Just click on the link under each chapter to read the information. Remember, To click on any chapter go to this address:
http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/1)Didi Stewart 4 Reviews
2)Jonzun Crew
3)The Rings 2 reviews
4)Face To Face 3 Reviews
5)Rubber Rodeo 2 Reviews
6)Michael Fremer
7)The Atlantics
8)Elliot Easton of The Cars
9)Greg Hawkes of The Cars
10)Jeff & Jane Hudson
11)Peter Dayton
12)Connie St. Pierre
13)La Peste
14)John Lincoln Wright
15)The Joneses (see also Jonzun Crew, Willie Loco Alexander, Road Apples)
16)The Nervous Eaters (1980)
Here's my review of Didi Stewart's new disc along with
reviews I've written of
BEGIN HERE
GIRLS NIGHT OUT
SUMMER WE SPENT IN CHINA
ONE TRUE HEART
See also BOSTON DOES THE BEATLES
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This should post on AMG in the next week or two.
Didi Stewart
Title:Harmonyville 2006 Produced by Anthony J. Resta
Artist: Stewart, Didi
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| Review | by Joe Viglione |
| Harmonyville has vocalist/songwriter Didi Stewart sounding very much like a former bandmate of Harriet Schock than the lead singer of Boston's legendary girl group Girls Night Out. Stewart eases her fans into her Jackie DeShannon-style New Arrangement by opening up the disc with the most rocking' tune, "Love and Learn," chock-full of Stewart philosophy and elements of her regional hit, "Matter of Time," in the thumpa thumpa Cars riff. Stephen Sadler plays lap steel, mandolin, dobro and fiddle on the album, and if you think it's GNO (Girls Night Out's nickname for the non-Bostonians) meets Swinging Steaks you're not that far off — Jim Gambino of the Steaks is on keyboards and adds much to the experience. "Sally's Garden" is a cross between Andy Pratt's "Grey, Chick and Malda," Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" and Bonnie Tyler's "It's a Heartache" with some twists and turns to take the formulas to new places. The ballad "House for Sale" tugs at the heartstrings, an ode to moving on from the family homestead that is splendid in its melancholy. "Heaven on a Sunday Morning" is where Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane took her Spanky & Our Gang on the Change album when they went country in 1975, while "Something Wicked" puts Ray Bradbury's fantasy into a square dance setting. None of the dozen songs is over four-and-a-half minutes, with one coming in at two-and-a-half and, yep, she's still writing pop tunes only they are now leaning towards the new pop that is the world of country. That vibe can be found on "Dose of You," a good choice for a single, but then again, so is the aforementioned "Love and Learn" or the tender "You Had to Be There." Seventeen years is a long time in between discs and with the help of Duran Duran producer Anthony J. Resta, he of the '70s Boston area group Astra, the singer seems to be as fun and youthful as ever. It may take a slight adjustment for her older fan base to hear with clarity, but it's pure Stewart and has a lot to offer. A formidable songwriter, each melody is distinct and different while the song placement sets moods and makes for a quite complete work. Interesting to note that photography is done by Ellie Marshall of Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers andthe Marshalls as well as Alizon Lissance of Girls Night Out. Why they are not credited here on the musical side is the question! Still, it's another fantastic work from an underrated and important Boston area legend that deserves its day in the sun on country radio. |
BEGIN HERE 1982
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Review by Joe Viglione
The urban legend has it that Didi Stewart walked into Don Kirshner's office with a demo tape in hand and got herself a record deal. A Boston delight with her band, the Amplifiers, this brilliant and underrated songwriter/vocalist might have been better off releasing some of the original demos here, since producer Stephan Galfas was unable to bring a hit record out of a woman who is full of potential million-sellers. But isn't that one of the major traumas of the record industry: incredible talents getting lost in the translation? Begin Here has a beautiful cover photo of Didi Stewart with different colors on each finger of one hand -- blue, purple, red, yellow, and green -- and the pastel lettering is just perfect. There are some excellent tracks and "Upward Mobility" is one of them; it should be a hit for someone. With T.O. Sterrett's stirring keyboards
and haunting background vocals like a new wave Shangri-Las, the solid-hook and rocking band make for the funniest moment on the recording. "Girls Night Out" is another bouncy, campy tune, which for a serious artist like Diane "Didi" Stewart is the paradox. The depth on her 1989 Northeastern release One True Heart, 12 songs showing control and power, may have been more appropriate for the CBS-distributed Don Kirshner imprint, at least in terms of potential
commercial success. But "Girls Night Out," "Slipping into Darkness," and "Angelina" are amazing songs in their own right, they just needed a more polished production. The demo of "Angelina" has this spirit which could have translated nicely had that sort of aura been captured again. A few years after this disc was released, Didi Stewart left her Amplifiers to form
Girls Night Out, a band named after the aforementioned song on Begin Here. That band would continue the pajama-party atmosphere that was initiated on this collection. "Saturday Night Special" and "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" are fun pop moments with a lighthearted attitude, but they don't have the dazzle of "Slippin' into Darkness," and despite Stewart's
craftsmanship, it almost sounds like this studio group -- featuring such Boston luminaries as Steven Paul Perry, Dennis Brennan, and Kim Pandapas -- was rushed while recording. A couple of years after this release, Ms. Stewart's voice would conquer the New England region as the highly popular Girls Night Out generated a bidding war among booking agents (they got a
reported 175,000 dollar guaranteed year of bookings from the winner, The Channel nightclub). For a local band that is a staggering sum, but the 1985 release with four new Didi Stewart tunes, like this album, was not representative of the bandleader/lead vocalist. 1989's One True Heart is the album that captures the essence of Didi Stewart, but the importance of Begin Here is that it documents this vital artist and her creative process at this point in time, and despite its flaws, it is something to be proud of.
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The Summer We Spent In China 1987 Didi Stewart
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Review by Joe Viglione
Two years after the Girls Night Out EP debacle and two
years before her classic One True Heart album, Didi
Stewart issued this four-song EP, The Summer We Spent
in China, on her own label, much like that other
Boston diva Robin Lane's 1984 post-Warner Bros.
four-song EP, Heart Connection. These talented women
have a lot to say and would not be denied, crafting
more music after the heady times had subsided.
"Problem With Gravity starts things off with a bang; a
determined and revitalized Stewart, if shellshocked by
the tough breaks of her profession, hides it well
here. Bringing in veteran musicians Tim Archibald on
bass (from New Man and RTZ), Wally Poz (who had a
release on a national Playboy talent search sampler
disc), and regional veteran Mark Williamson on
keyboards, Stewart crafts a dynamic and musically
revealing title track. "The Summer We Spent in China"
combines her blues-drenched vocals with the singer's
pop sensibilities. It's a standout song, powerful and
subdued. All the material seems touched by modern
mysticism, a quote from "Little Mi" on the back cover
states: "So I sit in my room and dream/In my
imagination I am free/And I can do wonderful
things...." Perhaps the double trauma of the
Kirshner/CBS label folding after her 1982 release and
the implosion of her local supergroup set Stewart off
on flights of fancy. "Jeremy" is the one love song in
the bunch, and it has that definite November Group
slap-drum sound, only the November Group had a real
percussion player, and Stewart chooses to go with drum
programming here. Her combination of the pop
songwriting she was known for with electric and spacy
themes works on these four originals. The Summer We
Spent in China is not the easiest of Stewart's discs
to find, but it is worth the effort. A nice glimpse of
Stewart's journey when placed chronologically with the
other recordings in her repertoire.
Tracks
1 A Problem With Gravity Stewart 2:59
Composed by: Stewart
Performed by: Diane Stewart
2 Jeremy Stewart 4:20
Composed by: Stewart
Performed by: Diane Stewart
3 Rational World Stewart 3:20
Composed by: Stewart
Performed by: Diane Stewart
4 The Summer We Spent in China Stewart
3:25
Composed by: Stewart
Performed by: Diane Stewart
1987 CD Fun at One HB 1803
Girls Night Out (1985)
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Review by Joe Viglione
One of the greatest tragedies in Boston rock & roll
history, and something the world is the worse for, is
this difficult document of one of the best '80s bands
from New England, Girls Night Out. For a group who
approximately grossed over a quarter of a million
dollars in a two-year period, they were saddled with
arguably the worst cover art in Boston history,
substandard production by the usually reliable Chris
Lannon, and evidence that radio-station politics,
mismanagement, and too many cooks can do more than
spoil the stew; politics can stand in the way of
important art. Nothing on this record jumps out at you
like the eight-track demo of "Matter of Time," the
regional radio hit recording that helped launch GNO's
career. The failure to re-track "Matter of Time," a
song that was like a girl group version of 'Til
Tuesday's "Voices Carry," is the true crime of the
heart here. The great Jimmy Miller produced a cover of
"Baby It's You" for lead guitarist Wendy Sobel in
1983, and the version is sultry, moody, and brilliant,
but is not included here. The three songs Jimmy Miller
did with Wendy Sobel, one-seventh of this band, blow
away this entire disc. "Affair of the Heart," "Love
Under Pressure," "Calling Doctor Love," and "Crime of
the Heart" are studied performances with none of the
excitement the girls displayed on-stage. The precision
is the kind of homogenization one expects from a major
label, not from an independent group, and it feels
like the act was being directed from the pages of This
Business of Music rather than by the creative
instincts of a professional. The results are
disappointing. Didi Stewart wrote all the material,
and there is no doubt she is a genius, but her talent
was inhibited by business forces behind the scenes.
Rumor has it that Madonna/Brian Wilson producer Andy
Paley was interested in signing the group, but the
manager allegedly would not agree to the terms. If
that urban myth is true, it is a shame, for Paley
could have taken "Affair of the Heart" and given it
the Phil Spector treatment. The songs are all
first-rate, it is just that they have nothing to them;
they are two-dimensional recordings with flawed sounds
(listen to the lame drum slap in the middle of "Affair
of the Heart"). These are pedestrian performances from
ladies who bowled people over in concert; a version of
"Love Under Pressure" is included that sounds like it
is stuck in a pressure cooker. There's no mastering
credit, but that essential element is thin at best.
Girls Night Out's exquisite staple, "When You Were
Mine," shows up five years later on the One True Heart
album by Didi Stewart, and it is total vindication,
showing what the songwriter could do away from the
confines of a democracy. Bits and pieces of what this
phenomenal group was all about have surfaced
elsewhere. Alizon Lissance has released discs with her
local group, and other members -- Myanna, Wendy Sobel,
and Didi Stewart -- are off doing their own thing;
reunions of this post-Amplifiers band Stewart fronted
happen once in a blue moon. This writer brought Didi
Stewart to the 1992 Marty Balin sessions in New
Hampshire, and Balin was thrilled at the prospect of
Stewart and her friend, Ellie Marshall of the Modern
Lovers, singing on his album, Better Generation. That
idea was nixed by Karen Deal, Balin's wife, yet
another example of people interfering in important
art. With the cash that was coming in through the high
demand for this group and the combination of originals
and covers packing their shows, Girls Night Out should
have released a superb album on their own and let a
major label pick it up. Seven great artists who should
have had original guitarist Patty Larkin return to jam
with Wendy Sobel on this were left out in the cold
when these recordings failed to generate the same
excitement as the band did live. The original demo
tapes, the Jimmy Miller sessions with Sobel, a live
radio broadcast or recording from a nightclub, and
Didi Stewart solo material -- all combined -- could
have made this affair memorable. Listening to this
decades after it was recorded is still a heartbreak to
those who witnessed the excitement of the girls live.
This EP is a great excuse for these talented ladies to
re-form on their 20th anniversary and create the album
they are still capable of putting together.
1 Affair of the Heart Stewart 2:50
2 Love Under Pressure Stewart 3:50
3 Calling Doctor Love! Stewart 3:58
4 Crime of the Heart Stewart 4:01
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ONE TRUE HEART 1989
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Review by Joe Viglione
One True Heart is considered the legitimate sequel to
Didi Stewart's brilliant but under-produced
Kirshner/CBS debut with her group, the Amplifiers,
Begin Here; people must be somehow forgetting the
important work she did with the band Girls Night Out,
whom she founded and who rocked Boston to the core
during the '80s. The singer of New England's most
influential and popular female group, a cross between
the power pop of the Go Go's with classy
frontwoman/power vocalist Didi Stewart, who
resembledJanis Joplin with all the sweetness and none
of the growl. There is a Girls Night Out standard
here, "When You Were Mine," concluding the album
(actually performed better than the band did it), but
this project is more than a souvenir from that act's
founder and lead singer, something much more. It is
Didi Stewart out to prove a point with a vengeance.
1982's Begin Here contained 11 strong compositions and
a great band, somehow missing the mark through
transparent production. The Girls Night Out demo and
subsequent EP suffered from even worse production,
destroying a golden opportunity for all the women
involved to become stars. "Matter of Time" from those
demos hit on local radio and contained the same vital
elements that made 'Til Tuesday's "Voice's Carry" so
special (including similar rhythms). "River of Dreams"
comes back with the power of a 30-foot wave, washing
away the bad feelings caused by the major-label
interest evaporating, and an ex-manager mouthing off
in the press and blaming the star whose voice fed them
all for a couple of years. One can understand why One
True Heart is such a superb disc; it is a triumph,
with Didi Stewart in full control, an elegant cover
photo, marvelous selections, and sound quality this
great singer's voice deserves. C. Franklin's "Ain't No
Way" is a capella, a showcase for Stewart's pipes, a
powerful instrument which floored producer Jimmy
Miller during nightclub appearances when he negotiated
to produce her (GNO guitarist Wendy Sobel worked with
Mr. Miller on three titles, one of the reasons he was
constantly at Girls Night Out performances). The
remarkable songs, vocal prowess, and soul of Diane
Stewart get support on the almost country-pop of her
original, "Still Waters," by New Man's bassist and
drummer, Tim Archibald and Brock Avery. One has to
wonder about the subliminal message here, replacing
the all-girl group who almost got signed with a band
with such a masculine name, New Man, who did sign with
Epic Records. The only member of Stewart's former band
who makes an appearance is Cercie Miller on alto
saxophone for the finale, "When You Were Mine." In
between these grooves the singer covers gospel, Rod
Argent, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, and has a great
time in the process. One True Heart is the product of
an artist who keeps punching against the odds. It's
that true rock & roll spirit which makes One True
Heart such a work of art. With the passion of a great
jazz singer, which she doesnt get credit for, but is,
Stewart tackles Madeira/Dorsey's "I'm Glad There Is
You" as well as Rodgers and Hart's "This Funny World."
Didi Stewart can do it all, and does it all on this 1989 release. That the idea for this album came from executive producer Brian Flood while he and the singer were in the middle of a Polaroid jingle session is just so fitting, just so rock & roll. What developed (it took more than 60 seconds) is a timeless look at a major singer and finally, a true representation of what she's all about.
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THE JONZUN CREW
Down To Earth
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dzfoxqthldfe| Review | by Joe Viglione |
Down to Earth by the Jonzun Crew was originally released on the Tommy Boy label, re-released by A&M, and is now back on Tommy Boy. All confusion aside, this funk/rock/techno album by Michael Jonzun, his former wife Princess Loria, and brothers Soni Jonzun and Maurice Starr is a highly listenable important cornerstone of Boston area music history. "Tonight's the Night" is as melodic as Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus," and as commercial, but Jonzun's work came at least two years prior to Falco. The JC cover the spectrum; "We're Going All the Way" is reshuffled Motown -- the Temptations about to turn into New Kids on the Block. Just a few years after the release of this disc, Starr and Jonzun would unleash NKOTB, the production evolution of their prior discovery, New Edition, with different faces. Here is the sound that was the formula for success. Although Michael Jonzun plays it tongue-in-cheek, this is serious rhythm & blues/pop. A shame that they did not have the opportunity that a Motown or even A&M afforded other acts. Jonzun is every bit as prolific as Prince, and a phenomenal stage performer. "You Got the Lovin'" is crossover pop with jangly guitar and keyboards that crackle. But the vocal work by the Jonzun Crew is truly what set the table for New Kids on the Block, and that vocal work makes the songs come to life. Where Private Lightning on A&M a few years earlier suffered from a less-than-adequate production of a great band -- and could have benefited from Michael Jonzun's skills (just look what he did for Peter Wolf), all the elements for a smash are here. Both record labels involved in Down to Earth had a real masterpiece on their hands, an album that works as a cohesive piece of art, but touches upon many genres. Three tracks, "Redd Hott Mama," "Lovin'," and "Skool Daze" were not on the original Tommy Boy release. "Lovin'" is exquisite R&B: an incessant bed of keys and percussion, with Jonzun's perfect voice gliding over it all. Catchy and smooth. "Mechanism" takes the band into the Kraftwerk world of industrial/dance/techno. For those who wondered why such talented guys would generate the bubblegum that Bobby Brown and the New Edition spawned, all one has to do is look at a record industry that failed to give this essential group the flexibility it deserved, and earned. Billy Loosigian of Atlantic's the Joneses and MCA's Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band adds guitar to "Lovin'," "You Got the Lovin'," "We're Going All the Way," and the rocking "Tonight." "Mechanism" should be blasting on classic hits radio to bring that format some much needed flavor. This record is just waiting for a new audience to discover it. |
Cosmic Love
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:a9foxq95ldae| Review | by Joe Viglione |
The Jonzun Crew's long-awaited fourth album, Cosmic Love, was released on the BMG-distributed Critique label in 1990. Michael Jonzun had -- and still has -- vast archives of songs recorded during this period. Like so many, the very excellent "Baby I Surrender" is not on this collection, but that doesn't stop Cosmic Love from still being an important and highly listenable part of the Jonzun Brothers' history. A band that should have released at least a dozen discs by this point in time, Mission Control Studios owner Michael Jonzun crafted his album over many years, and the precision and care he put into Cosmic Love is obvious from start to finish. The controlled insanity of the band's earlier success is absent, replaced by smooth soul, studied R&B, and no-nonsense funk-rock. The title track shimmers with the vibrations found on the best records by the Commodores, while "Write Me Off" sounds like a direction Stevie Wonder could have chosen. Why the New Kids on the Block weren't brought in to promote this music in TV ads is perplexing -- NKOTB were huge at the time and core fans of Jonzun Crew couldn't wait for their next release. There are ten songs here bookended by a prologue and epilogue, perfectly produced epics culminating in the superb "Wall of Fame." The general public had no idea that this was the co-producer of two hugely popular groups, along with hit recordings by Peter Wolf, and this album drifted into obscurity as one of the best kept secrets in Boston rock & roll. La Vern Baker producer Barry Marshall shows up on guitar, as does Phil Greene from the '70s band Swallow -- there are lots of Boston "underground" names on the disc, yet the band was never embraced by the Boston "critics" and few understood the depth of Jonzun's artistry. "Living in This World" is a nice ballad, while "Playhouse" is powerful dance-funk. The telling moment on the disc, though, the potential hit that never got the attention that it deserved is, as mentioned, the final song, "Wall of Fame." This one tune contains all the finest elements of the Jonzun Crew's best work, and that it didn't take the charts by storm is a sin. "Ordinary Man," "I Do Love You," "Spotlight," "This Time (Let's Talk It Over") could all hit for artists smart enough to seek this material out, but it is at its best when performed by Michael Jonzun. Though Cosmic Love may have a few too many love songs and ballads for fans of the group's earlier hits, "Space Cowboy" and "Pac Jam," it still is an impressive artistic statement, and a beautiful work which deserves a better place in music history. |
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FACE TO FACE CONFRONTATION (1985)
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | Confrontation was the follow-up to the somewhat successful debut by the original Face to Face, and it is unfortunate that it is so faceless. Arthur Baker and Ed Stasium do succeed in turning this rock band into a disco act, Laurie Sargent's beautiful voice becoming a part of the machinery, and that is the great disappointment here. "Shake the World" is difficult to differentiate from "Walk Into the Fire" -- everything is channeled through Baker's incessant dance rhythms. Where "10-9-8" and "Under the Gun" from the first album jumped off that record and made some noise on the Billboard charts, the music on the Confrontation album is trying to be something it's not. The songs are pretty good -- Sargent's co-write, "A Boy Like You," could almost work on a Go-Go's level (or album) if everything wasn't washed in the detergent of the disco mix. The material is good, with none of the greatness of the previous outing, while the production is homogenized and pedestrian. What a shame. Face to Face was signed when Dick Wingate saw the band open for Rick Berlin at the Paradise club in Boston -- Wingate showed up to see Berlin's current version of his band but fell for the first group on the bill. To Wingate's credit, he took Face to Face to Mercury when he left Epic, but A&R men are supposed to do a lot more. They are supposed to find a hit song if the band can't write one, and are there to ensure the production doesn't strip the band of its soul. Wingate failed on those two key points on Confrontation, and so does this album. It works better than the 1986 debut by New Man, but not by much. Both New Man and Confrontation are pretty unmemorable. A waste of Sargent's great rock & roll voice. "Tell Me Why" and "Walk Into the Fire" might have better luck if put in a rock setting, but the original energy of this group got lost in the mechanics of the music biz. Not the first time this happened to talented artists, and it certainly won't be the last. |
ONE BIG DAY 1988
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | As A&R man Dick Wingate moved from Epic/Columbia to Mercury, so too did the band he discovered while scouting Rick Kinscherf's Berlin Airlift. This is a total turnaround, 180 degrees from the dance music that vaulted them into the rock discos with their first album and the phenomenal underground hit "10-9-8." Sure, "A Place Called Home" has its dance drumbeats, but this is a rock band leaning more toward the acoustic rock which would emerge in the '90s, and which lead singer Laurie Sargent would embrace. But here's the problem with major labels: The album is so impressive it should have guaranteed this Face to Face another three or four opportunities to stretch out and find themselves a national audience. With immaculate production from Anton Fier, the band has more of a groove than they ever had on Confrontation and their first effort for Epic, Face to Face. Third time's a charm, and this is one of the most fantastic-sounding unknown records you will ever find -- many people don't even know it exists and there's probably a good reason for that. Nothing on here is catchy enough to be a hit single. "Change in the Wind" is indicative of the fine music that flows from beginning to end, with very little dynamics. Everything moves with a sameness -- well crafted, well executed, but no surprises, no highs, no lows. "Never Had a Reason," written by Stu Kimball, Sargent, and Angelo, is seductive and calculated. Where a famous band like Bread would put a couple of masterpieces that hit on a decent album like Guitar Man, or a cult band like the U.K. group Sutherland Brothers & Quiver will put a very respectable album together featuring underground classics which keep the chat rooms buzzing about essential music, this Boston band, Face to Face, delivered a professional collection of ten tunes which went nowhere. What they needed to do was put a cover or two to on One Big Day to get them out of their formula -- Didi Stewart's "Matter of Time" or Jon Butcher's "Life Takes a Life" or Willie Alexander's "You Looked So Pretty When" could have easily fit on this album and perhaps catapulted it into the charts. The band was familiar with those figures who were performing in the same environment with them -- the '80s Boston scene, and an extraordinary song was the key ingredient missing from this listenable and very slick project. Of all these originals, "I Believe in You" had the best shot. |
THE RINGS on AMG http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=THE|RINGS&sql=11:jpfixq95ldhe~T2
THE RINGS 1980
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | The self-titled debut album from The Rings had everything going for it: great production by the band, management by New England promotion guy Al Perry, putting them in the same envious position held by the Cars, representation by a guy who knew all the right radio people, and excellent songwriting by everyone in the group. Comparisons to the Cars are obvious, but Michael Baker shared the limelight with bassist Bob Gifford and lead guitarist Mark Sutton. Maybe the problem with selling the group was their lack of image. The album cover, a pink hula hoop descending on a swimming pool, may not have been as exciting as the rings of Saturn, and the photos of drummer Matt Thurber and the rest of the group are so plain that they mislead. The band is closer to Devo in style, but the Rings' eclectic pop was far more commercial. From the sounds of the last track "Third Generation" and its psychedelic Harry Belafonte riff, to the magnetism of the first track, "Opposites Attract," this band had everything going for it. "I Need Strange" is the quintessential anthem for men on the prowl; "Got My Wish" is a stunner, a pop tune that pulls you into its space; and "Watch You Break" is just tremendous with infectious music and lyrics. Was it MCA that couldn't deliver superstardom for these guys? Or was it just bad luck that made for only two major-label releases and no national spotlight? They had a local following, and from the basic rock & roll of "My Kinda Girl" -- almost an answer to the Real Kids "All Kinda Girls" -- to "Who's She Dancing With," the Rings pretty much cover the musical spectrum of rock without doing a ballad. "I Need Strange" is the Cars doing an up-tempo "Moving in Stereo" -- just terrific. There's not a bad track on this album and it is such a shame that they came and went like a great web page you try to save, but it's gone before you know it. |
RHYTHM METHOD THE RINGS 1981
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | With a better image on the back cover photo than the pictures in the previous album -- and a dreadful front cover drawing by Larry Blamire -- the wonderful Rings lean more toward Roxy Music meets Herman's Hermits on their second album released the same year as their first. "Uh Oh (Here I Go Again)" is a very clever sequel to "Let Me Go," their minor hit from the first LP, and sounding nothing like the first disc. The progression on this album is amazing considering how quickly it followed on the heels of the self-titled debut. "Take the Chance" is Split Enz meets the Ventures, these guys mop riffs right and left, but they key is, they know where to lift, and when. More cohesive than albums released in the same time period by the Atlantics on ABC, Willie Alexander also on MCA, Robin Lane on Warner Bros., Private Lighting on A&M, and the Nervous Eaters on Elektra, the Rings have the benefit of their own production skills, their fate squarely in their own hands. They overcame the production curse that imploded all the aforementioned groups' efforts, but, despite that plus, this superb music just never caught on. Michael Baker's "Talk Back" equals his work on the first album, but nothing here achieved the regional airplay in New England like the Rings' debut. This project is crisp, the vocals are on target, and the band captured something at the Record Plant in New York which many of their peers could not -- the performance of their live energy to the studio recordings. "Love's Not Safe" is quirky pop that works, and the title track truly experimental, but the material is not as explosive as their brilliant debut. Still, it's top-shelf stuff. The Rhythm Method and the previous outing, The Rings, would make a nice retrospective combined on one CD. Innovative music that somehow escaped attention. |
Face To Face 1984
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | With help from dance producer Arthur Baker and Rings musician Michael Baker, Face to Face craft their first and best of three albums (four, if you include the Streets Of Fire soundtrack). There's nothing like a hit record, and "10-9-8" is a great hit, though nationally it failed to make the Top 20 and hovered in the 30 range of chart action, it follows "Under the Gun" on side two in terrific fashion. "10-9-8" is a mesmerizing song with little nicks from Chic's 1979 tune "I Want Your Love"; it has groove, passion, and solid production work from Arthur Baker. Though Jimmy Iovine, Gordon Perry, and Michael Baker produce four of the songs, it is the two by Arthur Baker which resonate loud and clear. That probably led to Baker's producing eight of the ten tracks with Ed Stasium on the follow-up album, Confrontation, an album which had three producers and Bob Clearmountain mixing, but no songs as memorable as the three noted in this review from the band's debut. Michael Baker adds his Rings magic on "Don't Talk Like That," the rock & roll which would evaporate on subsequent albums cutting through the electronic drums. Though "Out of My Hands" opens up the self-titled Face to Face disc with power and intensity, the basic problem that haunted this band is the thin rhythm section -- poor William Beard hardly sounds like he's playing on the vinyl, and John Ryder's bass doesn't have the Jack Bruce bottom needed to add some color to the magical sounds Angelo and Stu Kimball weave around Laurie Sargent's excellent gritty voice. She helps "Out of My Hands" rise above its limitations. "Face in Front of Mine" might be the best song on side one. It borrows heavily from Fleetwood Mac's "Sarah," which came out five years earlier. "All Because of You" and "Pictures of You" suffer when Sargent's not fronting -- it was like Janis Joplin taking a back seat to Big Brother & the Holding Company on the first Mainstream album -- when you've got a Sinatra who wants to hear the opening act? If anything, the semi-duets and male vocals really prove it was Laurie Sargent's show. The strengths of this album are the hits, "Under the Gun" and "10-9-8," especially when Laurie Sargent goes into high gear. "Face in Front of Mine" is a close third -- and the album and band should have caught on. To find another group taking their trademark years later says something about how music isn't always treated as the art that it is.
CONFRONTATION 1985
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | Confrontation was the follow-up to the somewhat successful debut by the original Face to Face, and it is unfortunate that it is so faceless. Arthur Baker and Ed Stasium do succeed in turning this rock band into a disco act, Laurie Sargent's beautiful voice becoming a part of the machinery, and that is the great disappointment here. "Shake the World" is difficult to differentiate from "Walk Into the Fire" -- everything is channeled through Baker's incessant dance rhythms. Where "10-9-8" and "Under the Gun" from the first album jumped off that record and made some noise on the Billboard charts, the music on the Confrontation album is trying to be something it's not. The songs are pretty good -- Sargent's co-write, "A Boy Like You," could almost work on a Go-Go's level (or album) if everything wasn't washed in the detergent of the disco mix. The material is good, with none of the greatness of the previous outing, while the production is homogenized and pedestrian. What a shame. Face to Face was signed when Dick Wingate saw the band open for Rick Berlin at the Paradise club in Boston -- Wingate showed up to see Berlin's current version of his band but fell for the first group on the bill. To Wingate's credit, he took Face to Face to Mercury when he left Epic, but A&R men are supposed to do a lot more. They are supposed to find a hit song if the band can't write one, and are there to ensure the production doesn't strip the band of its soul. Wingate failed on those two key points on Confrontation, and so does this album. It works better than the 1986 debut by New Man, but not by much. Both New Man and Confrontation are pretty unmemorable. A waste of Sargent's great rock & roll voice. "Tell Me Why" and "Walk Into the Fire" might have better luck if put in a rock setting, but the original energy of this group got lost in the mechanics of the music biz. Not the first time this happened to talented artists, and it certainly won't be the last. |
ONE BIG DAY 1988
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | As A&R man Dick Wingate moved from Epic/Columbia to Mercury, so too did the band he discovered while scouting Rick Kinscherf's Berlin Airlift. This is a total turnaround, 180 degrees from the dance music that vaulted them into the rock discos with their first album and the phenomenal underground hit "10-9-8." Sure, "A Place Called Home" has its dance drumbeats, but this is a rock band leaning more toward the acoustic rock which would emerge in the '90s, and which lead singer Laurie Sargent would embrace. But here's the problem with major labels: The album is so impressive it should have guaranteed this Face to Face another three or four opportunities to stretch out and find themselves a national audience. With immaculate production from Anton Fier, the band has more of a groove than they ever had on Confrontation and their first effort for Epic, Face to Face. Third time's a charm, and this is one of the most fantastic-sounding unknown records you will ever find -- many people don't even know it exists and there's probably a good reason for that. Nothing on here is catchy enough to be a hit single. "Change in the Wind" is indicative of the fine music that flows from beginning to end, with very little dynamics. Everything moves with a sameness -- well crafted, well executed, but no surprises, no highs, no lows. "Never Had a Reason," written by Stu Kimball, Sargent, and Angelo, is seductive and calculated. Where a famous band like Bread would put a couple of masterpieces that hit on a decent album like Guitar Man, or a cult band like the U.K. group Sutherland Brothers & Quiver will put a very respectable album together featuring underground classics which keep the chat rooms buzzing about essential music, this Boston band, Face to Face, delivered a professional collection of ten tunes which went nowhere. What they needed to do was put a cover or two to on One Big Day to get them out of their formula -- Didi Stewart's "Matter of Time" or Jon Butcher's "Life Takes a Life" or Willie Alexander's "You Looked So Pretty When" could have easily fit on this album and perhaps catapulted it into the charts. The band was familiar with those figures who were performing in the same environment with them -- the '80s Boston scene, and an extraordinary song was the key ingredient missing from this listenable and very slick project. Of all these originals, "I Believe in You" had the best shot. |
RUBBER RODEO SCENIC VIEWS 1984
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Bauhaus/Echo & the Bunnymen/Modern English producer/engineer Hugh Jones was brought aboard for the major-label debut of Boston's Rubber Rodeo, a group that had released music on Eat Records — an imprint owned by its manager, Don Rose. And Jones gave the group that glossy dance-oriented slick British sound. The problem is that guitarist/vocalist Bob Holmes (a different fellow from Til Tuesday guitarist Robert Holmes) and vocalist/keyboardist Trish Milliken don't have the personalities to bring the performances home. Though it is a sound Aimee Mann had success with (even utilizing Til Tuesday engineer William Garrett), that essential element — a quirky presence beyond the music — is absent. Their regional contemporaries, New Man, Down Avenue, and November Group all suffered the same dilemma and all met with limited success. The song "The Hardest Thing," which leads off side two, was remixed by Jones for a 45-rpm 12" extended from three minutes and 15 seconds to four and a half minutes, in what they called a "s-t-r-e-t-c-h-m-i-x," but despite the merits found in the execution and attitude the music was as plastic as the name. Manager Rose went on to create Rykodisc, an international label that caused a splash by reissuing the catalogs of David Bowie and Frank Zappa; the inclusion of even one of those personalities is the missing ingredient that could have lifted this perfectly played music to another level. "Need You Need Me" is exactly what the latter-day Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship would give the world in the 1990s, uptempo folksy rock with guy/girl voices, only here it is with a snappy dance beat. Of course, had a decent song like "Slow Me Down" found itself beaten into listeners' consciousness day after day on the radio waves, the result would have been an entirely different story. Another Boston group, Face to Face, did get its 15 minutes with this formula, and despite the derivative nature, Scenic Views is still a listenable and interesting effort. |
HEARTBREAK HIGHWAY 1986 Rubber Rodeo
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | What are the chances that two guitarists named Robert Holmes would be in two signed bands from Boston in the 1980s? Rubber Rodeo's Bob Holmes had a sound not dissimilar from Til Tuesday's Robert Holmes, and with Ziggy Stardust producer/engineerKen Scott aboard for the second album, Heartbreak Highway, Rubber Rodeo had a more defined presentation and better material than what was found on the group's first Mercury disc, Scenic Views. Scott worked with Devo in 1979, and hit with Missing Persons' "Destination Unknown" and "Words" as well as Kansas' "Play the Game Tonight" in 1982, some sterling credentials to enhance this fine effort from New England's band with the strange name, Rubber Rodeo. Departing steel guitarist Mark Tomeo had some rather harsh words for Scott's production talents, but that work holds up and — as stated — works much better this second time around than the highly derivative project that came before it. Trish Milliken sounds more like Girls Night Out'sDidi Stewart here, and delivers a terrific song that should have been a smash — "If You're Ever Alone." Written by the singer and her partner, Bob Holmes, it is simply tremendous. The cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" opens with a bit of that "water guitar" sound Vinnie Bell put on Ferrante & Teicher's "Midnight Cowboy" theme. The rendition is interesting, again giving the band a slight British flavor. Followed by "Souvenir" — a duet between the two front people — there are three strong moments here that prove the band was heading in the right direction. It's too bad that they were on a real-life "heartbreak highway," because it was coming together on this disc and Scott helped put the material in the right setting. "When Words Collide" continues the intensity and, though the band still feels like an amalgam of what was going on in the Boston scene at the time, influences from local bands Til Tuesday and the Maps to Mr. Curt's Pastiche generously finding their way into the grooves, the album proves to be a valuable albeit forgotten effort from a group that gave it a good go. The final track, "Maybe Next Year," has that hopeful optimism that the band as a whole needed — the sentiment an unfulfilled wish as this episode brought it to a close. But it's still fine stuff. |
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THE ATLANTICS BIG CITY ROCK
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | The Atlantics were a highly entertaining and popular club band in the 1970's Boston scene. The local radio shows gave them hit after hit, most notably a tape "Pop Shivers" and a tremendous 45 rpm "Lonely Hearts," which Gary Private had a minor hit with after the fact, but neither title is on this ABC Records debut. Manager Fred Munao's wife Susan Munao was busy managing Donna Summer, and the difference between solid vocalist Summer's string of hit singles and this band with so much potential is the fact that lead singer Bobby Marron was OK, just not good enough. Add that to the fact that this recording, produced by John Stronach, sounds strained, and the reason they failed to chart becomes obvious. Fred Pineau's guitar licks are certainly electric enough, but as Elliot Easton of the Cars was never allowed to do on record what fans saw him do in the same nightclubs where the Atlantics performed, Pineau also is used here as a solid rhythm, his leads limited, not allowed to pour his inventive guitar blasts all over these pop tunes. Jolts that the songs need. Founding member and co-songwriter Jeff Locke left this band to form UXB, a formidable pop unit with precise vocals and songs that hit the mark; but Locke left the nest with no professional guidance, so outside of some college radio success, UXB went nowhere, and the Atlantics minus Locke, even touring with Roxy Music or opening for Alice Cooper, couldn't bring titles like "I Can't Help It" to the masses. When You're Young has that David Bowie groove from "Boys Keep Swinging," but the Atlantics can't break out of the pop constraints, nor do they push the envelope beyond their self-imposed limitations. "Modern Times Girl" has the elements, but the production fails to pull it off. It needed a touch of grunge, a little electricity, and to stop being so cutesy. The record feels as forced as the photographs on the front and back of the album cover, and that was not what the Atlantics were about onstage. Perhaps a best-of live album would've been a better shot for the band. This album misses the bull's-eye by a few yards. The cover of Martha & the Vandellas Top Ten hit "Nowhere to Run" does just that — it goes nowhere. Rather than be creative and add to the legacy of that tune, the band zips through it like a bad cover act. "Waiting for My Baby" might've been a hit had Martha Reeves covered this rather than the Atlantics re-recording her music. And the rest of side two descends into a redundant recycling of the same thin production and Marron's pretentious voice. The band had lots of heart, but they should have studied ABBA, the Beatles, and even their local peers, the Cars, to really make a go at the brass ring. For their years of apprenticeship and success in Boston, to deliver this to their fans is a major, major disappointment. With the tragic death of B.Wilkinson, a reunion may be impossible. Finding great live tapes of their finest moments may be in order. |
GARY PRIVATE SECRET LOVE 1983
Not from Boston but he hit with "Lonely Hearts" and was produced by Bostonian Fred Munao
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | Gary Private sounds like John Mellencamp if he went dance. His four originals were produced by Select Records owner Fred Munao (ex-husband of Donna Summer's manager, Susan Munao), and they have a certain charm, though the title track on Secret Love, which garnered much attention, is a remake of the song "Lonely Hearts." "Lonely Hearts" was a huge Boston hit by the Atlantics, a band managed by Munao. After their major-label debut fizzled, Tom Hauck of the Atlantics composed what should have been an international hit (yet another reason major labels should nurture acts and give them the opportunity to get to the next level). The original 45 rpm version is on Rhino's D.I.Y.: Mass. Ave.: The Boston Scene (1979-83) disc, but this remake has crisper production and heavier drums, and was released on Atlantic Records. The title track, "Secret Love," opens with Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science" keyboards by Kenni Hairston and cool guitar blasts from Elliott Randall. A version of "Don't Go Walking in the Dark" features Kenny Aaronson from Stories and Dust on bass. It's a driving pop number with a great hook. He still sounds like John Cougar if he went dance, though, with Van Halen-style keyboards and interesting sound effects from producer Munao. "Caught up in Los Angeles" is a heavy ballad with vivid lyrics splashing in a hot tub, "just friends in a Mercedes Benz." Private is more fun than Mellencamp because he doesn't take it all so seriously. Nifty modulation in "Caught up in Los Angeles," too, and where Fred Munao and the Atlantics missed the mark with that band's major-label disc, the producer and Gary Private pull it off here on these originals. Having a member of Stories performing on a regional classic like "Lonely Hearts" is a nice touch, but the vocal cops the original when Private should have just been himself. It's what the song needed. Fred Pineau's blistering solo from the original can't be duplicated by Robert Mache here, and the keyboard/drum segment goes on a bit too long, but the song still has that something special, and this version is worth hearing. "Waiting for You" ends the EP, and again Private displays instincts that eluded Billy Falcon and other contenders. Secret Love is listenable stuff and gets an A for effort. |
Elliot Easton Change, No Change
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Elliot Easton is a truly gifted and totally underrated guitarist. His talents were not utilized to the fullest in the Cars, nor should he be sprucing up covers of John Fogerty tunes in a clone band, Creedence Clearwater Revisited. With an opportunity to help his own cause, Change No Change disappoints on many levels. Easton is a terrible vocalist and listening to "I Want You" is downright painful for fans who saw and heard notes sparkle out of his axe prior to the Cars getting signed. This was Easton's opportunity to be recognized as a Phil Manzanera, Alvin Lee, or Craig Chaquico, but instead of using the "Tools of Your Labor," to quote the first song on his disc, and making a statement, he tries to be something he is not. Where Michael Bruce of Alice Cooper fell into the same trap, failing to entertain by coming up with something as genuine and innovative as the group that brought him fame, Easton at least presents elements of why his sound was such an important component of the Cars' success. Both "The Hard Way" and "Fight My Way to Love" have clever ideas and passages that cry out for someone to sing them and bring these songs to life. Why have Jules Shear merely provide backing vocals when you have the bassist from Ministry and the Cars' guitarist all in one talent pool? "Shayla," "Help Me," and "(She Made It) New for Me" are Nick Lowe/Ian Gomm-style pop songs with Easton doing his best imitation of Elvis Costello. Where Greg Hawkes put together a distinctive and classy solo outing with Niagra Falls, his former bandmate forces it on songs like "Wide Awake," sounding like Brian Wilson propped up in front of the mic when he should have been in a hospital. Rhino has released this with five additional tracks but, like Easton's guitar skills, this album needed a chance to shine. It's too bad Easton didn't bring in different singers and have some fun, for at least this record shows more creativity than playing "Proud Mary" in a cover band. It's better than the Spiders From Mars disc after they were ejected from the David Bowie experience, but for a man this talented, Change No Change is a big letdown. |
GREG HAWKES NIAGRA FALLS 1983
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Greg Hawkes titled his solo album after the bit in the Three Stooges television program, "Niagra Falls, slowly I turn, step by step." A futuristic city on a computer grid in glowing white graces the cover, sort of like a scene from the film The Thirteenth Floor. This is a true solo album, most of the ambitious sounds being generated by Hawkes, with additional flutes on "Voyage Into Space" performed by Elaine Hawkes. His unique vision was one of the most important components of the Cars' success, and the mellow nuances of "The Missing Link" display those strengths apart from the full group. Where a Brian Eno approached his role in Roxy Music from the perspective of a "non-musician," Greg Hawkes is a very gifted and focused player, whether it be adding saxophone to Martin Mull recordings or finding his keyboard creativity desired by acts as diverse as Letters to Cleo, producer/keyboardist Andy Mendelson, bandmates Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr from the Cars on their solo projects, or Sir Paul McCartney. Niagara Falls exhibits just why he's in demand, over ten tracks recorded at Syncro Sound, the official home base of the Cars in the 1980s, starting with the ambience of the title track. Bouncy space age sounds decorate the techno "Jet Lag", with Hawkes' sporadic vocals and cool guitar adding a nice touch and separating this from the other compositions. He also provides some vocals on "Voyage Into Space," though this is primarily an instrumental record. It is as enjoyable as Roxy Music sax player Andy McKay's In Search of Eddie Riff, both men utilizing their respective albums to entertain. "Let There Be Lights" is a ballad with eerie background sounds that would lend themselves well to a Star Trek episode. There's no "Love Is Blue" or "Frankenstein" instrumental "hit," nor does that seem to be the intent, although if "Let There Be Lights" got into a movie soundtrack, maybe it could pull a Hugo Montenegro for the Cars' keyboard player. Hawkes has recorded similar material with videographer Jeff Hudson of the band Jeff & Jane. Those songs have accompanying videos and would be welcome additions to an expanded version of Niagara Falls on CD. |
JEFF & JANE ZETA BREW
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | The original Rentals who mutated into the Manhattan Project are Jane Hudson and Jeff Hudson, and to those who followed their creative punk rumblings like "Elephants" and "Gertrude Stein" or the electricity of Manhattan Project, Zeta Brew will surprise. This is unplugged punk, "Green" a definite folk tune as is "I'm Free." "My Snake," on the other hand, starts off mellow and descends wonderfully into the denser complexities this husband and wife team are known for. "Out of a Dream" brings the listener to another world Jeff Hudson utilizing the sounds found on his videos produced with Cars keyboard player Greg Hawkes. That ethereal type journey is an immediate favorite on Zeta Brew, the material recorded at home on a Mac 8180 AV & Deck 2.5. The liquid guitar blends nicely with the quagmire keyboards while Jane's vocal is more inquisitive than the bold authority found on Rentals recordings. Jane Hudson gave All Media Guide some insight into this disc:
"Zeta Brew" ... grew out of an acoustic set that we performed in the mid-'90's and includes some blues songs sung by our brother-in-law, John Wilson, who played bass with us then. This was a fairly short-lived incarnation, but was sort of neo-psychedelic in tone. We were feeling somewhat spacey, sort of mellow, and a little old! But it did concern ecological and psychological issues." Jane said "it wasn't quite time for the Jeff and Jane power revival" that they employed in 2001, 2002. Three tunes from Zeta Brew made it to their sets in the new millennium: "E-Child," "Victory" and "Trees on Fire." John Wilson definitely adds a bluesy vocal to the sludge sludge guitar/drum on "Change It Soon," kind of like Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green fronting The Sex Pistols and forcing them to bring the tempo down. "Ya Say" is a fun way to end the CD with some upbeat minimal pop. More information on this artsy and important duo can be found on: http://world.std.com/jhudson.music.html. |
PETER DAYTON PETER DAYTON
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Boston music fans lament the late punk power trio La Peste, but much more enjoyable to many fans' ears was original frontman Peter Dayton's pop music, as encouraged by the Cars' leader Ric Ocasek and scenester Digney Dignus — before the manager morphed into his singer incarnation as Digney Fignus. Smash Easy, the Bethel, ME based label, collects 14 of Dayton's works, has venerable engineer Ted St. Pierre digitally remaster the material, and a true gift to fans of New England music finds its way to the worldwide marketplace. Flower images from the songwriter's www.PeterDayton.com site are utilized on the front cover while inside his classic composition "Last Supper" finds re-release. As released on Richard Perry's Planet Records label in 1980, it was one of two tracks on the Sharp Cuts compilation to be produced by Ric Ocasek. "Last Supper" closes out this CD debut of Peter Dayton with 13 other performances — including the entire Love at First Sight EP with its catchy title track as well as the mesmerizing "Stuck on the Same Refrain" and a solo reworking of "Skin Tight" from his La Peste repertoire. Rather than emulate the riveting La Peste spitfire vocal approach, Dayton does a 180 and sounds like Lou Reed circa his 1972 solo album debut. Years later, the eponymous Peter Dayton disc actually sounds like a sequel to Reed's first solo LP! Sure, "Perfect Wave" with its Ventures-meets-the Surfaris-meets-the Cramps will throw you for a loop, as will the highly experimental "Orchids & Gold," which is more like an outtake from the Velvet Underground's VU. Come to think of it, that's where "Last Supper" sounds like it comes from, too, Ric Ocasek being a total devotee of Reed as well when he's not in his Ocasek/Cars frontman mode. Mike Baker of Boston's the Rings also contributes production work and on CD, all of this material survives quite well and is compelling far beyond its obscurity. |
CONNIE ST. PIERRE
BETWEEN THE BRANCHES LEGEND OF THE WILD
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Ted St. Pierre and his wife, Conni St. Pierre, owned the Electro Acoustic recording facility in the heart of Boston during the 1970s. Perhaps the sight of drag queens battling it out in front of their work place as the night creatures spilled out of the notorious club Jacques sent a message to the couple, so they set up shop in Bethel, ME, with their Outlook facility. Between the Branches, Legends of the Wild by Conni St. Pierre is as peaceful as a mountain stream and captures the soulful quiet of nature on all 16 of the very studied tracks. A lovely poem inside the CD jacket notes that "the flute was once a green living thing/Drinking in the rainwater," but transformed, the "wand" now receives its wind and water from the one working the instrument. The playing is superb, and the imagery of the titles helps give shape for the listener's mind to grasp the wordless poetry and cascading sound. "Loon Songs" is stark and solitary with the musings of the artist and less instrumentation. The husband-and-wife team has worked for many years with Willie "Loco" Alexander on his spoken-word projects as well as his highly experimental Solo Loco on New Rose/R.C.A.. The creative atmosphere they sought miles away from the bustle of a major city lends itself well to these sound impressions of their home in the wilds of Maine. Between the Branches, Legends of the Wild is very peaceful music generated by people who understand the balance of life, and it is an exhilarating listening experience. |
LA PESTE V.2.0.
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Thematically, La Peste, a name most likely lifted from the 1947 novel by Albert Camus, is as dark as the translation of their moniker, meaning "the Plague" in French. The power trio, as fronted by Peter Dayton, had a substantial cult following and a true buzz on the scene. When Dayton left to write melancholy pop songs à la Lou Reed the band continued à la the post-Reed Velvet Underground. Stepping into those big shoes was Steve Kalinosky (aka Ian Blast of the Mott the Hoople-inspired band Crash Street Kids). Where Crash Street Kids had the synthesizer of Lord Manuel Smith (an artist backed up by La Peste on one 45 rpm), in this revamped La Peste format Kalinosky had a chance to have a more prominent platform in the clubs. The result is rather impressive and — if not up to Dayton's original vision — Ian Blast certainly does a better job than Doug Yule on Squeeze or even the Blushing Brides — a Rolling Stones tribute band — on their eponymous original composition LP. With the late Roger Tripp on drums and bass from Mark Karl (nee Andreasson), the band and redoubtable producer Ted St. Pierre craft an intelligent and highly enjoyable collection of tunes. It might sound kind of absurd to those outside of the Boston music community to think a group which only had a 45 rpm and a handful of demos would get a new life, not only with live tapes emerging, but with a bona fide followup band featuring a new frontman. Here's the striking thing: songs like "New Heart" and "Army of Apathy" work quite well on their own and, if they didn't have to stand in the shadow of Peter Dayton, they would've certainly made more of a mark. "Acid Test" has a throbbing trademark La Peste bassline and the same sensibilities that made the band so intriguing in the first place. To be even more fair, they survive much more substantially than the Spiders from Mars sans Bowie and the group Billion Dollar Babies post Alice Cooper. Dare it be said, though Big Brother & the Holding Company is phenomenal live to this day decades after the passing of Janis Joplin, the V.2.0 CD works better than Big Brother's Do What You Love outing from 1999. When you think of it, La Peste in their V.2.0 mode did creatively what only the post-Diana Ross Supremes pulled off: they were able to continue the sound and spirit of what was originally created with a highly talented and magnetic character who decided to move on. Maybe Steve Kalinosky didn't have the strong persona in interviews and with the media, but he had the chops and the songwriting skills. Perhaps had they called the group "La Blaste" and let him stand out more these tapes wouldn't have languished in the vaults for years. La Peste fans can be proud of these lost studio recordings and the rest of the world will find them interesting and enjoyable at the very least. |
JOHN LINCOLN WRIGHT HONKY TONK VERITE
(see Beacon Street Union)
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | | Thom Owens wrote that Honky Tonk Verite is "a rip-roaring set of neo-traditional country recorded live in the studio over the course of one night." "Horizon Line" starts the CD off with a little of Ringo Starr's vocal styling from the Beatles' version of "Act Naturally" in a tune about a relationship running out of steam with no one to blame. It's a dramatic departure from the rock & roll of Wright's '60s Boston band, the Beacon Street Union; this is authentic country music that would make Olivia Newton-John or Kenny Rogers envious. The Sour Mash Boys provide a solid backup for John Lincoln Wright's focus, and "Too Many Nights on the Town" could be a wonderful Eagles crossover hit; it's even got a touch of England Dan & John Ford Coley. Sparkling guitars and a tight rhythm allow Matt Leavenworth's fiddle to shine on "The Ballad of Frank & Pearl," while it absolutely sizzles on "You Could You Would You Will" at the album's midpoint. The 14 songs were all composed by John Lincoln Wright, with only "Too Old to Die Young Now" being co-written with George Shambroom. Recorded on February 16, 1991, with Darleen Wilson overseeing the production, there's a dreamy atmosphere surrounding the lyrics and vocals to "Lovin' in the Morning," Wright being adept at both. Everything on the album works and one wonders that had this type of material found release on MGM during the Bosstown sound era, what kind superstar would John Lincoln Wright have been during the '70s and '80s? The liner notes explain how he switched to country circa 1972 and lists some of the big names he performed with. Former Girls Night Out drummer Kathy Burkly easily makes the transition from the light rock of her popular '80s band to adding her country talents as an honorary Sour Mash Boy. Released on Lincoln Records, the effort didn't have major-label money or promotion behind it, and that's the pity here. Honky Tonk Verite is a work of art from a veteran performer.
THE JONESES
Ex members of The Road Apples, Willie "Loco" Alexander's Boom Boom Band Everything Changes E.P. (release before HARD, the Atlantic Records release) - I was managing Mission Control studio in 1988, Westford, Massachusetts, and Michael Jonzun had recorded sessions with THE JONESES that never saw the light of day.
EVERYTHING CHANGES
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| Review | by Joe Viglione | When you take the guitarist from Willie Alexander's Boom Boom Band, Billy Loosigian; the bassist from Ministry, Brad Hallen; and the singer/songwriter from the Road Apples, who wrote songs for Peter Frampton and others, Dave Finnerty, it is hard to conceive that the mix would end up sounding like Bad Company. But it does. The Joneses, prior to both their recordings with New Kids on the Block producer Michael Jonzun and their signing with Atlantic Records, are here on this very exotic/psychedelic-looking black-and-white EP featuring a '60s-type chick on the cover with a cigarette dangling from her mouth. The ragged gents on the back are definitely not MTV lookers, but they know how to rock. These great musicians lack identity here, though, not only on the cover, but in the music, and that is the pity about Everything Changes -- on paper it looked like a winner. Four years prior to this, David Finnerty and Billy Loosigian released "I'll Come Back" with their group, the Jackals, on the Playboy talent search's nationally distributed Street Rock compilation (on Nightlife, not Playboy Records). That group, with another Willie Alexander alum, Brandy Pritchard, gave an indication of the shape of things to come. "Steppin' Out" here is sold album rock, but Finnerty's personality gets lost in the two-dimensional sound of these regional veterans. The internal struggles the Boom Boom Band had over Willie Alexander's quirky personality (they allegedly wanted him to be more mainstream when his eccentricities were what made them so special) materialize as the drawback here. It is so nondescript that the EP is of value only because three of the individuals on this achieved moments of greatness elsewhere. Even "Bollweevil Stomp," borrowing from the Jimmy Page songbook, melts into the woodwork. It's a record you want so much to like, and there's nothing wrong with it, there's just nothing great about it either. |
Discography
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BOSTON DOES THE BEATLES
with Rick Berlin, Didi Stewart
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ttp://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Boston%20Does%20the%20Beatles:1921471656
EXPERT RATING:
From AMG Reviews
This enormous project was coordinated by the crew who would go on to do a single-disc tribute to Mick and Keith entitled Boston Gets Stoned but, where that album was inconsistent, the 31 tracks here make for a cohesive unit and compelling history of Boston music circa 1988. In his usual deranged fashion, A.J.Wachtel, cousin of guitarist Waddy Wachtel, allegedly lined a hundred bands up for this (same as with Boston Gets Stoned) -- an admirable but implausible goal. Michail Glassman and the late Mickey O'Halloran pulled the reins in on A.J. and, in doing so, helped to realize important versions of Beatles tunes by some Boston artists who obtained major-label deals at different points in time. Berlin Airlift's "Eleanor Rigby" is stunning, and one of their finest moments; Girls Night Out vocalist Didi Stewart, herself a former Kirshner/CBS recording artist, delivers a wonderful "You're Gonna Lose That Guy," changing the gender. Barry Cowsill of the legendary Rhode Island band the Cowsills was making the scene in the late '80s, and he contributes "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey." Powerglide delivers a pretty good "Revolution," but their mainstream leanings make them a little out of place here, and not as hip as the Barry Cowsill madness that follows them. There is so much activity covering the songs of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison that the novelty can wear off. All This and World War II, music executive Russ Regan's vision for a double-LP compilation of major acts performing songs of the Beatles, and Brad Delp, lead vocalist from the band Boston, who tours the region with the Beatles cover band Beatlejuice when he's not performing with Tom Scholz, provide two examples of the success that can be achieved when emulating this popular music. This collection on an obscure and tiny Boston record label actually deserves a place in history as one of the better Beatles collections. Sure, One Four Five isn't Aerosmith covering "I'm Down," but the sheer volume of scenemakers documented by covering familar music, and doing it so well, makes Boston Does the Beatles a real treasure. Mr. Curt's Camaraderie released its exotic version of "It's Only Love" on Curt's solo CD, and other tracks may resurface as the artists see fit, but it would be a shame for this remarkable look at the Fab Four by an important music community to just fade away. Worth seeking out.
- Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jcfpxql0ld6eTHE NERVOUS EATERS 1980
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kxfixqr5ld0eNervous Eaters is a very good record on its own. That producer
Harry Maslin did not know what to do with the band is an understatement. "By Yourself," the second track on their 1980 debut, is exquisite pop/rock by a band that wrote a classic underground riff rock anthem, "Degenerate," not on this recording. The fan base in Boston that launched "Dream On" for
Aerosmith never had the opportunity to get behind the Nervous Eaters' Elektra debut. Sure,
Steve Cataldo authored all the songs, and rumor has it, he gave up the gig as guitarist for
Lou Reed to do this record. Rumor also has it that
Ric Ocasek of
the Cars produced a ten-song demo that got the ear of Elektra.
The Eaters were managed by former
Cars manager
Fred Lewis. "No Sleep Tonight" is closer to Sire artist
the Paley Brothers, and
Jonathan Paley joined the band in time for this album. His brother, producer
Andy Paley, who put
Madonna on the
Dick Tracy soundtrack, guest stars here, as does
Rolling Stones' keyboard player, the late
Nicky Hopkins, and legendary guitarist
Steve Cropper on the song "No Time." This is an amazing example of a band honing its craft in the trenches of a regional music scene, and doing an about face for their record label and producer. That they pulled it off musically is a testament to the skills of drummer
Jeff Wilkinson and bassist
Robb Skeen along with
Paley and the great rock & roll voice of
Steve Cataldo. Their classic "mellow" tune, "Last Chance," gets sped up by
Maslin. It is OK, but nowhere near the majesty of the demo tapes that got the band attention in the first place. "Loretta," "Get Stuffed," and "Girl Next Door" are R-rated and lovingly sexist. But
the Eaters' people knew and loved were a gritty, down and dirty Boston band.
Cataldo's jangly guitar is not up in the mix enough, his wonderful axe underlines buoy the songs, but are downplayed. They were
the Rolling Stones of Boston, and this album sounds like the group trying to be --
The Eagles, or, dare it be said,
the Hollies. The hard rocking, riff-blasting, tongue-in-cheek rock band created a long-player with tunes that fall somewhere between
the Ronettes and
the Four Seasons. When you expect a band to crunch with the enthusiasm of
Mott the Hoople and hear pure pop, it is culture shock. This album is kind of like dressing
Charles Manson up like Mother Theresa. The pervert lyrics that made them famous regionally are replaced by something else. The verdict on the album? Surprisingly, like
Farrenheit, released on Warners in 1987, the disc works despite being a slight misrepresentation of the artist. It is still
Steve Cataldo writing and singing "Walkout"; there are 12 songs from a prolific Boston artist.
