Monday, September 8, 2025

Everest [One step away - 1995]

Everest [One step away - 1995]

Origin: Toronto, Ontario (Canada)




Take a listen on youtube


Want to own a copy?
→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)

Line-up:

Ric McDonald - Vocals, bass
Don Gaze - Guitar
Jim MacLellan - Drums, percussion
Frank Reid - Keyboards, backing vocals

Tracks:

1. One Step Away lyrics
2. I'll Never Let You Go lyrics
3. How Does It Feel lyrics
4. Hold Me lyrics
5. Will Your Love Last Forever lyrics
6. Runnin' On lyrics
7. We're All In This Together lyrics
8. Fugitive lyrics
9. Stand Up lyrics
10. Coming Back For More lyrics

Everest [st - 1984]

Everest [st - 1984]

Origin: Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

Everest [st - 1984]


Take a listen on youtube


Want to own a copy?
→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)

Line-up:

Ric McDonald - Vocals, bass
Don Gaze - Guitar
Jim MacLellan - Drums, percussion
Frank Reid - Keyboards, backing vocals

Tracks:

1. Right Between The Eyes lyrics
2. Hold On lyrics
3. Only A Moment lyrics
4. I Think It's My Heart lyrics
5. Danger Zone lyrics
6. Streetwise lyrics
7. You Make Me Shiver lyrics
8. Come To The City lyrics
9. Everybody's Nuts At The Palace
10. I Know You're There lyrics
11. I Don't Know lyrics

Everest

 Origin: Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

EVEREST

Everest Frank Reid - Ric McDonald - Jim MacLellan - Don Gaze
Frank Reid - Ric McDonald - Jim MacLellan - Don Gaze

Everest albums:

Everest [st - 1984]

st - 1984 (with lyrics)

Want to own a copy?

→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)

 

One step away - 1995 (with lyrics)

Want to own a copy?

→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)

Notes about Everest:

 Text in English

- Everest was a melodic rock band from Toronto, formed at the end of the 1970s [1, 2]. It released only one album during the 1980s, *Everest*, in 1984; a second, recorded in 1985, was not issued until 1995 [2, 3, 4].

On the debut, the lineup was Ric McDonald on lead vocals, bass and bass pedals, Don Gaze on guitars, Frank Reid on keyboards and vocals and Jim MacLellan on percussion [3, 5, 6]. Released by CBS Records Canada on the Epic label (PEC-80098), the album was produced by Paul Gross for his production company, Backroads Productions, and recorded at Phase One Studios in Toronto in February and March 1984, with Mick Walsh as engineer and Kevin Markland as assistant engineer; Bob Ludwig mastered it at Masterdisk in New York [3, 7]. Gross had co-founded Phase One with Doug Hill in 1973 and had produced Saga's first three albums there [7, 8].

McDonald wrote eight of the eleven songs on his own, among them the two that open the record, "Right Between The Eyes" and "Hold On". Reid, MacLellan and McDonald wrote "Streetwise", with lyrics by MacLellan, and the closing track, "I Don't Know"; Gaze contributed the brief "Everybody's Nuts At The Palace" [3]. Two singles were taken from the album: "You Make Me Shiver", backed with "I Think It's My Heart", and "Danger Zone", backed with "I Don't Know" [9]. In 2003 a review on the Proggnosis website highlighted the record's symphonic character and the weight of its keyboard arrangements, and compared its sound with that of Saga and of Pallas around the time of *The Wedge* [6].

According to the band's Discogs profile, CBS dropped Everest soon after signing it [1]. In 1985 the group recorded a second album, produced by Paul Gross and by Terry Brown, Rush's producer from *Fly by Night* (1975) to *Signals* (1982), with Mick Walsh and Roger Sleman as engineers; Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson mixed it at Lerxst Manor in Stouffville, Ontario [4, 10]. Apart from a cover of "How Does It Feel", a Steve Lukather song from Toto's *Isolation* (1984), all the material is credited to Everest [4, 11]. The album was not released at the time [2, 4].

In 1986 Andrea Duncan replaced McDonald as lead singer [1]. That year Everest won Q107 Homegrown, the contest run by the Toronto radio station Q107, whose top prize was studio time at Metalworks and a single on MCA Canada [1, 2, 12]; the band's contribution to the contest album, *Q107 Homegrown – Volume 8* (MCA-37277), was "You're The Only One" [13]. In 1987 MCA released "Don't Know What To Do" (MCA-53057) as a single, with an instrumental version on the B-side and the phonographic copyright in Q107's name. Produced by Howard Ayee, it was recorded at Metalworks in Mississauga, Ontario, with Ed Stone as recording engineer, and mixed by Rush bassist and singer Geddy Lee at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, with Paul Northfield as mixing engineer. The song is credited to A. Duncan, D. Gaze, J. MacLellan, F. Reid, C. Duncan and D. Garbutt [14]. In 1989 FM Revolver included it on the compilation *Hot Night In The City* (WKFM LP 134) [14, 15].

In 1995 the German label Long Island Records reissued *Everest* on CD in its Rock Classic series (LIRC 00056), in a limited edition of 2,000 numbered copies, digitally remastered by Sondi and Adrian V. Ripka at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg and with "Don't Know What To Do" added as a bonus track [5]. In the same series it released the second album for the first time, as *One Step Away* (LIRC 00076), also in a limited, numbered edition, with digital mastering by George Graves at The Lacquer Channel in Toronto. The CD credits McDonald with lead vocals, bass and bass pedals, and names Andy Duncan as lead singer and Al Marney as bassist on "Runnin' On" [4]. -


Notas sobre Everest:

 Texto en Español

- Everest fue un grupo de rock melódico de Toronto formado a finales de los setenta [1, 2]. En los años ochenta solo publicó un disco, *Everest*, en 1984; el segundo, grabado en 1985, no se editó hasta 1995 [2, 3, 4].

En el debut, la formación la integraban Ric McDonald a la voz solista, el bajo y los pedales de bajo, Don Gaze a las guitarras, Frank Reid a los teclados y las voces y Jim MacLellan a la percusión [3, 5, 6]. El disco, que CBS Records Canada publicó con el sello Epic (PEC-80098), lo produjo Paul Gross para su productora, Backroads Productions, y se grabó en febrero y marzo de 1984 en los estudios Phase One de Toronto, con Mick Walsh como ingeniero de sonido y Kevin Markland como ayudante; lo masterizó Bob Ludwig en Masterdisk, en Nueva York [3, 7]. Gross había fundado Phase One con Doug Hill en 1973, y allí había producido los tres primeros discos de Saga [7, 8].

McDonald escribió en solitario ocho de las once canciones, entre ellas las dos que abren el disco, «Right Between The Eyes» y «Hold On». Reid, MacLellan y McDonald firmaron «Streetwise», con letra de MacLellan, y la canción de cierre, «I Don't Know»; Gaze aportó la breve «Everybody's Nuts At The Palace» [3]. Del disco se extrajeron dos sencillos: «You Make Me Shiver», con «I Think It's My Heart» en la cara B, y «Danger Zone», con «I Don't Know» [9]. En 2003, una reseña publicada en la web Proggnosis destacó su carácter sinfónico y el peso de los arreglos de teclado, y comparó su sonido con el de Saga y con el de los Pallas de la época de *The Wedge* [6].

Según su ficha en Discogs, CBS prescindió del grupo poco después de ficharlo [1]. En 1985, Everest grabó un segundo disco, producido por Paul Gross y por Terry Brown, productor de Rush desde *Fly by Night* (1975) hasta *Signals* (1982), con Mick Walsh y Roger Sleman como ingenieros; lo mezcló Alex Lifeson, guitarrista de Rush, en Lerxst Manor, en Stouffville (Ontario) [4, 10]. Salvo una versión de «How Does It Feel», canción de Steve Lukather incluida en el álbum de Toto *Isolation* (1984), todo el material figura a nombre de Everest [4, 11]. El disco no llegó a publicarse entonces [2, 4].

En 1986, Andrea Duncan sustituyó a McDonald como voz solista [1]. Ese mismo año, Everest ganó el concurso Q107 Homegrown, que organizaba la emisora de Toronto Q107 y cuyo primer premio consistía en tiempo de grabación en los estudios Metalworks y un sencillo con MCA Canada [1, 2, 12]; su aportación al recopilatorio del concurso, *Q107 Homegrown – Volume 8* (MCA-37277), fue «You're The Only One» [13]. En 1987, MCA publicó como sencillo «Don't Know What To Do» (MCA-53057), con una versión instrumental en la cara B y los derechos fonográficos a nombre de Q107. Producido por Howard Ayee, se grabó en Metalworks, en Mississauga (Ontario), con Ed Stone como ingeniero de grabación, y lo mezcló Geddy Lee, bajista y cantante de Rush, en Le Studio de Morin Heights (Quebec), con Paul Northfield como ingeniero de mezcla. La canción figura a nombre de A. Duncan, D. Gaze, J. MacLellan, F. Reid, C. Duncan y D. Garbutt [14]. En 1989, el sello FM Revolver la incluyó en el recopilatorio *Hot Night In The City* (WKFM LP 134) [14, 15].

En 1995, el sello alemán Long Island Records reeditó *Everest* en CD dentro de su serie Rock Classic (LIRC 00056), en una edición limitada de 2000 copias numeradas, con remasterización digital de Sondi y Adrian V. Ripka en los Bauer Studios de Ludwigsburg y «Don't Know What To Do» como pista adicional [5]. En la misma serie publicó por primera vez el segundo disco, con el título *One Step Away* (LIRC 00076), también en edición limitada y numerada y con masterización digital de George Graves en The Lacquer Channel, en Toronto. Los créditos del CD atribuyen a McDonald la voz solista, el bajo y los pedales de bajo, y a Andy Duncan y Al Marney la voz y el bajo de «Runnin' On» [4]. -


Sources/Fuentes

1. Discogs, artist profiles of Everest (5) and Andrea Duncan (2), consulted 19 October 2026: https://www.discogs.com/artist/492071-Everest-5 ; https://www.discogs.com/artist/7658760-Andrea-Duncan-2

2. Museum of Canadian Music, "Everest", artist page, consulted 19 October 2026: https://citizenfreak.com/artists/109870-everest

3. Everest, *Everest*, LP, Epic PEC-80098, CBS Records Canada, Canada, 1984. Sleeve and label credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/4294427-Everest-Everest

4. Everest, *One Step Away*, CD, Long Island Records LIRC 00076 (Rock Classic series), Germany, 1995. Credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/6208176-Everest-One-Step-Away ; and by the Museum of Canadian Music, consulted 19 October 2026: https://citizenfreak.com/titles/325843-everest-one-step-away

5. Everest, *Everest*, CD, Long Island Records LIRC 00056 (Rock Classic series), Germany, 1995. Credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/6208132-Everest-Everest ; and in La Bible de la Westcoast Music (Cool Night), "Everest 'Everest' (1984) -Melodic Rock-": https://labibledelawestcoast.blogspot.com/2018/09/everest-everest-1984-aor.html

6. Proggnosis, Everest, *Everest* (1984): performer credits and review by Eric, 4 September 2003: https://www.proggnosis.com/Release/9149

7. Toronto AES, "Paul Gross", 2008 Toronto Sound series: https://www.torontoaes.org/paul-gross/ ; Discogs, Paul Gross, artist profile, consulted 19 October 2026: https://www.discogs.com/artist/405752-Paul-Gross

8. Wikipedia, "Saga (album)", "Images at Twilight" and "Silent Knight (album)", consulted 19 October 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_(album) ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Images_at_Twilight ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Knight_(album)

9. Everest, "You Make Me Shiver" / "I Think It's My Heart", 7" single, Epic E4-7038, Canada, 1984; "Danger Zone" / "I Don't Know", 7" single, Epic E4-7050, Canada, 1984. Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/14827377-Everest-5-You-Make-Me-Shiver ; https://www.discogs.com/release/14198209-Everest-5-Danger-Zone

10. Wikipedia, "Terry Brown (music producer)" and "Alex Lifeson", consulted 19 October 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Brown_(music_producer) ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Lifeson

11. Wikipedia, "Isolation (Toto album)", consulted 19 October 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_(Toto_album)

12. RPM, vol. 44, no. 22, Toronto, 23 August 1986: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/80s/1986/RPM-1986-08-23.pdf

13. Various artists, *Q107 Homegrown – Volume 8*, LP, MCA-37277, Canada, 1986: https://www.discogs.com/release/664393-Various-Q107-Homegrown-Volume-8

14. Everest, "Don't Know What To Do" / "Don't Know What To Do (Instrumental)", 7" single, MCA-53057, Canada, 1987. Release credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/13713454-Everest-5-Dont-Know-What-To-Do

15. Various artists, *Hot Night In The City*, LP, FM WKFM LP 134, 1989. Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/7489233-Various-Hot-Night-In-The-City

Friday, September 5, 2025

Melvin James

Origin: Des Moines, Iowa (USA)

MELVIN JAMES

Melvin James
Melvin James

Melvin James albums:

 Melvin James [The passenger - 1987]

The passsenger - 1987 (with lyrics)

Want to own a copy?

→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)


Notes about Melvin James:

 Text in English

- Melvin James, born Melvin Douglas Veach in Des Moines, Iowa, on 11 November 1958, is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known for *The Passenger*, the album he made for MCA Records in 1987 with producer Bill Szymczyk. Earlier, in the early 1980s, he had co-founded the Minneapolis band Crash Street Kids, and in the 1990s and early 2000s he fronted the trio Planet Melvin [1, 2, 3].

As a boy he helped his father, a bricklayer, and swept up sawdust and fish heads at Veach's Eastside Fish Market, his grandfather's business. His father bought him his first guitar; after a handful of lessons he taught himself from chord books of popular songs, the first of them for the Beatles' *Abbey Road*, and went on to immerse himself in the guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, among them Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. He formed his first band, Last Road to Destiny, with his elementary school classmates [2].

At fourteen he camped out at the Iowa State Fair, living on a dollar a day and spending his time at the fairground's band shell. There he met the members of Dakota, a glam rock band from Fort Dodge, and persuaded them to let him sit in on their closing number, "Smoke on the Water", playing the guitar with the microphone stand and with his teeth. Some time later the band invited him to go on the road with them: at fifteen he hitchhiked the ninety miles to Fort Dodge to board their bus, and was paid for his efforts in bus tickets home. During that period he had an accident in a car he had borrowed from one of the band members and spent two weeks in a coma. For the next two months, unable to attend school, he recovered at his grandparents' house in Des Moines, playing guitar and listening to the albums his friends in Dakota had given him, among them records by Mott the Hoople, T. Rex and Queen, David Bowie's *Ziggy Stardust* and *Diamond Dogs* and the Rolling Stones' *It's Only Rock 'n Roll*. According to his biography, the experience broadened his influences from guitar-hero rock to glam [2].

Frank Wiewel, Dakota's bassist and co-owner of Westminster Recording Studio in Otho, introduced him to his partner in the studio, Kirk Kaufman, who took him under his wing, found him an apartment in nearby Fort Dodge and let him use the studio from midnight to eight in the morning. In the eighteen months or so he spent there, James learned to work in a recording studio and recorded numerous tracks, which drew the interest of Warner Bros. executive Doug Lee. Lee advised him to put a band together and gain live experience, and James went back to Des Moines [2].

In 1979, aged twenty and with his baby son Melvin, he moved to the Twin Cities, where he lodged in a windowless attic above the Saint Paul apartment of Tom Kelly, Dakota's former sound engineer. Kelly introduced him to bassist Gary Snow, whom James had seen play with the band Soda, and the two recruited drummer Randall "Pye" Prochowitz to form the power trio Crash Street Kids [2, 4]. Signed to the Minneapolis label Fat City Records, the band released its only album, *Little Girls* (Fat City 3275), in the early 1980s. It was recorded at West Minist'r Sound with Kirk Kaufman, Frank Wiewel and Keith Brown as engineers; James wrote seven of its ten songs on his own and two with Snow, who wrote the remaining one. The band made a video for "Mystery Girl", directed by Chuck Statler, who had directed videos for Devo, and a review in *Playboy* likened their sound to that of the Who, the Yardbirds and the Raspberries [2, 4]. While touring behind the album, the trio had a serious road accident outside Brookings, South Dakota: Prochowitz broke his collarbone, Snow suffered shoulder injuries and James escaped with minor ones. The injuries left the band unable to play for an indefinite period, and James eventually decided to carry on alone [2].

Back in Otho, he recorded and co-produced new songs with Keith Brown and Frank Wiewel. A first three-song demo drew interest from Atlantic Records; further recordings attracted Geffen Records and led to a showcase in Minneapolis. MCA, Warner Bros. and EMI became interested too, their representatives came to Minneapolis one after another to see him perform, and the bidding war that followed ended with James signing to MCA through Michael Rosenblatt, the A&R man who had signed Madonna and the B-52's [2].

The result was *The Passenger*, released by MCA in 1987 (MCA-5663 in the United States) [3]. It was produced by Bill Szymczyk, known for his work with the Who, Joe Walsh, the James Gang and the Eagles' *Hotel California*, for Pandora Productions, with James as co-producer and Thom Trumbo as executive producer; James wrote all nine songs [1, 2]. The album was recorded at Metro Studios in Minneapolis and at Juniors Motel in Otho, Iowa, with Jim Nipar engineering alongside Szymczyk, Kaufman, Brown, Wiewel, John Hurst and Kirby Binder; the basic tracks of "We Hear The Thunder", "Loving You Is Strange" and "She's So Sorry" had been produced by James, Wiewel and Brown. Nipar mixed it at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, except for "We Hear The Thunder", "Telephone" and "Twisted", which Dave Thoener mixed at the Record Plant in New York, and Bob Ludwig mastered it at Masterdisk [1, 3]. James sang and played guitar, as well as bass on most of the tracks and percussion on "Why Won't You Stay (Come In, Come Out Of The Rain)". Joe Vitale, known for his work with Joe Walsh, played drums on seven songs and synthesizer on four; Gordy Knudtson drummed on "Why Won't You Stay", and Prochowitz, James's former bandmate in Crash Street Kids, on "We Hear The Thunder". Dik Shopteau played bass on "Telephone" and "Sugar Candy", Dave Hern bass synthesizer on "Loving You Is Strange" and "She's So Sorry", and a musician credited only as "G.I." synthesizer on five tracks [1, 4, 5]. The album is dedicated to the memory of Alan Atwell [1].

The single "Why Won't You Stay (Come In, Come Out Of The Rain)" (MCA-53127) was launched at album rock radio, where the trade sheet *The Hard Report* made it its record of the week on 14 August 1987, with 57 station adds in its first week [6, 7]. It went on to reach the Top 20 and the top ten in Miami, Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis, and its video was in high rotation on MTV. Videos were also made for the other two singles, "Loving You Is Strange", backed with "Telephone" (MCA-53217), and "Twisted", issued in the United States as a promotional 12-inch (L33-17499) [2, 6].

After Rosenblatt and label president Irving Azoff had both left MCA (Azoff resigned in 1989), James was encouraged to follow Rosenblatt to Geffen, which gave him a budget to record new demos at Paisley Park but then decided not to sign him [2, 8]. James took a year or so off from the music business [2].

On his return he formed Planet Melvin, a power trio with his son, Melvin Veach III, on drums. The group's self-titled debut came out in 1995 on Junior's Motel Records, Kirk Kaufman's label; James produced, engineered and mixed it, and on "Me And My Alien" he was reunited with Gary Snow and Randall Prochowitz. A second album, *Chromosomes In Space*, followed on the same label in 2002; on it James is credited as Melvin Veach II, and the bass is played by Iris O'Chez [2, 9]. With former Warner Bros. promotion man Steve Fingerett, he took its opening track and single, "Havin' Fun", onto the charts in several regional markets, although it did not translate into significant sales. A director making a film for Paramount Pictures heard the song on the radio while driving through Iowa and contacted the station about using it in his soundtrack, and "Havin' Fun" was eventually used in several films, among them *Sleepover* and *Without a Paddle* (both 2004), *She's the Man* (2006) and *The Bye Bye Man* (2017) [2, 9, 10, 11].

James produces other artists, and he and his wife, Anne, own Melville Sound and Creative, a recording studio in Saint Paul. He was musical director of a Pete Townshend–endorsed production of Quadrophenia Live at the Grove in Los Angeles, and in 2018 he co-scored, with the Paris-based artist and filmmaker Oyoram, *Mental Banquet: Painting with Lights*, a light projection premiered on the façade of the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines during that October's World Food Prize week [2, 12]. In 2021 Junior's Motel Records released *The Lost Tracks*, a four-song digital release under his name [13].

In February 2023 the French label Bad Reputation reissued *The Passenger* on CD (BAD230201), remastered by Jean-Yves Legrand under licence from Universal Music France, with a booklet that includes the lyrics, the original credits, the official biography and a German promotional sheet for the album [1]. - 


Notas sobre Melvin James:

 Texto en Español

- Melvin James, nacido Melvin Douglas Veach en Des Moines (Iowa) el 11 de noviembre de 1958, es un cantante, guitarrista, compositor y productor estadounidense. Se le conoce sobre todo por *The Passenger*, el disco que grabó para MCA Records en 1987 con producción de Bill Szymczyk. Antes, a comienzos de los ochenta, había sido uno de los fundadores de Crash Street Kids, un grupo de Minneapolis, y en los noventa y los primeros años dos mil encabezó el trío Planet Melvin [1, 2, 3].

De niño ayudaba a su padre, albañil, y barría el serrín y las cabezas de pescado en Veach's Eastside Fish Market, el negocio de su abuelo. Su padre le compró su primera guitarra; tras unas pocas clases, aprendió por su cuenta con libros de acordes de canciones populares, el primero de ellos el de *Abbey Road*, de los Beatles, y después se sumergió en la obra de los guitarristas de los sesenta y los setenta, entre ellos Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page y Jimi Hendrix. Formó su primer grupo, Last Road to Destiny, con sus compañeros de la escuela primaria [2].

A los catorce años acampó en la Feria Estatal de Iowa, donde vivía con un dólar al día y pasaba las horas junto al escenario del recinto. Allí conoció a los miembros de Dakota, un grupo de glam rock de Fort Dodge, y los convenció para que lo dejaran tocar con ellos su último tema, «Smoke on the Water», en el que tocó la guitarra con el pie del micrófono y con los dientes. Tiempo después, el grupo lo invitó a salir de gira: con quince años hizo autoestop las noventa millas (unos 145 kilómetros) que lo separaban de Fort Dodge para subir a su autobús, y le pagaron con billetes de autobús para volver a casa. En esa época sufrió un accidente con un coche que le había prestado uno de los músicos y pasó dos semanas en coma. Durante los dos meses siguientes, sin poder ir a clase, se recuperó en casa de sus abuelos en Des Moines, tocando la guitarra y escuchando los discos que le habían regalado sus amigos de Dakota, entre ellos algunos de Mott the Hoople, T. Rex y Queen, *Ziggy Stardust* y *Diamond Dogs*, de David Bowie, e *It's Only Rock 'n Roll*, de los Rolling Stones. Según su biografía, aquella experiencia amplió sus influencias, del rock de los héroes de la guitarra al glam [2].

Frank Wiewel, bajista de Dakota y copropietario del Westminster Recording Studio de Otho, le presentó a su socio en el estudio, Kirk Kaufman, que lo tomó bajo su protección, le buscó un apartamento en la cercana Fort Dodge y le dejó usar el estudio de medianoche a las ocho de la mañana. En los cerca de dieciocho meses que pasó allí, James aprendió a trabajar en un estudio de grabación y grabó numerosas canciones, que despertaron el interés de Doug Lee, ejecutivo de Warner Bros. Lee le aconsejó que formara un grupo y ganara experiencia en directo, y James volvió a Des Moines [2].

En 1979, con veinte años y su hijo Melvin aún bebé, se trasladó a las Ciudades Gemelas y se alojó en un desván sin ventanas, encima del apartamento que Tom Kelly, antiguo técnico de sonido de Dakota, tenía en Saint Paul. Kelly le presentó al bajista Gary Snow, al que James había visto tocar con el grupo Soda, y entre los dos reclutaron al batería Randall «Pye» Prochowitz para formar el trío Crash Street Kids [2, 4]. Fichado por Fat City Records, un sello de Minneapolis, el grupo publicó a comienzos de los ochenta su único larga duración, *Little Girls* (Fat City 3275). Se grabó en West Minist'r Sound, con Kirk Kaufman, Frank Wiewel y Keith Brown como ingenieros de sonido; James firmó en solitario siete de las diez canciones y otras dos con Snow, autor de la restante. El grupo rodó un vídeo de «Mystery Girl», dirigido por Chuck Statler, que había realizado vídeos para Devo, y una reseña en *Playboy* comparó su sonido con el de los Who, los Yardbirds y los Raspberries [2, 4]. Durante la gira de presentación del disco, el trío sufrió un grave accidente de tráfico a las afueras de Brookings (Dakota del Sur): Prochowitz se rompió la clavícula, Snow sufrió lesiones en un hombro y James salió con heridas leves. Las lesiones dejaron al grupo sin poder tocar por tiempo indefinido, y James acabó decidiendo seguir en solitario [2].

De vuelta en Otho, grabó y coprodujo nuevas canciones con Keith Brown y Frank Wiewel. Una primera maqueta de tres temas despertó el interés de Atlantic Records; otras grabaciones atrajeron a Geffen Records y desembocaron en una actuación de presentación en Minneapolis. MCA, Warner Bros. y EMI también se interesaron por él, sus representantes fueron pasando uno tras otro por Minneapolis para verlo actuar y la puja que siguió terminó con su fichaje por MCA de la mano de Michael Rosenblatt, el responsable de A&R que había fichado a Madonna y a los B-52's [2].

El resultado fue *The Passenger*, que MCA publicó en 1987 (MCA-5663 en Estados Unidos) [3]. Lo produjo Bill Szymczyk, conocido por sus trabajos con los Who, Joe Walsh, James Gang y el *Hotel California* de los Eagles, para Pandora Productions, con James como coproductor y Thom Trumbo como productor ejecutivo; James compuso las nueve canciones [1, 2]. El disco se grabó en los Metro Studios de Minneapolis y en Juniors Motel, en Otho (Iowa), con Jim Nipar como ingeniero de sonido junto a Szymczyk, Kaufman, Brown, Wiewel, John Hurst y Kirby Binder; las bases de «We Hear The Thunder», «Loving You Is Strange» y «She's So Sorry» las habían producido James, Wiewel y Brown. Nipar lo mezcló en el Record Plant de Los Ángeles, salvo «We Hear The Thunder», «Telephone» y «Twisted», que mezcló Dave Thoener en el Record Plant de Nueva York, y Bob Ludwig se encargó de la masterización en Masterdisk [1, 3]. James puso la voz y las guitarras, además del bajo en la mayoría de los temas y la percusión en «Why Won't You Stay (Come In, Come Out Of The Rain)». Joe Vitale, conocido por su trabajo con Joe Walsh, tocó la batería en siete canciones y el sintetizador en cuatro; Gordy Knudtson tocó la batería en «Why Won't You Stay», y Prochowitz, antiguo compañero de James en Crash Street Kids, en «We Hear The Thunder». Dik Shopteau tocó el bajo en «Telephone» y «Sugar Candy»; Dave Hern, el sintetizador de bajo en «Loving You Is Strange» y «She's So Sorry», y un músico acreditado solo como «G.I.», el sintetizador en cinco temas [1, 4, 5]. El disco está dedicado a la memoria de Alan Atwell [1].

El sencillo «Why Won't You Stay (Come In, Come Out Of The Rain)» (MCA-53127) se lanzó en las emisoras de formato AOR, y el boletín profesional *The Hard Report* lo eligió disco de la semana el 14 de agosto de 1987, después de que 57 emisoras lo incorporaran a su programación en la primera semana [6, 7]. Llegó al top 20, entró en el top 10 en Miami, Chicago, Denver y Minneapolis, y su vídeo se emitió con frecuencia en MTV. También se rodaron vídeos para los otros dos sencillos, «Loving You Is Strange», con «Telephone» en la cara B (MCA-53217), y «Twisted», que en Estados Unidos se distribuyó como maxisencillo promocional (L33-17499) [2, 6].

Cuando Rosenblatt y el presidente del sello, Irving Azoff, dejaron MCA (Azoff dimitió en 1989), se animó a James a seguir a Rosenblatt a Geffen, que le dio un presupuesto para grabar nuevas maquetas en Paisley Park, pero después decidió no ficharlo [2, 8]. James se apartó entonces de la industria durante un año, más o menos [2].

A su regreso formó Planet Melvin, un trío con su hijo, Melvin Veach III, a la batería. El primer disco del grupo, homónimo, salió en 1995 en Junior's Motel Records, el sello de Kirk Kaufman; James lo produjo, se ocupó de la ingeniería de sonido y lo mezcló, y en «Me And My Alien» volvió a tocar con Gary Snow y Randall Prochowitz. El segundo, *Chromosomes In Space*, apareció en el mismo sello en 2002; en él James figura como Melvin Veach II, y el bajo corre a cargo de Iris O'Chez [2, 9]. Con Steve Fingerett, antiguo promotor de Warner Bros., llevó a las listas de varios mercados regionales el sencillo del disco, «Havin' Fun», que es también su primera canción, aunque las ventas no acompañaron. Un director que rodaba una película para Paramount Pictures oyó la canción en la radio mientras atravesaba Iowa en coche y se puso en contacto con la emisora para incluirla en la banda sonora, y con el tiempo «Havin' Fun» sonó en varias películas, entre ellas *Sleepover* y *Without a Paddle* (ambas de 2004), *She's the Man* (2006) y *The Bye Bye Man* (2017) [2, 9, 10, 11].

James produce a otros artistas, y él y su mujer, Anne, son propietarios de Melville Sound and Creative, un estudio de grabación de Saint Paul. Fue director musical de una producción de Quadrophenia Live at the Grove en Los Ángeles que contó con el respaldo de Pete Townshend, y en 2018 compuso, junto al artista y cineasta Oyoram, afincado en París, la música de *Mental Banquet: Painting with Lights*, una proyección luminosa que se estrenó sobre la fachada del World Food Prize Hall of Laureates de Des Moines durante la semana del Premio Mundial de la Alimentación de aquel octubre [2, 12]. En 2021, Junior's Motel Records publicó en formato digital *The Lost Tracks*, cuatro canciones a su nombre [13].

En febrero de 2023, el sello francés Bad Reputation reeditó *The Passenger* en CD (BAD230201), con una nueva masterización de Jean-Yves Legrand, bajo licencia de Universal Music France y con un libreto que reúne las letras, los créditos originales, la biografía oficial y una hoja promocional alemana del disco [1]. -


Sources/Fuentes

1. *The Passenger*, CD reissue, Bad Reputation BAD230201, France, February 2023. Booklet: credits of the original 1987 edition, per-track credits and reissue credits. Discogs, release 26235791: https://www.discogs.com/release/26235791-Melvin-James-The-Passenger

2. "Official Biography", in the booklet of [1]. The same text appears as "Melvin James Biography" on the artist's website, melvinjames.rocks, consulted 19 October 2026: https://melvinjames.rocks/melvin-james-biography/

3. Melvin James, *The Passenger*, LP, MCA Records MCA-5663, US, 1987. Credits as transcribed in Discogs, release 3108673: https://www.discogs.com/release/3108673-Melvin-James-The-Passenger ; also cassette MCAC-5663, US, release 3474357: https://www.discogs.com/release/3474357-Melvin-James-The-Passenger ; and LP MCA 255 078-1, Europe, release 1697493: https://www.discogs.com/release/1697493-Melvin-James-The-Passenger

4. Crash Street Kids, *Little Girls*, LP, Fat City Records 3275 (Flame Records Inc., Minneapolis), US. Credits as transcribed in Discogs, release 2202669: https://www.discogs.com/release/2202669-Crash-Street-Kids-Little-Girls

5. "German Promo Sheet" for *The Passenger*, undated, in German with an English translation. Reproduced in the booklet of [1].

6. Melvin James, "Why Won't You Stay (Come In, Come Out Of The Rain)", 7" single, MCA-53127, US, 1987; "Loving You Is Strange" / "Telephone", 7" single, MCA-53217, US, 1987; "Twisted", 12" promotional single, MCA L33-17499, US, 1987. Discogs, releases 12366638, 26953133 and 1942729: https://www.discogs.com/release/12366638 ; https://www.discogs.com/release/26953133 ; https://www.discogs.com/release/1942729-Melvin-James-Twisted

7. *The Hard Report*, no. 41, Medford Lakes, New Jersey, 14 August 1987: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Hard-Report/1987/Hard-1987-08-14.pdf

8. *The Gavin Report*, no. 1773, San Francisco, 8 September 1989: https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Gavin-Report/80/89/Gavin-Report-1989-09-08.pdf

9. Planet Melvin, *Planet Melvin*, CD, Junior's Motel Records, US, 1995; *Chromosomes In Space*, CD, Junior's Motel Records, US, 2002. Credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/4858363-Planet-Melvin-Planet-Melvin ; https://www.discogs.com/release/4858217-Planet-Melvin-Chromosomes-In-Space

10. Various artists, *Sleepover (Original Soundtrack)*, CD, Buena Vista Records 61165-7, US, 2004. Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/13571207-Various-Sleepover-Original-Soundtrack

11. IMDb, "Melvin James (II)", nm1757274, consulted 19 October 2026: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1757274/

12. World Food Prize Foundation, "Top 10 Featured Highlights of the 2018 World Food Prize Week", 13 October 2018: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm/88533/18670/top_10_featured_highlights_of_the_2018_world_food_prize_week

13. Melvin James, *The Lost Tracks*, 4 MP3 files, Junior's Motel Records, 24 August 2021. Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/21768736-Melvin-James-The-Lost-Tracks

Melvin James [The passenger - 1987]

Melvin James [The passenger - 1987]

Origin: Des Moines, Iowa (USA)

Melvin James [The passenger - 1987]


Take a listen on youtube


Want to own a copy?
→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)

Line-up:

Melvin James - Vocals, guitar, bass, percussion
Dik Shopteau - Bass
Gordy Knudtson - Drums
Pye Prochowitz - Drums
Joe Vitale - Drums, synthesizers
G.I. - Synthesizers
Dave Hern - Synthesizers

Tracks:

1. Why Won't You Stay (Come In, Come Out Of The Rain) lyrics
2. We Hear The Thunder lyrics
3. Telephone lyrics
4. Passenger lyrics
5. Loving You Is Strange lyrics
6. Twisted lyrics
7. She's So Sorry lyrics
8. Sugar Candy lyrics
9. Devil With A Halo lyrics

Friday, July 18, 2025

Q5 [When the mirror cracks - 1986]

Q5 [When the mirror cracks - 1986]

Origin: Seattle, Washington (USA)

Q5 [When the mirror cracks - 1986]


Take a listen on youtube


Want to own a copy?
→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)

Line-up:

Jonathan Scott K. - Vocals
Floyd Rose - Guitar
Rick Pierce - Guitar
Evan Sheeley - Bass, keyboards
Gary Thompson - Drums, drum programming, percussion

Tracks:

1. Livin' On The Borderline lyrics
2. Your Tears (Will Follow Me) lyrics
3. Never Gonna Love Again lyrics
4. Stand By Me lyrics
5. When The Mirror Cracks lyrics
6. Runaway lyrics
7. In The Rain lyrics
8. I Can't Wait lyrics
9. Cold Heart lyrics
10. Let Go lyrics

Q5

Origin: Seattle, Washington (USA)

Q5

Q5 Gary Thompson - Floyd Rose - Evan Sheeley - Rick Pierce - Jonathan Scott K.
Gary Thompson - Floyd Rose - Evan Sheeley - Rick Pierce - Jonathan Scott K.

Q5 albums:

 Q5 [When the mirror cracks - 1986]

When the mirror cracks - 1986 (with lyrics)

Want to own a copy?

→ Buy on Amazon (new & used)
→ Find vinyl & CD copies on eBay (new & used)


Notes about Q5:

 Text in English

- Q5 is a hard rock and heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1983 [1, 2]. Its first album, *Steel the Light*, came out in the United States in 1984 on the independent Albatross label and in Europe in 1985 on Music for Nations, and its second, *When the Mirror Cracks* (1986), moved closer to AOR [3–6]. The band split up in 1989, re-formed in 2014 and released a third album, *New World Order*, on Frontiers in 2016 [1, 2, 7]. Singer Jonathan K. is the only founding member in the current lineup [1].

Q5 brought together musicians from two Seattle bands. Singer Scott Palmerton, known as Jonathan K., and guitarist Floyd Rose, the inventor of the locking tremolo that bears his name, came from The C.O.R.E., which had opened locally for Sammy Hagar and had since broken up [1, 2, 6]. With a number of songs already written, the pair recruited guitarist Rick Pierce, bassist Evan Sheeley and drummer Gary Thompson from TKO to record a demo [1, 2, 6]. They submitted the tape to Ken Kinnear, who managed Heart through his company, Albatross Productions, and had earlier managed Mojo Hand, the band from which TKO had grown; impressed, he signed Q5 to a management contract [1, 6].

According to the band, Kinnear also brought in Mike Flicker, the producer of Heart's early albums [1, 8]. *Steel the Light* was recorded mostly at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, with finishing touches at The Music Source in Seattle [1, 3]. The original Albatross edition credits the production to Floyd Rose alone, for Rose Enterprises, with Dave Raynor as engineer and mastering by Greg Fulginiti [3]; the Music for Nations and Canadian editions add Flicker as co-producer of two songs, "Come and Gone" and "Rock On" [4]. Rose is credited on all nine songs and Jonathan K. on eight; Pierce shares the credits for "Missing in Action" and "Rock On", and Sheeley for the title track. The Music for Nations sleeve also names two co-writers from outside the band, F. Morissette, on "Missing in Action" and "Come and Gone", and M. Rain, on "In the Night" [4]; according to Metallian, Mike Rain had played bass in The C.O.R.E. [6].

Kinnear's label, Albatross Records, released *Steel the Light* in 1984 (AL 4006), in a sleeve designed by Rollin Thomas [3, 6]. In 1985 the album was licensed to Music for Nations in London, which issued it on 8 March (MFN 39) with a new cover, a spaceship painting by the British science-fiction illustrator Angus McKie, and to Mercury in Canada and Victor in Japan [4, 6, 9]. Music for Nations promoted the record widely and released the title track as a 12-inch single, with "That's Alright With You" on the B-side [4, 6]. According to the band, *Steel the Light* was less known in the United States than in Europe, so Q5 came to be seen as a European-style band and was often grouped with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal [1]. The band opened for Twisted Sister, Y&T and Lita Ford [2, 6, 10].

*When the Mirror Cracks* was recorded at Floyd Rose Studios by the same lineup [5, 6]. Rose produced it, again for Rose Enterprises, and engineered it with Thompson; Sheeley, Rose and Thompson mixed it, and Mike Reese mastered it at The Mastering Lab [5]. Sheeley played bass and keyboards and handled the sequencing, and Thompson added drum programming to his drums and percussion. Sheeley, Rose and Jonathan K. are credited on all ten songs, Thompson also on the title track, and Pierce on the title track and "Let Go" [5]. Metallian describes the album as a turn towards AOR, with the keyboards to the fore and without the logo used on the debut, while the band calls it a slight departure from the first record [1, 6]. Licensed from Albatross, it was released in September 1986 by Music for Nations in Europe (MFN 64) and in North America by Squawk, through Mercury and PolyGram; in the United States, Squawk issued the opening track, "Livin' on the Borderline", on a promotional 12-inch [5]. According to the band, the album earned Q5 a contract with PolyGram and a production deal with Q Prime, the New York company that managed Metallica [1, 6].

Work on a third album began in 1988 [1]. Musical differences arose within the band, and the record company wanted a softer sound; according to Metallian, PolyGram's A&R staff, who were also Metallica's managers, turned the new material down [1, 6]. Jonathan K. and Pierce were the first to leave, to form Nightshade, and in 1989 Q5 broke up [1, 6].

Nightshade's first album, *Dead of Night*, was released by Music for Nations in 1991 (MFN 122), with Anthony Magnelli on bass and Jeffrey McCormack on drums [2, 11]. Produced by the band with Stevie Adamek and written by Jonathan K., credited as Jonathan Scott K., and Pierce, it included material originally intended for Q5's third album [2, 6, 10, 11]. The cover bore the words "Formerly Q5" and the same spaceship as *Steel the Light* [6, 12]. Nightshade released two more albums on Hellion Records, *Men of Iron* (2001) and *Stand and Be True* (2008), and kept Q5 songs in its live set; Sheeley joined in 2003 [1, 6, 11].

In 2009 Nightshade was booked for the Headbangers Open Air festival in Germany, and the promoters asked it to play a second set as Q5 [2, 10]. Jonathan K., Pierce and Sheeley took the stage under the old name with Nightshade's drummer, Frankie Rongo, and both sets were released on the festival's DVD [1, 6, 13]. Q5 did not play again until 2014, when Sweden Rock Festival invited it for what was meant to be a one-off show, with Metal Church guitarist Rick Van Zandt; after the concert the members decided to carry on [2, 6, 10]. Back in Seattle they brought back McCormack, formerly of Heir Apparent and Fifth Angel, and recruited guitarist Kendall Bechtel, also formerly of Fifth Angel, and the new lineup made its debut in November 2014 at the Rock You To Hell festival in Athens, followed by a headline show in Cyprus [6, 10]. Bechtel left for personal reasons and was replaced by Dennis Turner, and in August 2015 Q5 signed with Frontiers [2, 10].

*New World Order* was released on 8 July 2016 (FR CD 743) [7]. Produced by the band, recorded and mixed by Richard Williams at Plum Tree Studios and mastered by Troy Glessner at Spectre Studios, it featured Jonathan K., Pierce, Turner, Sheeley and McCormack and was the first Q5 album without Floyd Rose [6, 7]. Frontiers released a video for "The Right Way" [7].

In 2017 the band played Keep It True XX in Germany [6, 13]. In July 2018 the Greek label No Remorse reissued *Steel the Light* as a double CD remastered by Bart Gabriel, adding the B-side of the 1985 single, the 1984 demo, an unreleased 1983 demo and live recordings made in Seattle in 1983 and 1984; the band had called the earlier CD reissue by the German label High Vaultage (2000) unofficial [4, 14]. That August Q5 toured Europe playing the album in full [6, 15]. By then Pierce had left, and James Nelson had joined Turner on guitar [6, 16]. Sheeley left in 2019, and in 2020 a further overhaul left Jonathan K. as the only remaining member [6]. Among those who passed through the band in those years were guitarists Chris Egar and Blake Turner, Dennis Turner's son, and bassist Michael Self [6]. The current lineup has two guitarists, Duffy Delgado, formerly of Ruff Justice, who had first joined briefly in 2020, and Michael David, formerly of TKO and FireWölfe, whose arrival, planned for that year, was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic; bassist Chad Thomas, in the band since 2022; and drummer Jarratt Vandyke, who joined in February 2023 [1, 6]. On 13 September 2025 Q5 played the ninth Pyrenean Warriors Open Air at Torreilles, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, on a bill headed by Jag Panzer and Riot City [1, 17].

Other bands have recorded Q5 songs. Great White included "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" on *Recover*, a covers album recorded in 1989 and released in 2002; Powergod recorded "Steel the Light" for *Bleed for the Gods – That's Metal Lesson* (2001); and Wolf added "Missing in Action" to the special edition of *Devil Seed* (2014) [8, 12, 18]. October 31 have also covered the band [2, 6, 10]. -


Notas sobre Q5:

 Texto en Español

- Q5 es un grupo de hard rock y heavy metal de Seattle (Washington) formado en 1983 [1, 2]. Su primer disco, *Steel the Light*, salió en Estados Unidos en 1984 en el sello independiente Albatross y en Europa en 1985 en Music for Nations, y el segundo, *When the Mirror Cracks* (1986), se acercó al AOR [3–6]. El grupo se separó en 1989, volvió a reunirse en 2014 y publicó un tercer disco, *New World Order*, con Frontiers en 2016 [1, 2, 7]. El cantante Jonathan K. es el único miembro fundador de la formación actual [1].

Q5 reunió a músicos de dos grupos de Seattle. El cantante Scott Palmerton, conocido como Jonathan K., y el guitarrista Floyd Rose, inventor del trémolo de bloqueo que lleva su nombre, procedían de The C.O.R.E., que había teloneado a Sammy Hagar en la zona y ya se había disuelto [1, 2, 6]. Con varias canciones escritas, los dos reclutaron en TKO al guitarrista Rick Pierce, al bajista Evan Sheeley y al batería Gary Thompson para grabar una maqueta [1, 2, 6]. La cinta se la entregaron a Ken Kinnear, que llevaba la carrera de Heart a través de su empresa, Albatross Productions, y antes había sido mánager de Mojo Hand, el grupo del que había surgido TKO; impresionado, firmó con Q5 un contrato de representación [1, 6].

Según el grupo, Kinnear recurrió además a Mike Flicker, productor de los primeros discos de Heart [1, 8]. *Steel the Light* se grabó sobre todo en los Cherokee Studios de Los Ángeles, con los últimos retoques en The Music Source, en Seattle [1, 3]. La edición original de Albatross atribuye la producción solo a Floyd Rose, para Rose Enterprises, con Dave Raynor como ingeniero de sonido y masterización de Greg Fulginiti [3]; las ediciones de Music for Nations y la canadiense añaden a Flicker como coproductor de dos canciones, «Come and Gone» y «Rock On» [4]. Rose firma las nueve canciones y Jonathan K., ocho; Pierce comparte la autoría de «Missing in Action» y «Rock On», y Sheeley la de la canción que da título al disco. La funda de Music for Nations nombra además a dos coautores ajenos al grupo, F. Morissette, en «Missing in Action» y «Come and Gone», y M. Rain, en «In the Night» [4]; según Metallian, Mike Rain había sido el bajista de The C.O.R.E. [6].

El sello de Kinnear, Albatross Records, publicó *Steel the Light* en 1984 (AL 4006), con una portada diseñada por Rollin Thomas [3, 6]. En 1985 el disco se licenció a Music for Nations, de Londres, que lo editó el 8 de marzo (MFN 39) con una portada nueva, una nave espacial pintada por el ilustrador británico de ciencia ficción Angus McKie, y también a Mercury en Canadá y a Victor en Japón [4, 6, 9]. Music for Nations lo promocionó ampliamente y publicó la canción titular en un maxisencillo, con «That's Alright With You» en la cara B [4, 6]. Según el grupo, *Steel the Light* fue menos conocido en Estados Unidos que en Europa, de modo que a Q5 se le tuvo por un grupo de estilo europeo y a menudo se le asoció con la New Wave of British Heavy Metal [1]. El grupo actuó como telonero de Twisted Sister, Y&T y Lita Ford [2, 6, 10].

*When the Mirror Cracks* lo grabó la misma formación en los Floyd Rose Studios [5, 6]. Rose lo produjo, de nuevo para Rose Enterprises, y se ocupó de la ingeniería de sonido junto a Thompson; Sheeley, Rose y Thompson lo mezclaron, y Mike Reese lo masterizó en The Mastering Lab [5]. Sheeley tocó el bajo y los teclados y se encargó de las secuencias, y Thompson tocó la batería y la percusión y se ocupó de las programaciones de batería. Sheeley, Rose y Jonathan K. firman las diez canciones; Thompson figura además en la que da título al disco, y Pierce en esa y en «Let Go» [5]. Metallian lo describe como un giro hacia el AOR, con los teclados en primer plano y sin el logotipo del debut, mientras que el grupo lo considera un ligero cambio respecto al primer disco [1, 6]. Licenciado por Albatross, salió en septiembre de 1986 en Europa con Music for Nations (MFN 64) y en Norteamérica con Squawk, a través de Mercury y PolyGram; en Estados Unidos, Squawk distribuyó la canción que lo abre, «Livin' on the Borderline», en un maxisencillo promocional [5]. Según el grupo, el disco le valió un contrato con PolyGram y un acuerdo de producción con Q Prime, la empresa neoyorquina que representaba a Metallica [1, 6].

El trabajo en un tercer disco empezó en 1988 [1]. Surgieron diferencias musicales en el grupo y la compañía quería un sonido más suave; según Metallian, el departamento de A&R de PolyGram, cuyos responsables eran también los mánagers de Metallica, rechazó el material nuevo [1, 6]. Jonathan K. y Pierce fueron los primeros en marcharse, para formar Nightshade, y en 1989 Q5 se separó [1, 6].

El primer disco de Nightshade, *Dead of Night*, lo publicó Music for Nations en 1991 (MFN 122), con Anthony Magnelli al bajo y Jeffrey McCormack a la batería [2, 11]. Producido por el grupo con Stevie Adamek y compuesto por Jonathan K., acreditado como Jonathan Scott K., y Pierce, incluía material pensado en origen para el tercer disco de Q5 [2, 6, 10, 11]. La portada llevaba la leyenda «Formerly Q5» y la misma nave espacial de *Steel the Light* [6, 12]. Nightshade publicó otros dos discos con Hellion Records, *Men of Iron* (2001) y *Stand and Be True* (2008), y mantuvo canciones de Q5 en su repertorio en directo; Sheeley se unió al grupo en 2003 [1, 6, 11].

En 2009, Nightshade figuraba en el cartel del festival Headbangers Open Air, en Alemania, y los promotores le pidieron que tocara un segundo concierto como Q5 [2, 10]. Jonathan K., Pierce y Sheeley subieron al escenario con el antiguo nombre y con el batería de Nightshade, Frankie Rongo, y las dos actuaciones se publicaron en el DVD del festival [1, 6, 13]. Q5 no volvió a tocar hasta 2014, cuando el Sweden Rock Festival lo invitó a un concierto que iba a ser único, con el guitarrista de Metal Church Rick Van Zandt; tras la actuación, sus miembros decidieron seguir [2, 6, 10]. De vuelta en Seattle recuperaron a McCormack, que había pasado por Heir Apparent y Fifth Angel, y reclutaron al guitarrista Kendall Bechtel, también exmiembro de Fifth Angel, y la nueva formación se estrenó en noviembre de 2014 en el festival Rock You To Hell de Atenas, antes de encabezar un concierto en Chipre [6, 10]. Bechtel se marchó por motivos personales y lo sustituyó Dennis Turner, y en agosto de 2015 Q5 fichó por Frontiers [2, 10].

*New World Order* salió el 8 de julio de 2016 (FR CD 743) [7]. Producido por el propio grupo, con grabación y mezcla de Richard Williams en los Plum Tree Studios y masterización de Troy Glessner en los Spectre Studios, contó con Jonathan K., Pierce, Turner, Sheeley y McCormack y fue el primer disco de Q5 sin Floyd Rose [6, 7]. Frontiers publicó un vídeo de «The Right Way» [7].

En 2017 el grupo tocó en el Keep It True XX, en Alemania [6, 13]. En julio de 2018, el sello griego No Remorse reeditó *Steel the Light* en un CD doble remasterizado por Bart Gabriel, con la cara B del maxisencillo de 1985, la maqueta de 1984, una maqueta inédita de 1983 y grabaciones en directo hechas en Seattle en 1983 y 1984; el grupo había calificado de no oficial la reedición anterior en CD del sello alemán High Vaultage (2000) [4, 14]. En agosto de ese año, Q5 hizo una gira europea tocando el disco completo [6, 15]. Para entonces Pierce ya no estaba en el grupo, y James Nelson acompañaba a Turner a la guitarra [6, 16]. Sheeley se marchó en 2019, y en 2020 una nueva renovación dejó a Jonathan K. como único miembro [6]. Por el grupo pasaron en esos años, entre otros, los guitarristas Chris Egar y Blake Turner, hijo de Dennis Turner, y el bajista Michael Self [6]. Completan la formación actual dos guitarristas, Duffy Delgado, que había tocado en Ruff Justice y ya estuvo brevemente en el grupo en 2020, y Michael David, antiguo miembro de TKO y FireWölfe, cuya incorporación, prevista para ese año, se aplazó por la pandemia de COVID-19, además del bajista Chad Thomas, en el grupo desde 2022, y el batería Jarratt Vandyke, que entró en febrero de 2023 [1, 6]. El 13 de septiembre de 2025, Q5 actuó en la novena edición del Pyrenean Warriors Open Air, en Torreilles (Pirineos Orientales, Francia), en un cartel encabezado por Jag Panzer y Riot City [1, 17].

Otros grupos han versionado canciones de Q5. Great White incluyó «Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady» en *Recover*, un disco de versiones grabado en 1989 y publicado en 2002; Powergod grabó «Steel the Light» para *Bleed for the Gods – That's Metal Lesson* (2001), y Wolf añadió «Missing in Action» a la edición especial de *Devil Seed* (2014) [8, 12, 18]. October 31 también ha versionado a Q5 [2, 6, 10]. -


Sources/Fuentes

1. Q5, official website. Home page: https://www.q5official.com/. "History": https://www.q5official.com/q5-members-over-the-years. "Current Lineup": https://www.q5official.com/current-lineup. Consulted 19 October 2026.

2. Blabbermouth.net, "Reformed Seattle Rockers Q5 Sign With FRONTIERS", 6 August 2015: https://blabbermouth.net/news/reformed-seattle-rockers-q5-sign-with-frontiers.

3. Q5, *Steel the Light*, LP, Albatross Records AL 4006, US, 1984. Sleeve and label credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/6003286-Q5-Steel-The-Light.

4. Q5, *Steel the Light*. LP, Music For Nations MFN 39, UK, 8 March 1985: https://www.discogs.com/release/2125939-Q5-Steel-The-Light. LP, Mercury 826 359-1, Canada, 1985: https://www.discogs.com/release/2565705-Q5-Steel-The-Light. LP, Victor VIL-6173, Japan, 1985: https://www.discogs.com/release/7248330-Q5-Steel-The-Light. "Steel The Light", 12" single, Music For Nations 12 KUT 115, UK, 1985: https://www.discogs.com/release/1141549-Q5-Steel-The-Light. Credits as transcribed in Discogs; all editions are listed under https://www.discogs.com/master/276211-Q5-Steel-The-Light.

5. Q5, *When the Mirror Cracks*. LP, Music For Nations MFN 64, UK, September 1986: https://www.discogs.com/release/1662081-Q5-When-The-Mirror-Cracks. LP, Mercury/Squawk 422 832 728-1 Q-1, US, 1986: https://www.discogs.com/release/7401022-Q5-When-The-Mirror-Cracks. "Livin' On The Borderline", promotional 12", Squawk PRO 533-1, US, 1986: https://www.discogs.com/release/5121183-Q5-Livin-On-The-Borderline-. Credits as transcribed in Discogs; all editions are listed under https://www.discogs.com/master/457941-Q5-When-The-Mirror-Cracks.

6. Metallian, "Q5": https://metallian.com/q5.php. "Nightshade": https://metallian.com/nightshade.php. Consulted 19 October 2026.

7. Q5, *New World Order*, CD, Frontiers Music SRL FR CD 743, Italy, 8 July 2016. Credits as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/8747467-Q5-New-World-Order.

8. Wikipedia, "Q5 (band)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q5_(band). "Mike Flicker": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Flicker. "Dreamboat Annie": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamboat_Annie. "Recover (Great White album)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recover_(Great_White_album). Consulted 19 October 2026.

9. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, "McKie, Angus", entry updated 12 September 2022: https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/mckie_angus.

10. Frontiers Music, "Q5", artist page, consulted 19 October 2026: https://www.frontiers.it/artist/1892.

11. Nightshade, *Dead of Night*, LP, Music For Nations MFN 122, UK, 1991: https://www.discogs.com/release/4099883-Nightshade-5-Dead-Of-Night. *Men of Iron*, 2001: https://www.discogs.com/master/935294. *Stand and Be True*, CD, Hellion Records, 2008: https://www.discogs.com/release/6257698. Discogs.

12. Metal Kingdom. Nightshade, *Dead of Night*: https://www.metalkingdom.net/album/nightshade-dead-of-night-153496. Powergod, *Bleed for the Gods – That's Metal Lesson*: https://www.metalkingdom.net/album/powergod-bleed-for-the-gods-that%27s-metal-lesson-25058. Consulted 19 October 2026.

13. Various artists, *Headbangers Open Air 2009*, 2×DVD, Hellion Records, 2010: https://www.discogs.com/release/15232301-Various-Headbangers-Open-Air-2009. Various artists, *Keep It True XX*, 2×DVD, Metal Entertainment, 2018: https://www.discogs.com/release/11940361. Discogs.

14. Q5, *Steel the Light*, 2×CD, deluxe edition, No Remorse Records 0744430522366, Greece, 16 July 2018. Credits and notes as transcribed in Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/12293953-Q5-Steel-The-Light.

15. Pat "Riot" Whitaker, "Oldschool Sunday: Q5", *Riff Relevant*, 15 April 2018: https://www.riffrelevant.com/2018/04/15/oldschool-sunday-q5-steel-the-light-re-issue-tour-2/.

16. "Gig Review: Q5 – Bannermans, Edinburgh (29th August 2018)", *Moshville Times*, August 2018: https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2018/08/gig-review-q5-bannermans-edinburgh-29th-august-2018/. Discogs, Q5 artist profile, consulted 19 October 2026: https://www.discogs.com/artist/594809-Q5.

17. Festival en France, "Pyrenean Warrior Open Air — édition 2025", consulted 19 October 2026: https://www.festivalenfrance.com/festival/pyrenean-warrior-open-air/2025.

18. Wolf, *Devil Seed*, CD, special edition (digipak), Century Media 9984398, Germany, 25 August 2014. Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/6374010-Wolf-3-Devil-Seed.

 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...