THE HEARTBEATS

Artist: THE HEARTBEATS                         

Title: By Donation

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1982

Songs: 4

Label: Self Released

Style: Power Pop Rock

Rare private power pop rock obscurity from Venice, CA.  Three quick paced melodic and catchy tunes along with a slower ballad that’s pretty good with it’s guitar work and subtle keyboard arrangement. 

TIM ABBOTT

Artist: TIM ABBOTT

Title: Time & Space

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1980

Songs: 9

Label: Gopher Records

Style: New Wave

This is a killer little new wave rocker – it has great synth action, catchy melodies, power pop leanings and strong drumming.  Sure, Tim’s vocals aren’t the greats – but he uses them to great effect.  The closing 'Sci Fi Man' is a stunning synth wave monster!

CANYON

Artist: CANYON       

Title: Heart Of Ice

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1986

Songs: 4

Label: Mice-Elf Records

Style: New Wave Rock  

Private new wave rock band hailing from Connecticut.  The title song is a galloping new wave rocker, complete with parping keys and a very catchy chorus.  The rest is just as good.

THE DIVEKINGS

Artist: THE DIVEKINGS       

Title: Self-Titled

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1980

Songs: 6

Label: Rogue Elephant Music

Style: Pop Rock

Private rock from Kansas – the group was quite big at eight members.  Probably a great live band as they have novelty goofiness spots in their music.  This is hit and miss – they have a few covers that are lame.  There are two solid songs – ‘Too Much To Dream’ a psych rocker and new wave power pop rocker ‘Girls In Nurse Socks’.

SOMEWHERE A VOICE

Artist: SOMEWHERE A VOICE        

Title: Love, Logic + Ego

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1982

Songs: 10

Label: Peyote Records

Style: New Wave

United Kingdom based new wave post punk trio.  The mid-paced ‘Shalott’ is a cool track with its striking synth washes and strategically placed saxophone play.  ‘Maze’ treads along with a somber post punk vibed arrangement.  Against a sharp post punk arrangement, the band employ some interesting instrumentation on ‘Bitter Sweet’ and ‘Face On A Wall’.  An enjoyable set of moody new wave laced post punk.

OSCAR DECKER

Artist: OSCAR DECKER

Title: Self Titled

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1986

Songs: 4

Label: SkyTemple Records

Style: AOR

SSW guitarist out of Austin, TX.  Has some catchy AOR songs with one slow closer at the end. 

KEITH SMITH

Artist: KEITH SMITH

Title: Apprehended At Daybreak

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1981

Songs: 11

Label: Passion Records

Style: AOR

This private press from Sacramento, CA is mostly a duo with Keith Smith leading the effort and his right-hand man being guitarist Glen Granthem.  There’s also a variety of session musicians brought in to balance things out on drums, saxophone, bass and additional guitars.  Standouts include the driving ‘Coming Back To Me’, the tempo changed up ‘I’ll Never Hear You Again’ and hard rock guitar rhythms in ‘Right Now’.  The passionate chorus and punchy piano arrangements in ‘The Changes’, ‘Inside Of Me’ and ‘I Wouldn’t Want To Be With You’ turn out additional solid ear pleasing offerings.  There’s a couple slower ballads and a countryfied slow pacer in ‘Hey Lady’.  

SEASON OF FIRE

Artist: SEASON OF FIRE     

Title: Tested By Fire

Format: Vinyl EP     

Year: 1987

Songs: 5

Label: Red Duck Music

Style: New Wave

A non-preachy Xian band hailing out of Los Angeles, CA.

RUSH

Artist: RUSH

Title:   The Way It Is

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1975

Songs: 8

Label: CRG

Style: Rural Country Rock

Rare private press obscurity from rural lounge/club act out of Maine. 

HOLME

Artist: HOLME

Title: Just A Matter Of Time

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1982

Songs: 6

Label: Drive Records

Style: AOR

Holme was a popular and hard-working pop-rock AOR band from  West Orange, NJ that played the New Jersey dance/rock club scene in the 1970s and 1980s. The band described itself as a "mainstream" rock band.  They were prolific and played all the time.

MO MCQUIRE

Artist: MO MCQUIRE

Title: Mo

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1974

Songs: 10

Label: Wooden Nickel Records

Style: Pop Rock       

There doesn’t seem to be much information about Mo Mcquire.  My take is a lounge/club singer that found some commercial appeal and had the chance to score a record deal.  She has a solid voice with a blues edge, but she can pivot and do rock and pop as well.  There’s some decent material here – and there’s also filler and dudes on board too - like a country thing ‘Mama Was A Cowgirl’ and sappy ballad ‘First Of May’.  Noteworthy Songs: ‘Got You Covered’ has a cool organ melody and rock edge.  The upbeat pop rockers ‘Hold An Old Friend’s Hand’ and ‘Just About Over The Hill’.  There’s a quirky ragtime yet interesting on the vocal side of things exploration called ‘Chicago Bust Bag’.  For Dixieland jazz enthusiasts, there’s the jazz foray ‘Saturday Night In The Summertime’.

STRAIGHT GOODS

Artist: STRAIGHT GOODS                       

Title: Self-Titled

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1989

Songs: 5

Label: Self Released

Style: Indie Rock

Indie rock band with a dominating droney guitar lead sound.  They play mid-paced slower burn songs with male and female singers.  Based out of San Diego. 

THE HOLD

Artist: THE HOLD

Title: Talking Revolution

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1989

Songs: 10

Label: Prisoner Records

Style: New Wave  

Super rare indie private press from Michigan - this foursome had the late 80's leather and trench coat alternative look and put together a well-crafted and produced new wave styled with post punk and indie rock leanings set.

THE ACTUALS

Artist: THE ACTUALS

Title: Self-Titled

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1984

Songs: 6

Label: Egg Acres Records

Style: New Wave

Southport, Connecticut new wave fivesome in the early 80's.  A very catchy, melodic and synth ridden set with the stand out tracks being the funky spiced 'Space Gun'. 

IAN SHELTER

Artist: IAN SHELTER 

Title: Self-Titled

Format: Vinyl LP      

Year: 1979

Songs: 9

Label: ILUVU Music

Style: AOR

Sacramento based band that was formed by local musicians Jeff Heller and Mike Linn.  This is there very rare private album that was pressed in a quantity of 2000 only.  The band gigged the local club circuit as well as being in battle of the bands.  ‘She Takes Me By Surprise’ has a good guitar riff and playing as well as keyboards.

GATE EIGHT

Artist: GATE EIGHT            

Title: Turbo Rock

Format: Vinyl EP

Year: 1985

Songs: 4

Label: Self Released

Style: Melodic Rock

Local private rock band hailing out of Jupiter, FL.  The song choruses get nice and fiery, especially on album single ‘Arizona Roads’.  

JEFF FOGERTY

Artist: JEFF FOGERTY

Title: New Orleans Lady

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1987

Songs: 4

Label: TJ Records

Style: AOR    

California based singer songwriter & musician with his private AOR melodic rocker.  Seemed to have some help from family members as well. 

DART

Artist: DART

Title: Self-Titled

Format: Vinyl LP

Year: 1968

Songs: 12

Label: Garland Records

Style: Garage Pop   

Super rare underground DIY garage pop rock one off.  There’s very limited information available, however - these boys seemed to have been from the Pacific Northwest.  Their record label Garland Records was based out of Oregon and the owner Gary Nieland was also the leader of Dart.  I’d venture to day this was the first album released on the label.  There’s also some sort of connection with another Oregon based underground band New Dawn, who put out a scarce private press in 1970.  This platter has a very indie sounding garage pop sound with limited production values and has a mix of original material and covers.  It’s very hit or miss – there’s some solid cuts (‘Genevieve’, ‘Mr. Love’, ‘I Can’t Understand’) and then lame cuts (‘Our Wedding Day’, ‘I’ll Keep You Happy’, ‘This Guys In Love With You’).