Sinister Dane - s/t

Name: Sinister Dane
Album: s/t
Year: 1994
Style: Hard Alt Rock, Funk Metal
Similar Bands: Korn, System of a Down, Animal Bag, Dave Matthews, Faith No More, Living Colour
"One-Word" Review: Dave Matthews No More
Based Out Of: St. Louis, MO
Label: Columbia, Sony

Cover & Back

Liner Note & Case Front & Back

Lyrics & CD

Lyrics, Liner Notes

Sinister Dane (1994)

1. 48 Months 3:38
2. Stained Glass 3:23
3. Odalisque 4:19
4. Ugly Thing 2:30
5. Absense of Angels 5:12
6. Where's My Parade 3:54 (single)
7. Vented 3:56
8. Hate Crops 4:46
9. Safe 6:01
10. Thanks For The Show 3:37

Album Rating (1-10): 5.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Donald Duck Williams - Bass, Illustration
• Joe Sears - Vox
• Jay Summers - Guitar
  
• Charles Sutton - Lyrics, Mgmt
• M Caroselli - Lyrics
• Matt Martin - Drums
• David Bianco - Producer, Engineer
• John Jackson - Asst Production & Engineer
• David Kahne - Mixing
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering
• Pablo Mathiason - A&R
• Jim de Barros - Artisit
• Tim Manteau - Artist
• Danny Clinch - Photos

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. The solid color, black plastic CD case + the logo font make me think this will be some bad Nu Metal or Hard Ska. The year is 1994, so there was a harder edge to Alt music being put out that might have been back-catalogued as early Nu Metal, since the major labels like Columbia/Sony threw money at what they hoped would be the next thing. Not expecting anything good here, but maybe the low bar will make for a surprising enjoyment.

Album Review: While the album starts with a reggae refrain of the band name, the rest of the album is of the hard alt rock and some funk metal genres. Driving bass and drums mix in with flourishes of funky guitar rhythms and some jazzy vocals to keep the listener guessing. Seems like Dave Matthews fronting a poor man's version of Faith No More.

Bass & Drums were what held the band together. After a tour with Living Colour, the guitar and vocalist left, and Sears & Summers joined, eventually signing to Columbia & putting this, their second full length out. They only survived for 2 more years, a total of 8.

Stand Out Track: Hate Crops

Links:

Youtube full album
Youtube Where's My Parade video

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Shooting Star - s/t

Name: Shooting Star
Album: s/t
Year: 1979
Style: Power Pop, Hair Rock
Similar Bands: Journey, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Jefferson Starship, Bad English, .38 Special, Kansas, Scorpions, 
"One-Word" Review: Midwestern Hair Power Prog
Based Out Of: Kansas City MO
Label: Virgin, Atlantic, Warner Communications Company

Cover, Record

Back, Record

Shooting Star (1979)

1. You Got What I Need 3:45 (Single)
2. Don't Stop Now 4:36
3. Higher 4:15
4. Just Friends 3:58
5. Bring It On 4:45 (Single) /
6. Tonight 4:38
7. Rainfall 2:49
8. Midnight Man 3:35
9. Stranger 4:47
10. Last Chance 6:51 (Single)

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Gary West (Gary Hodgden)- Writer, Lead Vox, Keys, Guitar, Drums, Percussion (Chesmann Square, The Beckies, Missouri, Madison Avenue)
• Van McLain(Van Allen McElvain) - Writer, Lead Vox, Lead Guitar (The Shooting Stars featuring the Galaxies, Craig W. Lindesay)
• Steve Thomas - Drums
• Ron Verlin - Bass (The Shooting Stars featuring the Galaxies)
• Bill Guffey - Keys
• Charles Waltz - Harmony Vox, Violin, Keys (Toledo Waltz, Human Drama, Incubus)
• Gus Dodgeon - Producer, Tambourine (Elton John, David Bowie)
• Stuart Epps - Engineer, Short Vox Appearance
• Stewart Eales - Asst. Engineer
• Kosh - Design, Art Direction
• Peter Howe - Photos
• John Kostick - Mgmt
• Greg Kimmelman - Mgmt

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. And nice little play on their name + artwork. They're paparazzi, shooting the stars, thus the band name and bright flash bulb cover. the back band photo catches the flash in a less bright stage, so we see who they are. And they look kinda Talking Heads - new waveish from their general, non-flamboyant outfits. I'm going to guess this will be a solid new wave band

Album Review: They definitely tend to err on the side of Hair Band / Metal side of power pop rather than quirky, jittery new wave end of the spectrum. "You've Got What I Need" borrows a little bit from the chorus melody of  "Philadelphia Freedom," perhaps to using the same Producer Dodgeon. Album Ender "Last Chance" shows their progressive side. Even with those elements, they have the auspicious claim to fame as the first american band to sign with Virgin Records. A second world's first claim, for them was that in 1989, they had the first ever album (a greatest hits CD called Touch Me Tonight) on Billboard's pop album chart that wasn't released on vinyl. Members floated in and out of the band due to illness, touring schedules and disenfranchisement with the music industry, but the band has continued in one way or another to this day, despite McLain's passing in 2018, with plans to play one-off shows here and there sporadically.

Stand Out Track: You've Got What I Need

Links:
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic

goldmine 2013

ultimate classic rock - McLain obit
moondance jam 2009

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Classic Rock revisited

Rainmakers (the) - s/t

Name: The Rainmakers
Album: s/t
Year: 1986
Style: College Radio, Jangle-Pop, Cow Punk, Roots Rock
Similar Bands: Bongos, Alarm, Barenaked Ladies, Men They Couldn't Hang, X, BoDeans
"One-Word" Review: Cringy-Embarrassing Americana Jangle Pop
Based Out Of: Kansas City, MO
Label: Mercury, PolyGram

Cover, Lyrics, Record

Back, Lyrics, Record

The Rainmakers (1986)

1. Rockin' At the T-Dance 3:23
2. Downstream 3:28 (single)
3. Let My People Go-Go 3:37 (single, top 20 UK)
4. Doomsville 4:27
5. Big Fat Blonde 2:55 /
6. Long Gone Long 4:08
7. The One That Got Away 2:53
8. Government Cheese 2:53
9. Drinkin' On The Job 3:45
10. Nobody Knows 3:33
11. Information 4:46

Album Rating (1-10): 4.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Terry Manning - Producer, Engineer, Keys (Rock City, Wild Ones, Molly Hatcher, Fastway, Joe Walsh, Michael Anderson, Johnny Winter, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Disel, Al Green, Eddie Hinton, Alex Chilton, Big Star, Chris bell, Booker T & the MGs, more)
• Thomas Hart Benton - Paintings
• Bob Walkerhorst - Words & Music, Lead Vox, Acoustic Guitar (Steve Bob & Rich, Phantasia, Trizo 50, Lakeview Men, Walkenhorst & Porter, )
• Steve Phillips - Words & Music Electric Guitar, Vox, (Steve Bob & Rich, Fields, Elders, Sterling Witt)
• Alan Clutter - Words & Music 
• Rich Ruth - Bass, Vox (Steve Bob & Rich, KC Blues Band, Webb Wilder, Lakeview Men)
• Pat Tomek - Drums (Deco Auto, Hidden Pictures, Howard Iceberg & the Titanics, Bombpops, The Secrets, Lakeview Men, The Stringers, Jonathan Rundman) 
• Wayne Jackson - Memphis Horns Stax artists backing band + more
• Andrew Love - Memphis Horns Stax artists backing band + more
• Jack Hale - Memphis Horns Stax artists backing band + more
• Gary Topper - Memphis Horns (Royal Horns, Christeen, Gary Chapman, BA Robertson, Al Green, Little Jazz Rock Machine, Keith Richards, Toots Hibbert, Four Freshmen, Axelle Red, Dave Lisik Orch, Barbara Blue, Jay Gaunt, Wu-Tang Clan, Paul Rodgers, Michael Lington, Zeshan B)
• Bob Ludwig - Mastering
• Bill Levy - Art Direction
• Bruce Allen - Design
• Laurie Allen - Photography

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but the cover is a painting, which could mean really anything, but it errs to the side of educated, and the back photo looks like the Men they Couldn't Hang or Dexy's Midnight Runners...hoping for the Dexys style, rather than the bland soundscape

Album Review: Holy cow are most of these songs terrible! "Big Fat Blonde" and "Government Cheese" are incredibly embarrassing. The style is almost a Celtic jangle pop meets light cow punk with, to me, a very off-putting quivering main vocal that reminds me of the little i know of Barenaked Ladies. The vocal acrobatics are so cringworthy, they make Weird Al at his worst sound like Sinatra. The only restrained and listenable song is Long Gone Long...its actually a quite catchy song (the final track, Information is not bad, but the lyrics just feel rushed and specifically unrelatable, and it is about 2 min too long). Lots of themes of drinking and being suppressed permeate the album. Somehow, they were more popular in Europe, specifically Norway than the US. After breaking up the band after three albums and a hiatus, they reformed under pressure from their Norwegian popularity, and recorded a new album that went gold there in 1994. They are still together and active (2019) Their last album was in 2015. Stephen King liked them so much that he's included their lyrics in two of his books. 

Stand Out Track: Long Gone Long

Links:

Spotify full album
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