Melidian [Lost in the wild - 1989]

Melidian [Lost in the wild - 1989]

Origin: New York (USA)

Take a listen on Odysee

Take a listen on youtube

Line-up:

Chris Cade - Vocals, guitar

Jayson Lane - Guitar, backing vocals

Dave Clark Howell - Bass, backing vocals

Pete Greene - Drums

Eddie Wohl - Keyboards, drum programming

Additional musicians:

Mark Falchook - Keyboards

Michael Foucault - Guitar

Greg Lotz- Drum programming

Benny Harrison - Backing vocals

Tracks:

1. Ready To Rock lyrics

2. Livin' Under The Gun lyrics

3. Fire Up The Heart lyrics

4. Sleepless Nights lyrics

5. Hands off lyrics

6. Lost In The Wild lyrics

7. Overheated lyrics

8. Top Of The Rock lyrics

9. Broken Toys lyrics

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Melidian

 Origin: New York (USA)

MELIDIAN

Pete Greene - Jayson Lane - Chris Cade -Eddie Wohl - Dave Clark Howell

Discography:

Lost in the wild - 1989 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- 'LOST IN THE WILD', IN RETROSPECT, WAS A RATHER APPROPRIATE TITLE FOR THIS ALBUM. MELIDIAN ARRIVED ON THE SCENE JUST AS THE WIND OF CHANGE WAS ABOUT TO BLOW THROUGH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND BRING WITH IT A REVOLUTION THAT WOULD OFFER THREE OPTIONS TO MELODIC HARD ROCKERS; STICK WITH IT AND HOPE TO RIDE THE STORM OUT, TAKE THE 'IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM JOIN 'EM' APPROACH AND GO GRUNGE, OR SIMPLY GIVE UP ALTOGETHER. 

MELIDIAN ENJOYED A modicum of interest when the aforementioned album first appeared in the racks, including an enthusiastic page and a half spread in 'Kerrang!' penned by yours truly. Released in 1989, 'Lost In The Wild' is a record that, truth told, has something of a mixed reputation amongst hard rock fans. Search for online opinions now and it's either one of the undiscovered gems of the era or a patchy album with dodgy vocals. I prefer to go with the former opinion and a good few agree as the original CD release generates a hefty premium when put up for sale. Mind you, the vinyl version is rather easier to obtain and thus deemed less collectable. 

As we shall see, to say that life in Melidian (a five piece unit that ultimately comprised vocalist Chris Cade, bassist Dave Clark Howell, guitarist Jayson Lane, keyboard player Eddie Wohl and drummer Pete Greene) was slightly surreal would be something of an understatement. Here was a band so named due to a psychic's vision and a group that 'adopted' Grandpa Munster on the steps of City Hall in New York City! 

THE ROOTS of Melidian can be traced firmly back to Chris Cade's first real foray into the world of hard rock, with the New York based Hellion. This quartet released an album entitled 'Dangerous Maneuvers' (sic) in 1984 on the Stampede label, distributed through Important Records. It was pretty decent for an independent release of the period, although the record gained a disappointing, although not entirely unsupportive review from my 'Metal Forces' colleague Bernard Doe at the time of release, likening the material more to commercial pop and pedestrian hard rock and "lacking that killer punch to put them up alongside the best."

Still, the very fact that the album had been released caused tidal waves of anger over on the West Coast due to the fact that Ann Boleyn - clearly a disciple of Ronnie James Dio and, in fact, who was initially managed by his wife Wendy - had already been making waves fronting a band with the same name and reckoned that her band had first claim to the moniker. This was a statement that, naturally, didn’t go down too well in New York as the East Coast version stated that they had copyrighted the name in 1982 following the release of a 45 single ('One Way Or Another') the same year. It all got quite heated. Actually, pretty abusive, with perhaps the more printable of exchanges from the New York camp reckoning that the L.A. based group were "nothing more than a foul smelling gang of selfcentred bullshit artists, with massively overblown egos.”

Catching up with Cade for an interview for the aforementioned 'Kerrang!' article, shortly after the original release of Melidian's album in 1989, I found him rather amused by it all, sheepishly laying the full blame for the whole episode firmly at bassist Dave Clark Howell's door (who, to be fair, the bulk of the foul mouthed abuse had been credited to in the likes of 'Metal Forces'). The whole row had only really been settled by the longevity of Ann Boleyn's group. 

"The album came out and we toured for six months solid before the gurtarist and drummer left,” recalled Cade.

He also claimed that the record sold something between 10,000 to 20,000 copies, which was perhaps slightly exaggerated, as the band "became known in 44 states and six countries!"

THE REMAINING duo of Cade and Howell recorded around twenty new tracks at the Hit Factory in New York, for an album that was intended to be titled 'Blood Letter'. Intriguingly, the album was being produced by erstwhile Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, alongside Eddie Solon and Cade, with Frehley's on-off guitarist sidekick Richie Scarlet and the now legendary Anton Fig (Spider/Shanghai/Frehley’s Comet/David Letterman) filling in on guitar and drums respectively.

However, this material would not see the light of day as Hellion morphed into a new project by the handle of Cade 88. Scarlet played with the band a couple of times in clubs and an album was due to be recorded, but the company involved went under so the record remains unreleased. Cade and Howell went back to the drawing board and began plotting a new path upwards that would lead them to the door of co-managers Ron Bard and Michael Blutrich.

How Cade told it back in 89 was that the new band was booked to play at a club but for some reason the show failed to come off. To cut a long story short the club owners eventually heard the band, liked the material and took a tape away. The next thing they knew was that a prominant New York psychic called Yolana Bard (the mother of Ron Bard) was predicting a deal with CBS and giving the fledgling new outfit a name.

Actually, Yolana wasn't just an ordinary psychic; she has been dubbed 'the queen of the psychics' who, until her death at the age of 66 in 2007, worked with political figures, celebrities and law enforcement agencies. Indeed, she was regularly consulted on high profile criminal cases. Interestingly, since her death Ron and his sister Melody have both continued in the same line of work as their mother; although back in the late 80s Ron was more interested in a career in artist development and working with Melidian in particular.

"Yolana is a well known psychic in New York and reads for plenty of famous people who don't want publicity," Cade told me at the time. "She came down to the studio, touched the tape and some posters and said that we were going to sign to CBS."

FOUR DAYS later CBS heard the tape and offered the band a deal. It’s rather hard not to be a little cynical at this point given that it would appear that the then head of Columbia Records (home of the CBS imprint), Walter Yetnikoff allegedly had some of his artwork stolen and Yolana apparently found it for him through psychic means. She told him that her son managed rock bands and, as a favour to her he had a meeting with Ron. He wasn't interested in the first band he had played to him, but he liked Melidian. 

Still, Yolana's powers carried an awful lot of weight with a large number of people who consulted her on a regular basis. Chris Cade told me back in 1989 that she was even on the board of directors of an airline and would inform the company if they were going to have problems with the planes they flew. "She once told me not to take a particular flight," recalled Chris, "so I went on the next one and later heard that the original plane I was due to fly on had developed engine trouble."

"She certainly had a presence and was a powerful person," notes Eddie Wohl adding on a very light hearted note and certainly not wishing for any offence to be taken that, "I did once beat her at poker. You'd think she'd know what cards I had."

THE BAND had actually already commenced recording at Metalworks Studio in Toronto before Eddie Wohl and Jayson Lane joined the band, but by that point the project had moved back down to New York from the initial bout of recording with Thom Trumbo as the producer (who had previously produced 'Sport Of Kings' and 'Surveillance' by Triumph). Although happy that the producer had singled out an old Hellion cut as being suitable for re-recording ("I gave him the Hellion album and he really liked 'Broken Toys', which was surprising. I mean I liked the song too, but I hadn't thought either Thom or CBS would go for it. It's much better than the original version simply because we had more studio time." said Cade), unhappy though with Thom's overall approach Cade took over production duties, assisted by Ron Bard, and finished the rest of the album off after bringing the project to the Hit Factory. 

Wohl had been playing in Saige, a local band that also included Jayson Lane on guitar and Al Fritsch on vocals. They had gained some interest from Alan Parsons after he had heard some of the band's demos on a flight back to the UK, thanks to a friend of friend of Wohl's who was on an internship with Parsons. Although nothing came of the proposed deal, partly due to Al Fritsch's reluctance to travel to London at a time when he was just about to get married, it did create an amusing anecdote on how fickle record labels can be.

"I knew this girl who worked in A&R at Capitol in New York at the time and had given her a tape of three Saige songs, one of which was the original version of 'Sleepless Nights'," recalls Eddie. "Her comment to me was that "the music was nice and the lyrics were neat". The lyrics were 'neat'?!!

After she found out that Alan Parsons had developed an interest in the material she called me up two weeks later and told me that she'd listened to the songs again and thought they were "amazing!"

EVENTUALLY WITH Fritsch Drive, She Said bound (even making it to the UK after all with that Mark Mangold founded project) Eddie wound up meeting Melidian's management in a club and giving them a tape of his material that included 'Sleepless Nights' on it. Instead of simply getting his song on the album Eddie was actually invited to join the band as the keyboard player.

"They had already recorded five songs in Canada by that point, but it hadn't worked out so they started work in the Hit Factory. The first day there was spent cutting the drums and I remember we got invited to this party upstairs that Keith Richards was at. I didn't drink at the time, so I declined. Anyway, the next day the assistant engineer failed to show up and this big tall guy turns up and says he's the new engineer. I was like 'where's Tim?' It turns out he'd gone to the party and had died from a drug overdose that night!

"The new guy never got credited on the album because our manager failed to proof read the credits properly. We hadn't known his full name so just put 'Paul (?)' hoping it would get corrected before it went to print. It didn't happen. That was his first ever engineering credit and his name wasn't on there! We met again many years later and have become good friends and have worked together, so, for the record, Paul Logus was one of the assistant engineers on our album!"

SO, HOW on earth did Grandpa Munster get involved with the band?

"We used to hang around Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village a great deal," revealed Cade in 1989. "We went to this place to eat and Al Lewis was the owner. We got talking and gave him a tape of our material. He loved it. It's no secret that he's a great rock fan — he went on tour with AC/DC in 1981 - he's a real maniac. He's in his 70s, but he's a real rocker, always has these babes on his arms."

Eddie Wohl offers a more realistic assessment of Lewis' involvement. "As well as being our comanager, Michael Blutrich was a very powerful New York lawyer who also co-owned the Scores strip club. He'd helped out Al Lewis with some issues and the pair of them started a pasta company together (producing 'Grandpa Munster's Pasta Sauce that was even sent out to US newspapers with copies of Melidian's album in a press package at one point). We did this promotional thing on the steps of City Hall in New York whereby we 'adopted' him and he went on tour with us."

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY after the album was released Pete Greene left the band. In fact, according to Eddie the drummer more or less quit after hitting his last cymbal during the recording of the album. Greene's replacement was Kirk Henry from Virginia, who had seemingly been in the frame for the drumming job in Winger had Rod Morgenstein not opted to take up the offer of joining the then fledgling group.

"I got to know Reb Beach after he'd moved from Pittsburgh," states Eddie. "Reb recommended Kirk to me. In fact, when he auditioned for us he was also in the frame to join Raging Slab too, but chose us over them."

Following the album's release Melidian toured on a three band bill with Tora Tora and Mitch Malloy.

"We never had a great deal of support from the label," states Eddie. "I think it was because we didn't have anybody that cared about it because the president of the label signed us.

"The Tora Tora tour had its moments. They were a pretty young band, but we kinda pissed them off from the start due to a total misunderstanding. Now Dave Clark Howell is one of the nicest guys in the world and would never knowingly offend anybody. He was watching the sound check and he just remarked that he thought Tora Tora must be getting real big because they had their roadies sound checking for 'em. Of course, it was the band that was sound checking. They were just young kids. One of their crew heard what Dave said and it got back to 'em."

AS TIME went on the band would slowly begin to fragment and plans for a way out began to be hatched by Eddie and Kirk under the code name of the Halibut Steak Theory. Eventually, the band imploded and the duo put together Redbelly from the burning embers, eventually being signed to Elektra by none other than Rock Candy's own Derek Oliver, at the time working in A&R for the label in New York.

Redbelly (Henry and Wohl with Damon LaScot on guitars, bassist James Buhre and drummer Edward Wurzburg) were a completely different beast to Melidian, a band very much immersed in the grunge scene that had transformed the early to mid 90s. The self-titled album, released in 1995, is very much akin to Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden musically.

Indeed, the album was recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle and produced by Kelly Gray.

Eddie later signed a deal with Island, with another band Vibrosoul (named by Eddie's long-time friend

Kara Dioguardi, now a hugely successful song writer and judge on 'American Idol'), but sadly, due to company politics, no material was released, although the band did tour with the likes of Econoline Crush.

SINCE THE demise of Redbelly and Vibrosoul Eddie has immersed himself far more in music production. He has been the president of Scrap 60 Productions since 1999 and has worked on a whole host of projects, mainly in the nu-metal field, such as Il Nino, Bitterness The Star, Primer 55 and (rather interestingly) actress Jada Pinkett-Smith’s group Wicked Wisdom, but also Cradle Of Filth, Anthrax and a band featuring Kirk Henry on drums called Pepperfarm. More recently Eddie has re-gained an interest in being in a band and is currently putting a new group project together called World Fire Brigade that draws from influences such as Fuel, Filter (both acts he has worked with) and Stone Temple Pilots.

"The best part of being in Melidian was that I pretty much got to make a record on a major label right out of High School," he states of the band now. And although Eddie has no contact with any of his former band mates that he cut the record with, he is nevertheless justifiably proud to see it become part of the Rock Candy family of releases. -

(Notes by Dave Reynolds, Nottingham, August 2010)

- The Zoo Crew, those groovy hippie DJs at THE ZOO radio station, are spinning the high-energy track "Ready to Rock" by Melidian from their sole album Lost in the Wild for their devoted Zoo Freaks. This song, a fist-pumping anthem of hard rock bravado, captures the late '80s spirit with its soaring vocals and crunchy guitar riffs. While specific interviews or social media posts about "Ready to Rock" are scarce due to the band’s limited output and the era’s pre-digital landscape, a 1989 radio interview snippet archived on Rock Vault has frontman Chris Cade describing the track as “our call to arms, written to get crowds jumping and feeling unstoppable.” Fans on the Melidian Maniacs Facebook group often share stories of blasting the song at high school parties, with one user recalling how its infectious chorus fueled a memorable air guitar showdown at a 1990 backyard bash. The song’s raw energy made it a staple on regional rock stations, though it never cracked mainstream charts, cementing its cult status among AOR enthusiasts.

Trivia about "Ready to Rock" includes its recording process, which, according to a post on the fan-run Melidian Forever site, took place in a whirlwind 48-hour session at a small Los Angeles studio. The band, fueled by coffee and adrenaline, nailed the track’s driving rhythm in one take, with drummer Pete Greene’s thunderous fills setting the pace. Another tidbit from the Melidian Instagram account hints at the song’s inspiration: a late-night jam session after the band watched a Van Halen concert, aiming to capture that same live-wire intensity. The Melidian X account occasionally reposts fan covers of the song, showcasing its enduring appeal among bedroom shredders. Though no major controversies surround the track, its unpolished edge stands out as a snapshot of an era when melodic rock ruled the underground.

Melidian formed in the mid-1980s in Los Angeles, a hotbed for hair metal and hard rock. The band—consisting of Chris Cade (vocals), Jayson Lane (guitar), Eddie Wohl (keyboards), Dave Clark Howell (bass), and Pete Greene (drums)—came together through a mix of chance encounters and local gig circuits. According to a bio on their official website, Cade and Lane met at a Ratt show in 1985, bonding over their love for Journey and Whitesnake. They recruited Wohl, a classically trained pianist turned synth wizard, from a dive bar open mic, while Howell and Greene answered a flyer posted at a Hollywood record store. Their early days were spent grinding in clubs like Whisky a Go Go, building a loyal following with their blend of AOR polish and gritty attitude.

The band’s big break came when CBS Records signed them in 1988, leading to the release of Lost in the Wild in 1989. As noted on their Facebook page, the album was a labor of love, recorded on a tight budget but with ambitions to rival the era’s giants. Despite critical praise for tracks like "Ready to Rock" and "Fire Up the Heart," the album’s release coincided with the rise of grunge, which overshadowed melodic rock. Melidian disbanded in the early '90s, but their music lives on through fan communities like the Melidian Maniacs and Melidian Forever. The band’s official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts remain active, sharing nostalgic photos, rare demos, and updates on potential reissues, keeping the Zoo Freaks and beyond ready to rock. -

(https://thezoorocks.com/the-zoo-kzew-radio/melidian-ready-to-rock)

- "Lost in the Wild" is the only album released by the American hard rock band Melidian. It was released in 1989 on CBS Associated Records. The album was produced by Chris Cade and Ron Bard. The album was a commercial failure, only reaching #193 on the Billboard 200 chart. However, the album has since become a cult classic among fans of 1980s hard rock.

The album opens with the track "Ready to Rock", a high-energy anthem that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The album features a mix of hard rock and heavy metal songs, with some ballads thrown in for good measure. The album's standout tracks include "Livin' Under the Gun", "Fire Up the Heart", and "Broken Toys".

The album features the vocals of Chris Cade, who has a powerful and melodic voice. The rest of the band is also talented, with Jayson Lane delivering some impressive guitar solos. The album's production is also top-notch, with a clear and heavy sound.

The model on the front cover of the Melidian album "Lost in the Wild" is unknown. The album was released in 1989 and the model's name has never been publicly disclosed. Some people believe that the model is actress and model Traci Lords, but this has never been confirmed. The model is shown wearing a white dress. She is facing away from the camera and her hair is blowing in the wind. The cover art has been praised for its beauty and sensuality. It has also been criticized for its objectification of women. -

(https://vinyl-records.nl/hard-rock/melidian-lost-in-the-wild-nudity-sexy-cover-vinyl-lp-album.html)

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Heaven (Norway)

  Origin: Avaldsnes (Norway)

HEAVEN

Roger Pedersen - Tomi Pedersen - Vidar Stakkestad - Kenneth Pedersen - Arnfinn Knutsen

Discography:

Take me back - 1989 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- Heaven from Avaldsnes, started in 1987. They played self-produced rock music and achieved great success.

Heaven consisted of Kenneth Pedersen (Vocalist), Tor Mikal Pedersen (Bass), Roger Pedersen (Guitar) (two brothers and their cousins), Arnfinn Knutsen (Percussion), and Vidar Stakkestad (Keyboard).

Heaven eventually became very popular. Between 1989 and 1992, they had over 100 gigs throughout Norway. The market was particularly insatiable in Trøndelag.

In 1988, the group was signed to the Oslo-based label Slagerfabrikken for their recording debut. Before this, Heaven released a single on their own. It was released in the summer of 1989 and included the hit “Take me back”. This became one of the Norwegian chart successes of all time. It stayed there for 16 weeks, nine of which were at number one.

The album was released in September 1989. In 1991, Heaven recorded a music video and released the single “Children of our time”.

This was good for a relatively new group, but didn't quite live up to expectations. There was never a follow-up. Just before the recording of a new CD was to begin, the internal strife became so great that the band broke up.

Three of the members later started Huldra. -

(Translated from https://www.rogalyd.no/artist/heaven)

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Heaven [Take me back - 1989]

Heaven [Take me back - 1989]

Origin: Avaldsnes (Norway)

Take a listen on Odysee

Take a listen on youtube

Line-up:

Kenneth Pedersen - Vocals

Roger Pedersen - Guitar

Tomi Pedersen - Bass

Arnfinn Knutsen - Drums

Vidar Stakkestad - Keyboards, synthesizers

Tracks:

1. Let Go lyrics

2. Take Me Back lyrics

3. Don't Stop Me Now lyrics

4. Sinners lyrics

5. Lonely Rider lyrics

6. Angelina lyrics

7. One More Night lyrics

8. Broken Wings lyrics

9. Out Of My Life lyrics

10. Another Way lyrics

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Only Child [st - 1988]

Only Child [st - 1988]

Origin: Los Angeles (USA)

Take a listen on Odysee

Take a listen on youtube

Line-up:

Paul Sabu - Vocals, guitar

Murril Maglio - Bass, backing vocals

Charles Esposito - Drums, backing vocals

Tommy Rude - Keyboards, backing vocals

Tracks:

1. Just Ask lyrics

2. Always lyrics

3. I Wanna Touch lyrics

4. I Remember The Night lyrics

5. Love To The Limit lyrics

6. I Believe In You lyrics

7. Save A Place In Your Heart lyrics

8. Rebel Eyes lyrics

9. Scream Until You Like It lyrics

10. Shot Heard Around The World lyrics

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Only Child

 Origin: Los Angeles (USA)

ONLY CHILD

Murril Maglio - Tommy Rude - Paul Sabu - Charles Esposito

Discography:

st - 1988 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- Is a headline that should only be associated with the mighty Paul Sabu. Coming from an album that has been lauded by many, it's almost become his anthem. When the Only Child album was originally released by Capitol Records in 1988 it became an instant classic, an album that was afforded one of the highest marks ever given by Kerrang! Magazine - a review that came from the pen of Dave Reynolds.

Having already cut an impressive array of albums in the early eighties such as 'Kidd Glove' and 'Heartbreak' the melodic die was cast and Sabu had raised the bar to such an extent that even he was going to find it hard to surpass. But surpass it he did and with some style. With Heavy Metal records, the label that had released 'Heartbreak', having gone into liquidation, it was time for a new strategy and from here the AOR legend of Only Child was born. Putting a full band together, that included Tommy Amato, Tommy Rude and Murrill Maglio, Sabu gathered a collection of songs that were built to last a lifetime.

From the keyboard drenched opening of 'Just Ask' through to the resounding thump of 'Shot Heard Around The World' here was an album that justified its place in the Kerrang! top twenty albums of 1988 and Derek Oliver's all-time top AOR albums. It would seem that being part of a band was pushing Sabu's songwriting to a whole new level. Tracks such as 'I Wanna Touch' and 'I Remember The Night' were the kind of radio friendly fare that should have lit up the charts, vying for attention alongside the likes of Whitesnake and Poison with ease. But it would be the hard rock approach of 'Rebel Eyes' and the aforementioned 'Scream Until You Like It' that pushed this album into the hard rock spotlights the most.

Whilst Sabu's latter day albums have all had their moments, none have matched Only Child for its sheer AOR brilliance. If ever an album deserved more, it was this one. From a man that has worked alongside such luminaries as David Bowie, Heart, Alice Cooper and John Waite and who also discovered Shania Twain, its ultimate accolade is that it's the most revered musical contribution of his illustrious career to date.

With the recent release of 'Bangkok Rules' (available on Z Records) it would seem that Sabu has come full circle, releasing his most melodic record since his eighties heyday and a logical successor to the legacy of Only Child. Scream for me Sabu fans, scream for me! - 

(Notes by Rob Evans - Classic Rock AOR - June 2012)

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Sergeant [Streetwise - 1986]

Sergeant [Streetwise - 1986]

Origin: Würenlos, Aargau (Switzerland)

Take a listen on Odysee

Take a listen on youtube

Line-up:

Pete Prescott - Vocals

Rob Seales - Guitar, backing vocals

Chris Wiedemeier - Guitar, backing vocals

Rolf Schulp - Bass

Gary Steimer - Drums

Urs Amacher - Keyboards

Tracks:

1. Living In The Fast Lane

2. Lonely Nights

3. Can't Get Over Loosing You

4. Streetwise

5. Movin'

6. In My Blood

7. Thunder And Lightning

8. Hold On

9. Taking Time

10. Don't Stop

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Sergeant

 Origin: Würenlos, Aargau (Switzerland)

SERGEANT

Rob Seales - Rolf Schulp - Gary Steimer - Pete Prescott - Urs Amacher - Chris Wiedemeier

Discography:

Sergeant - 1984

Streetwise - 1986

Notes:

- It was a hot June afternoon at the 1985 open air festival at St. Gallen/Switzerland when Swiss/English rock band SERGEANT took the stage. One hour later they left to the roar of the 25,000 strong crowd after playing songs from their debut album "SERGEANT" including the popular single "UPSIDE DOWN". The band had spent 1985 gigging in Europe supporting such bands as Krokus, Uriah Heep, Joe Cocker, Wishbone Ash and Alaska before returning to the studio in December. SERGEANT emerged in January 1986 with the second album "STREETWISE" for Gama Records/Germany.

After the addition of a new bass player in spring 86 the final line up is:

Pete Prescott (Lead vocals)

Rob Seales (Guitars, vocals)

Harry Borner (Bass, vocals)

Urs Amacher (Keyboards)

Gary Steimer (Drums)

In August 86 the English record company Power Station released "LIFE IN THE FAST LINE" on album featuring re-moxed songs from SERGEANT's two albums plus some previously unreleased tracks. As well as appearing on various Swiss TV shows and recieving many radio plays (including the English BBC 1 "Friday night rock show" hosted by Tommy Vance) the band has continued to play concerts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In August SERGEANT play at the open air festival at Arbon/CH with international acts such as Status Quo and Magnum. -

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Sergeant [st - 1984]

Sergeant [st - 1984]

Origin: Würenlos, Aargau (Switzerland)

Take a listen on Odysee

Take a listen on youtube

Line-up:

Pete Prescott - Vocals

Rob Seales - Guitar

Chris Wiedemeier - Guitar

Rolf Schulp - Bass

Gary Steimer - Drums

Urs Amacher - Keyboards

Tracks:

1. Upside Down

2. Rollin'

3. Make Your Move

4. Love Me Tonight

5. You Got Me Reelin'

6. Paradise

7. I've Got To Know

8. One Look

9. Are You Lonely?

10. Good Time Looser

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Bob Halligan [Window in the wall - 1991]

Bob Halligan [Window in the wall - 1991]

Origin: Lackawanna, New York (USA)

Take a listen on Odysee

Take a listen on youtube

Line-up:

Bob Halligan - Vocals, keyboards, guitar, drum programming, bass, backing vocals

Michael Ciro - Guitar

Eddie Martinez - Guitar

Rob Friedman - Guitar

Ira Siegel - Guitar

Seth Glassman - Bass

Rick Cua - Bass

Will Lee - Bass

Pat Mastelotto - Drums, percussion

Michael Clarke - Drums

Sammy Merendino - Drum programming

Emedin Rivera - Percussion

Arnie Roman - Keyboards, drum programming

Philip Ashley - Keyboards

Peter Wood - Keyboards

Phil Galdston - Keyboards, drum programming

Graham Shaw - Keyboards, drum programming, bass, backing vocals

Gerald O'Brien - Keyboards, drum programming, bass

Doug Hall - Keyboards

Andre Betts - Programming

Jeb Guthrie - Backing vocals

Linny Halligan - Backing vocals

Julie Eigenberg - Backing vocals

Tracks:

1. Could've Been You lyrics

2. Now That It's Not Over lyrics

3. Still Feels Like Love lyrics

4. I Will Remember You lyrics

5. Who's Lovin' You Now lyrics

6. Window In The Wall lyrics

7. Midnite Mirage lyrics

8. The Way It's S'Pozed To Be lyrics

9. Hard Rain lyrics

10. Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye lyrics

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Bob Halligan

 Origin: Lackawanna, New York (USA)

BOB HALLIGAN

Bob Halligan

Discography:

Window in the wall - 1991 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- Robert Sidney Halligan Jr. (born January 3, 1953) is an American singer, musician, music producer and songwriter who has collaborated with many artists, particularly in the hard rock/heavy metal genre, throughout his career. He is currently the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Ceili Rain, a group he founded that combines Celtic, rock, and contemporary Christian music.

As a songwriter, Halligan has contributed songs to three albums by the heavy metal band Judas Priest, namely "(Take These) Chains" from 1982's Screaming for Vengeance and the single "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" from 1984's Defenders of the Faith. Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford included another song by Halligan, "Twist", on the album Resurrection by his band Halford. In 2024, he was credited with writing the song "The Lodger" from 2024's Invincible Shield.

Halligan also worked extensively with the hard rock/heavy metal band Kix, beginning in the mid-1980s, when he co-wrote most of the songs on the band's third album, Midnite Dynamite. Incidentally, one of the most successful songs he has ever written is Kix's near-top ten hit, "Don't Close Your Eyes" (co-written with one-time Crack the Sky frontman John Palumbo and Kix bassist Donnie Purnell), which was featured on the band's follow-up album, Blow My Fuse. The song remains Kix's highest-charting single.

He also wrote the songs "Beat 'Em Up" and "Make Rock Not War" on Blue Öyster Cult's Club Ninja record, "Rise to It" and "Read My Body" on Kiss' album Hot in the Shade, "Could've Been You" on Cher's album Love Hurts and the single "Rock You" for Helix's Walkin' the Razor's Edge album. In addition, Halligan wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on Night of the Crime by the 80s heavy metal band Icon. He also co-wrote the song "Bang Down the Door" on Bonfire's 1989's Point Blank record.

In the Christian rock domain, he has worked with Rick Cua, focusing on Cua's solo career (including his 1985 album You're My Road). -

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Halligan_Jr.)

- Bob Halligan Jr. has written songs for KISS, Judas Priest, Joan Jett, Blue Oyster Cult, KIX, and other great hard rockers including Icon, Lee Aaron, Night Ranger and Helix.

Bob also writes songs for himself, especially his Celtic Rock band, Ceili Rain. These guys have been together for 28 years, and just released their ninth studio album, CRASH THIS GATE.

Produced by the band’s leader/songwriter/lead singer/keyboards/guitar/ percussion Bob Halligan Jr and mixed & mastered by Roman Klun, these 12 songs are the first new material from the group in nine years. Bob’s bandmates are Raymond Arias (guitar & vocals), Burt Mitchell (tin whistle, flute, Highland bagpipes), Bill Bleistine (drums), Joe Davoli (fiddle, mandolin), and Kevin de Souza (bass & vocals).

In keeping with the band’s motto “For kids from 3 to 93,” “Crash the Gate”’s motivational songs inform our life journeys and make our pathways easier to negotiate. The album’s title track “Crash This Gate” speaks of unstoppable & unconditional love. Three songs memorializing the pandemic (“Ten Million” “The Once-and-Future Human Race” and “One Pull Nearer the Shore”) mark the difficulties and triumphs of humanity through that crisis.

“It’s You I Love About It” illustrates ways in which we identify ourselves and others in art. “Birdhouse,” co-written with Bob’s wife Linda, has a message of accepting differences; the song is being developed into a children’s book. “Love Corporation” addresses earthly priorities. “I Can Believe” suggests we HAVE to believe to survive. “Used to Be White” celebrates an awakening to diversity & inclusiveness. “My Specialty” is an ode to married romance. “Fall to You” talks of finding identity & meaning through a committed relationship. “Twenty Seconds” is a rousing call to arms to stand up to adversity with cheers, bagpipes, wailing fiddles, guitars, and triumphant drums, “Twenty seconds of courage is all you really need!”

For 12 years, through 2019, Bob was an adjunct professor, teaching classes on songwriting, film scoring, the music business, and The Beatles at Syracuse University. He likes to share stories about co-writing KISS’s “Rise to It” and “Read My Body” with Paul Stanley and writing “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” after Judas Priest covered “Screaming for Vengeance” his first pitch to them. Or talking about his career-long friendship with the band KIX, and their collaboration, notably their breakthrough hit, “Don’t Close Your Eyes” with the band’s Donnie Purnell and Crack the Sky’s John Palumbo. Other artists that have recorded Bob’s songs include Cher, Michael Bolton, country’s Kathy Mattea. Movies including “Iron Eagle” “Light of Day” and “Wayne’s World,” included his songs. -

(https://www.goldminemag.com/artist-news/bob-halligan-jr-from-heavy-metal-songwriter-to-celtic-rocker)

- Just how difficult is it to transition from writing for Judas Priest and Cher to contemporary Christian artist Rebecca St. James or country songstress Kathy Mattea? For Bob Halligan, Jr. his love of music and passion for crafting songs are the tools that helped him translate success in several musical genres. 

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Halligan carved a successful niche writing hard rock and pop songs for numerous acts including Cher, Michael Bolton, Judas Priest and Joan Jett before moving to Nashville in 1995 and establishing a presence in both country and contemporary Christian circles. Since relocating to Music city, he’s also launched Ceili Rain, a Celtic-flavored pop/rock ensemble that has provided an outlet for the positive message songs he writes. The band has rapidly become one of the most popular bands on the Nashville club scene and is currently anticipating the release of their self-titled debut in April on Punch Records, a division of Power Entertainment Group, a nationally distributed rock label based in Nashville.

Halligan’s love of songwriting began in his teens and he was fortunate enough to have family that encouraged his ambitions. His cousin, Kick Halligan, was in Blood, Sweat & Tears during the band’s heyday and urged his young cousin to pursue the music business; therefore, Halligan began fronting a local band and writing tunes. Dedication to his craft paid off and he got a deal with United Artists publishing, aided greatly by the support of manager Barry Bergman. Though Halligan’s band didn’t land a recod contract, he found another ally in songplugger May Pang (known for her liaison with John Lennon). She believed in his tunes and helped Halligan land a song called “Take These Chains” on a Judas Priest album.

“It was on their biggest albums ever, Screaming for Vengeance and it was the only outside song,” Halligan recalls. “My wife Linda said, ‘They recorded one of your songs. You should at least write another one.’ I wrote another song called “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll.” They recorded it on their second biggest album, Defenders Of The Faith. Again I had the only outside song, written solely by me. So people viewed me as the genius of heavy metal songwriting. It was a little bit of talent and a little bit of luck. So then all the labels were flying me all over writing with and for all these different hard rock acts. Some came to bear fruit; some didn’t, but it led to cuts with Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult, Joan Jett, Night Ranger, Kix and a bunch of others.”

Halligan admits the role of heavy metal genius was not a comfortable title for him for many reasons, among them the fact that he didn’t want his lyrics to contain the negative messages conveyed in other songs on the albums, and because he was being typecast. “I realized I was being pigeon-holed as ‘Halligan, the hard rock writer.’ Since I grew up on The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and things other than rock, I never really listened to Led Zeppelin when I was in high school; I was frightened by it. I wanted to switch to more mainstream pop but luckily ran into Michael Bolton at a co-writers’ house and we wrote nine songs together, seven of which were recorded and six ended up on major records.”

Halligan’s first foray into a label deal and a chance to record his own songs came in 1991 when Atco released his album, Window In The Wall. Though political upheaval at the label kept the critically acclaimed album from finding chat success, it didn’t dim Halligan’s enthusiasm for the creative process. If anything, it shifted his focus to another musical mecca.

He made the decision to move to Nashville in large part because of the changes in the New York songwriting market. “In New York I had some great co-writers, but the scene kind of dried up and the styles of music that New York writers could write and hope to make a living from had narrowed to the point that it no longer satisfied my creative urges,” Halligan says. “It was kind of dance and hip-hop and that was it. I’ve always been basically a rock ‘n roll guy. So there was nothing to do. But I can’t say there was no scene at all and no great writers because I still treasure my co-writers up there like Phil Galdston, Arnie Roman, Martin Briley and Michael Bolton…I miss all those people, but down here it’s easier; you go into a bank and they don’t laugh you right out the door (most Nashville banks have Music Row divisions).”

The business community’s acceptance of songwriters is not the only appeal Nashville had for Halligan. “There are a lot of us (songwriters) and it’s competitive, but not obnoxious,” he says of the songwriting community.

“People like each other and clap for each other. The business is here and it’s just easier…I love it down here because there are great folks, songwriters and otherwise.” The way Halligan writes has changed somewhat since his move to Nashville. “I’m less of a co-writer than I used to be; I’m more of a solo guy. I will still co-write, but the last couple of years I got back in touch with my writing voice and Ceili Rain was really born out of that because I had to rediscover my confidence in writing on my own.”

When he first moved to Nashville, Halligan signed a publishing deal with BMG and credits them with easing his transition into a new city. Soon he found himself getting cuts by both Christian and country acts, among them Sierra, Rebecca St. James, Billy T. Midnight and Kathy Mattea. (He co-wrote the title cut of Kathy Mattea’s current album, Love Travels, with his wife Linda).

Halligan is currently signed to Benson Music Publishing in the Christian market and to Little Miss Magic Music for his mainstream tunes. Halligan readily admits his career has known different seasons. “I’ve kind of compartmentalized my career and the hard rock stuff is largely behind me,” he says. “Because of the alternative stuff, those guys don’t want me anymore. It’s more about self-expression now, and I applaud that, and cheer them on, but unfortunately they put me out of a job because there isn’t a need for hard rock co-writers anymore.”

Halligan admits he wasn’t raised in a rural setting and has a different perspective for a country tunesmith. But instead of trying to write songs about pickup trucks and honky-tonks, Halligan has opted to stay true to his craft, write what he knows best, and let the chips fall where they may. Halligan approaches writing for different genres in a different manner. “With heavy metal, I made my own lexicon of obnoxious verbs and nouns,” he says. “I had a list of words like ‘avenge.’ That was the language of those songs and I would write using the aggressive language, but have it be about a sort of benign subject, and be aggressive metaphorically rather than literally. With my Ceili Rain stuff, I just puke out whatever is on my heart and mind. With the Christian stuff, one has to be mindful of the vernacular. There are words you cannot use and in that ball game, it’s more that you have to make a list of the stuff you cannot use. I have not made an attempt to learn the buzzwords in Christian music because I don’t use them, and it wouldn’t be natural for me to write with them. But every genre has a whole different way of doing it.”

These days a major consideration when pitching tunes is what to keep for his band Ceili Rain, and what to let other artists record. “I write songs that I feel other people would enjoy singing or hearing and somewhere along the way it seemed the only reason to go forward was to do music that was contributing something to the planet, to the evolution of the species, even if it was only my evolution,” Halligan says. “I view it as medicine, but if you take medicine it always goes down better with honey on it…Hopefully there is some substance that bears repeated listening, that encourages self-exploration and that encourages [following the] golden rule, for people to care a little bit more about each other and feel it’s okay to be who they are.” -

(https://americansongwriter.com/bob-halligan-jr-career-spans-multiple-genres/)

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Far Cry

Origin: New York (USA)

FAR CRY

Peter Thom - Phil Galdston

Discography:

The more things change - 1980 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- Their music has a littlebit of everything — humor, sophistication, realism, fantasy — and a lof of two things: Galdston and Thom, now “Far Cry.” PHIL GALDSTON and PETER THOM have been writing songs as diverse as their backgrounds and as intriguing as their futures. “We write eclectic music”, says Galdston as Thom nods in agreement, “we perform all kinds of songs without worrying about is fitting an image — our image is dictated by our music.”

That image started taking shape in 1975 when the two songwriters, on a whim, entered done of their songs, “Why don’t we live together”, in the American Song Festival. They came away with no less than first prize — beating out more than 60,000 other song entries and pocketing $30,500 in prize money — providing them with not only a giant boost to their joint career but also with a reinforcement of an idea that had already occurred to them that their songs were very good. This first significant taste of success also gave them the impetus to seek out a recording contract, a search which resulted in ‘American Gypsies’, on Warner Bros., produced by the renowned John Simon (best known for his production work with The Band). Galdston & Thom have had their songs recorded by Geoff Maldour, Barry Manilow, Tom Jones and The Tymes, among others.

Phil Galdston, a native New Yorker, put together his first band at the age of five, getting together with other lots in his apartment complex to perform such hot material as “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.” Although beloved in the building, The Jackson Five they weren’t and Phil retired from the stage for the next ten years, spending his time teaching himself to play the piano and studying trumpet. In high school, he became lead singer of The Cisum Five (cisum, music, get it?), performing at dances and parties and beginning to compose for the first time. The group gained a considerable reputation and, while still in school, signed a recording contract with Epic Records. Their first single, released in 1967, was an anti-war song entitled "Medal of Honor.”

Cisum gradually fell apart and, two years later, Galdston formed a jazz-rock band called ‘Freeway’ which performed at the Bitter End and Fillmore East and even appeared on The Tonight Show. They were also the first rock-oriented act to play the posh Empire Room at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Apart from ‘Freeway’ Galdston was making inroads on many fronts; he did some arranging for Paul Anka, assisted Columbia Records producer Teo Macero on several projects, accompanied actress Diane Keaton on “The Tonight Show” and began to work with comedian Robert Klein. Through his four-year association with Klein, Galdston served both as pianist and road manager while co-producing Klein’s three albums, two of which were Grammy nominees.

Peter Thom’s background is somewhat different; born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1944, his family moved to Montreal, Canada tow years later. Similar to his future partner, Peter taught himself to play piano at age ten and song lead for various rock bands in high school. He gave up music for two years in college — where he was an engineering major — but got back into it full time after winning a televised talent contest. For the next two year, he appeared in a Canadian television show called “The New Generation,” in which he sang and talked about topics of the day. At the same time, he arranged and sang with a Montreal-based rock band, The Strangers, and co-wrote a collegiate musical comedy, his first real songwriting experience.

In 1965 he met Milt Okun, at that time Peter, Paul & Mary’s musical director, who helped him land a contract with Epic Records, where his single version of Al Kooper’s “Fly Away” was released. After moving to New York, Peter began to perform around the country, playing guitar and singing blues and folk songs. By 1971, he had garnered a sizeable following and signed a contract with United Artists that resulted in his debut album ‘Peter Thom,’ which he co-produced. After touring, he returned to New York doing freelance songwriting and back-up singing before becoming lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the Jeffrey Ballet Orchestra.

Which brings us, finally, to the summer of 1973 when Phil Galdston and Peter Thom met, with the latter joining the former’s band. Their current LP — Far Cry ‘The More Things Change’ — was produced by Elliot Scheiner for Phil Ramone’s Touchstone Records. -

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