Origin: Glasgow (Scotland)
STRANGEWAYS
 |
| Ian J. Stewart - Tony Liddle - David Stewart - Jim Drummond |
Discography:
Notes:
- Scottish legends Strangeways started off their climb to AOR cult-fandom this debut release from 1985. I say Scottish, but in heritage only, as by this stage of their brief career, most of their time had been spent away from Scotland. Formed from the ashes of Glasgow band China White, the band's major force is guitarist Ian Stewart, who also doubles as the principal songwriter. A deal was signed with the Canadian Bonaire Group (home for prog band Saga), while the band went off to Switzerland to record the debut album with producer Kevin Elson (Journey, Shootong Star) in tow.
Not long after this release, Tony Liddell was replaced by the superior Atlanta based singer Terry Brock, an unknown singer at the time, but one who the Strangeways guys knew through the industry, and who was the 'one guy' the band really wanted. His vocal performances on Strangeways' subsequent albums is now stuff of legend. 'Strangeways' the album is still a favourite among many today, including it would seem, ex Winger guitarist Reb Beach!
As we all know, the strength of this album would be eclipsed by the next pair 'Native Sons' and 'Walk in the fire' - both of these taking on a pristine quality, whereas this one feels slightly heavy-handed in comparison. All three albums are absolute essentials in the AOR scheme of things! As for their 90's material... -
- STRANGEWAYS DEBUT album signalled the start of a intense love affair between the band and fans of melodic rock but it was the appearance of 'Native Sons' that took that spark of romance and turned it into an explosive cauldron of red-hot passion. As one of the defining albums of the burgeoning 80s AOR scene 'Native Sons' is recognised as a classic of the genre, a record that should have turned this relatively unassuming band into household names.
Formed in Scotland, the band's fortunes had been impeded by a crucial line up change just after the release of their debut album with frontman Tony Liddle exiting. His replacement was Atlanta, Georgia based vocalist Tony Brock, a man who had been carving out a solid career in the US as an in-demand backing vocalist, including work with Kansas.
It was Brock who supplied the ingredient that would take them to a level of sophistication that previously they had only hinted at.
A voice like an angel, Brock's inate ability to squeeze out the maximum melodic goodness from every track, coupled with his and Ian Stewart's remarkable song writing ability produced a record that connoisseurs of the genre believe easily rivals the best work of Journey, Foreigner and Survivor.
Originally issued in 1988, 'Native Sons' is a stunning collection of songs. -
(Notes by http://www.nehrecords.com)
- After the short tenure of vocalist Tony Liddle, the Stewart brothers and Jim Drummond went back to the drawing board and decided to have another shot at convincing their first choice singer to come over and join the band, with American vocalist Terry Brock finally doing just that. So perfect was the fit that Brock ended up co-writing a majority of the record with the previously autocratic Ian Stewart, and with new keyboard player David 'Munch' Moore replacing Alan Thomson they went back to the familiar surroundings of Powerplay Studios in Zurich with producer John Punter and proceeded to take the melodic rock world by storm, or at least the section of it that were in the know. -
(Notes by http://www.rocktopia.co.uk)
- This Scottish heavy AOR quartet was put together in 1985 by brothers Ian (guitar) and David Stewart (bass) after demise of China White. With Jim Drummond (drums) and Tony Liddell (vocals), they debuted with a self-titled album in 1985. This offered a blend of Americanized, melodic AOR comparable with the work of Boston, Journey or Kansas. Produced by Kevin Elson (of Journey fame), it surpassed many expectations, but was ignored by the British public. Terry Brock (from Atlanta, USA) replaced Liddell on Native Sons, which saw the band consolidate their style and progress significantly as songwriters. It remains one of the sadly neglected albums of the pomp-rock/AOR genre. Walk In The Fire was not as immediate, with Brock’s vocals sounding hoarse and less sophisticated. He left to audition for Deep Purple in 1989, but was unsuccessful. Further albums were released with Ian Stewart on lead vocals. -
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