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.