GOTTHARD - Anytime, Anywhere [Tour EP] (2005)

"Anytime, Anywhere Tour EP" was initially released as promotional material for GOTTHARD's 'Lipservice' album, one of the best of their career.
It mainly contains the second single fron that album, but also some juicy rare tracks to enjoy.

"Anytime Anywhere" is a crunchy mid paced hard rocker with a fabulous refrain. It's offered on 2 different editions here, being the "Radio Version" pretty different to the album version.
"In The Name" is the never released acoustic version of an old Gotthard tune (really fine version), while "Round And Round" and "Nobody Home" are non-album tracks as well, the latter only appeared as bonus in Lipservice's Japanese edition.

The three are really killer songs, speacially "Round And Round" which is incomprehensible that never has been included in any full length album, it's exclusive to this EP wich, by the way, has become scarce due the limited edition.
Rare and great Melodic Hard Rock tunes to collect.


01 - Anytime Anywhere (Radio Version)
02 - Anytime Anywhere (Album Version)
03 - In The Name (Live & Acoustic)
04 - Nobody Home (Non album track)
05 - Round And Round (Non album tack)

Steve Lee - Vocals
Leo Leoni - Guitar
Freddy Scherer - Guitar
Marc Lynn - Bass
Hena Habegger - Drums





GOTTHARD - Anytime, Anywhere

STEVE PERRY - The Reissue Bonuses & More...

This is a revamped post from years ago, per request.
Get it while it's hot...

Steve Perry... don't need to spend a single word about his greatness.
I assume you already have his 2 solo albums (if not, what are you waiting for?)
But perhaps many don't own the reissues with the bonus pack. Here they are, all of them, in all its glory (320K).

"For The Love Of Strange Medicine" adds:
* 12.If You Need Me, Call Me (from FTLOSM sessions. Re-recorded track of Perry's pre-Journey band, 'Alien Project').
* 13.One More Time (from FTLOSM sessions, outtake)
both tracks only appeared on 'You Better Wait +4' CDsingle, 1994.
* 14.Can't Stop (unreleased)
* 15.Friends Of Mine (unreleased)
both tracks from 'Against The Wall', the unfinished album recorded by Perry around '85-'86
* 16.Missing You [Live in San Francisco] (unreleased)

"Street Talk" adds:
* 11.My My My
* 12.Harmony
* 13.Makes No Difference
these 3 are demos from the unreleased 'Alien Project' sessions
* 14.Don't Tell Me Why You're Leaving ('Oh Sherrie' B-side)
* 15.If Only For The Moment Girl (from We Are The World)

To make it more meaty, I've added some extras:
* Don't Fight It [with Kenny Loggins] from Greatest Hits Expanded edition.
* Missing You [Writing Session version] from 'Missing You' CDsingle.
* You Better Wait [Single Version] from 'You Better Wait' CDsingle.
* I Stand Alone - from 'Quest For Camelot OST'
* A Brand New Start - from David Pack's 'The Secret Of Movin' On', beautiful duet, also co-written by Perry.
* Lost Angels [demo - For The Love Of Strange Medicine outtake]
* Let Go [demo - For The Love Of Strange Medicine outtake]
* Let It Rock You [rare demo, unknown session]
* Something To Hide [very rare old demo taken from Perry's old website]

All interesting tracks to appreciate the incredible 'evolution' of JOURNEY's one and only singer.
Specially the demos are pretty rare, I haven't seen 'Something To Hide' nowhere. The song is terrible, but listen the young Steve testing his falsetto...

Myself made artwork, click on the picture to preview:





STEVE PERRY Bonuses

ANGELES - Fade In Love (1991)

Requested in "Request & Fill Corner" section...

This one was requested by a reader and I thought it's a good moment for some nice West Coast here.
"Angeles" was a project by Japanese AOR / Adult Contemporary guru Kaz Masumoto. With the help of Brett Raymond (Jay Graydon band) playing, arranging and producing, they went to California to record these tunes recruiting the cream of the L.A. Session musicians.

The tracks in the Angeles project are songs from popular Japanese AOR group Off Course (already presented in this blog, follow the tags & labels) re-arranged with an American West Coast AOR flavor and played by Michael Landau, Gregg Bissonette, James Kottak and Raymond itself among other luminaries of the genre.



The vocalists are top notch as well; Peter Beckett, Joseph Williams, Gene Miller, Tom Keane, etc. The songs are really good, mixing uptempos with ballads. Needless to say that production is first class.
Rare album only released in Japan.


01 - Prologue (instrumental)
02 - Don't Stop The Love (Peter Beckett)
03 - This September Feeling (Gene Miller)
04 - Eyes In The Back Of My Heart (Brett Raymond)
05 - Sleepless Night (Joe Retta)
06 - Endless Nights (Brett Raymond)
07 - Yes-No (Joe Retta)
08 - My Wish (Gene Miller)
09 - Sayonara (Joseph Williams)
10 - Epilogue (instrumental)

Producer: Kaz Masumoto
Guitars: Michael Landau
Keyboards, Hammond, Arranger: Brett Raymond
Drums: Gregg Bissonette, Richie Hayward, James Kottak
Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa, Sean Yarbrough
Sax: Dave Koz
Strings: Peter Kent, Sid Page, Bob Becker
Lead Vocals: Peter Beckett, Gene Miller, Brett Raymond, Joe Retta , Joseph Williams
Background Vocals: Tom Keane, Marc Jordan, Brett Raymond, Joe Retta & Joseph Williams




ANGELES - Fade In Love 1991

KRISTINE - The Works (demos & collaborations)

Who is this young girl making music like we're living in the '80s?
Kristine Yay or simply 'Kristine' is a Greek singer who has been writing and recording some good quality demos with a style and sound stuck in the glorious decade.
She has a terrific voice reminding you many eighties ladies such as Robin Beck, Diana DeWitt or Marietta, and her music seems coming out from a 1984 movie soundtrack.
We have tons of synths, compressed & electronic drums and that lovable sequenced patterns.

Seems many musicians lately have been aware of Kristine's talents, requesting her services as vocalist and songwriter.
Some of these collaborations are featured here, as the couple of tracks with electronic / synth artist Mitch Murder, the rocking project Shadoworks or the retro-'80s-popsters Flamingo Drive (check the electro percussion in their track and you will smile).
But what I really love is Kristine own material, all impregnated by pure '80s goodness. "The Danger", as example, is inspired by Top Gun. She has done as well an excellent cover of "Hundreds Of Tears", a song originally performed by Sheryl Crow for the 'Point Break' movie.
There's a bunch of videos in YouTube, check them : 
channel: kristineyaythatsme



The girl is recording her debut EP titled “Modern Love” to be released soon.
Meanwhile, get a ride in your DeLorean and enjoy her demos! (quite good sound).
This pure gold guys... I love this stuff.


01 - Kristine - For The Moment
02 - Kristine - Modern Love
03 - Kristine - A Summer Long Gone
04 - Kristine - Hundreds Of Tears (Point Break OST cover)
05 - Shadoworks feat. Kristine - Eyes Of Danger
06 - Mitch Murder & Kristine - Summer Of Heat
07 - Kristine - The Danger (inspired by Top Gun)
08 - Kristine - Everybody
09 - Kristine - (We Used To Listen To The) Radio
10 - Kristine - A Night Like Tonight
11 - Mitch Murder & Kristine - Alright
12 - Flamingo Drive feat. Kristine - Strange World







KRISTINE - The Works

HARTLESS - Full Circle (2007)

Requested in "Request & Fill Corner" section...

HARTLESS is the brainchild of guitarist Greg Hart, known for fronting acclaimed Melodic Rock / AOR acts Moritz and If Only (together with Jackie Bodimead) during the eighties and nineties.
Hart also released two albums with project GTS, and later played in the Thin Lizzy tribute group Limehouse Lizzy. And that's exactly the orientation he wanted to take for Hartless; the Classic Hard Rock pioneered by the likes of Thin Lizzy, UFO and Kiss.

Joined by old friends and expertise veterans of the British scene Marty Wells (Quest), Ray Edmunds (Snowblind) and Michael Van Dell (Traitor, Monterrez), Hartless' debut "Full Circle" has a classic substance as it is filled with the authentic 'Lizzy' vibe.
So you can expect twin guitar melodies, strong bass lines and rhythmical drumming and percussion. The vocal duties are shared by Hart & Edmunds and they do it good. There's some Jackie Bodimead vocals as well contributing in the backing vocals.

The album opens with "Star", the more commercial track of the bunch with melodious guitars and a catchy chorus.
Then we have two Thin Lizzy inspired tunes (the motto here) in the melodic "Mona Lisa" and the hard rocker "Russian Roulette" sporting duelling guitars and vocals by Ray Edmunds (which sounds like a lot like Phil Lynott).
Next, Hart goes back to the '80s for a moment with "Who Do You Run To", a really good melodic rocker plenty of harmony vocals and an AORish chorus.
The disc follows with more Thin Lizzy influenced rockers such as "Girl" and "Boom Boom", while "Real World" has some The Sweet and Kiss touches, and "Love Her Let Her Go" is acoustic but uptempo.
Appropriately enough for a band so infused with the spirit of Thin Lizzy, a fine cover of "Romeo & The Lonely Girl" appears as bonus track.

"Full Circle" is a nice vintage rock album with good melodies and playing, nothing memorable (isn't the intention here), but honest and pleasant to listen.
So if you're into British Classic Melodic (Hard) Rock sounds this is for you.


01 - Star
02 - Mona Lisa
03 - Russian Roulette
04 - Who Do You Run To
05 - Real World
06 - Girl
07 - Love Her, Let Her Go
08 - Pushed To The Limit
09 - Take The Pain
10 - Boom Boom
11 - Romeo & The Lonely Girl (bonus track)

Greg Hart: Vocals, Guitar
Ray Edmunds: Vocals, Bass
Marty Wells: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Mick Van Dell: Drums
Jackie Bodimead: Backing Vocals


HARTLESS Full Circle

CASANOVA - Secretly Yours [unreleased] (199_)

Germans CASANOVA - the brainchild of talented Michael Voss - was one of the best Melodic Rock bands of the nineties. Their self titled debut still ranks as one of my favorites in the genre, and the subsequent albums are equally good.

Casanovas's discography, as many other bands playing this kind of music, suffered continuity because of the changes in the musical trends during the decade.
Around 1995 Casanova got a series of pre-produced demos ready to enter the studio, but contractual troubles happened with their label and between the band members.
The tapes were shelved and Voss started another project; Demon Drive.

On parallel, Casanova continued working as band, and new composed songs were recorded to be released as 'Heroes', a CD only published in Japan in 1999.
After that Voss wanted to release the album in Germany as well, but at that time Casanova as unit was not a band anymore. Voss' bandmates didn't like the idea and said they'll file a lawsuit if 'Heroes' was published under the Casanova moniker in Germany.
Voss made it short; simply re-recorded most of the songs of 'Heroes' and published the material with his other band Demon Drive, entitled... yes, 'Heroes', in 2000. Demon Drive's 'Heroes' also included fresh and re-worked versions of some tracks from the 'lost & shelved' Casanova album, such as "Sex Is An Alien".

Well, that's a nice story, but what concerns us now is precisely the 'lost album'.
Although pre-production stuff, this material has very good sound and mix, and the songs are really interesting as well.
For years this recording circulated between MR / AOR fans entitled as "Secretly Yours". As requested by a reader, I have compiled all the tracks (only corrected in my workstation the fade-outs that ended a bit abruptly) together with a couple or very rare demos of the same era (around 1995).


Also designed a cool artwork - at least I think it is - just tell me what you think...


01 - The Writer
02 - Sex Is An Alien (Part.1)
03 - In The Heart Of A Woman
04 - Lowrider
05 - The Writer (Extended Mix)
06 - Come Into You
07 - Flesh
08 - Hustler
09 - Sex Is An Alien (Part. 2)
10 - Testify
11 - Wild & Young
12 - Without Your Love

Michael Voss: vocals, guitar, keyboards
Stephan Neumeier: guitar
Jochen Mayer? : bass, backing vocals
Michael Eurich? : drums, percussion, backing vocals


CASANOVA Secretly Yours [unreleased]

TERI DeSARIO - Caught (1980)

Requested in "Request & Fill Corner" section...

TERI DeSARIO started her recording career after Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) saw her performing in a club in 1977 and was impressed by her voice.
Signed by Casablanca Records, Teri released two disco / soul LP's with minor success.
Then the label and her new management (including producer Bill Purse, later her husband) decided to completely change Teri's musical direction, turning to the raising female fronted melodic rock movement led by the likes of Pat Benatar and Heart.

DeSario's 'debut' in the genre was meticulously thought, hiring the most renowned names in the genre for the occasion.
They secured Humberto Gatica as engineer, top songwriters such as Joey Carbone, Desmond Child, Richie Zito, Tom Keane, and the best L.A. session players.
The list is impressive, including Mike Landau, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Ritchie Zito, David Foster, Mike Baird, James Newton Howard and more...
So you know what to expect here: quality.
The songs in "Caught" range from melodic rockers (some with a real edge, specially the guitars) to ballads and radio pop-rock, all crowned by Teri's phenomenal vocal range. The only track that looks unnecessary is the Lennon / McCartney penned "I Should Have Known Better", but it isn't a bad version at all.

"Caught" was really hard to find for many years. This is good vinyl-rip with audio restored by me. If want a CD copy, it has been recently re-issued by Rock Candy records.
Really Good stuff.


01 - Caught
02 - Time After Time
03 - I'm With You Now
04 - Standin' On The Edge
05 - Hittin' Below The Belt
06 - I've Got A Secret
07 - All I Wanna Do
08 - I Hate You
09 - I Should Have Known Better

Teri DeSario: Vocals
Mike Landau: Guitars
Richie Zito: Guitars
Steve Lukather: Guitars
John Pierce: Bass
Dennis Belfield: Bass
David Foster: Synthesizer, Keyboards
Michael Boddicker: Synthesizer
James Newton Howard: Synthesizer
Steve Porcaro: Synthesizer
Bill Purse: Keyboards
Mike Baird: Drums
Carlos Vega: Drums
Paulinho Da Costa: Percussion
Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin, Tom Kelley, Jim Haas, Bruce Hornsby, John Joyce, Jeannie Campbell, Joey Carbone, Teri DeSario





TERI DeSARIO - Caught 1980

HERO (Denmark) - Hero (1986)

Requested in "Request & Fill Corner" section...

From Kalundborg, Denmark, HERO was founded in 1982. The band started to play the typical NWOBHM of the era, recording two demos distributed locally.
Circa the mid-eighties they changed their style to a more commercial hard 'n heavy / melodic rock adding a permanent keyboardist.

Signed by Vertigo, Hero released their self-titled debut in 1986.
We have here that unmistakable Scandinavian '80s sound focused on strong guitars and vocals peppered with AOR synths all over.
However, Hero's music is slightly more edgy than the bands of the same period, with more in common to Norwegians TNT. Their style also reminds you Pretty Maids on many places, not strangely drummer Michael Fast joined the Danish rock institution later in 1991.

"Race And Revel", "Illusions Of Yesterday", "Masquerade", "You're A Hero", "Land Of Tomorrow", all are good, rockin' exponents of the band's style, very well produced by Nils Henriksen with a crunchy and crisp sound.
Hero disbanded in '88, as said Michael Fast joined Pretty Maids and keyboardist Bo Brinck went to form Harlot (later Savage Affair).
Never released on CD, this is a really fine vinyl-rip cleaned by myself.


01 - You're A Hero
02 - Race And Revel
03 - Land Of Tomorrow
04 - We Came To Rock
05 - Masquerade
06 - Jealousy Kills
07 - Now We Play To Win
08 - Illusions Of Yesterday
09 - Turning Out A Star

Steen Larsen: Lead & backing vocals
Bo Brinck: Keyboards, backing vocals
Johnny Thomas: Guitars, backing vocals
Peter Fernando: Guitars, backing vocals
Rik Jensen: Bass & shout
Michael Fast: Drums, percussion & shout





HERO (Denmark) 1986

FLAG - Across The Stars (1997)

American vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Arthur Offen was the leader of Air Raid, a great Pompy / Proggy act who released in 1981 their sole self titled album much praised in Europe but ignored in the U.S.
Due the lack of support, Air Raid disbanded soon and Offen disappeared without a trace.
But the man never stopped to compose and record home demos. At the beginning of the nineties Arthur met the young Berklee student named Jon Sherman and started to work together.

The fruit of their collaboration is "Across The Stars", completed in 1994, calling themselves FLAG after the title of one of the songs.
Despite 13 years passed since Offen's Air Raid and the musical trend prevailing in the mid-nineties, the music in this album is pure Pomp AOR of the first degree.
Musically and lirically, this is a marvelous collection of tunes plenty of classic late '70s / early '80s sounds, of course, with modern production values.

Offen & Sherman are both stupendous musicians and have meticulously crafted each of these songs. I can't recommend a track over the others, all are terrific pieces of pure melodic Pomptastic grandeur.
This is a keyboard driven festival, adorned with sumptuous huge choruses and harmony vocals. Both sing, but Arthur Offen crystal clear leads take the center of the scene, delivering a passionate yet sometimes warm and rich performance.
The orchestrations are incredible, complemented with some killer guitar parts and a dynamic rhythm section, all played only by these talented guys.

I am posting this little gem 'cos "Across The Stars" (which was released three years later in 1997) is one of my favorite Pomp AOR albums ever, besides, Flag is criminally unknown and deserves to be listened.
The duo remains active and have released a couple of following albums completing some kind of trilogy, but aren't easy to find. E.g. "Across The Stars" fetched $500 in eBay.
Highly Recommended.


01 - Flag
02 - Starider
03 - Shadowland
04 - Counting Days
05 - I Have A Secret Dream
06 - Battle Songs
07 - Tigerhead
08 - My Fathers' House
09 - A Million Miles
10 - A Journey Long




FLAG - Across The Stars