabriel style vocals. During this time period a lot of bands were doing that vocal style. That's not to say one will think this might be either of those gentlemen, but it is of that style. We aren't talking operatic heights of vocal acrobatics, its more about the emotion, with the exception of a portion of "Rubato Industry" where we definitely hit some high notes that would make King Diamond smile. 

The bass and drumming. Holy smokes! Brilliant work on both accounts. This is a special part of Wobbler today, and it is great to hear it all here. 

The only area that I would possibly say that they are correct about the amateurish side, would be in possibly being over-indulgent in their song writing. They might get carried away with passages and the amount of notes they throw in, but this is also what will endear them to many prog fans. Wobbler is a prog band for prog fans, no doubt about it at all. 

4 songs. Well, really, 3 songs. "Serenade For 1652" is a short instrumental piece. Otherwise we have 3 long numbers that rock. Don't be fooled by the mellow start to "Clair Obscur." The gentle nature of the beginning does not last very long. 

This is a fantastic record, one that deserves to be in the collection of any prog fan. 

The Bronx - VI (2021)

 Are The Bronx the best band working in the US (or world) today? I'm not sure if they are the best, but one definitely has to add them into the discussion. 

Few bands can continually release albums that one thinks is their best, and then they follow it up with something equally as good as the predecessor. The Bronx accomplish this not by regurgitating the same material over and over, but continually mining from the same inspirations, and continually evolving their sound, and tweaking it each time, creating riffs that outshine the previous. All the while they are being propelled forward by the brilliant Matt Caughthran. I, personally, can't think of another vocalist who can scream as harsh as he can, yet still shine through that scream with an infectious melody that nestles itself into your brain. 

On top of all this, we have to pay attention to the lively and intense drumming. I was a little worried about the loss of original drummer Jorma Vik, but The Bronx have continued to prove that they know how important the drums have been to their sound. We aren't talking about groundbreaking drumming, but rather drumming that hits with fills at the perfect spots, while being incredibly flashy and tasty, and exactly what is needed. The drumming makes its presence, but never tries to over shadow anything else. 

Songs like "White Shadow" and "Superbloom" are classic Bronx style tracks. While a song like "Watering the Well" gives us just a straight-up good time rock and roll tune. The Bronx never forgets they are here to rock the hell out of the room, and they do this almost non-stop.

They do step out a little bit with the song "Mexican Summer," almost to remind us of the bands alter-ego, Mariachi El Bronx. But we follow up this track with "New Lows" that quickly throws up back to The Bronx that we bought the album by. 

"Breaking News" made me suddenly realize how much Matt can sound like Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, early Black Flag) at times. The song itself is pretty much straight forward hardcore, so this leads to his voice and that similarity very easy to make and connect. 

"Jack of All Trades" is the type of thing that The Bronx do so well. A perfect mix of punk, new wave of British Heavy Metal, 70s hard rock, everything all mashed into one track. The riff is almost "Green Manalishi," but I am betting they first heard the Corrosion of Conformity version, then the Judas Priest, then eventually moved to Fleetwood Mac (yes, that was my original listening order, so what). 

The final song, "Participation Trophy," isn't quite the punch I would hope them to end on, but the songwriting and riffing and switching is incredibly cool. I'm thinking this was the ending choice because they wanted to show off the writing and the killer groove. We aren't ending with a bang, but rather a "Yeah, watch what we can do here, and where we might be heading!"

As I said, are they the best current band? Not sure, but they deserve to be in the argument, and they definitely are one of the best current bands, and without a doubt one of the most consistent. 

Edit: Yes, I stepped away from the other albums that were recently purchased. A favorite record store announced that they are shutting down business, and they are having a massive sale. So, I had to run up there and grab a few things I was hoping they still had. This is one of those purchases. 

Various Artists - Mystic Radio Presents Covers (1985)

I'll be honest, in 1985 or 1986 I would have loved this thing. I never owned this one back in the day, and I acquired it from my friend Colleen. I decided it needed a safe home, so I bought it off of her. Back in the day, I would have loved it. 

Today?

Oof. There is some decent stuff on here. Scared Straight's "Born to be Wild" works well enough. The two covers of "Cherry Bomb" and "Born to Lose" are also worthy covers. 

Some tracks like "Super Freak" (Membranes) and "Tight Pants (El Nirvana) are not great but they are still pretty fun. The musicianship is pretty good, and it is just the lack of production that hurts these two, and with a little guidance, they probably could have pulled them off. 

Slaughterhouse Five does a pretty killer version of "O Baby" by the mighty Status Quo. This one will get future listens. Great driving energy, and I would bet even Quo might have enjoyed this. Granted, there is that typical drum fill, probably stolen from Scott of Agent Orange. 

But, then there is stuff like the absolutely horrific cover of "Back In The Saddle" by Sado Nation. Seriously, this is exactly what people who hate punk hate about punk. Absolute shit production, worse musicianship, and vocals that are nails on a chalkboard.

The version of "Taking Care of Business" is brilliant in its over-the-top early/mid-80s punk mentality of "speed over everything else." It definitely got a big smile out of me. I know 16 year old me would have been calling for this one from the pit. Up to this point, this one is my favorite on the album. One of those great punk bands that hide their true skill, but are insanely tight and tear the place apart.

I am not a fan of "Sunshine of Your Love," but Party Doll does a pretty cool cover. Nice drumming for sure! I can only imagine this one killed live. Great early Goth. 

Hats off to V.O.A. for a decent turn on "Suffragette City." I expect some Bowie fans would hate this, but these guys find a groove in the song that I really haven't heard exploited before, and it really swings. Best way to describe it there, it swings. 

So far, yeah, side two is a damn fine batch of songs. 

Oh, next is Government Issue, so we know this will be solid. Then after that is No FX. 

Hmmm, "Wild Blood" by Government isn't really working for me. Not bad, but the song itself is just OK. 

How will No FX fair with "Iron Man," a song I am not a huge fan of? Well, they seem to be sticking pretty faithful. Even trying to hit the guitar tone, it seems. The drumming and vocals are pretty rough. I'll pass on this one. It gains a little steam as it goes, but not a whole lot. It is just making the wait for the next song that much worse.

Next up, however, is the very reason I grabbed this thing. 

The Flower Leperds hand in their cover of "Jumping Jack Flash." I have their version on their LP, but since this is about 5 years prior, I am hoping it is a different version. The version on their LP is one of the single greatest covers ever recorded. Total attitude and fitting in perfect with the original song. 

Yeah, still incredible amounts of "bad ass" for this version! Best song on this damn record. Pure punk meets trash bliss! Nice split channels for the guitars, and Marc Olson sounds wonderful. Jeff Wolfe is his typical cool ass self. 

Plainwrap wins the album!!! Their cover of "It's A Small World" is absolutely brilliant! Absolutely brilliant in all regards! The drummer kills on this song!

So, yeah, a bit of a mixed bag. Only one absolutely horrid piece of music, the rest goes between good to almost great, with the Flower Leperds being the Flower Leperds. 

Agent Orange - When You Least Expect It . . . (1983)

"O.K. so Scott learned a new fancy drum fill and is determined to show us all that damn fill."

The whole band had to be thinking that during the recording of "Its Up To Me and You," because Scott plays the hell out of that one fill. It is a great song, and the fill is lovely the first time, but Neil Peart needed to have a chat with Scott about overkilling a fill. 

When I think of Agent Orange I think of skaters, Flipside magazine, and my continually goofing them up with The Effigies, for some reason. I think I had a comp. cassette back in the day that had both Agent Effigies on it, back to back, and I just always goofed them up. 

Their cover of "Somebody To Love" is pretty great, no doubt about that. I am betting most people who bought this were buying it for that cover. But, I did check out the live album they did, with the live cover of this. The live version is actually better, and a little more intense on the vocal. This is still a fantastic version, and a great example of what was so great about the punk scene of this era. When you saw that a band in the scene was doing a cover, you knew it was going to be pretty solid. The punks in the 80s knew how to stay true, but also how to totally make a song their own. 

In case you were wondering, Agent Orange does an admirable job of moving the music from their area (surf and psychedelic) and mixing it in with the 80s punk scene of the California area. There are also only four songs here, so there isn't a whole lot to say about it as far as depth. In fact, one song is a cover, two are instrumentals, and the first song is the lone original with vocals, but it has Scott and that damned drum fill. But, that is a good song, and the cover is killer.

They're from Placentia, California. Folks who are from California, is that in Orange County?

Thanks to Colleen for the tunes!

Black Flag - Everything Went Black (1982)

Black Flag, one of those bands I always had seriously mixed emotions about, but also a band that my own guitar playing was compared to more than once. That last fact always irked me, as they were definitely never an influence, but somehow I came across sounding like Ginn. 

I should probably restate all of that. I was never a fan of Black Flag, until I found The First Four Years, which is all of the pre-Henry Rollins material. With that I got to hear the Keith Morris material, and that stuff I was a big fan of for sure. The band had a different approach at that point, a little more straight-forward and a little less of the noise style that guitarist Ginn would eventually create. 

The song "Nervous Breakdown" (which is not on this release I am currently listening to) became one of the only cover songs I would attempt with a band. We had the verses down pretty good, but the chorus bit was a mess. I wonder if doing that one song would eventually influence more of my playing? 

I haven't made an effort to listen to Flag in years. My cassette deck hasn't been set-up for a few years. I am planning to get a new deck sooner than later, but it has to match the rest of my gear, and be a toerable price. So, listening to this and hearing these songs again after many years, Morris is still my favorite of the Flag vocalists. Chavo (Ron Reyes) and Dez point the direction to Rollins. Is it safe (or foolish) to say that when Rollins joined the band Ginn told him to do what Chavo and Dez were doing?

I have always liked Flag, I think my issue was I always felt they were overrated, and Rollins always bugged me. It didn't help that I went to see Dag Nasty when they opened for The Rollins Band at the Cubby Bear in Chicago one night. This was the first round of the Rollins Band. At this time they were a slow, prodding, horrible experiment gone horribly wrong. I remember the entire audience deciding to sit down, with some actually lying down on the floor. My memory one song was more or less one chord, slowly played, for about 20 minutes, all while Henry stood on stage yelling about something. 

I remember being excited to see Rollins. He had kind of been out for a little time, I think. I know it was the first proper chance I had of seeing the legend that was Henry Rollins. It was a pretty massive letdown and kind of helped to ruin all of my thoughts of Rollins, and turned him into a joke for me. So much so that when he came back with a revamped Rollins Band, to massive critical praise, I still just rolled my eyes and laughed at the guy. 

"Louie, Louie" just came on . . . crap . . . I just realized it was the Flag version that made me learn how to play the song and start doing it with a band . . . maybe I was a bigger fan than I thought I was .

My Greg Ginn comparisons would eventually fade once I stopped trying to create the ultimate punk band, something I never even got close to doing.

"Damaged II" is still such a killer song. That one I seriously love a whole bunch. It's that part when it kicks in, that bit is so great and helps cover up the "start-stop" main verses. 

So, yeah, Flag is still cool. Still overrated, in my opinion, but cool stuff. Keith Morris era is still my favorite, and I still will take the Circle Jerks over Flag. 

Off! VS Black Flag? That's a tough call. I think I have a little problem with Off! in that Morris is kind of doing a post-Morris Flag. They have more in common with Chavo/Dez/Rollins sounding Flag than they do Morris era Flag. Yes?

Thanks to Colleen for the tunes!

AC/DC - '74 Jailbreak (1984)

 

So, there was once this band called AC/DC. They were either Satanists or bi-sexuals who were popular in the 70s and early 80s. Some people thought that might have some longevity, but they eventually disappeared from the face of the earth and were never heard from again. Shame. They might have amounted to something had they just had a fair shot. 

I was talking with a friend the other day. Well, texting with a friend. I rarely actually talk to friends anymore. But, we were chatting about AC/DC, and both of us are lifelong fans, who just never collected all their stuff for one reason or another. My problem was I became one of those punks who took his "punkness" extremely seriously. I didn't like anything that wasn't under the "punk" banner for a few years there. My poor copy of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap met with the unruly defacing perpetrated by an ignorant and arrogant twit who was wearing my skin and clothes at the time. I also eventually sold off my copy of Back In Black to buy some other record. I would like to get in my Wayback Machine to see what it was I bought. Was I an idiot, or was it a worthy purchase?

Just a few years after such idiotic actions occurred, I eventually started grabbing their material again. I eventually realized AC/DC encompassed more of the punk attitude than almost every punk act combined. The kings of not giving a fuck about what anybody thought of them.

This one, however, never came my way. It came out between two of their "less than loved" releases (Flick of the Switch and Fly on the Wall), and while it was Bon Scott era, it isn't really ideal Bon Scott material. While "Jailbreak" and "Soul Stripper" are pretty good (with "'74" being a little more that pretty good), the others aren't "must hear" tracks. I don't know the exact reasons it was released, but I can only guess it was an attempt at trying to keep people interested in the band after the mediocre showing of Flick of the Switch, which is a fine album, but did nothing for the public. But it is odd that they rolled out Bon Scott era, which almost seems foolish. Was it to prove Johnson superior? To remind people how great Scott was? To show how far they had come in song writing and production? We can say that for anybody who says "AC/DC only does one type of song" might be interested in checking this out. "Jailbreak" is pretty much what one expects out of AC/DC, but the other tunes are a fairly varied bunch, with the cover of "Baby, Please Don't Go" being, while Blues and obviously in their wheelhouse, a rather different sounding tune for them. Angus in particular is not soloing exactly as we expect Angus to solo. There are a few runs he does that are not typical.

Most AC/DC fans have this, and I'm not saying anything new. But, well, there ya go.

Also, yeah, the name makes no damn sense.

Thanks, again, to Colleen for the tunes.

Dead Kennedys - In God We Trust, Inc. (1981)

 

I'll be honest, I didn't listen to this one much back in the day. I had the cassette, and it was the least listened to of the Kennedys material. I did have them all, but this one just never clicked for me. 

To be fair, it is probably the most "punk" and "hardcore" of them all. Pretty much a full speed ahead assault on the senses. But, it lacks the hooks of the rest of their material. For me it does, at least. 

I also have to say, this one really is a great example of what I was talking about in the Frankenchrist post, in regards to the sound quality. Granted, I am spinning a very old pressing of the record, and it has been loved, but it is still without a doubt a rough recording. Purchasing this on a 2000 gram, limited edition slab of wax that was overseen by Jello himself is kind of pointless. A remix might be an interesting concept, but it would also ruin the charm of the album. Obviously made for nothing, and it benefits from that in regards to what this stuff is supposed to be. 

You know, when I think about it, that is kind of the problem with a lot of punk these days. Or, with what passes for punk to the masses. It is too produced, too polished. It lacks the heart of the immediacy of something like this. This is really what punk was supposed to be about. 

Dammit. I think I talked myself into liking this one a whole lot more all of a sudden. I'm going to start it over again. I'll be back. 

Yeah, it might be my favorite of theirs after this listen. This is why I fell in love with Punk back around 1983 - 1984. 

Thanks to Colleen for the tunes. 

Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist (1985)

 Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist (1985)

So many things to say about this album. We can talk about the band and what they meant (mean) to the U.S. hardcore and punk scene. We can talk about the figure known as Jello Biafra. We can talk about how wrong people are when they talk about punk being a talentless form of music, and completey missing the intricacy that does exist in music such as what DK did. We can also talk about petty bickering and how money can ruin great things too. 

We can obviously also talk about censorship and banned albums and images. 

Yes, this is the album that took Dead Kennedys from being one of the most important underground bands, to actually being a household name that even grandparents knew about (and were horrified by the name). All thanks to a poster of a bunch of willies painted by a man best known for creating an alien that gave people the willies. 

I remember the controversy quite well. Of course, I was one of those punks who was already a fan of the band. I can't remember if I bought the cassette before or after the controversy, but I know my thought process was at some point "yeah, I don't need that poster," completely oblivious to the future collectability of the album. Seriously, nobody ever thought about the "future value" of this stuff. Most of us were made fun of for liking this "garbage." Who would have think that this stuff would some day be the most sought after form of music on the planet?

At the time, I liked the album. But, my cassette was good enough. I grabbed cassettes mainly due to the ease of transport and car use. Plus, they were much easier to get out of the record stores with nobody noticing. 

This copy here is a re-homed copy. It belonged to an old friend from high school who is clearing out parts of her collection. So, it only made sense to keep it in a part of the friend group. If she ever needs to visit, she knows where to find it for visitations. I

This copy is lacking the liner notes and aforementioned poster. The record looks like a punk album that came out in the 80s. I question any punk releases from the era that are in mint condition. We were punks, it wasn't about being anal with our records. I took care of them, but all my records and cassettes definitely looked like they were used. 

Listening to it again, after many years without listening, I am actually very much enjoying this one. It isn't as blazing as Fresh Fruit, but the songs are definitely infective little creatures, with some killer hooks and grooves.

"Jock-O-Rama" is making me realize I think I stole the concept for a song I wrote way back in the day. I guess I forgot about that little bit. Good thing I never made it. Pretty sure Mr. Biafra would have been knocking at my door.

As I sit here listening to this, I am also struck by the old thought I always had when people spoke about "great sound quality" with CDs and whatnot. I was one who always said "Pfft, I am listening to music recorded in basements for budgets of pennies." Basically stating that what I was listening to really didn't require the finest sound systems and high-end equipment, or the best of the recorded formats. The bands didn't rely on expensive production budgets or the highest of quality instruments. Hell, some bands recorded using borrowed instruments. 

I now to have a pretty good quality system. But, I can also say that the static and slight issues of the age of the records is adding to the listening experience. This isn't meant as a knock of the music. In fact, to the contrary, this is a case of the music is "salt of the earth," it is real, it is raw. High sheen and polish just won't work for this. 

Good stuff here. A classic album that I am actually enjoying a whole lot more now than I did in 1985 when I first bought the dang thing. 

Thanks to Colleen for the tunes.

Eloy - A retrospective, part 1

It seems that every year I find myself going into a progressive rock mindset. It almost never ceases to fail. The winter comes and I find myself listening to more and more progressive rock than at other times during the year. I'm not sure what it is, whether the music just fits with the cold and snow, or if I am just more willing to take the artistic side of the music and nestle on in with a good tale spun to a lengthy piece of music.
More times than not, the band I usually spend the most time with is German legends Eloy. The Mighty Eloy, as a lot of us fans refer to them.
For this year the launch of my progressive infatuation came when my daughter bought me the second part of their The Vision, The Sword and the Pyre concept albums. 7 sides of the history of Joan of Arc told through music. While this might not sound like the most enjoyable listening experience for some people, for fans of progressive rock and Eloy, there is a chance that this is a form of Heaven on Earth.
For me, it re-launched my Eloy love.
I first got hooked on Eloy way back around 1988 or 1989. Maybe even 1987. The exact year is now fuzzy. I believe that the most current album from them was Ra, which many consider a particularly rough time for the band. But we will get to that later.
I can't say it was instant love. One of the issues many people have with Eloy is Frank Bornemann's voice. Frank is the main man, the driving force, behind Eloy. He sings in English, but his German accent is extremely thick, and Frank doesn't really have the most beautiful voice one will ever hear.
But, in all honesty, through the year I have found that weak, or annoyingly overly dramatic vocals are a standard within progressive rock. If there is going to be something to turn people away from prog, more than the lengthy composition times, it is usually the voice.
But, I digress.
In the early days of my spending time with Eloy I was also guilty of struggling with Frank's voice. But over the years, I have found, that each subsequent time I return to Eloy I grow more and more find of Frank's voice. It gets to a point where it is an endearing quality to the band. One of the aspects of the band that one needs to hear. Indeed, when the recent album, The Vision Part 2, reached its final song and a voice other than Frank's started singing, I was heartbroken. The years are getting on, Eloy is not a massively successful band, there is obviously a chance that this is the final album from the band. The idea that the very last bit of new Eloy music I am going to be hearing for the last time is a voice other than Frank kind of brought me down a little bit.
My plan here is to do a little retrospective on all of the Eloy releases. Starting from the beginning and wandering on up to the most current release. One of the unique things about Eloy is that they have been a perpetual revolving door of members. The line-up has rarely been the same, with only two members being the actual key to the sound: Frank Bornemann (vocals and guitar) and Klaus-Peter Matziol (bass). Yet, even with the constant changing of members and constant changing of styles, the Eloy sound has remained incredibly consistent. Digging through some interviews with the Frank Bornemann I think I understand how it is that the band has remained consistent, and exactly how they operate.
In an interview with Bornemann he states the importance of the band, and everybody in the band contributing and being an actual band. The comment made me realize that for Bornemann it truly is about being a band. I get the impression that he hires people to being in the music, with somebody contributing an idea, and then everybody building on the idea. Then, considering this is Eloy, and Bornemann's project, he then "tweaks" everything into taking on what we all know as the "Eloy sound." He adds the touches to make sure it all starts to take on the sound that we come to expect.
Due to the many changes the band goes through, the idea here will be to tackle this retrospective in chunks. The first one will just look at the first album. This needs to be addressed on its own due to it being completely unlike the rest of the albums.
The next group will be the second and third album, mainly for stylistic reasons.
I am going to lump album four, The Power and the Passion, in with the classic trilogy (Dawn, Ocean, Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes). While The Power and the Passion is the same line-up as albums two and three, and Dawn through Silent is a different line-up (though the same for those three albums), the musical style is the same. So I am going by style over the members. I believe that The Power and the Passion was the true birth of their direction, even if I do prefer Inside (album two) and Floating (album three) possibly the better albums. Frank's vision was finally realized.
When possible I will be using vinyl as my choice of listening medium. Sadly, for the first album I will more than likely be using a streaming site of some sort. I do not have the debut album, and an original copy is might expensive. I will eventually be buying the re-release. For now, however, I am using my money to replace CDs I parted with a few years ago (the 90s albums are only available on CD, except for insanely priced promos) and vinyl I never had before.
I will try to add a little bit of factual information to these articles, but this will prove difficult. Eloy never achieved much success over here, nor in many English speaking countries. They never even made it to the US on a tour, and I believe their live shows have always been fairly sporadic. But due to this there amount of information out there on Eloy is pretty light. So, I will do my best and I will revise any articles with new information, if I find or stumble on to anything.
So, until I get the next piece written, ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY ELOY!!!

The Stray Cats - 40 (2019)

The Stray Cats, what more can be said about them? Many people consider them the band that brought Rockabilly back to the charts. While they may have been the band with the most success, they were far from the only band doing the Rockabilly thing at the time. But one can’t deny that they definitely were the band that brought it into the charts, and eventually into millions of homes around the world.


A decade later lead vocalist, guitarist, and main songwriter Brian Setzer would once again do the same trick with the big band and Swing formula. Once again, while he was far from the only one in town doing the style, he was the one getting the credit for it all. But let’s not totally forget Squirrel Nut Zippers and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

I first grew interested in the Cats when they first arrived, but my love for them became really deep when Setzer went solo. He became an all-time favorite for me with his Live Nude Guitars (EMI, 1988).

So I followed Setzer and the Cats from that release on. The Cats have stopped and started up numerous times over the years. Each time with varying degrees of success. Blast Off! (EMI, 1989) was their closest to gaining what they had been, but it still lacked some of the magic. Choo Choo Hot Fish (JRS, 1992) completely missed the mark, with some interesting songs, but nothing that came close to what one would expect from The Stray Cats. The band seemed more interested in experimentation than they were in just giving the world great Rockabilly.

So when the Cats announced recently that they had entered the studio again for the first time since the Choo Choo album, I was a little hesitant. I was holding out hope on the strength of Setzer’s releases over the years between the two releases, but was still not as excited as I was when Blast Off! Was released.

So what follows are my initial reactions to the album once I finally got ahold of the dang thing. I wanted to purchase it from a store, not through online, for some reason. I finally found the album at my trusty Toad Hall Records in Rockford, Illinois. I ran (drove) home with it and instantly threw it on and sat back for a listen.

"Cat Fight Over A Dog Like Me": I guess this is the “single.” This one carries a pretty classic Cats sound. Fitting in well with the early material, even prior to Blast Off. In fact, it carries more of a true Rockabilly sound than most of Rant N Rave. A nice way to start the album.

"Rock It Off": Setzer is channeling Eddie Cochran for the verses on this one. The chorus is more straight-forward. The selling point for this song is the verse. Two straight-up Rockabilly tunes. A nice basic solo with this one. Playing to fit, not to show off. I like this one the most so far.

"I’ve Got Love If You Want It": This one is making me think of something that would be a b-side from the Knife Feels Like Justice sessions. A Rockabilly tune written by that version of Setzer. His voice is reminding me of that era. This is also the least Rockabilly so far. Great song, but stepping slightly away. The album keeps getting stronger.

"Cry Danger": “Day Tripper”? Further away from Rockabilly we get. Co-written with Mike Campbell probably has something to do with that. I find it interesting that it takes a secondary co-writer to help him borrow the “Day Tripper” riff.

So far this is better than Rock Therapy, Blast Off!, or Choo Choo Hot Fish.

"I Attract Trouble": A slower, plodding, gang fight sounding slab of a tune. One of those tunes that would have worked great as a duet with Lux Interior if he were still with us. It brings up images of dark alleys, cigarette smoke, hot dames, and switchblades.

"Three Time’s A Charm": Good ol’ early Gonna Ball era Cats. Not much else needs to be said. A tip of the hat to all the Rockabilly greats, but still with that Cats style.

"That’s Messed Up": Slower to mid-tempo suffling number. Total classic style, a nice mover that shines with the guitar tone, where that becomes the star.

"When Nothings Going Right": A fairly non-Rockabilly tune. If there was a country accent this tune would walk very close to a more modern Country number. I’m not too sure what to think about this one. I will either be skipping this one down the road, or it will sink into my head and become a favorite (although I doubt it). Probably the most disposable number on here so far.

Oh, just saw it is a Lee Rocker number. Sorry Lee.

"Desperado": Spaghettibilly! Yes, Spaghetti Western with a dash of Rockabilly. This one is an instrumental. We will see how wild Setzer decides to get with this one. Will there be flash or a nice easy going lead? So far nice and fitting. Nice! He never gets out of control and lets the mood and tone win out.

"Mean Pickin’ Mama": (writing two songs early to say there had better be some killer guitar flash here) Nice shuffle and swing Rockabilly, more ‘billy than the Rock, but still a great tune.

"I’ll Be Looking Out For You": Cool riff using the Setzer punk mindset with a nicely over-driven guitar and a “chorus” that is closer to something from early 80s Punk than most anything else. Cool number that is a unique tune on this album.

"Devil Train": A galloping number that fits the name. A little Western in that gallop. I would have hoped for a little more energy on the ending number, but we will see where it goes. But I expect it will not go anywhere else. Cool tune, but not what I would choose to close with.

On that first listen the album is worlds better than Choo Choo Hot Fish. Is it better than Blast Off!? That’s a tough one to say. That album definitely has some great tracks that have almost gotten better with time. Blast Off! is closer to Live Nude Guitars in feel and attitude for me, so that also wins out. Time will obviously be the true test, but for a band that has had a tumultuous career, this is a fine album to return on. It pays attention to each member and sounds fairly fresh, aside from one blatant Beatles riff rip-off too many.

Quick Takes 1 - Speed Queen

One of the goals I always had for my writing, whether it be my old print 'zine Sonic Ruin or here, was to create a scholarly type of publication. The idea was to always have articles that not only broke the songs and albums apart, but also maybe gave a little history of the bands. Treating the bands and the music with the proper respect, that has always been the dream.

Unfortunately the problem with that is the amount of time those articles take. The research can be fairly time consuming due to how obscure the bands are. Many times the information found was so light that nothing could be done with it, and nothing else could be found.

From time to time the information I would find were the bands themselves. It is always a weird thing contacting these people. A few of them seemed to not want to be associated with the bands I was calling about, even though they were still involved with music. Others seemed interested in talking, but then vanished and stopped correspondence. But whatever the cases, there was time involved.

This shouldn't be news to anybody. Any writing usually takes research and time, obviously. Problem for me was that I found the time fleeting. The problem I have is that once I get behind, I usually turn away from things. This is one of my great faults that I am working to correct. One way to correct this problem is to find a reasonable way of catching up.

This brings us to this article.

This article is basically going to be made up of a bunch of "quick takes" on items I have bought over the past half year or so of buying records. I will be giving a quick run down on certain records, but I will not be doing any deep research. Yes, if there is an interesting fact I have learned I will mention it. But for the most part these will just be discussing the albums and their positive sides and if they are worth your tracking them down, and what I decent price to spend would be on each item.This will not be how every new article is going to be, but these types will show up from time to time, and might be the standard for a little while. Just until I get caught up.

So, without further delay . . .

Speed Queen - Speed Queen (1980)

I was at a record convention recently and as I was walking out I stopped by one final booth. In the last crate I dug into I found this album. I looked it over. The band looked cool, the name was pretty good, and they thanked Lemmy and Motorhead.

Think about that for a second. This album came out in 1980 and they are thanking Motorhead. Motorhead was just starting to really lay their name down and become the band that would someday become en vogue to mention. This little band was tipping their hat to them in the early days. That should give you a little indication about what we have here.

So what do we have? Seed Queen were a five piece band out of France. They played a straight ahead Rock and Roll with possibly an extra kick to the gut. A little AC/DC meets Alice Cooper group in riffing, with a rough throat female vocalist named Stewy (real name is Stevie) who spews attitude in every single word.

The album consists of 8 songs, but each song is a powerhouse. They seemed to realize they were only putting down 8 songs so there was no time to get mellow. They had just enough time to rock the living hell out of the listener, and that is exactly what they were going to do. Don't expect anything fast as the name might imply to some folk, that name is obviously a tip of the hat to the other kind of speed. But every single song is that mid-tempo stomper that just gets to your heart and makes you want to live.

In all honesty this might be a band everybody knows about and I am just a complete sheltered idiot. The guy I bought this from was talking about it like it was a well known classic of hard rock. "Would you believe I just found out today that they actually released a second album!" He said to me as I was looking over the cover. "I could not believe I didn't know that!" I looked at him and was honest and said "Yeah, I have no idea who they are even." I almost felt like an idiot, but my quick research very much was pointing to a band that had slipped through the cracks. Every time I get a hit for them on the 'net it leads me to a French site. So my guess is that they are possibly known in France, and we can stop there.

I paid $15 for this. Might be a bit high for a band I was totally unfamiliar with, but I decided to risk it. After hearing it, I would have been happy paying $25 for it. They are really that good. They rock the hell out of the place and should have been much bigger than they are. If you like RnR ala AC/DC, Alice Cooper, or any other band that you want blaring through the speakers while drinking and raising Hell, then this should be an album in your collection. If you see it while out shopping, do be sure to exit with this one under your arm.

Someday I do hope to do a more detailed write-up on Speed Queen. They do deserve more coverage.

Quiet Riot - Quiet Riot 1 & 2!!!

On May 20 of this year I attended the Chicago Record Convention being held in Hillside, Illinois. I went down there with two albums as my intended score. My birthday was on the 19th and I was going in armed with a little extra cash and the intent to actually not caring too much about the cost of things (yet still not being an idiot).

My main goals were the 1974 release by the band Left End called Spoiled Rotten. A wonderful slab of all out ROCK by a band that gave it all they had and who have sadly become more or less forgotten by time.

The other, and main, purchase was going to be Quiet Riot II. I had seen it there previously but didn't have the money at the time that I was comfortable to spend on the one album. Granted, QRII isn't anywhere near the price of QRI, but it is still more than I have spent. But with a little extra birthday cash on hand, that puppy was going to be mine!

Getting to the convention I went straight to the spot where the dealer was the previous time who had QRII. Much to my horror he was not there! I scoured the room he was in previously, checking through crates, looking for his merchandise, as I could easily forget a face but not stock.

Sadly I could not find the gentleman. So then turned tale and went off to buy the Left End album. That dealer was in the main room and had a huge set-up, so I knew he would be back in the same place, and he was. Watch these pages for coverage of the mighty Left End at a later date.

I spent the next few hours searching for good stuff. Suddenly my buddy Todd ran up to me and pointed me in the direction of a dealer. He had found my QRII guy! Instantly the money came out and I walked away with the purchase I had been looking for, and the guy even took $20 off the sticker he had on the album!

So there I was, the two main items in my grasp. Little did I know that a few minutes later I would be finding another Holy Grail item (to be discussed in a future article). Then, just a few minutes after that Todd would again come and get me and bring me to another dealer. This one had QRI. This copy of the debut album from Quiet Riot was the strange black and white bootleg that I can't find any information on. All I have been able to find out is that it came out in the early 90s and that a bootleg of QRII was also released by the same mysterious company, Ravers. A real copy of QRI will set a person back around $300. The bootleg will set you back around $30 or so, but even  these are tough to come by.

For my money Quiet Riot is one of the sadder stories in Rock and Roll. If you don't know much about music history, but do know of Quiet Riot, you know them due to the two Slade covers, "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Mama Were All Krazee." You also possibly know that the vocalist, Kevin DuBrow, became one of the most hated men in music, and that he was responsible for destroying the great career that they had forged out for themselves.

Those that do know of music history know that this is the launching pad for the mighty Randy Rhoads. A guitarist who, along with Eddie Van Halen, propelled guitar playing into a different realm. However, as most people know, Randy made his mark playing alongside Ozzy Osbourne. Randy has always been one of my guys. One of the guitarists I have always idolized. In fact, even though Queen was my first musical obsession, Randy was the first person I singled out and fell for. Queen was the whole band, whereas for me when Randy died my love of Ozzy also died.

Truthfully the Quiet Riot of Randy Rhoads and the Quiet Riot of the hits are two fairly different creatures. The Rhoads QR was a band based in British rock, with huge dashes of Glam. Whereas the hit machine QR, even though there biggest hits were covers of British rock, were more of a Metal band with a much harder edge.

The one constant between the two bands is Kevin DuBrow's fantastic voice. This is probably the saddest aspect about what happened to the band. Due to Kevin's actions later in the band Quiet Riot have kind of become a joke. Yes, there were a few things that just would not age well for them. Kevin had a receding hairline that was destined to be a joke, some of their clothing choices were going to be hurt eventually, the videos are of an early 80s MTV nature, so more than a little cheesy. But make no mistake, DuBrow could sing. His voice is actually somewhere in the style of a Noddy Holder from Slade, which explains the two covers.

So, are these two albums worth the price? That would depend on how much money you have. Both albums should be in the collection of any self-respecting fan of Rock. No matter what, you should have them. If you have the money to burn they are without a doubt worth the price.

Quiet Riot I is a little rougher than Quiet Riot II. This only makes sense due to it being the first time these guys got into a studio. Plus, I am guessing they were not given a massive budget, partially explaining the "Japanese only" nature of the release. The songs are also a little more juvenile with lyrics and delivery.

Quiet Riot II is really the gem. This is actually a massive plus for the collectors, as it can be had for a much cheaper price tag. But this is the album where Randy Rhoads becomes Randy Rhoads. One can hear the soloing that would be associated with him, including certain runs that would later show up with Ozzy. But his playing is much more refined here, and much more confident. Through out this whole album there are moments where one hears the beginnings of an Ozzy solo, or a bend here or there, or a slide, that we are all familiar with due to hearing similar things happening in the Osbourne material. It is pretty fascinating to hear these bits in such a different style song. They work in both the Glammy QR style and the evil Ozzy style, it just shows how versatile Rhoads could be, even with the same material. It all comes down to his style and technique.

In fact, that can be said for the whole band. They are comfortable here and have matured a thousandfold from the first album. From the classic "Slick Black Cadillac" to "You Drive Me Crazy," and "We've Got The Magic" then to the cover of Small Faces "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" the band proves how good they were. Trust me, "You Drive Me Crazy" is a high point for DuBrow. Plus, the fact that he pulls off a Small Faces tune and does it justice is another testament to how great he really was.

Heads up: The Ravers release of Quiet Riot I isn't without a few flaws. It seems to have been recorded, or transferred, a tad too hot. Towards the end the levels are going crazy and the sound kind of bounces in and out a little on the levels. This comes with a bit of added distortion. This is obviously a guess that this is a side effect of the bootleg nature. I kind of doubt I will ever be holding an actual copy of QRI to be able to do a side by side comparison with, so I will just stand by my gut instinct. If anybody has an actual copy I would love to know how "Demolition Derby" sounds and if things start to fall apart on your copy towards the end.

Do yourself (and the memories of DuBrow and Rhoads) a favor, one way or another add these two albums to your collection. Whether being able to afford the real things, the Ravers boots, or even a digital download. Any self-respecting Rock and Roll fan should have these and will more than likely enjoy the heck out of these two albums. Quiet Riot II is one of the best things to be released in the 70s.

So on May 20th, 2018 I had a record buying day that might never be matched. The amount of great stuff bought that day was ridiculous. I ended up with five albums that I had been chasing for a good long while, and I bought one that instantly landed in my "all-time favorite album" list.

Chopper - S/T

Chopper - Chopper
Released 1979 on Ariola Records SW-50049

While record shopping in Canada this one really caught my eye. The band is named Chopper. The cover looks like the backpatch worn by a biker gang. A search later would find that the band features a member of Steppenwolf. It was going to be a couple of days before I would be able to hear anything off of the album due to being out of town. But I mean come on, all of these signs pointed towards these guys being pretty hard rocking. Right?

That quick search of members also showed that the keyboardist was a member of Poco and future Elton John keyboardist. But nevermind that, biker name and biker looking cover! Steppenwolf member! These guys are going to be exceedingly hard rocking. No doubt about it!

Oh yeah, that Steppenwolf member would join Steppenwolf after leaving Chopper. But again, look at that cover! Wings spread, hard rock all the way to the biggest arenas with pyrotechnics all over the place.

With all of that then, Chopper, our possible biker band, actually plays AOR style Rock. AOR has always been a style of music I have tried to steer clear of due to it usually being associated with mellower bands. Bands that eventually became known for their ballads and after four albums would turn out nothing but ballads. Although AOR stands for "album orientated rock," I am not so sure why mellow music seems to be associated with the style. I'm not a fan of shmaltzy ballads, so AOR and I have never been friends.

So obviously I hate Chopper, right? I bought it expecting some great 70s HARD Rock. Something that would tear my face off, something possibly harder edged than The Godz. Obviously these guys are in my list of biggest disappointments. Right?

Well, I really like Chopper. For my money these guys do it all right. They never get cheesy, they never get too melodramatic, and they keep enough energy in the music to make it all work. They throw in just enough spots where the music kicks in and they stop being a wimpy ballad band. The album is full of great hooks, great playing, and a solid production.

Gary Link, our future Steppenwolf bassist, turns in a killer performance on "Blue Winter." Heck, he does on the entire album. But this song is close to being exactly what one would expect from an AOR band. Mellow, with some overly dramatic turns, but the bass is killer on this song. Link adds the perfect accents and gives us a little more than just a bass line. Perfect notes added here and there, just the right amount of a run here and there. The bass actually propels the song along and takes what could have been a mediocre tune and transforms it into a great track.

Songs like "Beggars Day," "Don't Cry" and "Be Ready For Me Tonight" keep the album from being too mellow. Solid 70s guitar driven radio friendly rock numbers. Yet these are really the only two numbers that show teeth. But really, this is fine, and they are far from the strongest cuts on the album.

The standout tracks for me are the aforementioned "Blue Winter," "I'll Hold Onto You" and "Eddie." "I'll Hold Onto You" features a guitar riff and tone that is just incredibly warming to the heart. It is one of those songs that you can put on, and once you hear that riff you would be fine with nothing else from the song. The riff and production on the song is that good.

Chopper was a really good band. Regardless of the image and name, they are without a doubt worthy of your time and attention. The album can be found for decent prices. It doesn't appear to be on the streaming services and it was never given a CD repressing. If AOR or solid Pop is your thing then this should be added into your want list.

Gary Link is still playing with Steppenwolf is appears. Kim Bullard was with Poco for a time. As of 2009 he has been a touring player with Elton John. Drummer Brad Seip is a bit tougher to track down. It doesn't appear that he moved on to anything else from Chopper.

Searching for lead guitarist Peter Bunch bring us to the law offices of divorce attorney Peter Bunch. Looking at the picture on the sleeve for Chopper, and the picture of the attorney, there is no doubt Mr. Bunch is now an attorney. This is further confirmed by the Record Robot blog.

So, what about that image? Why did they take on an image and name that is so out of place? According to the Record Robot page it appears that they were re-tooled by the label into an attempt at a biker band image. Which seems an absolutely ridiculous move considering the sound the band turned out. It isn't like people would be fooled once they actually heard the band. There is no way a group of bikers, looking for an evening of debauchery, are going to see this album cover on a poster outside the club, go in and be happy with the resulting music. Well, they might be, after being a little irked that the band isn't really rocking the heck out of the place. It was this over-handling of the band lead to the break up, which is a great shame. They were a really good band that could have been so much more than just the minor footnote that they are now.

Sources:
Record Robot: http://recordrobot.blogspot.com/2005/08/cautionary-tale-of-pete-and-george-and.html

Teazer - Hard As A Rock

Teazer - Hard As A Rock
Released 1980 on ROKO Records DRRC 133

Hawaii, not a place many people would think to mention when discussing the great Rock and Roll scenes of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, or really any era. As I write this I am even hard pressed to come up with any bands out of Hawaii that play any form of Rock and Roll. Obviously they exist, but have any of them made it off of the islands?

Let's just cut to the chase. Let me introduce you to Teazer.

So who was Teazer? According to keyboardist Stanton Hoffman they were based out of Honolulu in the late 70s. They play a fairly straight-up 70s Hard Rock and carried a no frills image.

Vocalist Tookie Dauzat sounds a little like Gary Mielle from Tattooed Love Boys. Yes, nothing better than using an obscure reference for an obscure band. I would have to figure that a lot of people still have no idea what we are getting at here. So how about this, at times Tookie sounds fantastic. Other times, such as the opening number - - - his voice can be a little grating. Falsetto is not his strong suit. But the attitude is there and he is a pretty good vocalist when staying within his zone.

The guitar and drum production is a little soft. I would imagine in the studio the band had a great sound, then after mastering everybody sat around trying to figure out where the bite went. Solos sound good, but everything else is more or less on a level playing field.

As mentioned at the beginning, song-wise we are talking 70s Hard Rock with a blues angle. Discogs carries a "glam" tag on the album. I would have to disagree there. There isn't anything outright Glam about the band. The band would be better suited opening for bands ranging from Boston, Ted Nugent, Foghat, and other big Rock acts of the sort. The fans would also be much more appreciative of them than fans of, say, Bowie, T-Rex, or Sweet.

Songs like "Money, Women and Guns" and "Bad News" almost walk a line that would be at home with a Lynard Skynard or Allman Brothers. Slight Southern bend to the songs. This is also explained by the dedication to Ronnie Van Zant on the sleeve. The album also features a song entitled "Louisiana" which is also a find touch of Southern Rock, complete with a brilliant chorus that would probably get clear plastic cups full of cheap beer raised in the area as an audience sang along.

Yet songs like "Hard as a Rock" and "Electrified" would almost be just as happy being played by early 80s Metal acts. "Electrified" would almost be perfectly done by Wrathchild, with Tookie's voice almost even carrying a touch of Rocky Shades at times. "Electrified" and "Rock Out" might be the two songs that create the Glam tag. I think "Rock Out" even features the chorus of "Rock out with your cock out," so I would probably have to give them the award for stupid Hair band lyrics before the time. The song also features a nice guitar break where the production works nice and the guitar is really crisp sounding.



I do have one skipper song, but it is due to personal preference and not a fault of the band. Final song "Logan Avenue Blues" is what the title implies. A Chicago electric Blues style number. Solid performance all around, but just not what I would hope for on a closing number on an album that rocks fairly steady.

In a message from Stanton Hoffman I was told that the band only made 1,000 copies of the album. Of those he says only around 500 probably made it to the streets. So this is a fairly rare find. The album can be found on Discogs for $50 or so, which then begs the question "Is it worth it?" At this point you have to ask what you are in the game for. It is a solid record with some mediocre songs and a few really good. Nothing jumps out as to being a "you have got to hear this!" song. If it was to be found up to $10 I would say it is worth your money.


I am trying to find out where the rest of the band is. Did they continue on, or what happened with them? I appears that Mr. Hoffman is still involved in music, though no longer based out of Hawaii. It would seem he is now mainland U.S., so one had to wonder if that is a sign of the scene in Hawaii for music, or were there ties to the mainland. Obviously the only way any of that matter is from a historical context as to the Hawaiian Rock and Roll scene. But as my shelves of music are not overflowing with Hawaiian Rock and Roll bands quite in the same way it is with Scandinavian, Sunset Strip, Austin Texas bands, the curiosity starts to win out in my brain.

So yes, Hawaii had some solid Rock and Roll in the late 70s/early 80s. How many bands existed? I have no idea. But I do know of one who was waving the flag and doing what sounds like a pretty solid job. I would have to guess that if there were not a lot of bands doing it down there, then these guys were either kings or they could never get booked, but either way it was due to them being pretty dang good at what they were doing.

edit: Almost to prove my point some website just ran an article on the most popular band from every state. For Hawaii they listed some band named "Pepper" I have never heard of. I guess they are from 2000 and are still going. The picture shows them on stage at a 2007 Warped Tour show. I guess they are a Reggae style thing. I am standing by my assumption that Hawaii has not turned out a lot of Rock and Roll.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/08/30/most-famous-band-from-every-state/4/

Rex - S/T

Rex - S/T
Released 1976 on Columbia PC34399

Every generation has its share of teen heartthrob and teen idol superstars. From Ricky Nelson all the way to recently Justin Beiber (and whoever is slowly gaining momentum and about to make us forget about Justin). The people have always been here. When people complain about the modern version and start to claim how today's fads are crap and all the real music and stars were in the past, gently remind people that this is the way entertainment has always worked.

One thing that has always been a constant with these teen heartthrobs is the desire by these people to be taken seriously. I can still remember hearing tales of how Shaun Cassidy really only wanted to rock like the hard rocks acts of the early 70s. I believe these desires were also shared by Leif Garrett. David Cassidy strove to just be recognized as a serious artist, which lead to Broadway and the stage in general.

This desire also lead to The Monkees to take control of their musical output and release their strongest album, Headquarters. They had no desire to be stuck as a centerfold spread in the teeny-bopper magazines. They wanted the Pop stardom, but they wanted it on their own terms.

But what happens when the opposite happens? When you have a person who is a credible, serious, brilliant hard rock performer. A person who is fronting a brilliant, hard hitting rock act. What happens when that person leading the band, a band on the rise (but maybe not rising fast enough), is also teen heartthrob in appearance?

If you, fine readers, are unfamiliar with them, let me introduce you to Rex!

Rex were a early to mid-70s five piece hard rock act that rocked just as hard as anybody else out there. Any questions about how hard they could rock is answered within the first 30 seconds of the first song on this, their debut album. The song is "Trouble" and it features a killer riff with an even better vocal melody. Yes, the intro riff is a little disjointed and awkward feeling, but it all works and comes together in a glorious song for fighting.

The band featured dual guitars, bass and drums with a vocalist who had the abilities to rival Robert Plant and Steve Marriott. Maybe not as soulful as those guys, but without a doubt brave enough to chase the staggering heights those two would chase. Buy he was also better looking than those two guys, and he seemed to be more than happy to be front and center.

Make no doubt about it, the star of the show is vocalist Rex Smith. The band is named after him for this very reason. If this was a band decision or a label decision, there is no doubt he was the star. This is also obvious songs like "Stay With Me," a slow blues-ish burner which is designed in execution to show off Smith's vocal abilities. The guitars do nothing but strum a chord and hold it out to ring while Smith throws his voice all over the place. No guitar fills getting in his way, and drum fills are held off until Smith is out of the way. As long as he is in verse or chorus, everything is there just to back him up to let him do his thing. It is admirable, and also a little frustrating. Aside from a pretty dang good solo to end the song, it is Smith.

The song could have been a masterpiece if everybody was allowed to step in and shine. Yes, songs need to have room to breathe, but every song should also fill gaps where feelings should show up, and the only feeling in an actual band should not only come from the vocalist.

Something about Rex makes me think of a hard edged Silverhead. Smith and Michael Des Barres even share a few vocal traits in tone. Both can really lead a song. Smith has more range, and Des Barres has more attitude.

With the exception of "Stay With Me," which is not the Faces tune, the album is all about rocking the hell out of your house. But remember, even that song will blow your roof off with Smith's vocal wailing. That song closes out side one, and it almost has to just to give you a chance to catch your breath.

The album does feature two covers: the aforementioned "Stay With Me," which has been covered and recorded numerous times. Again, this is not the song that was a hit for Faces. This is a slower Bluesy number that allows Smith to belt out the voice. The other cover is The Who's "I Can't Explain." An admirable cover that sticks close to the original.

Closing out is the great one two punch of "Rock And Roll Dream" (which is a classic 70s hard rock number) and the brilliant "Violent Playground." Killer guitar riff and wonderful vocal track on "Violent Playground" make the listener want to go back in for a second round with the album and leaves you with the exact memory you need. Opening with "Trouble" and closing with "Violent Playground" is a brilliant move.

Rex Smith is the brother of Starz vocalist Michael Lee Smith. So Rex had something to prove right away if his brother was fronting the brilliant Starz. There are similarities, but I do think that the band Rex does hit harder than Starz did. Starz had a little more Glam and party atmosphere. Rex is a little more down and dirty. "Dead End Kids" has a darker vibe and content. This is not to say that Rex was a better band than Starz, they were just went more towards that gutter angle on this release.

So what happened with Rex? What were they? In a video interview with bassist Orville Davis we get an idea of some of what happened. On the surface one can make the obvious assumption that Smith followed the money. Davis makes the claim that the whole band were hired guns. He states that the first time he met Mike Ratti, the drummer, was at the first rehearsal. If the band was a truly organic band, formed from the ground up, one would guess they would have met at a party, a bar, or anywhere other than the first rehearsal. This points to a product.

So the band may have been hired guns, but a look at the credits tells us it was meant to be more. This isn't a Monkees style hiring with professional song-writer provided songs. The songs on the album are mostly written by the members, with two outside helpers and two covers. So the attempt of a real band was at play. This works as the whole thing does sound like a band that had been working together for a time. While Rex Smith is the show, the whole band is contributing and is a vital component. These present days are not like that, and an album of hired guns sounds just like that and only carries the face of the person the band is assembled around.

That being said, it was obvious just from the covers that this was all about Rex Smith. He is the only one on both the Rex album covers. Although, he is not very photogenic on this cover and he looks downright terrified on the back of the cover. But it would seem this was all assembled around him.

For as great of a record this one is, and everything leads me to believe the second is just as good, the times were tough for hard rock bands. The competition was really thick back during the mid-to late 70s for these bands. Most hard rock acts had to have more than one "ace in the hole" during this time. Bands like Led Zeppelin had a Plant and a Page, and behind them they had Jones and Bonham. Styx eventually had De Young and Shaw. KISS had the two voices, Frehley AND the image. Bands like Rex, Starz and Angel struggled against these other acts. Great bands, but they were missing that one thing that could throw them over the top. Plus during this time if a hard rock audience sniffed a corporate act it could kill the band. Bands like Boston, Foreigner, Supertramp, while becoming big were torn apart by the crowds who believed in keeping it real. So while Rex was a great band with solid musicians, nobody jumped out at you, so the competition was going to be that much tougher, especially in a band formed around the vocalist.

This is speculation, but I think in hindsight we can kind of see what went on. The label hired Rex Smith, formed a band of what was popular. They hired a backing band made up of people who were real musicians who had slugged it out. They gave it a shot and they did OK, but they seemed to never go far beyond opening act for big bands. The labels possibly decided that the band was not worth the money or time, and that Smith would be easier to work with if they gave him true hired guns, people who just played and didn't act like a real band.

1977 saw the second Rex album released, the first Rex Smith album came out two years later. If I was a betting man (and I am) I would say the label pulled Rex and gave him a make-over and took those two year to help redesign him. On the cover for the second Rex album, Where Do We Go From Here (heck, even that album title is a bit prophetic), we see Rex Smith with black hair and looking fairly rebellious. On the first Smith solo album, Sooner or Later, his hair has blonde highlights and is poofier. There was a definite style change.

And that was that. Rex the band was gone, Rex Smith the teen heartthrob was born. He would eventually go to being an actor first and foremost.

Davis went on his way and joined Starz. I guess it only makes sense. Before Rex he was in the band Hydra, and according to him they still play every now and then and have remained friends (Off The Record). He is still playing and releasing music. He currently does Country and is solo as a vocalist and guitarist.

Mike Ratti, the drummer, can be found in a quick 1:22 second video online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br4hkUMEW3o). According to Discogs he has worked with a couple of other bands (Heavy Balloons pre-Rex and The Nails post-Rex). Watch the video, it is short but very much worth it. He confirms he has merch from Rex still. He and Davis also confirm that somewhere out there is an unfinished third Rex album that was more in light with the band that they truly imagined Rex could be. If this is true, then somewhere out there is a lost Rock and Roll masterpiece, as both Davis and Ratti say they were held back on the first two.

My copy of Rex was found at a Half Price Books for the outrageous price of $0.50! At that price it is possibly the single best music purchase I have made. I would easily pay $15 for this one. Front to back it is a brilliant slab of Hard Rock. An album that walks a fine line between Hard Rock and actually touches on some Punk sensibilities. It is a true shame that we don't have more from these guys. There are some live bootlegs to be found on You Tube and one really gets the idea that these guys should have been much bigger. Grab this one if you see it without hesitation.

Sources: Orville Davis interview with Off The Record https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01tPoe30vQ0