Category: Records/LP’s

SUMMARY:              RUNNING TIME: Approx. 57:00 Min.

Released by Scotti Brothers through CBS Records in 1988, Roadhouse is John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band’s self-produced follow-up to their 1985 Tough All Over debut album.  Including 1983’s Eddie and The Cruisers film soundtrack (their big break after eleven years together), Roadhouse is the band’s third studio project. 

Consisting of twelve tracks, this album’s songs are:

SIDE A:

1. Bound for Glory                      (4:41)
2. Victory Dance                        (3:51)
3. Song & Dance                       (4:35)
4. Killin’ Time                          (4:30)
5. Wheel Of Fortune                   (5:12)
6. Burn The Roadhouse Down     (3:35)

SIDE B:

1. Penetration                           (4:46)
2. Wishing Well                       (4:55)
3. Customary Thing                  (4:24)
4. Hard Way To Go                 (3:59)
5. Higher Ground                     (5:37)
6. Road I’m Running                (6:44)

In terms of Roadhouse’s radio play for the time, Track # 3: only “Song & Dance” (possibly, the album’s sole single) charted the Top 50.   

Notes: This title’s formats also include: CD, cassette tape, and digitally.  Following Roadhouse’s release, the band’s next album would be 1989’s Eddie and The Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! movie soundtrack released through the same label.   

REVIEW:

Unlike the modestly successful Tough All Over, which included “Voice of America’s Sons” (prominently featured in the 1986 Sylvester Stallone action film, Cobra) and “C-I-T-Y,” Roadhouse doesn’t sport any familiar radio hits.  Still, the album’s high-energy opener (“Bound for Glory”) sounds like a precursor to the group’s subsequent Eddie and The Cruisers II project.     

Taken as a whole, Roadhouse is a playful sidestep away from 1983’s “On The Dark Side,” despite the song’s legacy as the band’s signature radio tune. One can readily surmise that this album represented something of an artistic escape from Hollywood’s shadow – and, by extension, the fictitious ‘Eddie Wilson’ and his ‘Cruisers.’  Hence, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band had good reason seeking to expand their mainstream audience beyond one cult film.       

Note: Beaver Brown’s saxophone player, Michael “Tunes” Antunes, portrayed the Cruisers’ ‘Wendell Newton’ onscreen in both Eddie films.  Noticeably, in neither film, does Antunes have any dialogue.   

Through Roadhouse, John Cafferty’s Rhode Island-based group resumes its rollicking, All-American brand of rock and, with it, a sporadic country-western tinge. Still, given their basic musical similarities (and the exact overlap between the bands’ now half-century careers), it’s too easy to presume that Cafferty and Beaver Brown are essentially Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band copycats.

That’s a misnomer, as Cafferty’s gravelly musical vibe doesn’t ruminate on American heartland issues or present social commentaries like Springsteen (and, to a degree, John Mellencamp) regularly does. Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band instead delivers straight-up entertainment without pitching deep thoughts. Roadhouse epitomizes this low-key yet hard-work attitude.

Case in point: tracks such as “Killin’ Time,” “Wheel of Fortune,” and “Road I’m Running,” might superficially resemble Springsteen-style tunes, but that’s as far as they go — these deliberately vague tunes concoct easy-to-grasp rock as is. For that matter, take the good-natured “Victory Dance,“ as the best example. Its most sentimental analogy is baseball, in terms of seeking a fun reason to celebrate/patting yourself on the back.

Fans, in that sense, can appreciate Cafferty’s group delivering their authentic bar band tunes.  The flip side is that the energetic Roadhouse falls short on mixing up its variety, as, tone-wise, the tracks blend together.  It’s surely the prime reason (aside from insufficient publicity) that this album isn’t all that memorable and has remained stuck in Late 80’s obscurity.    

Still, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band’s everyman appeal readily surpasses Roadhouse’s lackluster sales.  Hence, these guys neither coast nor do they skimp on their all-original material.  For nearly an hour, it’s a blue-collar, rock ‘n’ roll time machine that listeners ought to enjoy revisiting.  Give one of Roadhouse’s formats sufficient time (i.e. on a road trip), and the album will likely grow on you. 

PACKAGING:

It’s standard issue, including individual photos identifying the six band members.  All twelve tracks are listed, but their running times aren’t provided.  The record’s sleeve features Roadhouse’s credits on one side; the other side consists of a collage of small black-and-white photos of the band. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        7 Stars

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 41:03 Min.

As The Police’s fourth studio album, A&M Records initially released Ghost in the Machine in 1981. In addition to his work as bassist and on saxophone, Sting wrote all eleven tracks, though band members Stewart Copeland – drummer (Tracks # 7 and # 11) and Andy Summers – guitarist (Track # 9) also contributed.

Recorded in Canada, this album’s eleven tracks are:

SIDE A

1. Spirits in the Material World 2:59
2. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic 4:22
3. Invisible Sun 3:44
4. Hungry for You (J’Aurais Tojoures Faim De Toi) 2:52
5. Demolition Man 5:57

SIDE B

6. Too Much Information 3:43
7. Rehumanize Yourself 3:10
8. One World (Not Three) 4:47
9. Omegaman 2:48
10. Secret Journey 3:34
11. Darkness 3:14.

Notes: This title is available in multiple formats (i.e. CD and digitally). Evidently, the album title is a nod to Arthur Koestler’s 1967 non-fiction book.

REVIEW:
Unsurprisingly, the majestic Track # 2 (“Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”) steals the show on Ghost in the Machine. Otherwise, this pop-reggae album’s recurring shifts between commentaries on real-world issues and metaphysical/sci-fi subject matter is at least an intriguing hodge-podge.

While Tracks # 1 and # 3 are distant favorites behind the iconic Track # 2, they still comprise a welcome opening trilogy. Afterwards, Track # 4 is performed primarily in French (for some reason). The fifth song is best known as a same-name inspiration for the cheesy 1993 Sylvester Stallone/Wesley Snipes action film. Suffice to say, Tracks # 4 and # 5 make for some good background noise, but neither one is memorable.

Track # 6 (“Too Much Information”) adds some disco flavor; if anything, this tune feels far more applicable in the Internet Age. Side B’s remaining five tracks are okay listening, but none leave much of an impression. If anything, Ghost in the Machine originates perhaps the Police’s best-ever song, plus an entourage of ten generally likable tracks that are a step above middling.

For Police fans, this album serves up a nostalgic treat. For others, it’s more like hearing a one-hit wonder.

PACKAGING:
Aside from listing the track titles, it’s ultra-sparse. The record itself lists both the tracks and their running times.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         6 Stars

SUMMARY:                  RUNNING TIME: 48:00 Min.

In late 1988, MCA Records released Sheena Easton’s ninth studio album, with producing firepower from L.A. & Babyface (Tracks 1-3), Angela Winbush (Tracks 4 & 10), Jellybean (Tracks 5-7), and Prince (Tracks 8-9).  Among the promotional efforts for the album was Easton’s sex-driven MTV video for the title song. 

Courtesy of her recurring guest stint late in Season 4 of Miami Vice, Easton’s presence as ‘Caitlin Davies-Crockett’ further hyped the album.  Notably, she performed Track 3: “Follow My Rainbow” in her last Vice appearance.  

The ten tracks are:

                                                                Running Time:

SIDE ONE

1. “No Deposit, No Return”                              5:55
2. “The Lover in Me”                                        5:00
3. “Follow My Rainbow”                                   4:57
4. “Without You”                                             5:38
5. “If It’s Meant to Last”                                   4:09

SIDE TWO

6. “Days Like This”                                         5:09

7. “One Love”                                                 4:55

8. “101”                                                         4:06

9. “Cool Love”                                                4:04

10. “Fire and Rain”                                         5:58

REVIEW:

Evidently desperate for a Late 80’s makeover courting the MTV Generation, Sheena Easton trades her pop elegance for a sultry R&B sound that comes off, at best, as lukewarm.  The inherent weakness affecting The Lover in Me is Easton’s reliance upon far too many unremarkable tunes lacking any sense of artistic versatility.  More so, there is a credibility gap where her vocal classiness exceeds and doesn’t really mesh with the overt sex appeal/dance-pop material she is selling to listeners. 

Though Easton’s title track is enjoyable (as is “Days Like This”), the project’s standout is her soaring, gospel-like ballad, “Follow My Rainbow.”  Suffice to say, its poignancy is a welcome contrast, in terms of both depth and style, to the edgy, one-dimensional tracks trying too hard to be steamy (okay, even semi-trashy). 

As The Lover in Me is often a superficial and even monotonous album, Sheena Easton’s talents are squandered.  Still, at times, she makes a game effort trying to diversify her pop arsenal.  

PACKAGING:

The record cover lists the tracks, as well as acknowledging  the album’s high-profile producers.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              4½ Stars

Note: Easton’s serene duet with Prince entitled “The Arms of Orion” (appearing on 1989’s Batman movie soundtrack) is recommended.

SUMMARY:                    RUNNING TIME: 39:33 Min.

In 1973, Island Records & Warner Bros. Records (through its Atlantic Records label) released Roxy Music’s second studio album.  This album’s playlist was written by lead vocalist/keyboardist Bryan Ferry.  With Brian Eno on synthesizer, the British band’s eight tracks are the following:

                                                                       Running Time:

SIDE 1

1. “Do The Strand”                                               4:00
2. “Beauty Queen”                                                 4:35
3. “Strictly Confidential”                                         3:42
4. “Editions of You”                                               3:40
5. “In Every Dream Home a Heartache”                  4:25

SIDE 2

1. “The Bogus Man”                                             9:22
2. “Grey Lagoons”                                                4:11
3. “For Your Pleasure”                                           6:58

REVIEW:

To experience quirky 1970’s British pop rock, “For Your Pleasure” doesn’t disappoint.  In addition to Ferry’s intriguing lyrics, the instrumentals sound reminiscent of The Doors. Suffice to say, this album is a rollicking nostalgia treat revisiting Bryan Ferry’s early career.    

PACKAGING:

The tracks and running times are provided, as are the basic credits.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     7 Stars