50SHR #45: 8084 (Vermont)

 
50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #45: VERMONT

Band: 8084
Release: Eight Oh Eight Four
Year: 1987
Line-up: Randy Smith (vocals), Andre Maquera (guitars), Frank Barnes (bass), Gary Spaulding (drums), Charles Hawthorne (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.  Bad Man   2.   Lover's Feel   3.   Fire   4.   Beat of the City   5.   Thunder In Her Heart   6.   Hold On   7.   When I Think of You   8.   Stop Me

Fletchanator's comment: The band 8084 formed in Burlington, Vermont in 1982 and toured the northeast for a few years before recording this, their debut album, which was released on vinyl in Europe through Dutch label Semaphore Records.
In 1987 they won the Rock Search International competition in Canada and throughout the rest of the 80s and 90s 8084 continued to tour North America while working with the likes of Aldo Nova and Richie Valens. They released two more albums in the early 90s and have also put out a couple more in the 2000s. 8084 continue to play together to this day, albeit as a quartet - keyboardist Charles Hawthorne sadly died in a car crash on Christmas Eve 1989 and Smith took over keyboards after that.
This album is excellent pomp rock/AOR in the style of Honeymoon Suite, Journey and Night Ranger. Highly recommended if you like that kind of music!

Download

50SHR #35: Love Gunn (Ohio)

 

50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #35: OHIO

Band: Love Gunn
Release: Bad Love for Sale
Year: 1987
Line-up: Doug Savage (vocals), Steve Dematteo (lead guitar, keyboards), Dave Maraffa (rhythm guitar), Don Ritterer (bass), Mike Hauger (drums).

Track Listing:

01. Bad Love For Sale 02. Sudden Urge 03. The Bitch is Hot 04. Here's Looking At You 05. Too Late

Fletchanator's comment: From Columbus, Ohio - the hometown of my fiancee Heather - comes glam hard rock band Love Gunn and their rare five-track EP Bad Love for Sale.
Love Gunn's sound mixes the likes of Cinderella, Bon Jovi and early Def Leppard. Singer Doug Savage's voice is raspy and raw, like Def Lep's Joe Elliot mixed with Dizzy Dean from Britny Fox, but won't be to everyone's liking as it misses the mark at times. Interestingly he loses the rasp for the last track, Too Late, which is a ballad.
The members of Love Gunn have stayed active in the Ohio music scene through the years, with Doug Savage playing with the bands Evil X and Pink Velvet Krush and Steve Dematteo with Bone Tonic and The Godz (not the New York band).
This slice of rare small-town hair metal should be a welcome addition to any collection.

Download

50SHR #34: Hollywood Trix (North Dakota)

 

50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #34: NORTH DAKOTA

Band: Hollywood Trix
Release: Hollywood Trix
Year: 1987
Line-up: Gary Smith (vocals), Nate Woolsey (guitars), Bill Crawford (guitars), Jason Forsberg (bass), Ross Cariveau (drums).

Track Listing:

01 - I Don't Want It 02 - Ain't Messin' 03 - Straight Down The Line 04 - Wicked Ways 05 - Fires Of Love 06 - L.A.U.G.H.S. 07 - Game Of Life 08 - Rock And Roll Let Go 09 - Drunk As A Skunk 10 - Red Rum 11 - Arian Dream

Fletchanator's comment: If the name of this band isn't a clear indication of their sound, once you start playing the album and the sounds of a woman, um, thoroughly enjoying herself, hits the speakers there's no doubt. Despite being from the decidedly un-rock'n'roll town of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Hollywood Trix ooze pure Sunset Strip sleaze.
On this (as far as I know their only album) Hollywood Trix do their best impersonation of the big LA bands of the time - Motley Crue, Ratt, LA Guns, Guns 'N Roses etc. While they don't reach the level of any of those outfits, it's still pretty good stuff, especially if you're a fan of sleazy glam metal and are looking for a new band to listen to.

Download

50SHR #33: Blind Taxi (North Carolina)

 
50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #33: NORTH CAROLINA

Band: Blind Taxi
Release: Blind Taxi
Year: 1987
Line-up: Rod Honeycutt (vocals), Chris Manley (guitars), Larry Tobias (guitars), Chuck Lilly (bass), Brian Hall (keyboards), Bert Voswinkel (drums)

Track Listing:

01. A Thing or Two 02. Stay Tonight 03. The Jokes On You 04. I Still Want You 05. Stranger

Fletchanator's comment: Blind Taxi was originally formed out of high school in Charlotte, North Carolina under the name Detour. By 1987 they'd undergone a number of line-up changes and recorded their only release, this five-track self-released EP, which reportedly was financed by the drummer's father.
Blind Taxi's sound can best be described as AOR or melodic hard rock, mixing keyboards and harmonies with the odd rockin' guitar solo. They don't have the pomp of a lot of 80s AOR acts, preferring a straight-ahead rock approach - more Loverboy than Styx.
There's nothing here that'll blow you away, but it's a solid indy release. The best track is I Still Want You.

Download

Killer Dwarfs - Stand Tall (1987)

Country: Canada
Year: 1987
Line-up: Russ Dwarf (vocals), Mike Dwarf (guitar), Bad Ronbo Dwarf (bass), Darrell Dwarf (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Stand Tall (Stick to Your Guns)   3:12 2.   Human Survival   4:42 3.   Up to You and Me   4:40 4.   Borderline   3:26 5.   Through Animal Eyes   4:33 6.   Keep the Spirit Alive   4:21 7.   Believe in Me   3:43 8.   Do or Die   4:11 9.   Out on the Streets   3:41 10.   Bite the Hand that Feeds   5:17

Fletchanator's comment: The Killer Dwarfs had enjoyed moderate success in their native Canada with their self-titled 1983 debut album, but it was with this, their follow-up release, that they really broke through internationally. The video to Keep the Spirit Alive became one of the most requested/played on MTV, and some sources say it was the most successful independent release on the channel of all time. That success led to the Dwarfs being signed by Sony/Epic and releasing three more highly-successful albums in 1988, 1990 and 1992, before the band split in 1995 (a reunion happened in 2001, although they're on hiatus now).
The Killer Dwarfs play a fantastic brand of 80s melodic hard rock. Singer Russ Dwarf has a... ahem... killer voice, hitting all sorts of high notes and sounding like a cross between his countrymen Sebastian Bach and Rik Emmett (Triumph). Guitarist Mike Dwarf is also great, with a definite George Lynch sound to his shredding.
This particular rip is of the 2003 Bullseye re-release, but the original 1987 CD goes for ridiculous money online. Even the re-release is highly sought after, and for good reason - this album should be in every hard rock fan's collection!

Download

Agentz - Stick to your Guns (1987)

Country: USA
Year: 1987
Line-up: Patrick Dubs (vocals), Jason Sabo (guitars), Jose Ferro (bass), John Cappadona (drums), Tommy Tindall (keyboards).

Track Listing:

1.   Stick To Your Guns   2.   Don't Tread On Me   3.   Time Will Tell   4.   Take A Chance On Love   5.   Bite The Bullet   6.   Fire In My Heart   7.   When The Axe Falls   8.   Waiting In Vain

Fletchanator's comment: Agentz were a New York-based hard rock band that existed between 1984 and 1988 and released just this one album, albeit on a French label, Dream Records. Singer Dubs had been the original rhythm guitarist for prog rockers Savatage, but didn't last long with them (and left long before they recorded any material). Despite playing in support of bands like KIX and Cinderella in the US, a year after the album's release Agentz had disintegrated and went their seperate ways.
There is a hard rocking, almost melodic heavy metal core to Agentz' sound, with some pomp added to it courtesy of the keyboards. The songwriting isn't anything special and Dubs' voice takes some getting used to, but if you can look past that most of the tunes are good and there's some nice guitar solos in the mix.

Download

Black Rose (UK) - Walk It How You Talk It (1987)

Country: UK
Year: 1987
Line-up: Steve Bardsley (vocals, guitars), Pat O'Neill (guitars), Gary Todd (guitars, keyboards), Mick Thompson (bass), Barry Youll (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Shout It Out   2.   E.Z.L.Y.   3.   Honestly Love You   4.   Don't Fall In Love   5.   Party Animal   6.   Want Your Love   7.   California U.S.A.   8.   Walk It How You Talk It   9.   Bright Lights Burnin'

Fletchanator's comment: There are two hard rock bands called Black Rose - one from Denmark and this UK outfit. This band started out with the name Ice in the late 70s, before changing their name. They were NWOBHM early on, including on their debut album (not available on CD). But by the time their second album rolled around in 1987, they had softened their sound to be more melodic, incorporating keyboards and radio-friendly hooks. Even singer Steve Bardsley had changed his singing style, softening the gravelly edge and hitting more high notes.
This album is extremely hard to find on CD - it sells on eBay for hundreds of dollars. But is it any good? Well, yes it is. I really, really like this album and have played it a lot over the years. It reminds me of a mix between Quiet Riot and High 'N Dry-era Def Leppard - melodic but not overly glammy. It's good stuff - check it out because you're unlikely to ever get hold of the CD!

Download

EZO - E-Z-O (1987)

Country: Japan
Year: 1987
Line-up: Masaki Yamada (vocals), Shoyo Iida (guitars), Taro Takahashi (bass), Hiro Homma (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   House Of 1,000 Pleasures   5:10 2.   Flashback Heart Attack   4:07 3.   Mr. Midnight   4:22 4.   Here It Comes   3:15 5.   I Walk Alone   3:36 6.   Destroyer   4:27 7.   Big Changes   3:52 8.   Kiss of Fire   3:26 9.   Desiree   3:31

Fletchanator's comment: If you've heard any of the 1990s albums put out by Japan's biggest glam rock band, Loudness, then you're already familiar with singer Masaki Yamada. Yamada, Loudness' third singer (1992-2000), started in this band, another Japanese hard rock group that tried to make it big in America. Originally called Flatbacker, after releasing three albums in Japan, they changed their name to EZO under the direction of producer Gene Simmons (he of KISS and giant tongue fame) and released this album in 1987 and another in 1989 for Geffen Records before being dropped by the label and splitting up.
In terms of sound, it's hard not to compare EZO with Loudness, but on some of the harder, faster songs I also hear similarities with another Japanese band, X (or X-Japan as they were known internationally). Singer Yamada reminds me of Klaus Meine from Scorpions. And then the Simmons influence is also felt, with the production (and some of the songs) sounding like 80s-era KISS. So yeah, take KISS, Loudness, X-Japan and Scorpions, mix them all together and you get EZO.
Get it while you can, because the CD goes for ridiculous money on eBay.

Download

Envy - Ain't It A Sin [1987]

Country: USA

Year: 1987

Line-up: Rhonni Stile (vocals), Gina Stile (guitar, vocals), Bill Spencer (bass), Danny Kapps (drums), Alan St John (keyboards)

TRACK LISTING

1. Ain't It a Sin

2. I Believe In You

3. Heartache

4. Lie Here Waiting

5. Wait on You

6. You're So Hot

7. All the Reasons

8. I See the Light

9. I'm Not Your Lover

10. Hurt Me

Fletchanator's comment: Envy was a hard rock band with a female lead singer which put out only one album. Upon listening, my first comparisons were Vixen and Heart, ironic  because I subsequently found out that guitarist Gina Stile joined Vixen in 1997 and in 2002 joined a Heart tribute band. If you like Vixen and Heart, you'll enjoy this.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Frozen Ghost - Frozen Ghost [1987]

Country: Canada

Year: 1987

Line-up: Arnold Lanni (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Derry Grehan (guitar), Wolf Hassel (bass), John Bouvette (drums)

Track Listing
1. Should I See
2. Promises
3. Beware The Masque
4. Yum Bai Ya
5. Love Like Fire
6. End Of The Line
7. Time Is The Answer
8. Love Without Lies
9. Soldiers Cry
10. Truth In Lies

Fletchanator's comment: Debut from Canadian AOR act Frozen Ghost, formed by former Sheriff members Lanni and Hassel, along with former Honeymoon Suite guitarist Grehan. If you like radio-friendly rock in the vein of Icehouse, Richard Marx and Sheriff, you'll enjoy this.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Andy Taylor - Thunder [1987]

Country: UK

Year: 1987

Line-up: Andy Taylor (lead guitar/vocals), Steve Jones (guitar), Patrick O'Hearn (bass), Mickey Curry (drums)

Track Listing
1. I Might Lie
2. Don't Let Me Die Young
3. Life Goes On
4. Thunder
5. Night Train
6. Tremblin'
7. Bringin' Me Down
8. Broken Window
9. French Guitar

Fletchanator's comment: From the land of bizarre collaborations comes this, the first solo album by Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, with support from former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. The result? A slice of pure AOR/hard rock. Weird, I know, but apparently Taylor had been wanting to make this kind of music for a while, and quit Duran Duran when their musical direction started drifting from what he wanted to perform. Thunder is solid AOR with some harder rock overtones.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Various Artists - California Metal [1987]

Country: USA

Year: 1987

Track Listing:

1. Barren Cross - Deadlock
2. Gardian - Marching On
3. Neon Cross - I Need Your Love

4. Hero - I Surrender

5. Deliverance - A Space Called You

6. Mastedon - Wasn't It Love

7. Gardian - Spiritual Warfare

8. Deliverance - Attack

9. Hero - Sing It Out

10. Neon Cross - Son of God

Fletchanator's comment: Now, I'm not a Christian, and this is Christian rock. But if you look past the lyrics and inspiration for the music, you'll get good ol' 80s hard rock. The sound varies from NWOBHM-esque to keyboard-oriented AOR, but most of it is in the guitar-driven hard rock range. This compilation was the first of five put out by Regency Records.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat [1987]

Country: USA
Year: 1987
Line up: Taime Downe (vocals), Greg Steele (guitar), Brent Muscat (guitar), Erik Stacy (bass), Mark Michals (drums)

Track Listing
1. Don't Change That Song
2. Bathroom Wall
3. No Room For Emotion
4. Cathouse
5. Babylon
6. Smash Alley
7. Shooting You Down
8. City Has No Heart
9. Ship Rolls In
10. Bottle In Front Of Me

Request of: RaikkuFletchanator's comment: Faster Pussycat almost breaks my rule about not uploading "major" hair metal bands, but since it's the debut album and not their huge hit, Wake Me When It's Over, I'll let it slide. This album is pure, unadulterated LA glam metal, in the vein of LA Guns, GNR and the like. The song Cathouse, named after a club singer Taime Downe owned in LA, is the kind of sleaze anthem you could imagine playing in a Sunset Boulevard strip club back in the 80s, and there are plenty more solid songs on the album.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Guitars from Hell [Unreleased 1987-1991]

Country: USA
Year: 1987-1991
Line up: Vinnie Vincent (Guitars), Robert Fleischman (Lead Vocals tracks 1-7), Andre LaBelle (Drums), Chris Lee (Bass), Jeff Scott Soto (Lead Vocals track 8), Jimmy Waldo (Keyboards track 8)

Track Listing

1. Rocks On Fire
2. Nuke It
3. Shocker
4. Invinvible
5. Truth
6. Full Shred
7. Wild Child
8. Youngblood

Fletchanator's comment: You probably know the story about guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who was in KISS for a short time. After leaving that band he formed Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which released two albums - a self-titled album in 1986 with Robert Fleischman on vocals, and All Systems Go in 1988 with Mark Slaughter (later singer for Slaughter) on vocals. After Slaughter left, Fleischman came back, and the band recorded material for a third album, Guitars from Hell. But the album company went bankrupt and it was never released. This is a bootleg copy of the record, which (as you'd imagine from Vincent) has awesome shredding guitars. As a bonus the last track is from 1987 and has the amazing Jeff Scott Soto on vocals.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Razormaid - First Cutt [1987]

Country: USA
Year: 1987
Line up: Jamie Lee (vocals), John Kirk (guitar), Curt Mitchell (guitar), Dave Wix (bass), Dean Clarkson (drums)

Track Listing
1. Sooner Or Later
2. Fight For Your Love
3. Blue Thunder
4. Obsession
5. Livin' On The Run
6. Victim Of The Night
7. Rock n' Roll Invasion
8. The Drifter
9. Second Time Around
10. Too Late
11. Racing With Time

Fletchanator's comment: I seem to be uploading a lot of albums that were the only releases by their respective bands, and here's another. Razormaid has great guitaring (Mitchell and Kirk went on to join another great band, Bangalore Choir), and a sound that is both melodic and rocking. I definitely recommend this one.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Dirty Looks - Cool From the Wire (1987)

Country: USA
Year: 1987
Line up: Henrik Ostergaard (vocals / guitar), Paul Lidel (guitar), Jack Pyers (bass), Gene Barnett (drums).

Track Listing
1. Cool From The Wire
2. It's Not The Way You Rock
3. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
4. Oh Ruby
5. Tokyo
6. Wastin' My Time
7. Put A Spell On You
8. No Brains Child
9. Get It Right
10. It's A Bitch
11. Get Off

Fletchator's comment: The major label debut of this San Francisco-based band, which never really reached the heights they deserved. Ostergaard's vocals are distinctive and sleazy, and overall this is a good, solid album.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)