John Wilson - Your Eyes (1987)

 

7" Single, released in 1987

John Wilson - Your Eyes (A-Side)

John Wilson - Bad Guy (B-Side)

New Asia - Central Proposition (1981)

7" Single, released in 1981

New Asia - Central Proposition (A Side)

New Asia - Here And There, Now And Then (B-Side)

Majesty - Girl (1987)

7" Single, released in 1987

Majesty - Girl (A-Side)

Majesty - After You (B-Side)

Majesty was a brief pop project by Debbie Wiseman and Tony Wharmby. Debbie has gone on to become a noted British composer, and her husband Tony has worked as a recording engineer.

This was a request via Discogs!

Richard Sanderson - Anytime At All

 

7" Single, released in 1990

Richard Sanderson - Anytime At All (A Side)

Richard Sanderson - Silly People (B Side)

A new artist discovery for me this year, I'm not sure why Richard's excellent album Anytime At All was only released in Germany as it includes many great tracks, including both sides of this single.

Sleep Of Reason - Building 27 (1987)

I don't know much about Sleep Of Reason. They released one album on Top Records in 1987 and came from the Vienna, Virginia area apparently. Band members were Steve Hansgen, Tom Rowland, Arnie Karklis and Vince Silberberg.

Building

House Of Pants - Pressed (1984)

I don't normally buy 6 track EPs (actually these days I don't buy much of anything) but anyways this one sat on my discogs.com want list for quite a while before I got it back in 2017.

House Of Pants was another Oakland California band and the brainchild of Jeff Saltzman, who released a couple of EPs, including this one on Amorous Records and played around town before heading off into the legal field. In the 90's he was part of Green Day's management team. There's not much more information out there that I could find.

Pressed

Greg Guidry - Over The Line (1982)

One of the downsides of obsessing over music that is between thirty and forty years old is that a lot of water has flowed under a lot of bridges by now. Memories fade, life moves on. Sometimes, I read about musicians who have enjoyed a recent reunion, satisfied with a legacy that is likely obscure but still loved, maybe even trying their hand at writing something new. More likely though, many of our heroes are nowhere to be found, and sadly, for some that is true in a literal sense, having passed on either through accident, death by natural causes, or, as in this case, by suicide. Personally, I pass no judgment. The great thing for me about music is that it lives on regardless of the triumphs or ills of its creators.

I found this record in Nashville about 5 years ago and may well have left it alone except for a heartfelt post-it note on the album somewhere that recommended it to a friend. It's perhaps a bit more mainstream, AOR style than I usually opt for, but depending on my mood, there is nothing wrong with that. One track even charted quite highly, and perhaps like one of my other rock discoveries from 1982, David Reilly, the fact that Greg had been honing his chops for years as a songwriter and backup singer imbued the album with solid, satisfying songs. A little strange then, that it took until 2000 for it to see even a limited CD release, given that it was released originally by the mighty Columbia label.

Sadly, as I mentioned before, Greg passed away in 2003 in Fairview, Tennessee, at the age of 49. Having recently turned 50 myself, I am struck by how vulnerable the human male seems to be around the half century mark. Since then, other demo tracks and a posthumous album have been released - you can find them on iTunes, Spotify etc. - but not this one. If you enjoy the album, raise a glass on his behalf.

Over The Line

Flag - Flag (1985)

Flag was a short lived collaboration between Archie Brown, formerly of Dexy's offshoot The Bureau, and David Cairns, previously well known in the UK for his involvement with a number of bands, most notably Secret Affair.

Although the writing partnership was largely productive, tensions arose with label Scotti Bros due to the mixing of the record. The album was released in the USA and Germany, but surprisingly not in England. A single "I Am" was released to radio but was not particularly successful. Nevertheless, highly underrated and worth a second listen.

More information on the band and album is here.

Flag

Eubie Hayve - Mystery (1988)

Eubie Hayve were a phonetically amusing alternative rock band from Maryland, releasing two short LPs on their own Eubet Recordings label. Mystery was the second, more accomplished one. The band consisted of Ginger Hopkins on vocals, Anthony Mark Piazza on guitar, David Frey on bass and Devlin DeHaven on drums. "Work In Progress" was the single.

Mystery

Demarest - Word Gets Around

This week I'm going to share an independent LP from an Oakland band, led by Bruce Demarest. There's a little bit more info courtesy of the drummer, Dan Hertlein, here.

Word Gets Around (1987)

1. The Once In A Blue Moon Girl
2. Guilty
3. False Front
4. Word Gets Around
5. Verbatim
6. By Summertime
7. On 2 And 4
8. Walkin' The Beat
9. Body Language

Download (mp3, 320kb)

Update - high quality download now available on Bandcamp through my label Base Ten Records. 

Simon Warner - Perfect Day Baby

7" Single, released in 1985

Simon Warner - Perfect Day Baby (A Side)

Simon Warner - Swiss Wood Version (B Side)

I just love this single, which makes me wonder all the more why I had never heard of it before I bought it last year. His voice reminds me of Richard Butler from the Psychedelic Furs. I figure there has to be a story as to why such a talented singer releases one single on a major label, with a big time producer and then does nothing else for ages.

Simon went on to release an album called Waiting Rooms on CD, in 1997.

The Bamboo Fringe - Someday

7" Single, released in 1985

The Bamboo Fringe - Someday (A-Side)

The Bamboo Fringe - Turn On The Lights (B-Side)

Flip Me!

Bonk - The Smile and the Kiss

7" Single, released in 1983

Bonk - The Smile and the Kiss (A-Side)

Bonk - Big Love (B-Side)

Bonk was an early alias of  Barry Flynn, who would continue to release a clutch of quality singles under The Chant of Barry Flynn, The Big Supreme, and, finally, just Flynn. A long time ago I put together a compilation called "Pot Shots" which I should probably revisit at some point.

Fingertips - Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy

7" Single, released in 1986

Fingertips - Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy (A-Side)

Fingertips - Geronimo (B-Side)

Flip Me!

Shadow Talk - People Watching People

7" Single, released in 1984

Shadow Talk - People Watching People (A-Side)

Shadow Talk - Heaven Up Here (B-Side)

Flip Me!

The Recognitions - This First Dance

7" Single, released in 1982

The Recognitions - This First Dance (A-Side)

The Recognitions - Big Sunny Day (B-Side)

Flip Me!  

Big Store - The Price of a Secret

7" Single, released in 1983

Big Store - The Price of a Secret (A-Side)

Big Store - Taking The Stage Again (B-Side)

Flip Me!

Michael Anderson and Jim McKinven, both previously with Altered Images, joined forces with vocalist Tina Winters for this one off single. Interestingly, it was co-written with Peter Capaldi before his acting career took off.

The Big Supreme - Remind Me

7" Single, released in 1987

The Big Supreme - Remind Me (A-Side)

The Big Supreme - What Love Means (B-Side)

Flip Me!

Tight Fit - Secret Heart

7" Single, released in 1982

Tight Fit - Secret Heart (A-Side)

Tight Fit - Just A Moment Away (B-Side)

Camras In Paris - Visions Of You

7" Single, released in 1986

Camras In Paris - Visions Of You (A-Side)

Camras In Paris - Hideaway (B-Side)

I don't know much about Camras In Paris, an Australian new wave band that released one single on Centre Records in 1986.