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AOR Underground AOR AND MELODIC ROCK Hello, one and all! So what can you expect on Facebook? Cheers, Rob Evans

Welcome to the page for Powerplay Magazine's AOR Underground column.The column is monthly,and has been in existence for over ten years and is one of the longest running columns in the UK. Built on the foundations laid by Derek Olivers mighty Wimpwire column and, to a lesser extent, Kelv Helrazers, equally Impressive, Raze Hell, AOR Underground endeavours to bring you the very best in AOR,

Melodic Rock, Glam and Pomp. Well, I aim to do a monthly blog that will give you an update on the column, its contents/details etc, plus I'll probably give you the odd new Interview (primarily for new, lesser known bands) and anything else I can get my hands on that is to do with AOR. Any bands out there that want to be featured in this column, then get in touch via this site. Any other bands that don't fit the remit of this column, then get in touch with Powerplay at www.powerplaymagazine.co.uk. That's all for now, be sure to subscribe to the blog, check back here on a regular basis and leave plenty of comments - good, or bad.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBThe opening salvo of guitars and keyboards on Giant’s ‘Last Of The Runaways’ is still one ...
29/06/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
The opening salvo of guitars and keyboards on Giant’s ‘Last Of The Runaways’ is still one of my favourite openings on an album. Like Toto before them, Giant were a bunch of sessions guys that were in demand and, just like Toto, they proved that they were capable of doing it for themselves as well as others. Released at the tail end of the eighties, a time when AOR was silently being consigned to the bargain bins, Giant’s debut is arguably the last of the great AOR albums.

GIANT – ‘Last Of The Runaways’. A&M Records. 1989.
Having put together the Christian AOR band, Whiteheart, in the early eighties, the Huff brothers, Dann & David, recorded several low-key albums with that band before going their separate ways. First Dann, and then David a year later, moved away from the twee, rudimentary AOR sounds that sprung forth from Whiteheart, a band that would find its identity several years later.
By the time that Giant became a going concern, the Huff brothers had quite the reputation as ‘go to’ session guys. Having met up with keyboard player Alan Pasqua, Dann Huff and several other studio musicians formed a band and did some demos. The singers at the time were Tom Kelly (I Ten) and Tommy Funderburk (What If) another pair of well-respected session guys, with Kelly also a songwriter of some repute. Whilst this venture didn’t go anywhere, it did give Huff and Pasqua a flavour of where they wanted to go musically and with the help of David Huff and bass player Mike Brignardello, Giant was born
Taking their name from an old James Dean movie, Giant started work on writing songs and recording demos in Alan Pasqua’s home studio. Taking on Bud Prager as their manager, he was representing Foreigner at the time, was a wise move as his expertise took them to the next level. Signing to A&M records at the behest of founder H**p Albert, the band began work on their debut album. It was ex Charlie guitarist Terry Thomas, who was also managed by Prager, that was chosen as producer, a man that, by his own admission, saw himself as a cheap version of Mutt Lange.
Adding Mark Spiro to the songwriting process, ‘Last Of The Runaways’ was recorded in England, allowing the band to bond and to take them away from the distractions that Los Angeles brought with it.
The end results proved to be one of the last great AOR albums of the eighties, unfortunately for Giant and a whole raft of other bands, AOR was all but over, they just hadn’t gotten the memo yet. Opened by a squall of guitar histrionics, ‘I’m A Believer’ is arguably one of the best opening songs on an AOR album this side of Paul Laine’s ‘One Step Over The Line’. The likes of ‘Innocent Days’ and ‘No Way Out’ hold up to close scrutiny, but it’s the poignant ballad ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’, replete with its stunning video, that is this albums best song, it also scored the band their only top twenty hit. The lush strains of ‘It Takes Two’ and ‘Hold Back The Night’ bring the AOR in spades, whilst ‘Shake Me Up’ and ‘The Big Pitch’ are frenetic rockers that showed the other side of this most excellent of bands. Two to three years earlier and the chances are that this album would have been huge.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBThis week’s edition of the Coffee Club is brought to you by the letters P.O.M.P. I can viv...
22/06/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
This week’s edition of the Coffee Club is brought to you by the letters P.O.M.P. I can vividly remember going into my local record shop, Penny Lane, in Chester and Stuart, a man that clearly knew his customers, thrust this into my hands with the words “you’ll love this, it’s right up your street” and he wasn’t wrong. Whilst I managed to see them with FM in the eighties, those Firefest reunion gigs several years ago are the stuff of legend.

WHITE SISTER – ‘S/T’. EMI America. 1984.
The roots of White Sister lie in Burbank, California when Garri Brandon and Rick Chadock enlisted the help of Dennis Churchill and Gus Moratinos, forming the band Tyrant in 1980. Playing gigs in Pasadena and Hollywood, the band changed their name to White Sister and eventually started to get noticed. When drummer Moratinos left, his replacement, Rich Wright, rounded out what would prove to be the bands definitive line-up.
A chance meeting at a gas station between Rick Chadock and legendary Angel keyboard player, Gregg Guiffria, would prove to be a pivotal moment in their progression as a band. Impressed by their drive and determination, Guiffria agreed to work with them by respectfully helping to arrange their already written songs. But it would prove to be a painstaking process as between them they reconstructed every song from the ground up, before demoing several selections.
Thanks to Guiffria’s due diligence and the bands quite wonderful songs, the hard work paid off as their demo caught the ears of EMI-America who promptly signed them in ‘83. The bands approach of not wanting to sound like anybody else around at the time had paid off. When the likes of Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and Ratt were the darlings of the MTV era, White Sister stood out for all the right reasons. A delicious blend of pomp and majesty, they were akin to a polished muscle car shining in the Californian sun. Sleek, powerful and exciting for sure.
Led by a swashbuckling display of guitar pyrotechnics from Rick Chadock and the sterling keyboard/vocal work of Garri Brandon, a student of the kind of dual role that Dennis DeYoung and Steve Walsh played in the respective bands Styx and Kansas, the White Sister sound was a bastardisation of acts like Angel, Boston and Styx meeting the hard rock rifferama of the likes of Legs Diamond and Dokken. Their melting pot of sounds all came to fruition when the band entered the studio to record their debut album. With Gregg Guiffria being the logical choice as producer, the process was a swift one as Guiffria captured the bands spontaneity and creativity thanks to all the hard work they’d done in the previous year.
Mixed by Michael Wagener (Accept, Dokken) and released in 1984, their debut was a ten-track barrage of grandeur, musicality and intelligence. The powerful riffing of Rick Chadock, the pretentious parping of Garri Brandon’s keys and the dual vocal assault of Brandon and Churchill was White Sister’s mission statement. This was a sure-fire pomp romp that shone like a beacon amidst the mascara mayhem that was emanating from the Sunset strip in ’84. From the synth strewn opening of ‘Don’t Say That You’re Mine’, the riff piercing splendour of ‘Straight From The Heart’ or the surging ‘Promises’ this was an album that should have been given the keys to the pomp kingdom.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBWhat better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with the Daddy of all AOR singers, Steve Pe...
15/06/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with the Daddy of all AOR singers, Steve Perry. A man that Jon Bon Jovi would call ‘The Voice’, a fitting title for a singer that is arguably the voice of AOR, a man that Sir Michael Bolton would bow down to and admit defeat. In the pantheon of great AOR singers like Lou Gramm, Jimmy Jamison, Brad Delp, Bobby Kimball and Michael Bolton, Perry stood head and shoulders above them all.

STEVE PERRY - 'Street Talk'. CBS/Sony Records. 1984.
Having tasted the high life in Journey, a band whose fortunes had considerably risen since his arrival, Steve Perry was looking for a new challenge. Journey was riding high in 1983 after the release of 'Frontiers', their fifth studio album with Perry. The subsequent tour for the record was huge and I mean HUGE, as anyone that's seen the 'Frontiers And Beyond' VHS will testify. Playing Arenas and sports stadiums, it proved to be their most successful tour to date and cemented their reputation as the kings of AOR. But with Journey Guitarist Neal Schon hooking up with Sammy Hagar in HSAS, Perry took full advantage of the break in Journey’s schedule to record his debut solo album.

It was a chance to play it his way and make the style of music he wanted. Compared to the rambunctious and guitar driven 'Frontiers', Perry’s first venture was smooth, polished, slick and packed full of soul and emotion. It was a nod to his Soul and R&B roots, with artists like Sam Cooke et al a strong influence on this album’s direction.

It was an album that sold two million units and gave Perry a top three single with ‘Oh Sherrie’, a song written for his then girlfriend, Sherrie Swafford, and did nothing but enhance his status as ‘the voice’. Produced by Perry, with Bruce Botnick as executive producer, a man that had previously worked with the Doors, Love, Eddie Money and the Beach Boys amongst many others, ‘Street Talk’ captured exactly what Perry was after.

With Randy Goodrum, himself a celebrated Westcoast artist, co-writing all but two of the albums’ songs and armed with a stellar cast of musicians such as Michael Landau, Waddy Wachtel, Bill Cuomo and Craig Krampf, this album would prove to be a golden age AOR album, in a year that had loads of them. Tracks such as ‘Captured By The Moment’, the poignant ‘Running Alone’, Foolish Heart’ and ‘You Should Be Happy’ were damn near faultless examples of the genre.

This album would also prove to be the missing link between Journey’s guitar driven ‘Frontiers’ and their soul drenched ‘Raised On Radio’ albums, with Perry wrestling control of Journey from Neal Schon and pushing them down a similar avenue on Raised…’ to the one that ‘Street Talk’ had walked down. It would also prove to be the nail in Journey’s coffin, with the band splintering and calling it quits for several years until the ‘Trial By Fire’ reunion that started in ’95 and saw the album released in ’96.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBIn much the same way that Heart’s ‘S/T’ album from two years previous had resurrected thei...
08/06/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
In much the same way that Heart’s ‘S/T’ album from two years previous had resurrected their career, Cher’s ‘S/T’ album from ’87 rejuvenated a singer that had put her musical career on hold after ‘I Paralyze’ in ’82 so that she could concentrate on movies. It saw Geffen records put her back in the charts, where she rightly belonged. I saw her at the Birmingham N.E.C in 1990 and she was magnificent that night.

CHER – ‘S/T’. Geffen Records. 1987.
A Gay icon, a disco queen and an Oscar winning movie star are just a few of the accolades that have come the way of Cherilyn Sarkisian in her illustrious career. In what can only be described as her life ‘mission statement’ she was quoted as saying “I’ve always taken risks and not worried about what the world might think of me”. To which anyone who’s seen the video for her ‘89 hit “If I Could Turn Back Time” will testify as being true. Her early musical career alongside her husband Sonny Bono never really hinted at was to come. Despite a brief dalliance with hard rock as part of the superb Black Rose, it wasn’t until her ‘S/T’ album in ‘87 that she became of real interest to us AORsters.
This and subsequent album ‘Heart Of Stone’ were stuffed to the brim with sublime songs. Recorded in eleven different studios and including production credits for Desmond Child, Michael Bolton, Richie Sambora, Peter Asher, Jon Bon Jovi and Jon Lind, plus performances from the likes of Steve Lukather, Michael Thompson, Waddy Wachtel, Bonnie Tyler, Dave Meniketti, Doug Katsoros, all of Bon Jovi, Joe Lynn Turner and Robin Beck amongst many others, it’s hardly surprising that both these albums caught the attention of the avid aficionado of the genre.
But it was her ‘S/T’ album from ’87 that revitalized her career, thanks to songs, and most certainly videos, like ‘I Found Someone’ (written by Michael Bolton and Mark Mangold) and ‘We All Sleep Alone’. But this was an album that was packed full of great songs as the likes of ‘Perfection’, ‘Main Man’ and ‘Skin Deep’ will testify. It also included a re-working of the classic Sonny & Cher hit ‘Bang – Bang’, a song that featured all of Bon Jovi, but relegating Jon, some would say wisely, to backing vocals. It was a top forty album in both the UK and the USA and has since achieved Platinum status in the US and Gold in the UK.
Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBThis week’s Coffee Clubbers recorded an album that stood up to the North American AOR onsl...
01/06/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
This week’s Coffee Clubbers recorded an album that stood up to the North American AOR onslaught that was all over the airways in the eighties and played them at their own game. For me, ‘Native Sons’ is one of the greatest AOR albums ever made and how Strangeways never blew the charts apart is quite the mystery. No arguments, this is AOR perfection with k***s on.

STRANGEWAYS – ‘Native Sons’. Bonaire Records.1988
Dispensing with your lead singer before your debut album is released is hardly the most auspicious of starts, but coming back with a sophomore album that is widely regarded as one of the greatest U.K AOR releases of all time shows tenacity to say the least.
When Ian and David Stewart (Guitar & Bass), alongside Jim Drummond (Drums), found original vocalist, Tony Liddle, from over nine hundred applicants, he was the second-best man for the job. Their initial choice was Terry Brock, who was quietly making a name for himself over in his native America as a backing vocalist of some repute. Whilst he initially turned them down, opting to go on the road with Steve Morse, it would be Liddle’s departure and Ian Stewart’s persistence that eventually convinced Brock to take a chance on this unknown quantity.
Recorded at the tail end of ‘86, ‘Native Sons’ was far removed from the uncomplicated AOR of their S/T debut, revealing a gulf in class the size of the Grand Canyon. Whilst Liddle had done a good enough job, Brock added a touch of Steve Perry, Lou Gramm and Michael Bolton to proceedings, replacing the bands distinctly British style of AOR with lush, slick, Americanised songs that were crafted with both eyes gazing firmly on stateside success.
With the bulk of the album penned between Brock and Ian and David Stewart, it proved to be a partnership that produced spectacular results. Whether it was the sublime balladry of ‘Goodnight L.A’, the overtly Journey esque ‘So Far Away’ or the semi anthemic pairing of ‘Shake The Seven’ and ‘Stand Up And Shout’, they hit the target on every track. It must also be noted that the sterling keyboard work of respected session man, David ‘Munch’ Moore, gave this band the colours they so desperately needed, his contribution being almost as vital to this albums sound as that of Brock’s vocals and the songs themselves.
In the late eighties British AOR acts had floundered compared to their colonial cousins, but Strangeways had managed to take this old Vauxhall Viva and turn it into a turbocharged Trans Am. At long last here was a band that was able to take the Yanks on at their own game and win. Derek Oliver gave this album 5k’s, stating in his gloriously overblown review that it was “Leaps ahead of Michael Bolton, light years in front of Journey and putting Foreigner at the very back of the class.” He finished his review with “Ignore it and I’ll guarantee you’ll never live with yourself again.” It is, arguably, one of the greatest AOR albums ever made.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

According to Rocky Shades, who was in attendance last night, it was like the eighties all over again as Stoke's Eleven C...
28/05/2025

According to Rocky Shades, who was in attendance last night, it was like the eighties all over again as Stoke's Eleven Club hosted a night of trashy glam that was headlined by the imperial Trench Dogs.
Opened by the Su***de Bomber's from Norway, a band that i've crossed paths with before. They proved to be a force of nature whose singer, Chris Damien Doll, lead from the front as they tore through 'So Bad', Su***de Idol' and the impressive 'Bladerunner (Tokyo Nights)'.
By comparison, the Continental Lovers from Nottingham were a French kiss to all things sleazy and trashy, an ode to bands like the New York Dolls, the Ramones, the Heartbreakers or the Lords Of The New Church. They reminded me of bands like Marionette, The Babysitters or Last Of The Teenage Idols from back in the eighties, in that they were ramshackle, loose and packed full of attitude. At times it was more 'Blitzkrieg Bop' than 'Jey Boy', coming across like a Ray Zell cartoon that had come to life. Tracks like 'It Really Doesn't Matter', 'Bad Little Go Go Girl' and the cover of Stiv Bators' 'Make Up Your Mind' simply fizzed with a ragged energy.
Whilst it's been over six years since i last saw the Trench Dogs, it was good to see that they've lost none of the effervescent charm and delinquency. They should be the natural heirs to Hanoi Rocks' guttercat crown, they've certainly got the songs as tonight proved. From the rollicking rock and roll of 'Self Sabotage' through to new song 'Cobblestone Waltz' and the irresistible 'Gin Beat', the Dogs looked like they were having the time of their lives. A sartorially elegant riposte to an anodyne music scene, the Trench Dogs are everything you want in a rock and roll band.
There are still several dates of this tour left, so miss it at your peril.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBWhilst my wife June doesn’t hate AOR, it’s safe to say it’s not her favourite genre of mus...
25/05/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
Whilst my wife June doesn’t hate AOR, it’s safe to say it’s not her favourite genre of music. Sure, she loves Toto, Foreigner and bits of Journey, but scratch beneath the surface and throw bands like Autograph or Signal in her direction and she’ll just shake her head with a resounding ‘no!’ However, one such cult outfit that is always guaranteed to get her attention is Diving For Pearls. That bands brand of individuality and uniqueness was what set them apart, sadly for them the world wasn’t full of the likes of June.

DIVING FOR PEARLS – ‘S/T’. Epic Records. 1989.
Whilst the cold winds of Grunge were incoming, AOR and Melodic Rock in general was still making hay whilst the sun shone. One band were about to release an album that would show that the old dog that was AOR still had a few tricks up its sleeve. Formed as far back as 1985 in Boston, this version of Diving For Pearls featured mainstays Danny Malone (Vocals) and Jack Moran (Keys) and took their name from an old Elvis Costello song call ‘Shipbuilding’. Over the next three years this duo weathered the storm as various members came and went, with Malone and Moran eventually relocating to New York. After another version of the band disintegrated due to personal issues and visas running out, they hooked up with Yul Vazquez (Guitars) and Peter Clemente (Drums). Both Vazquez and Clemente had seen action with Urgent, a band that had released two albums in ’85 and ’87 respectively.
Joined by David Weeks (Bass), Malone, Clemente, Vazquez and Moran hit the clubs in earnest and after a whirlwind six to eight months of gigs they were being courted by Micheal Caplan from Epic Records. Initially signing a production deal, they hooked up with David Prater, an up-and-coming producer who find fame with Firehouse and Dream Theater, amongst others, later in his career. Still not convinced of the band’s prowess, the label gave them more time and money to record new demos, one of which was ‘New Moon’ a song that eventually sealed the deal with Epic.
Although Prater wasn’t the bands first choice to record their album, they would have preferred Mike Fraser due to his Mutt Lange connections or Terry Thomas, Micheal Caplan convinced them that Prater was their man. They needn’t have worried as Prater gave them the kind of sonic clarity that Lange had given to bands like Def Leppard and AC/DC. Recorded in Eleven-Eleven studios in Nashville, Diving For Pearls cut an album that was decidedly different, yet oh so familiar. With Malone’s love of bands like Cheap Trick and The Cars shining through on the bands pop-rock sensibilities, you could add in Def Leppard’s production values and arrangements alongside the new wave connotations of the likes of INXS and U2. It all made for a heady brew, a cocktail of creativity that should have seen this band playing in the same league, or stadiums, as some of the aforementioned bands. With songs like ‘You’re All I Know’, ‘Never On Monday’, ‘Have You Forgotten’ and ‘I Close My Eyes’ simply fizzing with pop-rock exuberance, the likes of ‘Gimme Your Good Lovin’’ and especially ‘New Moon’ should have set the charts on fire. Sadly, I think they were too alternative for the AOR crowd and not alternative enough for the New Wave fans and whilst it shifted over 250,000 copies, it wasn’t enough to convince Epic to commission a second album. By now, those Grunge winds were reaching gale force and bands like Diving For Pearls didn’t stand a chance. In a decade full of fabulous AOR, this debut album still sounds timeless and inventive.
Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBIt’s come to my attention recently that this Sunday’s offering is celebrating its fortieth...
18/05/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
It’s come to my attention recently that this Sunday’s offering is celebrating its fortieth anniversary. Sir Michael Bolton, a man knighted by the even mightier Sir Derek Oliver, is rightly lauded in AOR circles as a man of ‘God-like’ proportions. Whilst this album may have stiffed at the box-office, Bolton would eventually change tack and find success via a slew of albums that thrilled housewives the world over. But back in ’85 he was a soft rock king of uber proportions.

MICHAEL BOLTON – ‘Everybody’s Crazy’. Columbia. 1985.
Having already released two solo albums under the name of Michael Bolotin, as well as a brace of superb albums with Blackjack, Michael Bolton was an old hand by the time of his first solo release in ’83 under the name of Bolton. That albums abject failure to garner any chart action saw his record label, against all odds; agree to a sophomore release with the slick hard rock approach of his last outing once again the favoured route. With Neil Kernon (Queensryche, Shy) ensconced in the producer’s chair, it was recorded at a plethora of New York Studios, including Electric Lady, Delta and The Power Station, the pairing of Bolton and Kernon set about in earnest to create a record of some magnitude, one that was designed to send the singer hurtling into the stratosphere, smashing the charts apart on re-entry. It was an album that was rightly lauded upon release as one of the finest to ever grace the genre of AOR.
Armed with nine songs, ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ turned out to be an assured hard-hitting release. By now Bolton’s voice was set to stun, being equal parts Sam Cooke and Otis Redding but with an added swagger that recalled Steve Marriott at his most raucous. Songs written alongside the likes of Mark Mangold (Touch, American Tears), Mark Radice (Aerosmith), Jan Mulaney and Randy Goodrum (who co-wrote ‘Oh Sherrie’ with Steve Perry) only added to the excitement, here was an album that couldn’t fail, or could it?
The pounding drums and swirling synths of album opener ‘Save Our Love’ launched this record in fine style and when that chorus kicks in, well, it was game over as far as I was concerned. As ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ (check out the video on Youtube, its hair-tastic) and ‘Can’t Turn It Off” deliver the AOR in spades, it’s down to the likes of ‘You Don’t Want Me Bad Enough’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me It’s Over’ to flex their muscles and show that this album wasn’t all fluffy and pink. Alongside Bolton’s unfeasibly fabulous voice, the work of the then Kiss guitarist, Bruce Kulick, takes an honorary second place, elevating this album to unchartered heights as far as AOR was concerned.
Whilst his ‘S/T” album logged sales of around a hundred thousand units, ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ barely hit single figures and considering the talent involved in its creation, these were heartbreaking statistics. According to Bolton’s manager, Louis Levin, it was this albums failure that ultimately lead to his present-day success as it forced him to change tack and move into a different direction as was witnessed on his million selling follow up, ‘The Hunger’.
In a Kerrang! Poll in ’88 its readers voted ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ as the second best AOR album of all time, beaten narrowly by Journey’s ‘Escape’, proving that talent and class shouldn’t be measured by sales. These days however, Michael Bolton prefers to put this period of his career behind him, like a skeleton in his closet.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUBAlongside Bronz, Airrace, Shy, FM and Torino, this week’s Coffee Clubbers were the great w...
11/05/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
Alongside Bronz, Airrace, Shy, FM and Torino, this week’s Coffee Clubbers were the great white hopes of the U.K AOR scene back in the early eighties. After a brief stint with Neat Records, they landed a deal with Parlophone to record their debut album under the watchful eye of producer Lance Quinn. With Quinn having guided the early career of Bon Jovi, Parlophone had high hopes of repeating that success with these Bedford hopefuls, but it sadly wasn’t to be.

TOBRUK – ‘Wild On The Run’. Parlophone Records. 1985.
Originating from the south midland’s town of Bedford in ‘81, the original line-up of Tobruk was a far different proposition than the one that recorded ‘Wild On The Run’ a few years later. Starting life as a run-of-the-mill five-piece rock band, Tobruk enjoyed a local reputation for being loud. With the usual musical differences creeping in a year later, Mick Newman (Guitars), Allan Vallance (Drums) and Steve Woodward (Bass)joined forces with Jem Davis (Keys), Nigel Evans (Guitars) and Stuart ‘Snake’ Neale (Vocals) from rival outfit, Stranger, after being swayed by that bands more commercial approach.

A sustained period of writing and playing saw them catch the ears of Tommy Vance and The Friday Rock Show, that saw a four-track session aired in the October of ‘82. Signing with Light & Sound Design Management, they re-located to Birmingham, a move that saw Allan Vallance leave the band to be replaced by Eddie Fincher. Still overlooked by the major labels, Tobruk eventually released their debut single, ‘Wild On The Run’, for the independent label, Neat records in ‘83.

After supporting Diamond Head on their ‘Canterbury’ tour, bassist Steve Woodward was replaced by Mike Brown, but that major label deal was still eluding them. Hiring the Birmingham Odeon, Tobruk and their management company put on an impressive show for various record labels, which saw EMI taking the bait and signing the band to their Parlophone offshoot in early ‘84.

Flying out to the States to record their debut album was a dream come true for this hard-working outfit. Recorded at the Warehouse Studio in Philadelphia, and Co-produced by the band and Lance Quinn, ‘Wild On The Run’ is full of youthful exuberance and zest. Released in the May of ‘85, it contained a mixture of old and new material that saw a more keyboard orientated approach polishing out the rough edges from their earlier days. With Quinn fresh from taking both Bon Jovi and Lita Ford into the American top fifty, it’s with hindsight that you can see the Jovi influence that he’s stamped all over this album.

Unduly slaughtered by Kerrang’s Mark Putterford, who stated “the best thing I can say about ‘Wild On The Run’ is that it bored me sh*tless”, which was a rather unfair assessment in my opinion. Instead of reviewing this album on its own merits the magazines of the time compared it to many of its American AOR cousins of which it could never compare, but, as a classic sounding British rock album it had few peers. I saw this band live as support to Diamond Head and Manowar and at a very memorable gig at the Lion Hotel in Warrington and they were quite something to behold with their matching customised guitars and synchronised headbanging.

Opened by ‘Wild On The Run’, a pure slab of American hard rock if ever I heard one, the Keyboards of Jem Davis then go into overdrive on ‘Falling’, a song that is pure early Bon Jovi in its delivery. Whilst ‘Running From The Night’ is akin to Shy meeting Aviator, the bouncy bluster of ‘She’s Nobody’s Angel’ plants them firmly in Autograph territory due to its anthemic chorus. The album's final couplet of ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Going Down For The Third Time’ are arguably its finest cuts, with the latter drenched in pomp laden harmonies, subtle keys, biting guitars and an epic chorus.

The band did record a second album for Parlophone, which was shelved, before splitting in ’86 with the bands various members ending up in acts like Idol Rich, Midnite Blue, UFO, FM and the Wildhearts.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB“You need rock ‘n’ roll, yes sir!” Over the years the fine fellows of Torino have become f...
04/05/2025

THE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB
“You need rock ‘n’ roll, yes sir!” Over the years the fine fellows of Torino have become firm friends, but back in the mists of time I was just an over eager fan that thought that these boys were the best thing I’d ever seen in a pub/club. They worshipped at the altar of all things American, hell, they probably bled red, white and blue for all I knew and inhabited a world that was stuffed with bands like Legs Diamond, Starz, Angel and acts of that ilk. Geoff Barton purred over them, Derek Oliver gushed, and Malcolm Dome called them “Owls in Lip Gloss.” They should have been huge, or at least big in Bootle, but sadly got cast aside after their second album.

TORINO – ‘Customized’. FM Revolver Records. 1988.
I first caught this band live in the Lion Hotel in Warrington, back in the early eighties. In those days they were called Gran Torino and were named after the car in Starsky and Hutch. Shortly after they simplified it to just Torino and set about touring constantly in the northwest of England. In those days they consisted of Stuart Fox, Brian Dixon, Stephan James and Colin Guthrie (Who was replaced shortly after the demo by Steve Kerr) It was this line up that recorded the ‘7UP’ demo's that were the precursor to this album, and it was these demo's that I grew to love over the years that I followed the band. They seemed to disappear for a while until I next saw them supporting Shy at the International One in Manchester in 1987. They hit the stage that night with a completely different line up to the one I was used too. Out had gone bassist Stephan James and guitarist Steve Kerr to be replaced by Paul Diamond (ex Rox) and Barry McKeown respectively. They signed their album deal that night and rightly so as they gave the performance of a lifetime that left me well impressed and with this line up, they recorded their debut which was released in 1988.
Recorded in their hometown of Liverpool and produced by Steve Morris of Export and Heartland fame, it should have propelled the band to greater things. However, a recording budget of about ten quid and a very poor production job from Mr Morris meant that the otherwise very catchy songs got bogged down in a very muddy and almost non-existent sound. However, sound and production issue's aside this is one album that stands out for its songs and you can't help but wonder that had this lot been American would they have gone onto better things? I think that the answer to that one would have to be a resounding yes.
They were the English equivalent to Autograph and in singer Stuart Fox they had the perfect answer to Autograph’s Steve Plunkett. Plus, they were armed with songs that were screaming out to be played in an arena to twenty thousand screaming yanks. Just listen to ‘Out Of The Fire’ or ‘Boy's Go Wild’ and tell me that they are not stadium anthems in the making. And if you want ballads then look no further than ‘Somewhere’ or ‘Take My Heart Away’ two of the finest you will hear. To be truthful the demo's had a much better sound, but as I said earlier this album was all about the songs.
In the pages of Kerrang! Derek Oliver compared them to the likes of New England, Trillion, Sheriff and White Sister, branding Torino as ‘Manchester’s answer to American domination’, whilst Kelv Hellrazer stated in Metal Forces that they were in the Guiffria/Journey mould. With the album finally released in the early part of ’88, the reviews for ‘Customized’ were a mixed bag, but overall, they were mostly complimentary. Ranging from Geoff Barton’s humorous appraisal (Kerrang! 176) in which he spent most of the review drooling over the inclusion of Paul Diamond – he even gave the album five k’s for their being an ex-member of Rox in the band – through to being branded ‘an ugly bunch, that look like Owls with hair gel and lip gloss’ by Malcolm Dome in Metal Hammer.
It was released a few years back on CD (Lost Jewels Vol. 11) coming complete with a raft of demos, extensive liner notes and a host of memorabilia and press cuttings.

Don’t forget to spread the word about the Sunday Morning Coffee Club, membership is free! Lol. And if you like the Art Print, then head over to my daughters Print & Pigment Etsy page in the comments below.

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