The Eddie Boy Band - S/T

Name: The Eddie Boy Band

Album: s/t

Year: 1975

Style: Southern, Pub Rock, Prog Rock

Similar Bands: Wishbone Ash, Doobie Bros., Chicago, J Geils Band, Edgar Winter Group, ELO, Van Morrison

One Word Review: Proggy Mountain Men inna Pub

Based Out Of: Chicago, IL

Label: MCA Records, 

 The Eddie Boy Band - Cover & Record

The Eddie Boy Band - Back, Record, Letter from promotions

The Eddie Boy Band (1975)

1. Oh So Hard 4:49
2. The Maze 3:12
3. Say Goodbye Babe 3:26
4. Come on Virginia (I Wanna Win Ya) 3:01
5. Losin' Again 6:07
6. Good to Have You Back Again 3:14
7. The Gambler 4:53
8. Sixteen Ladies 3:35
9. Makin' Love to You, Babe 3:28
10. Mother Music 5:23

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands
Rick Canoff - Producer
Bob Monaco - Exec Producer
Don Sciarrotta - Exec Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Tony Sciarrota - Engineer, Mixing
John Notar - Asst Engineer
Lou Marks - Asst. Engineer
Scott Spain - Asst. Engineer
Josh Leo - Guitar, Vox (The Hate Boys, CY Walkin' Band, Kim Carnes, Jimmy Buffett, Vinyl Kings, Glen Frey, Alabama, Crystal Gayle, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes )
Mark Goldenberg - Guitar, Slide, Piano, Vox (The Cretones, Linda Ronstadt, Al Stweart, CY Walkin' Band, Grimaldi/Zeiher, Max Groenthal, Peter Frampton)
Tim Walkoe - Bass, Vox
John Paruolo - Organ, Piano, Accordion, Mellotron, Vox (Jack Mack & the Heart Attack, Mark Saffan & the Keepers)
Dennis Ebert - Drums, Percussion
Mike Lerner - Drums Percussion
Dick Caine - Guitar
Jon Carsoon - Guitar
David Wolinski - Arp Sting Ensemble, Locrian Mode, Pie Ala Mode, Dialogue, Synths (Bangor Flying Circus, Madura, Rufus, Rufus & Chaka Khan, The Shadows of Knight, The Wild Horses, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Bee Gees)
Jon Scott - National Album Promotions

Unknown-ness: I bought this record still wrapped in plastic with the letter in the above picture (claiming this was a free- remastered, resend from MCA to replace older copies with flaws)  obscuring the cover. I felt a little bad opening it after 30 years, but a still wrapped record is not as much fun. I imagine this will be simple southern AOR with a mix of pub rock and perhaps some blues. Seems pretty cut & dry, like previous bands I've reviewed like Beaverteeth or Cactus.

Album Review: Although this band, the Eddie Boy Band, never made more than one album, and split up after sound / quality differences, the members have gone on to play alongside or write many hits for greats. David Wolinski has played synthesizers on highly acclaimed albums for Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees. Mark Goldenberg became a session musician for the likes of Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Natalie Imbruglia, Chris Issak, Willie Nelson, Peter Frampton, and many more (and was also in the Cretones). And Josh Leo has written over 20 #1 country music songs, as charted on the Billboard Country listings.

“Oh So Hard” begins with a light hearted guitar, reminding me of Edgar Winter Group’s “Free Ride.” It then explores some prog-timed guitars and keyboards. The vocals are very southern soulful mountain man style. The song repeats back to the catchy guitar hook that lead off the song, and this is a solid 70’s jammy song. The instrumental almost goes off the rails, but it is reined back in with the start of the third verse, which gets a little gruffer.

“The Maze” starts with some Billy Joel piano, which is covered over with wailing guitar. The song becomes a bouncy ELO sorta song that dips a toe into Bee Gees disco, particularly with the harmonized backing vocals in the chorus. The breakdown before the instrumental is a bunch of “Doo-Dee-Doo-Doos.”

“Say Goodbye Babe” enters with a rolling drum beat, and a held guitar chord. The song evolves into a bouncy, light pub piano tune. The lyrics “work it out” lead the song into an electric guitar instrumental section. Two guitars then commence playing together.

“Come on Virginia (I Wanna Win Ya)” sounds like an old ragtime band playing on an island cruise ship. The vaudevillian, male vocal / barbershop groups of the 50’s must have played a heavy inspiration to the track. The la-la-la breakdown even has a barker in the background that sounds like it’s coming through an old radio set. The end of the track has muddled spoken crowd vocals, and other radio-show sound effects like a whirling slide whistle.

“Losin' Again” heads right back into a powerpop hook, layered with guitar and organ. Different vocals play in and out of timing with another, and they harmonize at the middle. The guitar and keys divert from each other for the instrumental breakdown. Near the middle of the song, the familiar chorus is changed up to follow a different melody. This is where the song resets with a mellow guitar led prog harmony. This transitions into a multi-part instrumental section that follows the two guitars on their vocal-like journey, which ultimately ends the song with the “First Call” bugle melody on guitar.

“Good to Have You Back Again” starts with a prog hook that turns into a slow swampy rock jam. Both facets of the song interact and standalone from each other at varying points of time.

“The Gambler” has a classic rock intro, almost immediately added to by a jovial, drunken piano, and the song takes a happy back water turn, perhaps a little like Van Morrison. The electric guitar powers through the instrumental at a high pitch, followed by a display of some slide guitar work by guitar 2. It includes a familiar melody that sounds like it is from the muppet show.

“Sixteen Ladies” starts off full force with a driving power pop number. The vocals are different here, more southern in tone, more like my memory of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” again. The interchange of swampy pub rock and electric power pop finds a nice balance. Toward the end, the organ comes up out of the background to play a more important role in the song’s mood.

“Makin' Love to You, Babe” takes a step back to be more country-ish, with a slower pace, harmonica melody base, and a country guitar hooks in the background. The chorus is a harmonized group of male vocals, which is a little odd, considering they are all singing together “Would you like to be makin love to me, babe?”   

“Mother Music” illustrates more of the band’s free-form prog rock ideals, with sweeping effects, and wha-wah keyboard sounds. The vocals are a little bluesy, especially mixed with the organ and bass line. The harmonized chorus brings comparison to the Bee Gees again. The instrumental section is that fine line between psychedelic and prog rock and it would make for a great laser light show.

Stand Out Track: Come On Virgina

Links:
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Mark Goldenberg.com
Nashville Music News
Josh Leo Wiki
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