There are plenty of classic rock songs that share titles. One of those titles is “Gypsy” – a title used by 3 of the biggest heavy bands of the 70s. Songs about Gypsies tend to make for some interesting tales, and there’s loads of songs about Gypsies [be it in title or lyrics]. These tracks each tell a different Gypsy tale. Feel free to drop your 2 cents your take on some of these tales. I kept this list short and to the heaviest songs, so yes on – I am aware there are tracks titled “Gypsy” by Canadian band Abraham’s Children, The Moody Blues, and Fleetwood Mac, but they’re all pretty poppy or soft rock, so… Anyway, let me know your favorites of these [in chronological order], and if you actually know of one I’ve missed. Feel free to leave comments and subscribe to my page.
Anyone familiar with British singer / performer will want to check out this new CD box. Brown who had had a #1 hit in the UK and Canada [#2 in US] with the song “Fire” in 1968. His stage show included his ‘fire hat’, and he wore black make-up around his eyes, an idea that would later be taken on by Alice Cooper, and later Kiss. When his ‘Crazy World Of Arthur Brown’ [which would feature organ player & co-writer Vincent Crane [pre Atomic Rooster] and drummer Carl Palmer] split up, he started the ’70s with a new band – Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come, which featured the great guitar work of Andy Dalby for the band’s 3 albums. 1971’s Galactic Zoo Dossier featured such tracks as “Space Plucks”, the heavy instrumental “Gypsy Escape”, “Metal Monster”, and “Sunrise”. Much of this is not your standard rock or prog writings or arrangements of the ’70s, there’s lots of variety, lots of unique theatrical deliveries, humor, but really amazing performances from the band, including organ, and Brown’s vocal delivery ranging from near spoken, and soft pieces to his powerful and emotional vocals on the likes of “Sunrise” .
This stuff is not to be entered in to lightly – you can’t just play it once and categorize it, as there is so much going on musically and lyrically. The follow up album was 1972’s self titled Kingdom Come, which appears simpler with a colorful and word-free cover, and fewer and short song titles. The album is highlighted by “Love Is A Spirit”, and the comical “Traffic Light Song” [that guitar hook reminding me of James Gang’s “Funk #49”], and closing with the 8 and a half minute spacey ballad “The Hymn”.
The 3rd and final album was 1973’s Journey. This would be even more experimental and a bit lighter overall than it’s predecessors. Journey would be the first album in history to use a drum machine [performed by Brown]. Plenty of experimental and diverse keyboards [less organ], with 3 tracks clocking in over 8 minutes, there’s definitely less vocals throughout this album, but best pics for me are the last 2 cuts “Spirit Of Joy” [the single, and which would be covered by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden], and “Come Alive”.
Not sure how these albums sold in the day, but it’s a nice collection of a major period in Arthur Brown’s amazing career. Brown has one of Britain’s most powerful and unique voices, and would’ve been an interesting fit for a number of heavy or heavy blues based bands [see Atomic Rooster, Fleetwood Mac]. He would go on to record many more albums, and appear on other’s albums [see Alan Parson’s Project, Klaus Shulze, Hawkwind, Bruce Dickinson]. In more recent years he is still performing [pre CoVid], and has appeared on stage with Alice Cooper, the Hamburg Blues Band, most recently toured North America as part of the “Royal Affair” package [w/ Yes, Asia, etc..].
Press Release:
Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a new boxed set featuring all of the albums recorded by the legendary ARTHUR BROWN & KINGDOM COME issued between October 1971 and April 1973. The band came together in 1970 following ARTHUR BROWN’s failed attempt to form a new band upon the disillusion of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown in 1969. Based in rural Dorset, Arthur had undertaken rudimentary recordings with the bands The Puddletown Express and Rustic Hinge before forming a new, more satisfactory band KINGDOM COME. The initial group came together with a line-up of ARTHUR BROWN (vocals), BOB ELLWOOD (guitars), DAVE AMBROSE (bass), ROB TAIT (drums) and PETE BAILEY (percussion) to record a lengthy jam session in the studio. This tape was impressive enough to lead to a contract with Polydor Records and the album GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER was the first album by the band. Issued in October 1971, the album featured Arthur Brown joined by ANDY DALBY (lead guitar / vocals), MICHAEL “GOODGE” HARRIS (keyboards), DESMOND FISHER (bass), JULIAN BROWN (VCS3 Synthesizer) and MARTIN STEER (drums). The band’s debut album was a conceptual work loosely based upon the subject of humanity living in a zoo and subject to cosmic forces. As a group, Kingdom Come took the mantle from where the Crazy World of Arthur Brown had left off, presenting a highly theatrical show which utilized the VCS 3 synthesizer and presented a form of experimental rock music which was far ahead of its time. This led to them becoming a popular act on the festival circuit (their memorable appearance at the 1971 Glastonbury Fayre was captured in the documentary film of the same name). For the band’s next album, 1972’s KINGDOM COME, Desmond Fisher departed and was replaced by PHIL SHUTT. The album was another conceptual work and built upon the impact of their debut. Soon after the album’s release Martin Steer and Goodge Harris also departed the band. American musician VICTOR PERAINO joined the group on Mellotron, VCS3 and Theramin and Brown opted to utilize the Bentley Rhythm Ace drum machine instead of a drummer, bringing a new electronic direction to Kingdom Come’s highly inventive Space Rock. This incarnation of the band recorded their final and finest album in the Autumn of 1972, the highly influential JOURNEY. Issued in April 1973 the album was a superb conceptual work and featured such legendary material as “TIME CAPTIVES”, “SPIRIT OF JOY” and “COME ALIVE”. Despite the excellence of the album, KINGDOM COME disbanded soon after the album’s release leaving an impressive legacy. This new remastered boxed set features the albums “GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER”, “KINGDOM COME” and “JOURNEY”, along with the archive disc “JAM – THE FIRST SESSIONS 1970” and “AT THE BBC 1971-1972” a twelve track CD featuring sessions recorded for the BBC between March 1971 and September 1972, nine tracks of which are previously unreleased. The set also adds thirteen bonus tracks (two previously unreleased on CD) taken from studio out-takes and a rare single. Also included is an illustrated booklet with new essay featuring an exclusive interview with Arthur Brown and a replica poster. “ETERNAL MESSENGER” is a fine tribute to Arthur Brown, a unique and visionary musician.
• A DELUXE 5 CD BOXED SET FEATURING ALL OF THE ALBUMS BY ARTHUR BROWN & KINGDOM COME • FEATURING THE ALBUMS “GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER”, “KINGDOM COME”, “JOURNEY” & THE ARCHIVE RECORDINGS “JAM – THE FIRST SESSIONS 1970” & “AT THE BBC 1971-1972” (FEATURING NINE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS) • ALL NEWLY REMASTERED • WITH THIRTEEN BONUS TRACKS, TWO NEVER ISSUED ON CD, DRAWN FROM STUDIO OUT-TAKES & RARE SINGLES • INCLUDES AN ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET WITH PHOTOGRAPHS, NEW ESSAY WITH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ARTHUR BROWN AND A POSTER.
This was a busy year in Canadian rock, but more so in ‘pop’ . Some great albums, but not a lot of heavy releases. A memorable pair of debuts here, and a couple of final albums from bands that split up. Yeah, this is supposed to be a top 10, but I gave in to a tie for my last choice.
Rush – Permanent Waves
Released in January, the band’s biggest success until the next one, reaching #3 & #4 in Canada and the US . “Freewill”, “The Spirit Of Radio”, “Entre Nous”, and the epic 9 minute + “Natural Science”. The first of my favorite trio of Rush albums.
Harlequin – Love Crimes
From Winnipeg, Harlequin featured the voice of George Belanger [still does]. This was their 2nd and biggest album. Released in the fall of that year, it featured 2 hits [and 2 of the band’s best known songs] – “Innocence” and “Thinking Of You”., as well as favorite aor-ish rockers like “It’s All Over Now”, “Wait For The Night”, and “Love On The Rocks”. A solid album, should’ve been huge.
Loverboy – Loverboy
These guys came out, featuring one-time Moxy singer Mike Reno, and former Streetheart members Matt Frenette and Paul Dean. A huge album released in October, featuring the top 10 hit “Turn Me Loose” , as well as 2 further hits “The Kid Is Hot Tonight” and “Lady Of The ’80s”. A solid album along with live favorite “Teenage Overdose”.
Teaze – Body Shots
The 5th and final album from Windsor’s Teaze. Coming off [arguably] their best – One Night Stands, Body Shots [only issued in Canada] was a good follow up, featuring favorites “Boys Night Out” [reworked from their first album], “Sure Thing”, “Calling All Nurses” and “I’m Not Gonna Cry Anymore”. Sadly, they packed it in after this. *I did get to witness their fantastic return show in 2019.
Max Webster – Universal Juveniles
The last album by the legendary Max Webster, released in October. It boasted favorites like “Check”, “April In Toledo”, “Drive And Desire”, and most notably “Battle Scar” – which featured Rush. +David Stone [ex Rainbow] on keys for much of the album.
Saga – Silent Knight
The band’s 3rd album, and first with the classic line up, released in August. Featured the classics “Don’t Be Late” [the single], “Careful Where You Step”, and “Compromise”. One of those few early Saga albums that saw no US release til years later. Great cover art.
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush – What’s Next
Released in February, this was the last to use the Mahogany Rush tag for a number of years. Features one of Marino’s best recordings in the fast flying “Something’s Comin’ Our Way”. as well as favorites in the drivin’ “Finish Line” and “You Got Livin'”. Also includes a cover of The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues”.
Cruiser – Rollin’ With The Times
Montreal based Cruiser lead by singer / songwriter Don Beauchamp, and featuring original April Wine drummer Richie Henman. A very overlooked album full of great tunes – very catchy pop, rock, and a bit of prog … all very well produced with favorite tracks like “No Admission”, intro “R & R Survival”, and “Incident At New World Theatre”. A 2nd album was released in 2014. Brothers Tom & Wallie Rathie would later write a few tunes for April Wine.
FM – City Of Fear
Progressive trio FM [well before the British aor band of the same name!] released their 4th album in June. The band consisted of lots of keyboards, bass, drums, electric violins & mandolin. Closest band to compare I’d say is supergroup UK [with Cameron Hawkins even sounding a bit like John Wetton on occasion] One of their best, including “Krakow”, “Power” [the single], and the excellent title track. Would be the band’s last for a few years.
Toronto – Lookin’ For Trouble +
Originally called ‘Sass’, Toronto was [is] fronted by Holly Woods, the band’s debut was released in June. It featured the singles “Even The Score” and “Lookin’ For Trouble”, as well as a cover of The Rascals “You Better Run” [a hit for Pat Benatar a month later], and favorite “Get Your Hands Off Me”.
Triumph – Progressions Of Power+
Released in March. Not my favorite Triumph album [lacking something], but it includes the classics “I Live For The Weekend” [a minor hit in the UK], “I Can Survive”, and “Tear The Roof Off”.
+couldn’t decide, so I left it a tie
Other mentions: Zon I’m Worried About The Boys, The Kings Are Here, Prism Young And Restless , 451 451, Wireless No Static, Bryan Adams Bryan Adams
*Drop me a note in the comments with anything you feel was well overlooked or recommendations, and feel free to subscribe to my page.
Cactus returns with a new album titled Tightrope, their first in 5 years. The band were originally founded by [then former] Vanilla Fudge members Tim Bogert [RIP] and Carmine Appice, along with guitarist Jim McCarty [ex Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels] and singer Rusty Day [ex Amboy Dukes], making the band something of a ‘supergroup’ at the time, and would be dubbed ‘the American Led Zeppelin’ for their blues rock approach. In 2021 the band is still lead by the legendary drummer, and includes longtime members Jimmy Kunes [vocals], guitarist [and co-producer w/ Appice] – Paul Warren [ex Rod Stewart, Rare Earth..], Randy Pratt on harmonica [The Lizards], and bass player Jimmy Caputo. Tightrope also includes guest appearances from Jim McCarty, Phil Naro, and Pete Bremy.
Featuring 12 tracks of varied blues and blues rock, Tightrope is a good album to get in to and enjoy multiple plays, with so much to offer. Notable is the rocked up cover of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”, a song that Warren played on as a session for The Temptations decades ago. Other highlights include blues rock numbers “Primitive Touch” and “Elevation”, as well as the epic atmospheric piece “Suite 1 and 2: Everlong, All The Madmen”. Dig the closing track “Wear It Out”, a cool rock tune, with the added bonus of featuring McCarty and Naro. *Available on CD or a nice looking 2 LP gatefold, colored vinyl.
Corky Laing’s first solo studio album since 1977’s Makin’ It On The Street, Toledo Sessions was released on CD in September of 2019, which has been followed up by a limited orange vinyl edition [along with a vinyl reissue of The Secret Sessions w/ various ’70s legends like Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Clapton, Dickie Betts… from ’99] . Toledo Sessions is a return to a classic blues hard rock sound, with plenty of variety, and great playing – which should appeal to Mountain fans. On it Laing teams up with Mark Mikel [ex The Pillbugs, The Sprags], and whom guested on the last Alan Parsons’ album] who handles bass, engineer, and co-produces, along with blues guitarist Chris Shutters [who released his first solo album in 2019, as well]– both share lead vocal duties.
“Beautiful Flies” kicks off this album, and it’s a great heavy blues rock tune, and there’s plenty of heavy blues riffs rock, combined with more laid back melodies, and cool tracks in “The Road Goes On”, “Knock Me Over”, “How’s The Weather” [riff reminds me of The Allman Brothers], and the outstanding “Information Overload”, and the summertime ballad “Earthquake” [great ’70s vibe here] . A solid album of 9 tunes, well written and produced.
“The excitement brought on by the new repertoire is reminiscent of the classic Mountain albums, Climbing! and Nantucket Sleighride.” [from Prudential website]
The new Coney Hatch Live album arrived the other day, and it looks and sounds great! Love the simple ‘bootleg’ white packaging, which came autographed [limited numbers], with an insert with track-listing and basic info, and even the LP centers are plain white [so of course I started with side B!]. Here is the press release below. If you’re a fan, check in to ordering [CD copies also available]. A great addition to my CH collection. Long overdue, but well worth the wait. Check out my interview from last month with Andy Curran for more talk on this album, and other Coney Hatch discussion – https://outsiderrock.wordpress.com/2021/03/07/andy-curran-coney-hatch-live-interview/ *Check out the links below for further interviews.
ICONIC CANADIAN HARD ROCK QUARTET CONEY HATCH RELEASE “LIVE FROM THE EL MOCAMBO” A LIMITED EDITION 2 LP VINYL COLLECTORS AUTHORIZED BOOTLEG
One of Canada’s most beloved and iconic hard rock bands , Coney Hatch first rose to prominence back in the golden era when vinyl was king – and the preferred format of most music fans.
So, it makes perfect sense for Coney Hatch – Carl Dixon (guitars/vocals), Andy Curran (bass / vocals ), Dave Ketchum (drums, vocals) and Sean Kelly (Guitar /vocals) – to finally release their first ever long awaited live record on a 2 LP vinyl set. The set list reads like a “best of” for any Coney fan including songs from their debut classic 1982 Anthem / Mercury album along with selections from ‘Outa Hand 1983, Friction 1985 and Coney Hatch Four 2013. Coney Hatch enjoyed major radio airplay success in Canada and the USA in the early 80’s and with the help of MTV landed many prestigious special guest slots touring along side Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Krokus, Accept, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, Triumph, The Tubes and Edgar Winter to name a few. They became instant press darlings with Kerrang Magazine & Sounds but didn’t actually tour overseas until 2014, where they headlined Firefest in Nottingham UK.
A limited amount of CDs will soon be made available at these same outlets. A rock music collector’s dream, the Coney Hatch official live El Mocambo bootleg issued set will include:
Vinyl #1 #2 #3 #4 : Live from the El Mocambo Hand Stamped “one of a kind” Bootleg style album jacket. Retro 8.5 X 11 souvenir insert with band photo, track listing + production credits.
Re-sealable poly bag & official outer sticker with numbering.
100 Limited editions signed by all 4 band members. 200 limited editions numbered “non signed” versions. You can check out the band’s video of the opening song live from the legendary El Mocambo here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pImoCwtKYk The 1982 Coney Hatch debut record’ spawned such rock radio hits as “Devil’s Deck,” “Monkey Bars,” and “Hey Operator,” all which became automatic concert favorites. That album was also the highest-charting of the band’s career and earned them a Gold certification in Canada. “We’re really proud of Live at The El Mocambo. It ’s our first ever live record record and it captures the spirit and true sound of our band. There’s some really great moments from our return to the iconic El Mocambo and it would not have happened without the passion of Elmo CEO Michael Wekerle…huge high five to Wek! ” – Andy Curran
Coney Hatch Live @ The El Mocambo Track Listing:
Side A We Got The Night Stand Up First Time For Everything Wrong Side of Town
Side B She’s Gone Boys Club Don’t Say Make Me Some Like It Hot
Side C Hey Operator Blown Away Fallen Angel
Side D Devil’s Deck Monkey Bars Marseilles No Sleep Tonight
The 15 song set was captured during the bands Nugs.net live stream show last October 3, 2020 and was engineered by Doug McClement and mixed by Vic Florencia, both are Juno Award winning engineers.
Foreigner was a band I liked before I started buying albums! Those first 4 albums were huge, and all over the radio. But when Agent Provocateur came out after the massive success of Foreigner 4 I lost interest, the singles were a turn off for me.
Foreigner peaked commercially at 4, but those first 3 albums were an amazing set, with lots of great rock songs, 4 was a pop album, albeit a very good and incredibly successful one. A shame it lead to more pop albums, much less memorable.
According to Lou Gramm’s book “Juke Box Hero” [2013], things were no longer equal and as they were years in the beginning between Mick Jones and himself, with Mick taking charge of the band’s direction. Gramm needed to get out and doing something on his own. Gramm teamed up with former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon [then of Warrior], who would co-write as well as play bass, rhythm guitar, and keyboards. Also brought in was Nils Lofgren on lead guitar, and British producer Pat Moran as co-producer and engineer. The album Ready Or Not, released in early ’87 was a big success, boasting 2 hits, most notably the Top 10 “Midnight Blue”, which along with the title track got lots of radio play. Overall it was a solid album with other upbeat tracks like ” Heartache”, “Arrow Thru Your Heart”, and “Time”.
Foreigner would release one more album late in ’87, and I thought Inside Information was a slight improvement over it’s predecessor but the band had clearly become more pop-hit driven with Gramm seeing little reason to contribute to the creative process, and the band content to coast along, as Jones had also become a producer of other bands in the ’80s; this allowed plenty of time for Gramm to start on a 2nd album.
Ready Or Not was followed up in 1989 with Long Hard Look. The title was likely what Gramm was thinking about his future at that point!? Austrian born producer Peter Wolf [also known for playing on a few Frank Zappa albums] handled production, as well as co-wrote some tracks and played keyboards on a few. This album featured more players, such as guitarists Vivian Campbell, Dann Huff, Peter Maunu, and Nils Lofgren. Bruce Turgon returned to co-write some songs, and play bass on most of the album, and [brother] Ben Gramm played the drums. Long Hard Look featured the top 10 hit “Just Between You And Me” [co-written with Holly Knight, who co-wrote a pile of hits in the ’80s for the likes of Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, Heart, and Kiss, among others]. It also featured the top 40 hit “True Blue Love”, punchy opener “Angel With A Dirty Face”, as well as a cover of Small Faces’ “Tin Soldier”. Though not as big as Ready Or Not, Long Hard Look still charted and was a fine follow up. Following this Gramm would team up with Vivian Campbell to form Shadow King.
Gramm’s ’80s solo albums, along with a 3rd disc of single edits, remixes, an interview, and the track “Lost In The Shadows” [from The Lost Boys soundtrack], are all compiled in a box due out next month. These are a must-have for any Foreigner fan. Interesting to note that without Lou, Foreigner struggled on with one more album, and Mick Jones’ 1989 solo album bombed, so the band really needed him more than he needed them; after all – Gramm was one of the most recognizable and premier rock singers of that late ’70s-early ’80s hard-rock / AOR era [along with Steve Perry and perhaps the late Brad Delp]. Following major health issues Lou Gramm would return to recording and performing , including another stint in Foreigner, as well as his excellent 2009 album The Lou Gramm Band. The package come with a 16 page books with quotes and liner notes from Malcolm Dome.
Lace and Whiskey would be Alice’s third solo album, following the highly successful Welcome To My Nightmare and it’s sequel Goes To Hell. The latter being a weaker follow up of the Coop doing few rock tunes, along with ballads, disco tunes, and show tunes. Lace and Whiskey took a new direction, away from the whole Nightmare theme, and introduced a new character in Inspector Maurice Escargot. The album’s cover and stage show being based loosely around a 1940’s type detective, with cover portraying a book, with made-up reviews of the fictional book.
Song-wise, Lace and Whiskey is stronger than it’s predecessor with Side 1 boasting more rockers such as the lead off track [with a simple, yet classic riff] – “It’s Hot Tonight” [which was brought back in to Alice’s live show as the opener in 2008], the title track [which featured in the live show with big dancing chickens carrying machine guns!], “Road Rats” [also featured in the movie Roadie] and the slightly country-styled comedic “Damned If I Do” [featuring the legendary Al Kooper on piano] . Lace & Whiskey also featured 2 ballads, most notably “You And Me” – which would be Alice’s highest charting ballad single at #9 [he had a string of 4 of them from ’75 to ‘78] and an ode to his past hit ballads – “I Never Wrote Those Songs”.
Side 2 of the album would feature more of the ‘show’ type tunes, yet still with a bit of rock to them in “King Of The Silver Screen” [which the tour was named after at the time], a cover of Chas Underwood’s 1956 hit “Ubangi Stomp” and the closing epic “My God”. The other track being the somewhat cheesy ‘70s pop of “(No More) Love At Your Convenience” [also a single]. *Interesting to note that Cooper also shot promotional videos [films] for the singles [You And Me, (No More) Love At Your Convenience] – again, well ahead of the MTV era.
Lace & Whiskey still featured the same guitar duo as it’s 2 predecessor’s – Dick Wagner [also co-writer of the material] and Steve Hunter, as well as keyboardist Jozef Chirowski, and a long list of other musicians, backing singers and choir. It would also be the last Cooper album produced [and co-wrote] by Canadian Bob Ezrin for a number of years [1978’s From The Inside would see Canadian David Foster produce].
* Sidenote: There’s also video footage of this era titled “Alice Cooper And Friends” [from Anaheim, California, June ‘77]. An interesting piece to watch, as Alice dressed as Inspector Maurice Escargot dances around stage with giant chickens. It also clearly shows Alice at the height of his drinking problems, as he would admit himself to hospital soon after this tour. The end of the year would also see the release of Alice’s first live album “The Alice Cooper Show”. 1977 also saw Alice on numerous TV shows, his first stint in re-hab, as well as the one and only release from Billion Dollar Babies – the band featuring his former band-mates Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Michael Bruce.
Alice Cooper began the ’80s with a new look and new sound, trying to catch up and with new wave of bands like The Cars, who used synths and had a fresh modern sound. He would release 4 albums during this period until 1983 when he finally, out of a record contract and album sales and exposure at an all-time low, took leave from the music business for a few years. He had gotten back in to substance abuse over this period (see the documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper), and would later recall that he had no recollections of making the latter 3 albums he did during this era – dubbed his “Blackout” era. He’d cease touring after the 2nd album, and there’d be little promo for the last 2 albums. He did however produce 1 top 40 single, and a number of other fan favorites and underrated gems during this phase. When I became an Alice fan, around ’83-’84, Alice was no where to be found in the press – there was nothing in the old Circus and Hit Parader magazines I bought back then, as Alice had disappeared from the pubic eye. Strangely I purchased these LPs in the mid- ’80s at local convenience stores; in the times when the Avondale had a small rack of deleted albums for 99 cents or $1.99 – a good deal back then, considering what some of these go for now. Of the 4 I immediately loved Dada – my favorite from this era, but never really got into Special Forces, never liked the sound of the album, tho’ it had it’s moments. That was the last album Alice toured on back then, and I can recall seeing a few of these shirts in High School.
With 1980’s Flush The Fashion, Alice’s band consisted of Davey Johnstone [Elton John, who’d joined Alice for the previous tour] on guitar, and Canadian keyboard player Fred Mandel [who joined Alice’s band in ’77 and was also on the the Alice Cooper Show album] . These 2 co-wrote most of the album’s original material with Alice, while the rhythm section included drummer Dennis Conway and bass player John LoPresti [who’s previous credits included a few Melissa Manchester albums, and the short-lived band ‘China’ with Davey Johnstone]. Producer Roy Thomas Baker was hired to help bring Alice’s sound in to the ‘new-wave’ age, as Baker had been known for his work with Queen and The Cars, and also produced Foreigner, Journey, and BeBop Deluxe. Alice would also change his image from the old scary ghoulish Alice to a modernized punk-like Alice with new make-up and his hair tied-up.
Flush The Fashion would include 3 outside tracks, 2 of which were singles – “Talk Talk”, a cover of the 1966 hit by The Music Machine [I’ve seen recently that the original AC band demoed this early on as well], “Clones” – penned by American David Carron [ex Gulliver], as well as “Leather Boots” [penned by American musician Geoff Westen]. “Clones” would be a top 40 hit, the only hit from this period, as he wouldn’t have another charting single til 1989. The song also drew comparisons to the Gary Numan hit “Cars”, which was on the charts at the same time. The album itself, clocked in at under 30 minutes [pretty damn short], with most of the songs being short punchy tunes dealing with modern issues and problems, featuring plenty of synths and a new attitude. “Pain” was used in the movie Roadie – which Alice starred in, along with Meat Loaf, with Alice and band performing it [still wearing his black eye make up]. Other favorites on Flush The Fashion included “Nuclear Infected” and “Model Citizen”, a short but energetic album. On the ensuing tour Alice was unable to perform at the CNE in Toronto [later citing an asthma attack], and a riot broke out when the news was delivered from the stage, resulting in injuries, arrests, and over 100 grand in damages.
For the next album, Alice kept up the new image, and with his health at the time, making it all seem scarier [indeed he looked bad on TV appearances at the time]. Special Forces featured a new band, and was produced by Richard Podolor who had produced bands such as Iron Butterfly, Blues Image, Three Dog Night, and Steppenwolf, and the new recording band featured Duane Hitching on keyboards and as co-writer of most of the songs [ex Steel, New Cactus Band, Thee Image] , Mike Pinera on guitar [ex Blues Image, Thee Image, New Cactus Band], Eric Scott on bass [ex Flo & Eddie, PM], drummer Craig Krampf [ex Flo & Eddie, and numerous album credits including Paul Stanley, Kim Carnes, Randy Meisner], and guitarist Danny Johnson [ex Derringer, Axis] . Although there was a few singles from this album, it flopped badly, and would be the last album that Alice promoted via tour til 1986. It does have a few good songs such as the opener “Who Do You Think We Are”, “You’re A Movie”, and “You Look Good In Rags”, but there’s a few odd choices such as the remake of AC’s “Generation Landslide”, and a cover of the 1966 hit by Los Angeles band Love [which was issued as a single from Special Forces]. The first single was the synth pop “You Want It You Got It”. The back cover also lists the track “Look At You Over There [Ripping The Sawdust From My TeddyBear” – which was left off of the album and later turned up [as a demo] on the box set The Life And Crimes Of… For me this record ranks at the bottom of Alice’s solo albums. One great thing from this era is the 2020 Record Store Day release of Live At The Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, recorded in February of ’82. Following this there was also the 12″ EP titled For Britain Only, which included the song “For Britain Only”, plus 3 live tracks from the Glasgow show, and….released in the UK only!
For 1982’s Zipper Catches Skin, Alice retained Hitchings, Scott, Pinera, and Krampf, and also playing on it were drummer Jan Uvena, guitarist John Nitzinger [Bloodrock, Nitzinger], guitarist Billy Steele [ex Jambalaya, w/ Erik Scott, and sessions]. Dick Wagner also returned to contribute to the songwriting on a few tracks, and play, but would leave before the album was done due to the sessions being a “drug induced nightmare”. Alice & Erik Scott would co-produce the album, with everyone [save for the drummers] contributing to the songwriting. Alice was even credited on keyboards as well! An odd album cover with the lyrics being printed continually across the front and a bloodstain highlighting the title amongst the words. Despite this being recorded at a dark time in Alice’s coke days, and it receiving almost 0 promotion [well there is that 1 commercial you can find on Youtube!] and not evening breaking the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, I thought this album was an improvement, and should’ve done better. Lots of humor here and some cool hooks and memorable songs – “Zorro’s Ascent”, “Make That Money [Scrooge’s Song]”, and the hilarious “I’m Alive [That Was The Day My Dead Pet Returned To Save My Life]”, as well as the play on ’80s slasher films “Tag, You’re It”. A different take] of “I Am The Future” [written by Gary Osborne and was included in the movie “Class Of 1984” and Lalo Schifrin, best known for his TV themes] was also issued as a single, as was “I Like Girls”, which featured guest Patty Donahue [vocals, from The Waitresses] – neither single did anything. But regardless, I like this album, a fun listen!
Returning to record in Toronto [nearby] for the Dada album, released in September of 1983, Alice was reunited with Bob Ezrin and Dick Wagner, and there’s a very short list of personnel with Ezrin, Wagner and Canadian musician Graham Shaw handling most of the playing [plus a few guests on a few tracks]. Produced with the use of modern technology – the Fairlight programming, along with lots of keyboards, synths, This album is another lost gem in Alice’s solo catalogue’; perhaps his most underrated!? It included the hilarious “I Love America”, which was issued as a single in the UK, as well as darker and heavier cuts like “Scarlet And Sheba” and “Pass The Gun Around” – which features one of Dick Wagner’s most outstanding guitar solos [an album and song song he would cite as favorites in a later interview]. Another fun album to get into, with a great flow from track to track. Other favorites include the comical tale of “No Man’s Land” and the creepy ballad “Former Lee Warmer” [this has also been referenced as a nod to Alice leaving his record company – ‘Formerly Warners]. I played the Hell out of this album when I got it, and though it’s not really heavy [musically], it still sounds great today. Again, being Alice’s last in his Warner Brother’s contract, it was totally forgotten as soon as it came out – with no singles in North American, and absolutely 0 promotion.
In bad health, Alice would take a few years off and sort out his personnel demons and his health before making a major comeback, retiring the early ’80s Alice & that persona. He’d rarely talked about the period [or remembered], and rarely played any songs from it. It’s a hit or miss period with many longtime Alice fans, who either love a lot of the forgotten gems in this era or who totally brush it off forgettable. For me, I think there’s plenty to dig into and appreciate from this period.
*These 4 albums were reissued by Rhino, on colored vinyl in 2018.
Well 1982 was a far busier year for Canadian rock albums, so it was a bit tougher cutting this down to… 11 [ok, my last pick was only an EP, so….]. A few follow-ups albums from bands that had their biggest sellers in ’81, as well as a number of great debut albums. ..*leave some feedback in the comments on albums you would’ve picked.
Rush – Signals
A big deal was made of Rush’s use of keyboards, with Signals being a change for the band, with keyboards taking a more prominent role in many tracks, released in September that year. It had been preceded by the single “New World Man”. The next single “Subdivisions” remains my favorite Rush track [fantastic video]. Also includes “The Analog Kid”, “Chemistry”, and “Countdown” [the 3rd single]
Aldo Nova – Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova’s debut album, released on April 1st, was loaded with classic hard rock and pop-rockers like the 2 hit singles – “Fantasy” and “Foolin’ Yourself”, the latter was a huge top 40 hit. A 3rd single was the ballad “Ball & Chain”, with the album making the top 10 in the US. Aldo released a new CD in 2018 featuring 6 new versions of tracks from this album.
Triumph – Never Surrender
The follow up to Allied Forces, released late in the year in Canada, but early ’83 elsewhere. This was pretty close to being just as great, with the classics “Never Surrender” & “A World Of Fantasy”, and rockers like “Too Much Thinking”, and “All The Way”.
Coney Hatch – Coney Hatch
The debut from Toronto’s Coney Hatch, released in May and produced by Kim Mitchell [ex Max Webster]. Another classic first album, with the the band’s 2 biggest hits, and best known songs – “Monkey Bars”, “Hey Operator”, plus “Devil’s Deck”, as well as a number of live favorites – “We Got The Night”, “No Sleep Tonight”, “Stand Up”….New live album is in the mail as I write.
Santers – Racing Time
Another Toronto 3-piece. The band’s 2nd album, recorded and released following the band’s cross Canada tour, opening for Ozzy Osbourne. This is the band’s best IMO, featuring a number of great rock tracks like “Mistreatin’ Heart”, “Road To Morocco”, “Mystical Eyes”, “Winter Freeze”….
Frank Marino – Juggernaut
Marino’s 2nd solo album, released in the summer, would be his biggest solo commercial success. Seems a bit more ‘radio friendly’ in places. Featured the radio hit “Strange Dreams” (complete with keyboards), the 8 minute epic “”Stories Of A Hero”, and cool rockers like “For Your Love” and “Maybe It’s Time”. Great LP cover, cool album!
Headpins – Turn It Loud
Headpins stormed out in ’82, a side project by guitarist/producer Brian “Too Loud” McLeod of Chilliwack. Fronted by the Darby Mills, the debut album received plenty of radio play and went platinum in Canada. Released in June (to coincide with a Canadian tour w/ Girlschool & Toronto); It featured the hit single “Don’t It Make Ya Feel”, as well as the classic title track, and “Breakin’ Down”. RIP Brian McLeod.
Harlequin – One False Move
The Winnipeg band’s 3rd album from June. It boasted the hits “Superstitious Feeling” and “I Did It For Love”. Very keyboard-y, but also some great tracks, notably the guitar heavy “Ready To Love Again”, plus catchy pop rockers like “Shame If You Leave Me” and “Fine Line”.
Anvil – Metal On Metal
Anvil’s 2nd album released in April, featuring the classic anthem title track, as well as favorites like “Heat Seek”, “Jackhammer”, and the instrumental “March Of The Crabs”. The first of a few produced by the legendary Chris Tsangarides [RIP].
Leggatt – Illuminations
Don’t think this LP [released on 2LPs] got much press at the time, but known for including Hughie Leggatt [bass/vocals] and Danny Taylor [drums] – both ex of A Foot In Coldwater & Nucleus. Leggatt [other brother Gordon] are also known for penning the track “White Flags” [included here], which was the single, and went on to be a hit for Blue Oyster Cult 4 years later. But lots of great music here, progressive, pop, rock… cool tracks like “Amerikan Lights”, “Rolling Hard”, and “Slipping Into Limbo”.
Kim Mitchell – Kim Mitchell
The 5 song debut from Kim Mitchell, fresh out of Max Webster in November. Great songs, and a few that got plenty of radio play in Ontario – “Miss Demeanor” and “Kids In Action”. Awesome guitar record!
Other Mentions: April Wine Powerplay, Toronto Get It On Credit, Queen City Kids Black Box , Lee Aaron The Lee Aaron Project , Streetheart Streetheart , Sheriff Sheriff, Chilliwack Opus X .
Outsider Rock 