7 years 1 week ago
OVERVIEW:
The decades-long career of respected guitarist Bobby Messano picked up steam in the mid- to late-'70s with acts such as Stanky Brown and Starz. Gravitating toward session work around 1980, MESSANO would contribute to albums from a range of different artistsóPeter Criss and Joe Lynn Turner among themóas well as touring alongside heavyweeights like Steve Winwood, Lou Gramm, and more. For a portion of that era, Bobby had also joined rockers Franke & The Knockouts, performing (and co-writing two tracks) on their 1984 album, Makin' the Point.
Toward the end of the '80s, MESSANO also stepped up to present his debut solo album, having assembled a backing band consisting of Erik Boyd (bass), Joey Zee (keyboards), and Mike Gage (drums). Recorded with Jim Barg at The Barge Sound Studio in Wayne, NJ, Bobby handled lead vocals, guitar, bass, and the bulk of the songwriting. That being said, two cuts nodded to his past: "Hide Our Love Away (Tell Me Why)" was first recorded by Franke & The Knockouts under the title "Carrie Why?," and "Sing It, Shout It" was a Starz cover from 1977.
Released by Strategicóa division of Relativity Recordsóin 1989,89, the 11-song album has become a bit of a cult classic over the years for fans of top-shelf, hook-fueled melodic hard rock. MESSANO wouldn't release another solo album until 1998óthe blues-based Dominion Roadsó‚Äîbut has remained an active and highly regarded force in the blues community since that time.
30 years later, Divebomb Records is excited to reissue this underrated AOR treasure. Newly remastered with a whopping five bonus tracks, the disc will be presented with a typically detailed booklet featuring a retrospective interview with Bobby Messano himself. For the fans, by the fans!
FOR FANS OF:
FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS, JOE LYNN TURNER, SPYS, HONEYMOON SUITE & TYCOON
TRACK LIST:
1. Hide Our Love Away (Tell Me Why)
2. Sing It, Shout It
3. You and I (Are Forever)
4. Rock & Roll Heaven
5. Stand And Fight
6. Don't Tell Me It's Over
7. Hot N' Heavy
8. Rock Out
9. (On The) Firing Line
10. Four Play
11. Face Behind The Axe
BONUS TRACKS
12. Good Girls Gone Bad
13. Ready To Rock Tonight
14. I'll Be There
15. Sleepless Nights
16. Every Little Thing
KNIGHTS REIGN
OVERVIEW:
Little-known Texas act KNIGHTS REIGN formed when ex-Lix members Tony Marsh (guitar) and Mike Reiner (drums) joined forces with vocalist Tim King, previously of Baltic Avenue. Tim then recruited T.J. Ostrander on keyboards, and the quartet located bassist Jason Rasberry through a local friend who owned an area music store. The quintet quickly developed a uniquely progressive sound centered predominantly around hard-hitting guitars and full-band vocal harmonies, drawing influences from all sorts of hard rock and metal, and even characteristics of blues or funk. A catalog of songs were crafted over the course of about one year during the early-'90s and recorded in a temporary studio set up in Reiner's home. The result was a self-recorded, self-produced, and self-released 12-song CD issued through Perisphere Records in 1994.
Shortly afterward, John Bedinghaus replaced Rasberry on bass and KNIGHTS REIGN soldiered on, writing and demoing songs intended for a second album through the latter part of the decade. While that material displayed a more mature and focused approachóat times even coming across like a harder-edged Journeyóbeing located in an area with little to no opportunities for higher-profile live performances, the group simply ran its course and drew to an end. Their lone self-titled CD has since become an extremely rare collector's item, having only been sold directly by the band, and never repressed...
...until now! Over two decades later, Divebomb Records is elated to present the complete discography of KNIGHTS REIGN: over 75 minutes of music, including five previously unreleased bonus tracks culled from demos for the incomplete second album. Remastered by Jamie King at The Basement Recording, the disc will come complete with lyrics, photographs, and a retrospective interview on the history of the band. For the fans, by the fans!
FOR FANS OF:
JOURNEY, HONEYMOON SUITE, FRONTLINE, GIUFFRIA & STRANGEWAYS
TRACK LIST:
1. No Time To Cry
2. Goodbye
3. Rain
4. In Too Deep
5. The Other Side
6. Get Tough
7. On My Way
8. Final Test
9. Stand
10. Moonburn
11. Rest Of My Life
12. In Your Eyes
BONUS TRACKS
13. From The Beginning
14. Emerald Eyes
15. One Foot In The Fire
16. Time
17. Waiting For The Sun
