W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits (1964)

Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song or album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

The first official vocal appearance of Alvin and the Chipmunks was their three-time Grammy award-winning single "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" in 1958. Driven by the success of this hit, Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. created The Alvin Show, The Chipmunks' first television series, in 1961 and the group's first solo album, The Alvin Show. 

After his death in 1972, his son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., relit the franchise in 1980 with the album Chipmunk Punk. Seeing an opportunity to continue his father's legacy, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and his wife, Janice Karman, launched the 80s Chipmunks with the TV series Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Chipmunks, and The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, lasting eight seasons total. They would also create The Chipettes in 1983 and release the first animated feature film, The Chipmunk Adventure, in 1987. 

In 2007, the franchise entered into a second revival which began with the release of the group's third platinum album, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and the start of the CG Chipmunks. The CGI/live-action films Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakquel, and Chipwrecked together opened the door for the creation of a new TV series, ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks, and a fourth CGI/live-action film, The Road Chip, in 2015. Four years later, the Bagdasarian family accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrating Alvin and the Chipmunks' 60th anniversary.

The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits features The Chipmunks covering the early hits of The Beatles. The album was re-released in 1982 by Liberty Records, in 1987 by EMI-Manhattan Records on CD, in 1995 by Capitol Special Products on cassette and CD, and again in 2008 by Capitol Records on CD.
The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits won a Grammy for Best Engineered Recording - Special Or Novel Effects in 1965.

After The Beatles claimed the title of the "fastest selling song of all time" from "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. visited them in London and received their blessing to create this album.

"Twist and Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There" are not part of the 1982 reissue.
A float celebrating the release of this album was featured in the 1965 Rose Bowl parade.
When it came time to sing The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles, Ross Bagdasarian (the voice behind the Chipmunks) actually brought in some other singers that were wonderful session singers but none of them were famous, they were just really talented.

The following is part of an interview with Ross Bagdasarian Jnr, where he explained how his father met the Beatles to ask their permission to record The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles:

You know what, it was such a great time because my dad was not only a songwriter but also loved music. He had such respect for what The Beatles were doing then. As you know, you can go sing anybody's song that you wanna do, you pay them a mechanical license and you'd be done. But my dad had such respect for them he said, "No, I wanna fly to London, I wanna meet with the guys, and I wanna make sure they're good with me doing this with The Chipmunks because if it doesn't get their seal of approval I'm not going to do it." He wound up having the greatest time with them because not only were they great musicians and great singers and great performers, but they were also real students of how you record and engineering and so forth. They were so impressed because my dad in '58 only had two tracks to record on so he had to record and bounce. Of course The Beatles, when they started at '63-'64, they had four tracks so they picked my dad's brain for "how could you get so many cool things with only two track recording." They had a wonderful thing in common in terms of how to record and so forth.   [extracts from alvin.fandom.com]

Much as I hate this album, the high-key songs present the Chipmunks at their shrillest, particularly “She Loves You” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” When they do The Beatles’ “whoo,” it sounds like a whistling teakettle. They are best suited to the lower-key harmonies of songs like “From Me to You” and “P.S. I Love You.”  

How this album reached the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and remained in the charts for 23 weeks is anyone's guess but it certainly deserves a place in the WOCK on Vinyl hall of fame.  

Korny (tick), Weird (tick), Crazy (tick) and judging by the insane prices it fetches on eBay it is must be Obscure (tick).  If you really hate your neighbors, play this one REALLY loud at Midnight and watch the fun !

And if you're looking for another Beatles related send up, you might find the Beatle Barkers of interest as well.

Ripped from vinyl at MP3 (320kps) and includes full album artwork

Chipmunks Screech The Beatles (65Mb)

Cotton, Lloyd & Christian - Cotton, Lloyd & Christian (1975)

 (Australian 1975 - 1976)

Cotton, Lloyd and Christian were a soft rock trio comprising singer-songwriters Darryl Cotton from Australia, and Michael Lloyd and Chris Christian from the United States. They achieved some success in the mid-1970s.

Darryl first rose to prominence in the pop field in the sixties as lead singer with the highly successful group, Zoot. Following the band's break up, he worked briefly with Beeb Birtles (who eventually helped to form the highly successful Little River Band in the 70's) in a duo called Frieze before setting off for the U.S in 1972.

His six year stay in America was most lucrative. Starting in 1973, Daryl joined United States-based group, Friends, with Michael Lloyd and Australian-raised singer-songwriter Steve Kipner (ex-Steve and the Board, Tin Tin). They issued a single, "Gonna Have a Good Time" (a cover of The Easybeats's song "Good Times") backed by "Would You Laugh" which was co-written by Cotton with Lloyd and Kipner. 

Friends followed with self-titled album before Cotton and Lloyd left to form a vocal trio, Cotton, Lloyd and Christian with Chris Christian. In 1975 the trio issued a self titled album on 20th Century records.

Their version of the Del Shannon song "I Go to Pieces" - a 1965 hit for Peter and Gordon - became a #66 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Easy Listening chart. Other tracks included a slowed-down version of the Supremes' hit "Baby Love"; a medley of songs from the Who's Tommy; and "I Don't Know Why You Love Me". The album was repackaged by Curb and Lloyd in 1976, and used as the music soundtrack of a movie, 'The Pom Pom Girls'. 

The trio's second album, Number Two, also appeared in 1976, and in April 1977 they released another single, "Crying in the Rain", written by Carole King and Howie Greenfield and first recorded by the Everly Brothers. Both albums were produced by Lloyd and Curb. No further recordings by the trio were released.

Lloyd continued to work in Los Angeles, working with artists including Olivia Newton John and the Osmonds. He produced hit records by Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett, as well as the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. Darryl also exploited his composing talents and his success in this field included songs for two movies - 'Playground in the Sky' and 'Land of the Lost'. Cotton continued as a songwriter and performer, returning to Australia in 1978.

Back in Australia, he almost immediately resumed his active role in the local rock scene and was snapped up by the Oz label. Under the co-production of Beeb Birtles, he recorded "Don't Let It Get To You", released as a single in August. The single became a national hit and Darryl set about looking for the right young musicians to form a band.

In February 1980, Cotton released his most successful solo single, "Same Old Girl", which reached top ten on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. "Same Old Girl" was co-written with former bandmate Christian. Cotton's work in 1980 earned him an award for Best Solo Male Performance, 10 years after Zoot had won a similar award for a group.

Christian also continued to work successfully as a songwriter and record producer, with Amy Grant and others.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from vinyl (thanks to Sunshine at Ausrock) and includes full album artwork and label scans. When I first heard this album, it reminded me of England Dan and John Ford Coley, not only for its easy listening melodic harmonies and but also the strong song writing skills of this trio.  Every track is a winner and this album should not be overlooked.

I should also admit that I have a soft spot for Darryl Cotton, especially his hit single "Same Old Girl" released some years later in 1980. And so, I have decided to include it here as a bonus track. 

Tracklist

01 Don't Play With The One Who Loves You 2:21

02 I Go To Pieces 2:57

03 Robot Man 3:16

04 I Can Sing, I Can Dance 2:36

05 Tommy Medley 3:11

06 You're Gonna Find Love 2:21

07 Baby Love 3:36

08 Mr. Rock 'N' Roll 3:05

09 Love Me Away 2:35

10 (You've Given Me) Sunshine 2:57

11 Same Old Girl (Bonus)   4:56

Cotton, Lloyd & Christian Link (232Mb)

Mark Gillespie - Small Mercies 'Best Of' (1984) + Bonus Tracks

 (Australian 1977 - 1983, 1992)     TRIBUTE POST

Author, poet, architect by trade, songwriter, singer, explorer. Mark Gillespie is the epitome of the creatively restless spirit. Long considered one of Australia's most outstanding songwriters, his three albums to date, from which this collection of some of his finest songs has been culled, reveal a man of unique vision. Gillespie exposes and touches raw nerves, mirrors the complexity of emotions and illuminates a dark sense of humor. He's a reclusive and elusive man, in spirit, on record and in life.

He shuns and defies - labels, wrestling with conformity and, in his own words, always looking over his shoulder to be sure there's another door open.

Mark Gillespie first came to public notice when two of his songs were featured on an LP released in 1977 by Ross Wilson and Glenn Wheatley's Oz Records label titled 'Debutantes'. Previously Mark had been something of a legend, performing with a number of ad hoc combos in between studying architecture at Melbourne University. His heart has always been in words and music. He wrote a book of short stories titled 'Makeup' (published in 1978) and he surfaced regularly to perform not only in bars and hotels, but also on the larger concert stages of Australia, working with luminaries such as Tom Waits, Maria Muldaur and Rodrigues.

One of his bands be named The Victims, a somewhat sardonic reflection on Mark's cautious approach to the business side of music. "I think that has always been my priority - just good songs", he once said. "I haven't orientated anything towards the great beast that gobbles - the masses and the industry". Indeed, soon after release of his first album, Only Human in 1980, he declined the usual rounds of touring and press interviews and instead went to India and the Himalayas. "I found something in India I couldn't find in Australia or anywhere else when I'd been in America or Europe, I can't explain it - you have to go there to experience it. It's a place that makes you think". And if Mark had self-doubts about music as a worthwhile pursuit in life, India helped clear them away. "Maybe I got strength from it, maybe a confidence that it was all going somewhere.

"There is showbiz and there is music. If there is no driving force behind the music, apart from commercial success, then it's totally manufactured". "If something is good in itself, without pertaining to fashion, it is going to sell". Mark could hardly be said to be fashionable.

This compilation album marks the evolution of Mark Gillespie over more than seven years, a period during which he has made his mark as a rare artist - a writer of challenging vision who doesn't demand to be heard, but truly deserves to be. [Liner Notes]

RIP Mark Gillespie 

Australian singer-songwriter Mark Gillespie passed away on Thursday, November 11, 2021 in hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the country in which he had lived for many years.

Gillespie’s death was confirmed by a relative and by musician Joe Creighton who worked on Gillespie’s early albums. Creighton had said that Gillespie, “came across as a tortured soul with an air of mystery about him.”

A friend of Gillespie’s, who was working for British Airways when he met him in the early ’80s, recalled that Gillespie was working as a volunteer in a children’s home in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and helped build and and run a new home in the village of Sreepur. “Mark played a vital part in establishing what became a safe and secure refuge for hundreds of vulnerable women and children,” he recalls. He added that Gillespie “later married a local woman and lived in a typical rural village close by with none of the trappings of western life.”

In recent years Gillespie’s health declined, which he reported to Rhythms, while late last year his wife died.

Gillespie released four albums between 1980 and 1992, with the first two albums being re-released in recent years by Aztec Records. After his final album he also did some gigs at The Continental Cafe with the band The Casuals. In 2020, Gillespie allowed Rhythms magazine to showcase some of his archived recordings in conjunction with a major feature on his career. 'Only Human' is one of the greatest Australian debut albums of all time.

“Mark Gillespie created a remarkable body of work in a short space of time but he was a reluctant rock star in many ways,” wrote one critic. “His recorded legacy should not be overlooked. He was a heartfelt singer / songwriter and Only Human is a classic debut album.”

In the feature, Joe Creighton also added of Gillespie that: “Going to Bangladesh was a bit of a spiritual quest for him, he just wanted to do something completely different. He was a reluctant rock star. That whole thing of rock ’n’ roll, management and the press, he was anti all that. I don’t want to speculate too much, but this is what it seemed like to me: he just wanted a break from it all. And then he would come back, record a bit more and then he went again and just didn’t come back.” [extract from Rhythms: Australia's Roots Music Magazine]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from both CD and Vinyl and includes full album artwork along with label skins. I bought this album about 10 years ago, having already purchased his other albums when they were first released. Of course 'Only Human' was a mind blower and was nothing like I'd heard before.  While this compilation is a great introduction for those of you not familiar with this legendary Aussie artist, this post is also meant to be a tribute to the musical legacy that Mark has left behind.  If you enjoy this album then consider popping over to Aztec Records and check out his first two brilliant albums. 

As a bonus, I have also include 2 tracks from a compilation album that Mark appeared on titled 'Debutantes', before he released his debut album, These tracks are not only rare but are also essential as they give an insight into the roots of his 'Only Human' album.

Tracklist

01 Small Mercies 3:24

02 Only Human 4:33

03 Suicide Sister 4:30

04 Mercury 3:50

05 Traveller In The Night 4:00

06 Damsel In Distress 6:00

07 Comin'Back For More 3:00

08 Nothin'Special 4:25

09 Swing Tonight 3:10

10 Ring Of Truth 3:55

11 Letting Go 4:20

12 Miss Right 4:12

13 Savanarola * 4:35

14 Lost In Wonder 4:30

15 The Joke's On You [Bonus from OZ Records Sampler LP Debutantes] * 4:36

16 I'm A Kite [Bonus from OZ Records Sampler LP Debutantes] * 4:57

Mark Gillespie - Guitar, Synthesisers, Hammond Organ, Piano, Mandolin, Lead Vocals

Ross Hannaford - Lead guitar, Bass, Harmony Vocals

Joe Creighton - Bass Guitar, Harmony Vocals

Tim Partridge - bass Guitar

Mark Meyer - Drums

Lisa Bade - Harmony Vocals

Andrew Thompson - Saxaphone

Trevor Courtney - Percussion

Mark Gillespie Best Of (425Mb)

Various Aussie Artists - Albert Archives (1979)

 (Australian 1964 - 1975)

Albert Productions, the recording arm of the 94 year old independent publishing house J. Albert & Son, is a record label unlike any other. It came into being as a result of one man's love of rock & roll and has continued under virtually the same criteria for 14 exceedingly successful years.

Ted Albert, great grandson of company founder Jaques Albert, was 26 when Beatlemania engulfed the world late in 1963. Although he had never been involved with music recording, Ted knew that something exciting was happening and he wanted to be in on it.

With recording facilities in Sydney being all but non existent, Ted Albert dusted off the disused 2UW Radio Theatre in George Street and set about becoming a record producer. In every major city of the English speaking world, the same process was occurring as a new music empire was being built.

Ted began with two groups. One was already firmly established and had enjoyed huge national chart success on another label, the other was a scruffy bunch of young amateurs from the Villawood Migrant Hostel. Both Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and The Easybeats became multi-hit supergroups and Ted Albert emerged as one of rock's natural producers with a raw technique honed out of eager enthusiasm.

In August 1964, the first Albert Productions single was released on the Parlophone label - "Mashed Potatoes" by Billy Thorpe, a sizeable hit. Seven months later The Easybeats debuted with "For My Woman" and for the next 18 months both acts virtually shared the top of the charts.

R&B influenced rock resigned at Alberts, as Ted sought out and recorded such premier exponents as The Missing Links and The Throb - acts that other companies would not have dreamed of signing!  In all it was a euphoric boom which lasted until The Easybeats left for England at the end of '66. Ted went with them, produced a few unreleased tracks and then returned to Australia - where he wound down his recording activities to a point of virtual cessation, after dispatching producer/A&R man Tony Geary to London as his representative.

Alberts concentrated on publishing until the end of the sixties, while The Easybeats were battling the English charts and sending home their songwriting demos in hope.

The first attempt at Albert Productions' own label was in February 1969 when the unlikely "Songs Of Brotherhood" by The Boys of Fort Street High School Choir appeared, but it was not until December 1970 that serious pop releases began with Ted Mulry's "Falling In Love Again" hit.

Ted Mulry began a second phase for the company, scoring a healthy string of chart hits and generating numerous cover versions. The engagement of publicist co-ordinator Katie MacKillop (ex secretary to Radio Luxemborg boss Alan Kleen) was another shot in the arm, as well the timely signing of a shy and diminutive young pop singer called John Paul Young. Visiting English producer Simon Napier-Bell, working out of the Albert's camp, matched John with one of the Vanda & Young demos which were on hand and the result was a huge 1972 hit with "Pasadena" (The lyrics of which, incidentally, were written by actor David Hemmings)

At the end of 1973 Harry Vanda & George Young returned to Australia after a four year production/recording stint in England, wanting to get down to some serious work. They threw their awesome weight behind the new Albert Productions label and within a matter of months the charts were saturated with Albert singles.

Throughout 1974-75 Wanda & Young returned Alberts to a boom period, akin to the turbulent 1965-66 Easybeats era.  Stevie Wright became the flagship of the fleet with the classic Evie single which won the 1974 'Song Of The Year' award for Harry & George and is enshrined as one of the top ten selling Australian singles of all time. V&Y also contributed heavily to the success of Alberts publishing division, as a result of cover versions of their songs by hundreds of international acts - including David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Bay City Rollers, Savoy Brown, James Last Orchestra, Dahlia Lavi, Joe Dolan and Marmalade.

William Shakespeare, a V&Y exercise, scored two huge hits; AC/DC began their spiraling rise to world fame with the double Platinum 'High Voltage' album and John Paul Young commenced a new phase of his career with the incredible "Yesterday's Hero"

It was not only Albert acts which rode the charts on V&Y superhits, others like Ray Burgees, Alison McCallum, Johnny O'Keefe, Doug Parkinson and Johnny Farnham queued for material and, subsequent hits.

After 1975 Vanda & Young settled down to more long term-orientated activities with the international market in mind and other Albert acts emerged as strong forces. The most notable was Ted Mulry who, with his Gang, became a teenage rock idol of immense record selling proportion. A&R Director Chris Gilbey developed a wide range of artistically interesting but commercially disappointing acts such as Cool Bananas, Wendy Grove, Bobby Marchini, Graham Lowndes, and Madden & Harris

By 1977 Alberts completed the installation of a world standard twin 24 track studio complex and moved forcibly toward the world markets with high quality rock acts like AC/DC, John Paul Young (affectionately known as Squeek by his fans), The Angels, Rose tattoo and Flash & The Pan. Now in 1978, under the A&R direction of Fifa Riccobono and the international representation of industry veteran Mike Browning, Albert Productions is enjoying the greatest level of consistent success since its inception in 1964 and is still, to Ted Albert's external credit, a true ROCK label. For it is in such an environment that Vanda & Young are able to work unhindered and albums like this, are able to be issued  [notes by GLENN A. BAKER]

This post consists of FLACS ripped from CD (thanks to Micko at Midoztouch) and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD releases along with label scans.  As a bonus, I thought it appropriate to include some of the tracks mentioned in Glenn A. Bakers notes that were not included on this release, as bonus tracks.  If you are looking for a full discography of Albert Production releases, I highly recommend their 50th Anniversary 5CD release entitled 'Good Times' from 2014.

Tracklist

01 The Easybeats – She's So Fine (Live)

02 The Missing Links –  Shakin' All Over

03 The Throb –  Fortune Teller

04 Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs –  The Word For Today

05 Bobby And Laurie –  Every Second Day

06 Ted Mulry –  Ain't It Nice

07 Alison McAllum And Tully –  To Love Somebody

08 The Easybeats – All Gone Boy

09 Marcus Hook Roll Band – Natural Man

10 Jeremy Paul – What Becomes Of You My Love

11 The Hooter Sisters –  So Tough

12 Cool Bananas – Been And Gone

13 John Paul Young –  You Drive Me Crazy

14 AC/DC – Rockin' In The Parlour

15 T.M.G. –  It's All Over Now

16 Stevie Wright – My Kind Of Music (Live)

17    Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs - Mashed Potatoes [Bonus Track]

18    Ted Mulry - Falling In Love [Bonus Track]

19    John Paul Young - Pasadena [Bonus Track]

20    The Easybeats - For My Woman [Bonus Track]

Albert Archives Link (458Mb)

Hagar, Schon, Aaronson, Shrieve - Through The Fire (1984)

(U.S 1983-1984)

Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve (also known as HSAS) was a supergroup band featuring lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, lead guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Kenny Aaronson and drummer Michael Shrieve. The group reportedly rehearsed for less than a month before playing in concert. They released a semi-live album, recorded during two live performances at The Warfield in San Francisco, entitled Through the Fire. The album includes a cover of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".

After the release of Journey's Frontiers in early 1983, guitarist Neal Schon decided to pursue another project with vocalist/guitarist Sammy Hagar. Hagar had released his Three Lock Box album in late 1982 and afterwards took a three-month safari vacation in Africa. Schon and Hagar then began looking for other musicians to complete the band. In an interview from mid-1983, Schon talked about the band's formation: "Sammy and I just get along so well. We're already working on an album together, and it's a killer! Right now we have Denny Carmassi, who used to work with Sammy on drums, and we're looking for a bassist. We worked a bit with Tom Petersson, but I guess he had other commitments."

Schon went on the Frontiers tour with Journey from February to September 1983, and then reconvened with Hagar. By this time, Carmassi had left the band to join Heart, and the remaining two band members became Kenny Aaronson on bass and Michael Shrieve on drums. Shrieve and Schon had played together in Santana in the early 1970s.

To record their album, the band played live dates from November 9, 1983 to November 21, 1983 at the Warfield Theatre. Two of the dates, November 14 and November 15 in San Francisco, California were recorded and broadcast by MTV. This footage was aired at least once but was never released on official videotapes or DVDs. The album Through the Fire was edited in-studio to reduce the crowd noise, but otherwise was left as recorded.

The first single released was their cover version of  "A Whiter Shade of Pale" in May 1984, which reached No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Another single released, "Top of the Rock" (as a promo only,) peaked at #15 on the "Billboard" Top Rock Tracks, and it became popular in various airplay regions of the United States. In addition, a third single from H.S.A.S., "Missing You" (also promo only,) peaked at #37 on the Top Rock Tracks.

The band toured briefly in California in 1984, adding rhythm guitarist Nick Sciorsci for live performances.

HSAS only produced one album before Schon returned to Journey, and Hagar recorded his VOA album and subsequently joined Van Halen. Hagar and Schon reunited almost 20 years later to form the short-lived Planet Us project, which would also feature past Van Halen and future Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle bassist Michael Anthony.  [extracts from "The Guinness Who’s Who of Heavy Metal", Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). Guinness Publishing. p. 172/3]

Album Review 1

There was no denying the skills of the assembled musicians, but the results of this collaboration amounted to little more than middling mid-‘80’s arena rock. In fact, much of the material now comes across as an underdeveloped forerunner to Hagar’s work with Van Halen, especially the pop-metal of “Missing You” and “He Will Understand”. The fairly stimulating opening track “Top Of The Rock” now seems like something of a prototype for Van Halen’s later hit “Top Of The World”. Of course, Neal Schon’s style of high-speed guitar virtuosity is different from that of Eddie Van Halen, but not by as much as you might think. Schon’s playing is the album’s best attribute, showing the guitarist letting loose outside of Journey’s increasingly commercial structure. Aaronson and Shrieve worked well together to provide a sturdy rhythm section for the material. But, as is often the case with supergroup recordings, Through The Fire is less than the sum of its parts – and so were HSAS. This album will be enjoyed most by fans of Van Hagar and of Journey’s early jam-band albums.

Album Review 2

While most trendy types might not remember HSAS, I’m sure that a lot of metalheads and a few non ones do. When Sammy Hagar toured solo at the end of the year and even during his first tour with Van Halen, there were signs around many a concert venue that read, “Sammy Hagar, Top of the rock.” That’s because it’s the best known song from the album. He played it that night I saw him and it is a brilliant song. However, it’s only my second favourite. The top slot goes to the very next track, “Missing You.” That song really cooks and Neil belts out great guitar solo on it.

Hearing the next three tracks, I am now convinced that when the band played live, they played all three together as one song. Each track quickly goes from one to the next so you don’t really get a break. Furthermore, all three are in the way out space rock mode and they fit very well together. In the MTV concert, only the title of the first song, “Animation” was introduced but it went on for far longer than the four minutes it says the song lasts on the label. Actually, I am pretty sure that the song lasted for the duration indicated by the three songs.

Hagar and Schon

There is one blip in comparing the album with the concert and that comes in the form of the band’s cover of the classic, “Whiter Shade of Pale.” The song closes the concert and I think it was a great song to close the show with. However, it’s not the closer on the album and now I wonder if it should have. It’s still done very well and I think that Procol Harum would have been impressed. After that comes the hard rocker, “Hot and Dirty,” which Sammy stated in the concert that it was about Kenny the bass player’s girlfriend. Can’t fault the song, it’s really good and Neil Schon shows his talent up and down all of it. While not a ballad, “He’ll Understand” is, to quote Sammy, on the tender side. It starts out as a ballad but that changes not far into it and has a smoking guitar solo. The irony is the closer because I am fairly certain that it was the opener for the concert. However, it works both ways.

The reason why all nine songs are so good is down to the talents of the four men who comprised HSAS. Sammy’s vocals and Neil’s guitar work were always going to be a lethal cocktail, no doubt about that. But we should raise a glass to the rhythm section of Aaronson and Shrieve because together, they make a fine one. 

In For The Kill (Live at San Jose, California 1983)

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my pristine (shrink wrapped) vinyl which I purchased from Reading Records in Carlton in the mid-80's.  I was first drawn to this album when I realised Neal Schon (ex Santana and Journey) was one of the four artists, but was also interested in hearing their cover of A Whiter Shade Of Pale.  Although I wasn't a big fan of the 80's metal bands, HSAS was one supergroup that I thought had real talent and were destined for greater things. Sadly, they never recorded again and disbanded as quickly as they had come together. Maybe this was for the best as I doubt if they could have topped this debut album. 

I have included full album artwork for both Vinyl and CD as well as some official Geffen Press release documents that are worth a read. I have also taken the liberty of also providing a singular FLAC for tracks 3,4 & 5 which run into one another without any distinctive break. If you are not fussed with track numbers, you will find this single track more enjoyable to listen to. This album will not disappoint, especially fans of Journey and Van Halen

Tracklist

01 Top Of The Rock 4:18

02 Missing You 4:26
03 Animation 5:02
04 Valley Of The Kings 3:22
05 Giza 1:20
06 Whiter Shade Of Pale 4:46
07 Hot And Dirty 4:17
08 He Will Understand 4:47
09 My Home Town 4:05

HSAS are:

Sammy Hagar - Vocals

Neal Schon - Guitars

Kenny Aaronson - Bass

Michael Shrieve - Drums

HSAS Through The Fire Link  (224Mb)

STOP PRESS:   Thanks to the generosity of a fellow blogger (DRaftervoi) on the other side of the globe, I am now able to provide you with the six missing tracks (in FLAC) from the HSAS concerts that this album was originally taken from.  

If you would like to hear the 'Westwood One In Concert ' in its complete entirety, as presented by a local radio station in 1984 (with ads and disc jockey intros), then I highly recommend you head over to  https://voodoowagon.blogspot.com  and take a listen to Dave's freshly digitized posting, while pursuing some great newspaper reviews of the 1983 HSAS concerts that he also sourced. 

Missing Tracks

01 - Movin' In For The Kill

02 - Tough Enough

03 - Eyes Of Love

04 - Hope And Fear

05 - Ever Since You Came

06 - What Will Never Be

HSAS  Missing Tracks  (223Mb)

Golden Earring - Cut (1982) plus bonus singles

 (Netherlands 1961 - Present)

Best known in the U.S. for its hard rock material, Golden Earring has been the most popular homegrown band in the Netherlands since the mid-'60s, when they were primarily a pop group.

The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist George Kooymans and bassist/vocalist Rinus Gerritsen, then schoolboys, in 1961; several years and personnel shifts later, they had their first Dutch hit, "Please Go," and in 1968 hit the top of the Dutch charts for the first of many times with "Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong," a song that broadened their European appeal.

By 1969, the rest of the lineup had stabilized, with lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Barry Hay and drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk. They experimented with their style for several years before settling on straightforward hard rock initially much like that of the Who, who invited them to open their 1972 European tour. Golden Earring signed to the Who's Track label, which released a compilation of Dutch singles, Hearing Earring, helping the group break through in England.

Golden Earring in early 80's

1974's Moontan LP spawned the single "Radar Love," a Dutch number one, U.K. Top Ten, and U.S. number thirteen hit. The group toured America opening for the Doobie Brothers and Santana, but the lack of a follow-up ensured that their popularity remained short-lived in America, even though they remained a top draw in Europe over the rest of the 1970s. 

1982 saw a brief American comeback with the album Cut and the Top Ten single "Twilight Zone," but as before, Golden Earring could not sustain its momentum and faded away in the U.S. marketplace. All of Golden Earring's basic lineup has recorded as solo artists in Europe. "Radar Love" enjoyed a second round of popularity when pop-metal band White Lion covered the song in 1989.

The Album
Unfortunately, many people, including a good number in the rock and metal world have Golden Earring down for being one hit wonders. They only know “Radar Love.” While I never had them down for that, I didn’t realize that they have an extremely rich discography which I am salivating over having a listen to. Some will argue that they are two hit wonders because of the single from this album in 1983, “Twilight Zone.” Believe me, the “Cut” album alone is too good to dismiss Golden Earring as such.

Without any of the flowery wording, let’s just say that “Cut” is a very good hard rock album. One could go as far as to say that they are melodic hard rock in respect to the album. The horns in the opener, “The Devil Made Me Do It” remind me slightly of their all time classic but there is some good rock to be had. The next three tracks are all melodic hard rock tracks with “Baby Dynamite” being the best of them. “Lost and Found” is more of a straight forward rock tune with some decent harmonizing by the band. I think “Chargin’ Up My Batteries” influenced later new wave artists but I can’t quite put my finger on who would sound like the song and “Secrets” is just simply a good closer.

Normally, I get a little nervous when the hit single is the best track on the album. If you heard “Twilight Zone” back in the day, please forget the shortened down radio/MTV version. The proper version (the album version) is nearly eight minutes long and with some really cool long guitar solos. It makes a catchy radio oriented song that much better. Hey, there’s even a bass solo in it. A great song but while it is the best track on “Cut,” it doesn’t stand so far above the other tracks that it diminishes them. What this combo does is make the album that much better.[extract from 80smetalman.wordpress]

Although Cut is not Golden Earring's best album, it does feature the killer track "Twilight Zone" that resurged my interest in the band back in the 80's.  I was already a fan having grown up with "Radar Love", a regular on most radio stations, but it had been a long time between drinks.  Of course I bought the "Twilight Zone" single but was pleasantly surprised to learn that the album version was even better, when the owner of my favourite Import Shop in Melbourne played it for me. Needless to say, I walked out of the shop with Cut tucked safely under my arm and it's this vinyl, from which this post originates and still in its shrink wrap

Freshly ripped to FLAC and not a crackle to be heard, this post also includes full album artwork and label scans.  As a bonus, I am also including a rip of my Twilight Zone single, which also includes the
non-album B-side entitled "King Dark".  I have also managed to source another non-album B-Side called "Shadow Avenue" (the flip side to "The Devil Made Me Do It")

I plan to post a few more Golden Earring LP's in the near future, so stay tuned.

Tracklist

01 The Devil Made Me Do It 3:20

02 Future 5:20

03 Baby Dynamite 5:10

04 Last Of The Mohicans 4:40

05 Lost And Found 3:55

06 Twilight Zone 7:55

07 Chargin' Up My Batteries    4:15

08 Secrets 4:00

09    Twilight Zone (Bonus Single Version)   4:45

10    King Dark (Bonus B-Side Single)    3:29

11     Shadow Avenue (Bonus B-Side Single)   3:52

Golden Earring Are:

George Kooymans: Lead Guitar, Vocals

Barry Hay:  Vocals, Guitar

Rinus Gerritsem: Bass, Keyboards

Cesar Zuiderwuk:  Drums

Golden Earring Link (219Mb)