New England - s/t

Name: New England
Album: s/t
Year: 1979
Style: Hard Rock / Glam / PowerPop
Similar Bands: Journey, Ace, Rush, ELO, Max Demian Band
One-Word Review: Safety-Net Glam
Based Out Of: Boston, MA
Label: Infinity Records, MCA Distribution

Cover, Sleeve, & Record

Back, Lyrics, Record

New England (1979)

1. Hello, Hello, Hello 3:36
2. Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya 5:22
3. P.U.N.K 3:24
4. Shall I Run Away 5:10
5. Alone Tonight 3:39 /
6. Nothing to Fear 5:04
7. Shoot 4:00
8. Turn Out the Light 3:26
9. The Last Show 3:51
10. Encore 3:13

Album Rating: 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Paul Stanley - Producer (Kiss)
• Mike Stone - Producer, Engineer (Queen, Asia)
• John Fannon - Guitars, Vox
• Jimmy Waldo - Keys, Vox (Alcatrazz, Graham Bonnet Band, Murderer's Row, Spirit Nation, The Sounds of Tyme, Warrior, Waterbone, Quiet Riot, Under Fire)
• Hirsh Gardner - Drums, Vox (Warrior)
• Gary Shea - Bass (Alcatrazz, Warrior)
• Patrick Van Wiegandg - Asst Engineer
• Chris Desmonde - Asst Engineer
• John Brand - Asst Mixing
• George Marino - Mastering
• Peter Corriston - Art Direction
• Andre Haluska - Photography
• Alen MaxWeeney  - Photography
• Hubert Kretzschmar - Photography
• Garrett Loube - Logo Design

Unknown-ness: I feel like many bands tried to go the prog route via artwork of freezing themselves inside a flat square, ala Superman, as cover art. This is not done as precisely as that, but the lightning in the background and big hair does suggest this will be typical prog/hard rock. And Paul Stanley of Kiss producing things...the sound *could* be interesting.

Album Review: So the sons straddle the sounds of typical, generic hard rock with power pop elements, and even a little glammy at times...sure those are all neighboring genres with hands in each other's pies. Nothing on this record is really too memorable or stands out...nice harmonies, heavy guitars, and the opening track is the most glam-rock of the bunch. And its kinda funny that they have a chugging, driving song called P.U.N.K. that is basically a "get off my lawn" anthem to punks...or "Puny Under Nourished Kids / Painfully Un-Natural Kids." It arranges video-game type music to what sounds like a fast version of Chuck Berry's "Never Can Tell." Early names were Carot Time Cornucopia, The Fossils, Newer England, and Newer England's Newest Hitmakers.

Stand Out Track: P.U.N.K

Links:
spotify
Wiki
Facebook
NE Rocks
Discogs
Prog Archives
Allmusic

Flyer - Send A Little Love My Way

Name: Flyer
Album: Send A Little Love My Way
Year: 1979
Style: Smooth 70's Pop Rock
Similar Bands: Airwaves, Journey, Supertramp, Bee Gees
"One Word" Review: Smoothy-Lite-Pop
Based Out Of: California
Label: Infinity Records, Transcontinent Record Sales, MCA Distribution, Amherst

Send A Little Love My Way - Cover & Record

Send A Little Love My Way Back & Record

Send A Little Love My Way(1979)

1. Send A Little Love My Way 2:51
2. Natalie 2:54
3. Turn Out The Lights 3:13
4. Just Can't Take It 3:07
5. Just One More Time 3:38/
6. The Only Game in Town 3:17
7. Say You Love Me 3:05
8. Good Love 3:50
9. Lettin' You Go 2:50
10. Let It Happen to You 3:46

Album Rating (1-+10):7.5

Members & Other Bands:
Bob Wiesner

Lou Rera - Vox

Thom Dussault - Guitars

Bill Torrico - Vox

Larry Emerine - Producer, Engineer

Ira Newborn - Arrange & Conductor

Bill Torrico - Music, Lyrics

Low Rera - Music, Lyrics

Stephan Marcussen - Engineering

Tim Simon Dennen - 2nd Engineer

Allen Zentz - Mastering

Peter Corriston - Desing & Art Direction

Hubert Kretzschmar - Cover Art

David Paich - Acoustic Piano

Tom Hensley - Acoustic Piano

Andy Munson - Bass

Ian Gardiner - Bass, Guitars

Jeffrey Porcaro - Drums & Percussion (Toto)

Mike Baird - Drums & Percussion

Louie Shelton - Guitars

Bob Esty - Piano, Synth, Harmonium

Jay Migliori - Clarinette, Sax, Trumpet

Larry Emerine - Melodian

Cameron McKay - Bagpipes

Barton Cummings - Clavinette & Tack Piano

Jessy Dixon Singers - Backgorund Vox (Paul Simon)

Gerald Vinci - Violin (Michael Jackson)

Assa Drori - 2nd Violin

Alexander Neiman - Viola (Willie Nelson, Harry James)

Fred Seykora - Cello (Monkees)

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of these guys. But I liked the simple image and text on the cover. I have always been a fan of the universally understandable aircraft disaster direction artwork, so I was excited to see a band employ them. I got the record because I’m curious as to what this imagery will translate to in sound. But from their clothes and song titles, I am guessing this will be a late 70’s soft rock record, similar to Ace or Airwaves.

Album Review: Starting off with the album’s namesake, “Send A Little Love My Way” is a slowish marching Journey-esq song. Actually, it is more Supertramp than Journey in its vocal harmonies, bouncy bass and lighter rock sections. “Natalie” follows up as a standard 60’s early 70’s pop love song. It possesses a light groove like any less catchy standard from a Herman’s Hermits or Monkeys catalogue. The piano in the song reminds me of Madness’s “Love Struck.” “Turn Out The Lights” begins with high vocals along the lines of Bee Gees or Supertramp. But the chorus is very catchy, jangly, bouncy pop. The strings add a strong texture to the song, rather than making it a disco hit. The sections are very diverse in the song, but they are all tied together with a steady drum and bass combo. With each repeat of the chorus to the end, it grows in strength and energy, to a point where it feels that it will (hopefully) go on forever. “Just Can't Take It” slows it down a bit to a soothing groove. This feels like a stereotypical 70’s light rock jam. Higher harmonized vocals over a smug bass line and a simple drum beat buried in the back ground. The guitar had free range to wail all over the track. “Just One More Time” is the slow dance ballad. A chorus of ooohs and lyrical repetition fills in with the soaring violin making a heartbreaking backdrop for trying to try it again with a love. “The Only Game in Town” is a down on his luck Billy Joel song in the verse. The chorus is a soaring Bee Gees interpretation. “Say You Love Me” covers the same ground as before, but in a more easy listening and lighter atmosphere. I keep hearing the backing music from Ben Fold’s songs “Your Most Valuable Possession” and “Regrets.” “Good Love” starts out with an orchestra of strings, which flows into a finger snapping light verse. The music generates a sleepy, care free, strutting tempo. The song ends with a heavily displayed bass beat and a complex orchestral section overlapping each other. “Lettin' You Go” is a simple groove without any complex instrumentation. The tinkling on the synth, again, reminds me of the little I know about Supertramp, and the vocal harmonies are out of the Bee Gee’s playbook. The song never gets overly complex, and is just one hook drug out for the son’s length. “Let It Happen to You” starts off with a Beatles-like woodwind sound. It plays out to a very marchy, bouncy beat, and even some what psychedelic. This is a very good song, with interesting instrumentation. I keep hearing hints of Beatles songs in the melody of this song. But the instrumentation comes and goes, and the song sounds very light on production. If only the song was a little thicker, heavier, and bolder, it would be a perfect song. It kinda sounds like a demo, or at least a stripped down version of what it could be. Bag Pipes and hand claps/foot stomps fill in the end, but it is too little too late. Still, it is a great song.

Stand Out Track: Turn Out The Lights

Links:

Interview with Lou Rera on Glory Daze

Allmusic Album listing

great Groove Master Album Credits

Blue Desert West Coast Music link

Artist Direct

Blue Steel - No More Lonely Nights

Name: Blue Steel
Album: No More Lonely Nights
Year: 1979
Style: Southern Bluesy Rock
Similar Bands: Ace, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd
"One-Word" Review: Bourbon-Dirt-Rock
Based Out Of: Texas
Label: Infinity Records

No More Lonely Nights Back & Insert

No More Lonely Nights Front & Insert

No More Lonely Nights Record

No More Lonely Nights (1979)

1. No More Lonely Nights (3:51)
2. Bulldog (3:18)
3. Guitar Song (3:19)
4. Baby, You Can't Dance (3:42)
5. Twist One Up (4:43)/
6. Shark (2:20)
7. I Should Be Sleeping (2:27)
8. Honey Dew (3:02)
9. Take Me (3:09)
10. Willie & Waylon (3:11)
11. Hoo-Doo-Voo-Doo (3:11)

Album Rating (1-10):
5.5

Members & Other Bands:
Leonard Arnold - Guitar (Lavender Hill Express)
Richard Bowden - Guitar (Austin Lounge Lizards, Pinkard & Bowden, Shiloh, Cold Steel, Maines Brothers Band)
Howard Burke - Guitar
Marc Durham - Bass (Buckwheat)
Mickey McGee - Drums
Michael Huey - Drums (The Swingin' Medallions)
Ken Perry - Mastering
Jimmy Watchel - Album Design (for Dawn Patrol) & Cover Photography
Michael Curtis - Cover Photography
Rose Ware - Group Photos
Intrepid Productions - Direction
Noah Shark & Max - Producers

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of these guys. From the cover & obvious play on words with "night" in the title & a knight at a table, I figured it would be tongue-in-cheek silly rock, perhaps just cheezy music. The pictures of the band on the back made it look like the band itself might be good. And with a production date of 1979, I really wanted to see what this record contained.

Album Review: I've heard the album a few times through now, and It is a solid southern rock album as far as I can tell. I have not gotten any bit of comedy I expected from the imagery + album title or the fact that the main guitarist went on to do country/comedy albums.

The album starts off like Foreigner: Cold as Ice; Loud guitar and powerful driving drum & bass. The chorus is remarkably similar to Journey's "Separate Ways." The lead guitar echoes the vocals at the end of every line of the verse, extending the melody in its own direction. The next song "Bulldog" is a swampy, sticky trek through the muck of southern rock. A slow, swaggering tempo makes this song stumble along. You can hear the three guitars all at once at some points, but it does not sound thick or chaotic. Toward the end, the tempo picks up, shaking the stagger off, and the song fades. "Guitar Song" is a more driving southern rock. It occasionally harmonizes the last word of a lyric as well as the one word choruses. It ends with a whammy guitar wind down. "Baby You Cant Dance" is a jagged bluesy, somewhat funky bass driven song. Supposedly a dance song, it proclaims that if you can't dance to this, then you can't dance. "Twist One Up" is another slow, staggering southern rocker. The song is how I imagine lazy and carefree summer days in the South, full of heat and a sweaty sun. The tempo picks up to a full on honky tonk dance contest at 3 minutes, and continues to the end, through one last return to the chorus.

"Shark" is a sly, bass heavy, driving song. It has an oldies rock n' roll style translated through southern rock. The chorus is very repetitive and catchy "I'm a shark in the dark." "I Should Be Sleeping" sounds the bastard child of ZZ Top and the Beach Boys. There is even a Beach Boys harmonizing "Ewwwee-Eeee-Oooh" in the background. The slow, trekking "Honey Dew" is next, which creates the image of a crippled stalker who means well, but still pursues the girl who broke his heart. Fuzz-honky-tonk guitar begins "Take Me." The chorus is an urgent, desperate gruff, yet harmonized chanting of 'take me.' The tempo is not quite slow nor is it fast. "Willie And Waylon" is a start/stop oldie ala Chuck Berry. A typical rock guitar solo bridges the verses, and the verse, chorus instrumental construction makes it an easy to follow song. "Hoo-Doo-Voo-Doo" is a slow paced, wide stepping march. The bass is dark, and the lyrical imagery is that of the southern bayou's mystery.

Stand Out Track:
Shark

Links:
Richard Bowden Page
Richard Bowden Allmusic
Pinkard & Bowden
Blue Steel on Glory Daze
Blue Steel Allmusic