ADAM BOMB

[LV KIX]

As I sit here spinning "New York Times" by Adam Bomb I'm left wondering why he wasn't way more popular.

 

I remember pick up the "Fatal Attraction" release on cassette way back in 1985. I remember playing that cassette with the top down while cruzin' my mom's convertable. I had to wait nearly 5 years for a follow-up. In 1990 "Pure S.E.X." was finally released. This one didn't come out of my player for weeks at a time. Still to this day I spin "Pure S.E.X." at least 4 or 5 times a month. It only took about 3 years for the next release. In 1993 Adam Bomb released "Grave New World". I was a bit disappointed with this one, it just didn't have the same feel as the previous two. Over the years I began to appreciate this one a bit more though it is still my least favorite of his releases.

 

Six years later "Get Animal 1" was released, followed a year later by "Get Animal 2". Both really good releases. In 2001 Adam Bomb released "New York Times", which was actually recorded in 1990 and is a great reflection of those times. Adam Bomb has a few releases spread out over the last 10 years... all are pretty good.

 

Adam Bomb has always surrounded himself with great musicians... Some of the artists that have been involved: Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith), Phil Feit (Billy Idol), Sandy Slavin (Riot & Ace Frehley), Cliff William (AC/DC), Steve Stevens, Steve James (The Dogs D'Amour), Bobby Chouinard (Squire, Gary More, Alice Cooper), Michael Lee Smith (STARZ), Kenny Aaronson (Joan Jett, BOC, Billy Idol), Gregg Gerson (Skin N' Bones, Sven Gali), Tommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol).... and many others.

 

You can't be that bad if all these musicians are willing to contribute to your music.

 

 

Just from reading through the posts over on the main site I can see that there is no love for Adam Bomb. Have all these posters not given Adam Bomb a fair shake... or am I the only one who understands brilliance?

 

 

I just think this guy gets a raw deal...

 

OK... What are your impression of Adam Bomb? Have you even given Adam Bomb a chance..?

[martinsane]

I've always like him. His work with TKO was great and I still have the 45 of SST, which was a great song on a great album.

 

I'd chalk it up to the fickleness (word?) of us bloody americans and probably the lack of proper distribution/management.

 

Maybe he pissed someone off that was akin to the Bills never winning the big game...

[Evil Rick]

I own one of his albums - "Grave New World". I wasn't very impressed at all with this album so I never bothered to track down any of his other releases. Maybe I should.

[LV KIX]

I own one of his albums - "Grave New World". I wasn't very impressed at all with this album so I never bothered to track down any of his other releases. Maybe I should.

 

As I have said... "Grave New World" is my least favorite of his releases. Maybe you should check out a different release.

[Geoff]

I own one of his albums - "Grave New World". I wasn't very impressed at all with this album so I never bothered to track down any of his other releases. Maybe I should.

 

As I have said... "Grave New World" is my least favorite of his releases. Maybe you should check out a different release.

Yep, same here. Only album I ever owned was that one and I hated it. Never bothered with him after that. Who could his other stuff be compared to?

[glam_junkie]

i got Grave New World. Thought that was okay, and then pikced up New York TImes which put me off getting anything else.

[heaven&hell]

I've never heard anything from him.

 

I know he was in TKO but have never heard any of his solo stuff before.

 

Can someone post some songs or videos that would be considered his better songs?

[martinsane]

Here is the Rock Like F*$k video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53KMpAbYijo

 

I Want My Heavy Metal! (LOVE THIS ONE)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EseI9mv9vVU

 

Live version of SST (KILLER SONG):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IsySZ7mgPY

 

And of course Adam "Bomb" Brenner in TKO I Wanna Fight live:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrgTcO8f3Eg

[Fat Freddy]

Here's my Adam Bomb story:

 

Years ago his label (Geffen?) put a big ad in Circus Magazine pimping his upcoming self titled debut album, hyping him up like he was gonna be the biggest thing since sliced process American cheese. The ad had a coupon in it that, if you sent it in with your name and address, was good for a free 45 RPM single of the track "I Want My Heavy Metal." So I figured, hey, what the hell, free shit, so I clipped it out and sent it in.

 

Months went by, and after a while I totally forgot I had even ordered the damn thing. One day a package from Geffen Records shows up at my doorstep and I remembered "Oh yeah! This must be that Adam Bomb single!" -- I tear it open and find... a promotional Black N Blue single ("Swing Time" b/w "Rockin' On Heaven's Door") instead. I guess they either ran out of Adam Bomb singles, or Adam's album had, ahem, bombed in the interim so they sent me whoever was next on the "free pimpin' singles" list. So I never did get to hear Adam Bomb till years later.

 

Still have that Black N Blue single too. It turned out to be my introduction to them.

 

Don't know why I felt the need to share that story as it's rather pointless, but hey, that's me all over.

[martinsane]

Here's my Adam Bomb story:

 

Years ago his label (Geffen?) put a big ad in Circus Magazine pimping his upcoming self titled debut album, hyping him up like he was gonna be the biggest thing since sliced process American cheese. The ad had a coupon in it that, if you sent it in with your name and address, was good for a free 45 RPM single of the track "I Want My Heavy Metal." So I figured, hey, what the hell, free shit, so I clipped it out and sent it in.

 

Months went by, and after a while I totally forgot I had even ordered the damn thing. One day a package from Geffen Records shows up at my doorstep and I remembered "Oh yeah! This must be that Adam Bomb single!" -- I tear it open and find... a promotional Black N Blue single ("Swing Time" b/w "Rockin' On Heaven's Door") instead. I guess they either ran out of Adam Bomb singles, or Adam's album had, ahem, bombed in the interim so they sent me whoever was next on the "free pimpin' singles" list. So I never did get to hear Adam Bomb till years later.

 

Still have that Black N Blue single too. It turned out to be my introduction to them.

 

Don't know why I felt the need to share that story as it's rather pointless, but hey, that's me all over.

 

 

That is the Adam Bomb 45 I refer to in my popst! It has Heavy Metal and SST on the b-side.

 

I got that Black N Blue one too. Swing Time and Miss Mystery.

 

Got a grom Reaper 45 that way too!

[Jez]

Nick is the big Adam Bomb fan on HH, so hopefully he will give some wise words and his impressions

 

I have 'Fatal Attraction' which I think is an excellent record plus I also have 'Pure S.E.X' and 'Grave New World' which both have some good tracks on them. I'm looking to get both the 'Get Animal' and Third World Roar' discs when I have moved and have my new address. All in all I wouldn't say I'm a major fan, but I like most of the stuff I have heard and he is definitely worth investigation in my book, especaially the first 3 discs.

[SUICIDE]

Caught Adam about 3 or 4 times on a few of his European tours and each time he puts on a great show with his support guys of the moment (whether they are from Italy, Spain, N.Y. USA). Excellent musician, very overlooked, should get more attention. The guy puts on a great show in any venue (even the dingiest shitholes in Europe you can imagine) and loves what he does. You have to for the type of torturous tours he does (Non-stop legs with no off days for straight months and any venue he can play..even free gigs.) Surprised his pink guitar has survived for so long for the amount of torching he puts the thing through.

[Nick C]

Yeah, seen him 3 times....'bout time to see him again I reckon. Some of his stuff is great, especially the Get Animal Albums as Dave mentioned and Third World Roar and Rock Like F**k (have to do the ** as I'm at work lol), but I think some are a little hit and miss Grave New World in particular. I definitely think his later stuff gets stronger all the time and would love to hear a brand new album from him.

 

I took my mate Spooner to see him in Rochdale ... now Spooner is pretty damned hard to impress but even he had to say that he was blown away by his playing.

 

I think a good album to get an overview of what he's about would be the Bone Yard compilation.

[Guest Bomb2012]

I could tell you exactly what happened & why but more than that, I am actually shocked to know that you filled in that coupon and Geffen Records sent you a Black & Blue record. That tells me so much.

[Fat Freddy]

I could tell you exactly what happened & why but more than that, I am actually shocked to know that you filled in that coupon and Geffen Records sent you a Black & Blue record. That tells me so much.

 

Adam, is that really you? Wow. I swear to ya, that story is 100 percent true. I still have the Black N Blue record in fact. I think it took them at least three or four months (maybe more) before they sent me the damn thing too.

 

Got a grim Reaper 45 that way too!

 

Yeah, I got one of those back in the day too... was a cheap sh*t plastic "flexi disc" that never played right on my stereo... piece'a junk....

[Guest Bomb2012]

Yeah, it's me Adam Bomb. I just find that unbelievable. My manager David Krebs was truly getting lied to and it really tells me the whole record company business was really built on lies. I guess everybody was really trying to fuck each other over at that office on Sunset Blvd. It's a small point but it really tells me I never had a chance from day 1 at Geffen Records. But when you are a kid you tend to care a lot about shit like that.

[Fat Freddy]

Damn. Sorry I ruined your day, dude.

 

For whatever it's worth, when I finally did hear "I Want My Heavy Metal" a couple of years later, I dug it...

[Guest Bomb2012]

You didn't ruin my day dude. I lived through it. It made me smile. I knew this shit all along. I just never knew they sent out BnB singles when they ran out.

 

It's some nice compliments so thanks. I can elaborate on why I was never huge in the biz

 

Because I never bothered to suck up to any record labels since Geffen or even with the people within my own management company. There were always inner company politics. When I made my first solo album in 1984 with the producer that recorded TKO (I was 20) I had a choice. I wanted to be in the music business and I was in a big hurry. I had met a guy named David Krebs which at the time to me was a big break. He was the manager Aerosmith & ACDC & Ted Nugent & Scorpions, or so I read on the back of albums for 6 years. I didn't know what management companies were and I just thought guys like Krebs could make it happen and you could have a record for sale at Tower and be playing the Seattle Arena supporting Pat Travers or UFO or Blue Oyster Cult and that was how it worked, because some guy in New York snapped his fingers. That was how Brad Sinsel, the TKO singer said it worked.

 

Anyway, I had choices and bet on the wrong horses for stupid reasons, I could've picked Polygram because some guy named Derek Schulman was interested in me as they were looking for a band to build off of Bon Jovi. Somebody with dark hair. They found a different band to build off of Bon Jovi around that time called Cindarella. I remember meeting another guy named Doc McGhee that was a manager who had Motely Crue, who had just kinda broke big. MTV was new and there were these other national TV shows that played Looks That Kill next to Duran Duran & Tina Turner. But I liked Krebs. He took me seriously when guys like Garo, a pizza shop owner who was Black N Blue's manager, just thought I was some guy that wanted to hang out with his band who were my friends and neighbors. Garo got Black 'N Blue a deal with Geffen Records. It was a big thing to have a record deal back then. To kids like us who didn't know any better it meant you made it big.

 

When one label wants you, they all take an interest. I got my interest because of a video to the song Shape Of The World and that was the demo Krebs wound up shopping to labels. But I wanted to be on Geffen too, just like my buddies Black 'N Blue. They were doing support tours, making videos for MTV & they opened for Aerosmith and they were working with all these producers. So some lady named Carole Childs from Geffen came to see a band put together around me in New York with Jimmy Crespo, & Gregg Gerson & Phil Feit and she wanted to sign us. She made a multi record deal with Krebs for 125,000 dollars for the 1st record, and an extra 50,000 for a video, and 10,000 for musical equipment. The deal was with Krebs & Geffen, not really with me although I was the artist.

 

I got a Les Paul Jr from Norms Rare Guitars that I painted pink a few years later and 4 Marshall cabinets, and 2 bass cabs and some anvil cases. We never got the video money. Before the record came out I was told that we were not gonna get to make a video and that was that.

 

Later in her office in Hollywood around the time the record came out I remember her telling me, she knows nothing about rock, that's the guys down the hall (John Kalodner & Tom Zutant). They were the ones that working with Black N Blue & Whitesnake, & Aerosmith. They later went on to sign Guns 'N Roses. Those A&R guys were superpowers. They were backstabbing each other while trying to beat out other labels on anybody that had a buzz at the time. If they didn't have it, then they wanted to kill it and they could with lies. They basically pushed out the lady that signed us right out of the building. Krebs was suing Aerosmith and the manager Tim Collins, and the label Geffen Records as well.

 

Krebs advised me to leave the label, since we were told if we wanted our video money that we were going to have to sue. He also said they told him radio stopped playing hard rock so we would get no airplay. I was 21 years old and I had no education in how business worked. I just wanted to play guitar. I didn't understand anything about contracts & lawyers. I trusted everyone. It was over before it even began.

 

Which is probably why I don't bother with record companies, deals and managers. I don't trust them. It wasn't the world I wanted to be in. I just wanted to be a working musician, like the old blues guys in Hollywood movies. So instead of relying on business people, I eventually took matters into my own hands, & got my ass out in the world & gigging. Hope this might have answered your questions. Come out & see us on tour. xx

[Nick C]

Haha! Sweet....gotta say one of the best gigs I ever went to was one of the Hark to Towler gigs up in Tottington, Bury. What a great night, pub was packed but not so bad you couldn't see anything (think I posted some pics in this forum at some point)! It was a while later...(April 2009? 2008?) when I went up to Rochdale transport club...another great gig.

The last time I managed to see ya was again Hark to Towler (2009?) but for some reason it was a quiet night.....but you still put on a great show...so hats off to ya! I was pretty smashed that night...started on beer then because full sized bottles of wine were so cheap started downing them haha!

[Fat Freddy]

Damn, Adam...that's quite a story. But hey, like they say, what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger.

 

On a totally unrelated note, isn't there a pro wrestler using the name "Adam Bomb" now? Why don'cha sue his ass off?

[glam_junkie]

Might have to give some of the other albums a listen. As much as people are doubting 'Grave new World',.... that is the one i liked the most out fo the 2-3 discs i've heard. I thouhgt it had a cool retro glam feel to it. After that i listened to 'New York Times' which i recall being a bit too mellow for my liking with quite a bit of acoustic stuff and some other different influences.

 

Always been tempted to pick up a few of the others when i've seen em cheap.

 

Which discs should a glam fan be going for?

[LV KIX]

Might have to give some of the other albums a listen. As much as people are doubting 'Grave new World',.... that is the one i liked the most out fo the 2-3 discs i've heard. I thouhgt it had a cool retro glam feel to it. After that i listened to 'New York Times' which i recall being a bit too mellow for my liking with quite a bit of acoustic stuff and some other different influences.

 

Always been tempted to pick up a few of the others when i've seen em cheap.

 

Which discs should a glam fan be going for?

 

 

I'd go with "Pure S.E.X."

 

Some really cool tunes on that one... songs like "Pure S.E.X.", "Dangerous When Lit", and "Fallen Angel" should be right up your alley.

[martinsane]

Come out & see us on tour. xx

 

 

When are you going to be in the good ole Pacific NW again? I'd love to see you live.

 

Like I said in an earlier post that 45 was pure gold for me and I spun it a lot...

[Nick C]

Come out & see us on tour. xx

 

 

When are you going to be in the good ole Pacific NW again? I'd love to see you live.

 

Like I said in an earlier post that 45 was pure gold for me and I spun it a lot...

 

Actually that's something I wondered about, when checking out tour dates I always see loads of European ones yet very few dates in the U.S. (I know Dave LV KIX is dying to see the band), how come there's so few over in the States?

[JamesEagle]

For whatever it's worth, when I finally did hear "I Want My Heavy Metal" a couple of years later, I dug it...

 

Just played the clip of this song and I love it. Great guitar solo too. Shame the debut CD seems quite expensive to buy.