SCOTTS HIDDEN TREASURES #20 (BANDS EDITION)

[Scott]

Welcome to Hidden Treasures "Bands" Edition...

How many times have you sat and listened to a band that you really love and wondered why didn't they make it big?  Everything they've done rocks, they play lights out live, but for whatever reason they never got that head-lining tour, or reached mutli-platinum status.  Maybe they got real close and everyone knows who they are, but they still didn't quite break through.  If you have a band that you love that didn't then this makes you scratch your head.  I was listening to some music this week and had these thoughts, so I went back to collection and pulled out 10 bands I think Joe Public missed the boat on.  Maybe it was management, record label issues, bad promotion, radio, or even the Mtv age got 'em.  Whatever the reason these bands put out music that was capable of overcoming the odds, but it just didn't happen.

To the list we go...

TITLE: Space Station #5
ALBUM: Montrose
YEAR: 1973
What a band, and what a legacy Ronnie Montrose came from, Van Morrison, then onto Edgar Winter, and then this.  A band that was comprised of Sammy Hagar, Bill Church and Denny Carmassi.  New to the rock world at the time but these players went onto huge things.  Ive heard it described as one of the greatest rock debuts of all time, and that makes sense once you listen.  Tension became so high between Montrose and Hagar, the rumor was that during their last few concerts they made sure to have no contact with each other on stage and off.  Can't maintain that for too long and line-up changes led to, well, a new band...

TITLE: No Tears
ALBUM: 1
YEAR: 1979
And here's that new band... along with Alan Fitzgerald (on bass for this band and later Night Rangers  keyboardist), Denny Carmassi and some others.  Written, produced and played to perfection!  Appealing album art, and who wouldn't want to see these guys on stage?  So why didn't this go over bigger?  The rub was that Gamma was said to sound too similar to other bands on the same label, so failed promotion is to blame here. Shame on you Elektra!

TITLE: Too Hot To Handle
ALBUM: Lights Out
YEAR: 1977
UFO should have been riding high on its consistent in your face hard rock anthems.  Phenomenon paved a way for success but the bands relationships internally were not working.  After "Strangers In The Night" they went through a series of line up changes and never quite reached the potential they could have. Former members names read like a list of Who's Who in Rock and Roll, but maybe that's the issue after Schenker left, no stability in writing and players.  Shame really.

TITLE: Say What You Will
ALBUM: Fastway
YEAR: 1983
Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clark, Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and UFO bassist Pete Way make up this band.  Named after Fast Eddie Clark and Pete Way.  Unfortunately Pete Way was not able to break his contract and therefore was not able to record this album with them.  Its blues based, in your face riffs, pounding drums rock and roll.  This album killed it when it came out, we wore this sucker out cruisin' down the strip.  But they followed it up with an album not quite as aggressive and surely not as listenable.  They fell off the map until they released some songs on the soundtrack to a movie titled "Trick or Treat" in 1987, but what airplay they got with that was not enough to recover.  The movie bombed and financially the band never got the returns they hoped for, and sadly they disbanded.

TITLE: (She's Just A) Fallen Angel
ALBUM: Starz
YEAR: 1976
Formed out of the ashes of "Looking Glass" which hit #1 with "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" in 1972.  This band got some attention, but no air play, except for in my car and at local parties!  Seems like we all had this album and Coliseum Rock.  They were even managed by Bill Aucoin of KISS Fame!  But the rap on them was that they weren't radio friendly because straight ahead rock wasn't in.  It was the Disco and Punk era and radio didn't have room for rock and roll.  Whatever!  They were legendary for their live performances though.  So why not a headliner?

TITLE: Never Been Any Reason
ALBUM: Flat As A Pancake
YEAR: 1975
Strong debut for a band that recorded and produced their own debut album, took it on the road and sold out in the Mid-West.  When the record labels heard it they quickly snapped it up and the band rearranged it for worldwide release.  The band relies heavily on thundering drums, a strong Hammond organ, and cool riffs. They followed up with strong releases and hit the charts in 1978 with a remake from Argent - "Since You've Been Gone".  But the band fell apart going forward due to alcohol and drug issues.  Line up changes doomed them in 1980.

Title: Just One More Time
ALBUM: Line of Fire
YEAR: 1984
Guitarist Brian "Too Loud" McCloud couldn't get Bill Henderson of Chilliwack to accept a new harder edged sound so he and Ab Bryant left after the Opus X release and took their considerable writing, and playing skills to form the Headpins.  Vocalist Darby Mills may take some getting used to, but she has a great rock and roll voice.  The band made some in roads on radio and Mtv but never quite broke through in a big way.  The untimely death Brian McCloud put the brakes on this band.  R.I.P. Too Loud!

TITLE: So You Ran
ALBUM: Orion the Hunter
YEAR: 1984
So while the world was waiting for Boston to put out their 3rd album, Barry Goudreau joined forces with Heart drummer Michael DeRosier and future Boston vocalist Fran Cosmo.  They even got songwriting help from Brad Delp.  With anticipation of Bostons third album still generating airplay and interest in them, this project seemed to be a can't miss right?  Well, a good start and radio airplay didn't stop this band from getting in its own way.  Legal troubles put this effort on the shelf, where it still is today.  Goudreau would repeat this almost success with RTZ who could fit on this list also.

TITLE: Your Love Is In Vain
ALBUM: Vandenberg
YEAR: 1982
Guitar lovers know this band.  Their debut came out strong even broke into FM radio.  But alas, the record buying public didn't take to it.  Legend has it that Adrian Vandenberg failed an audition with Thin Lizzy and came back to form this band.  His considerable shredding ability combined with an axe to grind (pun intended) attitude worked out real well initially, but the problem was the glam scene was in full motion and Vandeberg tried to polish themselves up to conform to it.  That didn't work, and Adrian disbanded this group and joined Whitesnake at the height of their success.  Smart Move?

TITLE: Black Tiger
ALBUM: Black Tiger
YEAR: 1982
Y&T released three of Hard Rocks greatest albums, Earthshaker, Black Tiger, and Mean Streak.  This tri-fecta is not easy to do.  How many bands can you name that have 3 really great releases in a row?  Of the ones you named, were they all big names?  So why not Y&T in the same conversation?  We all know Y&T.  Two albums later they had a hit record with Summertime Girls.  But that song withstanding there's not much anyone else knows of Y&T.  Had they stayed true to themselves and the style that got them started in the right direction?  Who knows, I think they would have hit it, but they went the way of commercial success and line-up changes caught up to them and in 1991 they disbanded, trying a few other times to regroup in some way, it wasn't until 2009's Facemelter was released that we heard from the real Y&T again.

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I've posted a few tracks from bands like, Shooting Star, Axe, Prism, and Blackfoot, but they didnt go over well enough for them to fit into this list for whatever reason.  Maybe sometimes it is the music itself that holds them back.  But we all seemed to like the band Saga, do they belong on here?  Who else is missing from your perspective?

Until next week...


FIREFOX USERS, HERES YOUR LINK...
http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/28b9b6ba0f1884561a5b57a2e0a96685

EMBEDDED PLAYER...

[Jon]

Another nice list! I have everything but Gamma, have always wanted to pick up their 3 (?) albums but haven't. Yet.

[Scott]

Thanks! They have 4 but 3 is out of print and hard to find, make sense?

[Jon]

Lessee...1-3 available, 4 OOP.

[Scott]

1,2,4 available, 3 OOP

[Jon]

I'm sticking with 1, 2, 3 avail, 4 OOP

http://www.cduniverse.com/sresult.asp?psychicsearch=on&HT_Searc...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&a...


But it's kind of looking like 3 might be going away.....

[Scott]

ok, you got me going there... I knew Amazon showed it as available but when you go to order it tells you out of stock, and CD Universe gives you a link to receive an email when its available. Last note I seen on "3" was OOP on a Wiki page. Looks like that may be closer to right. Wish I could get this one though.

4 on the other hand is available, download only...

[Jon]

1. Charlie don't surf
2. Machete don't text
3. Jonny don't download.

[Niels (Mod)]

A nice playlist, Scott. Like I've said before, I would listen to your radio-show. It's a good easy listening here at work.
The only band, that I've got several albums with, of these bands, that's Y & T, and "Black tiger" is my favorite-album.

[RJhog (Admin)]

This list didn't do as much for me as usual, but I didn't think it was bad. Out of the 10 songs, I thought 5 of them were just okay, including Headpins. I thought the singer spent too much time in that super high register, and I like her normal register better, with the high register used just occasionally.

My two favorites were Head East and Orion The Hunter (Scott, I think you and I have discussed this band a little bit previously).

I also really like the bass line on the Y&T tune. And Dave Mineketti can shred.

As far as your question about Saga, I don't have much of their material, but I wish I did. I think they do belong here, although they have had a very productive career, which is probably different than these bands, so I guess I changed my mind. Maybe they don't belong here. One artist that I think belongs here is Andy Taylor (as a solo artists, aside from Duran Duran). His solo music rocks much more than DD's and he had somewhat of a hit with Take It Easy from that movie, I think it's American Anthem.

[Scott]

Do you mean this list doesn't do you much good as usual, meaning it's usually not good? hahahahaha, just kidding. My column, my opinion, my content, doesn't work for everybody all the time! That's whats cool and fun about it.

But I think you nailed the dilemma with bands like these on the head when you said "I don't have much of their material, but I wish I did" - So then, why don't you? What is it about Saga that you like so much but yet you still cant bring yourself to purchasing?

[RJhog (Admin)]

You know, I don't really have an answer for that. I have World's Apart, but that's it. I've come close several times, and even almost bought one or the lead singer's solo albums (is his name Sadler?). Anyway, I'll pull the trigger eventually. But like I said, don't most of these bands only have very limited material out? Saga has a large catalogue, so that's why I said maybe they don't belong in this group.

The funny thing for this list is, I like the Head East song a lot, but I very well might like a Starz album as a whole over the Head East, you know what I mean?