The following four new Rock Candy titles are available now from www.rockcandyrecords.com for a discounted price including postage to anywhere in the world for the next two weeks.
TANE CAIN 'S/T' CANDY287
THE PROLIFERATION OF female singers in rock really took hold in the early 1980s, fuelled by the huge popularity of performers such as Pat Benatar, Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks and Cher, amongst many others. It was a golden period, with many new names appearing at an exciting rate. But for every successful contender there were an equal number of artists for which fame and fortune sadly stayed just out of reach. One of those was Tan' Cain, a Californian based chanteuse with the voice and looks that should have propelled her to stardom.
Issued in 1982, Tan' Cain's self titled album has gone down in AOR folk lore as one of those records that had it all but, sadly, ended up as a fascinating curiosity rather than a big seller, despite the help and assistance of a major record label and several seasoned musicians. Chief amongst her supporters was her then husband Jonathan Cain the keyboard player and songwriter for Journey. Jonathan brought much to the party, co-writing most of the songs, playing on the album and roping in renowned producer Keith Olson to oversee the recording.
Employing a coterie of top west coast session players, including guitarist Tim Pierce (Giant) and fellow Journey members Neal Schon (guitar) and Mike Baird (drums), the album was constructed with pin-point accuracy, giving rise to a record that has been a long term critical hit far beyond its original commercial failure. Check out such gems as 'Temptation', 'My Time To Fly' and 'Holdin On' for irrefutable proof.
SPECIAL DELUXE COLLECTOR'S EDITION, FULLY REMASTERED SOUND, 12 PAGE FULL COLOUR BOOKLET, 3,500 WORD ESSAY ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE ALBUM, NEW INTERVIEWS AND ENHANCED ARTWORK.
TRACK LISTING: 1. TEMPTATION 2. DANGER ZONE 3. MY TIME TO FLY 4. CRAZY EYES 5. HOLDIN' ON 6. ALMOST ANY NIGHT 7. VERTIGO 8. HURTIN' KIND 9. SUSPICIOUS EYES
MONTROSE - 'PAPER MONEY' CANDY278
THERE'S LITTLE DOUBT that the self titled debut Montrose album was an absolute game changer in the world of hard rock and heavy metal. In fact, these days it is pretty much recognised as ground zero for all that became of the genre, with a sound and swagger that birthed many followers, including Van Halen. Formed by and named after guitarist Ronnie Montrose, the band featured then unknown vocalist Sammy Hagar who would later go on to enjoy a successful solo career and, ironically, front Van Halen.
The second Montrose album, craftily titled 'Paper Money', was recorded and released in late 1974, produced once again by master of the art Ted Templeman. It was a record that found band leader Ronnie Montrose making a decidedly left of centre stylistic turn, introducing a collection of mellower, perhaps more introspective songs into the mix. Sure, it was still very much a hard rock album, but the emphasis was placed on mood and atmosphere rather than muscle and brawn. It was a record that gave insight into the enormous creative talent of Ronnie and his rather unorthodox working methods.
There's much to be enjoyed here, including the Jagger/Richards penned 'Connection', spooky instrumental 'Starliner', intriguing 'Spaceage Sacrifice' and the epic and eerily prophetic title track. Best of all though is 'I Got The Fire', a song that easily picks up where the debut album left off, a track effectively covered by Iron Maiden several years later.
SPECIAL DELUXE COLLECTOR'S EDITION, FULLY REMASTERED SOUND, 12 PAGE FULL COLOUR BOOKLET, 3,500 WORD ESSAY ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE ALBUM, NEW INTERVIEWS AND ENHANCED ARTWORK.
TRACK LISTING: 1. Underground 2. Connection 3. The Dreamer 4. Starliner 5. I Got The Fire 6. Spaceage Sacrifice 7. We're Going Home 8. Paper Money
MONTROSE - 'WARNER BROS. PRESENTS' CANDY279
MONTROSE HAD SUCCESSFULLY crafted a respected reputation for themselves with two albums of Class-A hard rock, before abrasive relationships eroded the band's central core. Vocalist Sammy Hagar was effectively forced to leave the band by an increasingly mercurial Ronnie Montrose, a man who ran the band with complete control and authority. With Hagar cast aside Ronnie appointed new boy Bob James, who like Hagar, was an unknown quantity, but the possessor of an extraordinary voice.
When the band began to plan the recording of their third album, 'Warner Brother's Presents'', Ronnie instigated yet another significant change, by rejecting powerful producer Ted Templeman, in favour of assuming production duties himself. This led to a more eclectic record, that incorporated several moods, ranging from drawn out epics such as 'Whaler' and 'Matriach' to snappier cuts such as 'Oh Lucky Man' [written by Alan Price] and 'Black Train', a proto speed metal romp. But the album's stand out track is 'Dancin' Feet' with its snappy and uninhibited guitar riff holding centre court.
When the album was released in September 1975, it further enhanced the band's reputation as musicians, but it failed to alleviate their declining sales and lack of chart momentum. It also clearly demonstrated Ronnie Montrose's continued quest for musical development and diversity, a fact underscored by the appointment of keyboard player Jim Alcivar, helping to pride a vivid and contemporary sounding palette that indicated the direction to come.
SPECIAL DELUXE COLLECTOR'S EDITION, FULLY REMASTERED SOUND, 12 PAGE FULL COLOUR BOOKLET, 3,500 WORD ESSAY ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE ALBUM, NEW INTERVIEWS AND ENHANCED ARTWORK.
TRACK LISTING: 1. Matriarch 2. All I Need 3. Twenty Flight Rock 4. Whaler 5. Dancin' Feet 6. O Lucky Man 7. One And A Half 8. Clown Woman 9. Black Train
MONTROSE - 'JUMP ON IT' CANDY280
MONTROSE HAD ENJOYED a stellar reputation as one of the best bands of the mid 70s, with their debut album, in particular, garnering extraordinary praise, if not immediate sales success. But the band had also been heavily criticised for failing to deliver a consistent body of work, with Ronnie Montrose insisting on a course of experimentation rather than repetition. The band's previous album, 1975's 'Warner Brother's Presents'' was greeted with faint praise by many connoisseurs of the hard rock genre, with many citing leader Ronnie's need to diversify the band's sound as a self destructive achilles heel.
It was also noted that the band's recordings had become somewhat muted so, under pressure to conform, the label made him abandon production duties and had the reigns over to Jack Douglas, a man who had developed a red-hot reputation producing classic Aerosmith albums. Musically this was just the tonic needed and 'Jump On It' went someway to return the band to former glories, setting out a more defined rock sound, despite the fact that bassist Alan Fitzgerald had been sidelined in favour of a session player.
Issued in Sept 1976, the album contains a number of standout songs, including the hard hitting title track 'Jump On It', 'What Are You Waitin' For', 'Let's Go' and 'Merry -Go-Round' all of them showcasing the superior talent of vocalist Bob James. However, with Ronnie still not able to come to terms with losing control of his own band, and further internal friction, the band, sadly, split up.
SPECIAL DELUXE COLLECTOR'S EDITION, FULLY REMASTERED SOUND, 12 PAGE FULL COLOUR BOOKLET, 3,500 WORD ESSAY ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE ALBUM, NEW INTERVIEWS AND ENHANCED ARTWORK.
TRACK LISTING: 1. Let's Go 2. What Are You Waiting For? 3. Tuft-Sedge 4. Music Man 5. Jump On It 6. Rich Man 7. Crazy For You 8. Merry-Go-Round
