TAXI

Artist: TAXI

Title: Self Titled

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1980

Songs: 8

Label: Apex Records

Style: AOR    

Taxi was a big band with a whopping ten members.   A late 70’s Westcoast AOR rock with easy going vibes was their trade.  A couple of songs crawl above the fray to provide interesting listening, but for the most part, it’s low-mid-tempo period 70’s pop rock.   

CHEEVERS

Artist: CHEEVERS

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1983

Songs: 4

Label: SOL Records

Style: New Wave

Highly obscure new wave power pop group who operated out of Sacramento, CA.  The songs have Devo influenced quirkiness as in the speedy ‘Twenty-First Century Breakdown’ and then wander into melodic new wave on ‘Compelled To Confess’.  A solid private press offering.

THE WORLD

Artist: THE WORLD

Title: Irresistible Urge         

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1987

Songs: 10

Label: Forchyn Music

Style: Hard Rock

Westcoast AOR with an annoying violin that pops in and out and sometimes overstays its welcome.  Yeah there’s a few decent up-tempo non-violin songs that hint at what the band should have focused more on and what this listener really would have wanted, like the driving ‘Walls’ and the melodic big drumming  ‘It’s True.’  Kind of lame.

GREEK LIFE AQUARIUM

Artist: GREEK LIFE AQUARIUM

Title: Hell In Water   

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1988

Songs: 4

Label: Kool Records

Style: Minimal Wave

Here we have a one off basement studio project by Graham Perry, formerly of Order Of Silence band, who were based in Nashville, TN.  Graham teams up with Jo Z Chrobok and releases this peculiar offering.  ‘Face Of J.C.’ is an odd minimalistic drum machine synth workout, while ‘Spirit Of The Runaway’ glooms its way through a story of a runaway.  More minimal basement quirks are found in ‘Monotony’.  Yeah it’s weird, but cool!  

KORNERSTONE

Artist: KORNERSTONE

Title: Reflecting Traveler     

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1979

Songs: 12

Label: Starwest Records

Style: Rural Rock

Kornerstone was a local rural rock band that ventured into folk arrangements as well. The opening title song is the album’s standout, it’s an up-tempo good time rocker with nice fuzz guitar riffing.  There’s a few others that bubble under, like the comical ‘The Bull Frog Song’ and closer ‘It’s About Time/Konyets’.  A varied affair with low levels of excitement.   

XDAVIS

Artist: XDAVIS

Title: Summer Of Fire

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1984

Songs: 6

Label: Patriotic Music

Style: New Wave

XDAVIS was a modern rock trio that operated in and around New York City.  This is their second and final extended player.  The band pumps out emotive new wave inspired rock coupled with anthemic production values courtesy of Glenn Rosenstein, who had worked with the likes of U2, Tears For Fears and Talking Heads.  Opener ‘Love Is A Crime’ is a driving single worthy cut.   XDAVIS was a popular draw in the alternative club scene and received ample radio airplay on a variety of college rock stations.  

THE STEAMERS

Artist: The Steamers

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1982

Songs: 10

Label: Self Released

Style: AOR

Around 1980, Jim Johnson got together with Stanley Kipper (drums, percussion and vocals) and Brad Palmer (bass guitar and vocals) and put a new band together, The Steamers, that played in the Los Angeles area.  Two attorney’s from New York City, Alan Shapiro and Gary Wishik saw the band perform live and produced (and financed) the bands only album, recorded at Don Casale Studios in Westbury, New York, that was released in 1982.  The album was self-titled (with no label name), with ten original songs, six written by Jim, three written by Stanley and one written by all three members.  Jim sings lead vocals on five songs, Stanley singles lead vocals on four songs and Jim and Stanley both sing lead on one song.   Numerous songs from the album were used in soundtracks for various Universal movies.  The Steamers played live and recorded songs for Universal up through 1984/1985.  Notable Stongs: lead off corker ‘High Wire’ and guitar riffer ‘High Price Love’. 

UFORIA

Artist: UFORIA

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1990

Songs: 10

Label: Self Released

Style: Hard Rock

The release date of this private obscurity is deceiving.  Upon slipping this on the turntable, you are shot back into time – 1970’s swirling period rocking arrangements galore.  This gang of four Ohio based musicians more than likely started kicking around in the 70’s and just waited for some reason to release this 70’s styled biker hard rock album.  One of the better songs is the complete biker rocker ‘Harley Riders’.  The epic ‘On The Run’ and You’re Gone’ chugs along with killer guitar work and pounding drums.

MONA LISA

Artist: MONA LISA

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1983

Songs: 6

Label: DaVinci Records

Style: AOR

Mona Lisa was a female fronted local rock band that hailed from Pennsylvania.   Excellent female fronted AOR with pompous synth work mixed into the proceedings.  The production is excellent for a rare private pressing.

THE FLOOD

Artist: THE FLOOD

Title: Tilt!      

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1984

Songs: 8

Label: CVR Records

Style: Minimal Synth Wave

Top drawer minimal synth electronics from this Greek band.  They mix melancholic male and female vocals with solid early 80's electronics.  

THE ARCHER ROAD BAND

Artist: THE ARCHER ROAD BAND

Title: In The Land Of Odd

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1978

Songs: 11

Label: Self Released

Style: Rural Country Rock

Don’t judge an album by its front cover artwork is the message here.  With a bizarre psych oriented whacky album jacket, one would think there’s some cool music lurking inside.  Well, not so fast – what we have here is lame rural rock with country twang vibes.  When you take a closer peek at the song titles, ‘Darlin’, ‘Rawhide’, ‘Hitchin’ and ‘Butterfly’ to name a few, the hints become more obvious that this is not psych rock or even anything remotely interesting.  The only redeeming quality is the front jacket artwork.  Beware of dealer and seller inaccurate hype descriptions for this mediocre effort.

EXIT

Artist: EXIT

Title: No Way Out    

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1984

Songs: 8

Label: Entrance Records

Style: Hard Rock

EXIT was a local hard rock band operating in and around San Bernardino, CA.  This looks to have been their lone private press offering.  ‘Do It For Me’ is a mid-tempo melodic rocker with a catchy chorus.  Nice guitar riffing complements the driving RATT influenced ‘I’ll Never Stop’.  ‘Unpainted Love’ is a solid straight up melodic hard rocker that delivers the goods and could have been a single. Nice gang chorus work on ‘Lovers’.

CHINESE GANGSTER ELEMENT

Artist: CHINESE GANGSTER ELEMENT

Title: Self Titled       

Format: 7” Vinyl EP

Year: 1986

Songs: 4

Label: Ted Records

Style: Indie Alternative

Chinese Gangster Element was nothing of the sort – they were a female fronted indie alternative rock outfit based out of the United Kingdom.  Lead vocalist Fiona McBean helms a driving set of four high tempo guitar infused alternative rockers.  Melodic, catchy and well produced! 

ACTIVE JOY

Artist: ACTIVE JOY

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1985

Songs: 8

Label: CVU Records

Style: Alternative

Active Joy was an indie alternative/modern rock band from Canada.  They had limited local exposure with radio station play and sponsorship.  Crisp guitar playing and prominent drumming are front and center with this quartet’s delivery.  Vocals are excellent, diving in and out of gloom stricken moments and passionate pleas.  An above average healthy dose of period alternative pop rock.  

TOOLS OF ROMANCE

Artist: TOOLS OF ROMANCE

Title: Self Titled

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1985

Songs: 4

Label: Ribbed Records

Style: New Wave

Tools Of Romance were a new wave synth band operating out of Chicago, IL.  This is an excellent set of melancholic synth wave with both female and male vocals.  Gary Numan influences come to mind when you hear the killer ‘Cool Heart’.  The band had limited local market success and received college/alternative radio exposure.    

100 PROOF POP

Artist: 100 PROOF POP

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1981

Songs: 4

Label: Pop Records

Style: Lounge Rock AOR

A Southern California based lounge / bar rock band that really comprises two members pump out four 1960’s covers, like ‘Walk On By’ (Dionne Warwick) and ‘Groovy Kind Of Love’ (Mindbenders).  The duo obviously gives the covers their special lounge treatment, but it doesn’t resonate.  Their lack of creativity is why this one sank into the bowels of vinyl obscurity – you have been warned.

GO 90

Artist: GO 90

Title: Self Titled       

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1984

Songs: 10

Label: Silent Records

Style: AOR

Behind the colorful presentation of their lone one off album front jacket stands a trio of musicians hailing out of Portland, OR.  The band enlisted session help to round out the album, but it’s the Prophet 5 synthesizer that plays a major role in the High Tech AOR proceedings.  ‘Fatal Attraction’ borders on new wave with its catchy refrain and synth work, while High Tech AOR rules the day on the melodic ‘Paradise’ and prominent drumming/guitar riffing in ‘Outside World’.  Piercing synth stabs keep the attention on ‘Not Like You’.

BURNBOX

Artist: BURNBOX

Title: The Fall Of The House Of Us

Format: 7” Vinyl EP

Year: 1991

Songs: 4

Label: Self Released

Style: Indie Alternative       

BurNBox was an indie alternative rock trio based out of Arlington, MA.  This one and only self release provides sturdy period alternative rockers with big guitars and drums galore. Vocals are shared and they are all competent when their turn comes.  ‘Pull The Plug’ is the most melodic of the four song set and is a standout with its shimmering guitar riffing.