Retrospect Records

Thanks for the response guys , I am excited about all this. Next time I meet with Jerry , I'll ask him about the WTG catalog also.

Yeh I've already seen that interview. Let the facts be known... Both TKO releases were in the beginning of my ownership of the label. I emailed Brad and asked him if he'd like to release those 2 albums. His only response was "I don't own the rights". I then asked him "who does?" and he never replied back. At that point I said 'fuck it' and released it anyways. For the record , I never received an email from Brad , only one from the bass player who I gave a few free discs to. Brad is welcome to contact me at anytime to work out a deal. I do not plan on printing up any more TKO discs until he does. So that's the story.

Ok Folks this is unbelievable. Due to my association with Carmine Rojas who plays bass in one of my bands...Monsters of Classic Rock (www.internationalrockshow.com) , I was extremely fortunate to meet with one of the true legends in the music business last night. Jerry Greenberg. Who is he? Well he was the president of Atlantic Records between 1974 and 1980 and then started his own label called MIRAGE RECORDS which lasted for 6 years. He then was president of Atco from '87 to '89 , president of WTG from '89-'92 (Choirboys , Beau Nasty , Bridge 2 Far) and finally president of Michael Jackson's label for 10 years after that.... Here's the kicker..... Jerry has just agreed to license Retrospect Records the ENTIRE back catalog of Mirage Records!!!!!!! You heard it right!!! So what does that mean? It means we get to see official silver-pressed re-issues of bands like FIERCE HEART , DC STAR , SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY, ROSE TATTOO , GERARD MCMAHON and dozens of other AOR / Hard Rock releases that are LOOONG overdue! As we continue our negotiations I will keep you informed, but this is a dream come true for me and I had to share my joy with my friends here at HH. This was a day I shall never forget!

Thanks for the comments guys. Nobody said running a label is easy , especially when you have 4 or 5 personalities you have to deal with on a daily basis - lol. Lots of exciting news coming including new signings and more imminent releases....

Ok quick update , I just got off the phone with Dennis and it's all good including the release of Mariah '3'.... I guess I may have been too quick to explain what was essentially 'nothing'. Anyhoo , if there are any Mariah fans who'd like to get in touch with Dennis , hear a new song , or give him some fan mail , don't hesitate to visit his site at www.dennislind.com We are really excited about the prospects for Mariah in 2007 and we may even release a dvd , or do a few dates in Europe. Thanks for listening to my ramblings....just trying to use the 'honesty is the best policy' theme....

Before anyone starts speculating or making silly assumptions I want to make extremely clear why Mariah is no longer on the website. When I signed Mariah 8 months ago I had no idea what can of worms I was about to open. An amazing band that left behind so much great music , but also harbored alot of resentment towards each other. Jimmy DiLella , Tim Compton , Johnny Dee and David Livingstone were all aware of these releases and have been paid. Dennis Lind and the original drummer Curt for whatever reason were not found and/or contacted (Jimmy's decision not mine). Therefore until contractual obligations are re-negotiated I have removed Mariah from the website until Dennis and Curt and the rest of the guys come to an agreement. Mariah '3' has been put on hold until these contracts and personal differences have been sorted out. Dennis has been great to deal with and I've let him know how much his music and his voice are appreciated within the AOR / Melodic Rock community. I hope you all agree. He has informed me that there is much more unreleased Mariah material as well as a lot of songs he'd like to put together for a solo album (I've heard one song and it's just as killer as the Mariah stuff) I have not been crucified by any members of Mariah and I shouldn't be by anyone here. I had permission from 4/5 ths of the band and I am doing the RIGHT thing by completing the puzzle. Mariah has been the biggest selling band on Retrospect Records and I plan on keeping it that way. Thanks for your support and let's hope we can keep Mariah together as a cohesive productive unit! Sam

Hi guys , seems like I am a little late in responding....the following titles are sold out.... Friction TKO (both titles) Vyper Boss ALMOST sold out...(under 10 copies left) Rock Boulevard Antix Alyze (both titles) Dreamstreet Roxy Lane First Strike Blitzkrieg and a few others that I cannot see right now.. Will any of these see a re-press? highly doubtful. If they do see a re-press , the artwork , catalog number and cd itself will look completely different as well as a bonus track or two. When I say limited 100 units , I mean it.

"Just curious, are any of the bands being released on Retrospect still together and doing music now in 2006?" There are a few yes. The upcoming STIT release was written in 1990 but recorded in 2006. Strikeforce are still active. Bad Candy have reformed. Defcon are currently writing new material. NewCity Rockers reformed to add 2 bonus tracks to their release. Herazz are still together. And I'm trying like hell to get Mariah to reform for a new album (after the release of Mariah '3' , there's going to be a huge demand for this band). Also , I am working my ass off for a Defcon / Mariah / Keel tour in 2007. "In ''retrospect'', am I dreaming when hoping little known indie bands from the 80's have a chance at a comeback." I would say a 'limited' comeback.

thanks for all the support guys , I have some HUUUUUGE news brewing that will please everyone but must keep a tight lip until all contracts are signed! It's nice to know that more and more people are taking me seriously (including major artists - as you will find out shortly). Strikeforce is a great album that I hope more Hard Rock fans will embrace. I do have more Sharx / Dreamstreet-sounding AOR bands coming , including the awesome band SHYSTER. Also , be looking for a slick re-vamped website very soon.

He obviously bought a lot of those from my company , tons of Retrospect titles there.

Same here Stormspell , never any problems with Tomo. Maybe it's just you Dieter?

Mertz , I don't really know what you are suggesting when you ask if Sean Kaufman is a 'front for Retrospect re-issuing everything under the sun' , but I find plenty of bands on my own thanks. What do you mean exactly? PLEASE REPLY NOW.

Unreleased album from 1991

What a busy year for Retrospect Records!! In one year we have released over 140 titles and have become the world's largest re-issue label signing more acts and releasing more product than most major labels!! A big thanks goes out to the Retrospect team made up of Graphic Design artists and A&R reps all over the world searching for lost Hard Rock and Metal gems that never got the attention they deserved. Also a huge thanks to all the artists who believed in Retrospect Records and the fans who have supported 'our' genre of music. NOW AVAILABLE FROM RETROSPECT DEFCON 'Defcon' (1989-1991) - Yes it's back! Now re-vamped with 4 bonus tracks , 20-page booklet and a silver pressing , Defcon was the fastest-selling artist on the Retrospect roster and is destined to become a classic in the world of Melodic Hard Rock. As powerful as Whitesnake's 1987 , Defcon has received 9's and 10's all over the world from top reviewers and with good reason!! Melodic Hard Rock and AOR fans have embraced Defcon with open arms so make sure you secure your copy today at www.retrospectrecords.com RPM 2 CD SET 'RPM (1982) + Phonogenic (1984) - Finally 24-bit Digitally Remastered from the original master tapes , this is the definitive collection of RPM tracks. Crystal clear sound and a massive 16-page booklet including all lyrics and liners by guitarist Mark Gendel , do not miss out on the premier RPM package. Classic 80s AOR. SHARX 'On The Rock' (1985) - SUPER RARE MELODIC ROCK / AOR FROM THE UNLIKELY ISLAND OF BERMUDA!! FIRST TIME EVER ON CD AND WHAT A GEM THIS IS!! FROM THE HARD ROCKING 'I Can't Rock Without You' TO THE AOR FINESSE OF 'The Game' , FANS AND COLLECTORS OF 80s AOR WILL LOVE THIS LOST TREASURE. KILLER VOCALS , BIG HOOKS , TASTY AXEWORK AND KEYBOARDS GALORE!! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF: Toto , RPM , Foreigner , Dreamstreet , Aviator , Franke & the Knockouts , Survivor , Preview , Saga AND ANY OTHER TOP-NOTCH EARLY 80s BAND!! WEAPONS 'Captive Audience' (1985) + 'Second Thoughts' (1990) - BOTH released as limited edition cd/dvd sets. WEAPONS ARE EASILY ONE OF THE BEST MELODIC METAL ACTS ON THE RETROSPECT LABEL AND IT'S NOT HARD TO SEE WHY. POWERHOUSE VOCALS , EXTREMELY CATCHY HOOKS AND A SMOKIN TWIN AXE ATTACK. WEAPONS WAS CRIMINALLY OVERLOOKED BY THE MAJOR LABELS BACK IN THE DAY AND YET THEY WERE JUST AS GOOD AS BANDS LIKE Keel , Hurricane , Heavens Edge , Banshee , Icon , Shok Paris , Hericane Alice , TNT , 220 Volt , Baton Rouge , Loudness ETC... AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR FANS OF 80s HAIR METAL!! O'Dette 'self-titled' (1989) - The band that rivalled fellow Chicago rockers Joker , Smash Alley and Defcon finally sees the light of day on cd. 5 Tracks of pure Hair Metal bliss. COMING SOON IN 2006 Mariah '3 - The Final Demos' Reckless 'No Frills' Herman Ze German & Friends Mass 'New Birth' Stit 'Backwards' Alleyrat 'Head Over Heels' Joey Dalmon 'Carousel' Saylor 'Set Me Free' Herazz 'Yet To Come' Herazz 'Can't Let Go' SlyBoots 'Slyboots' Tyger Tyger 'Lyve Cuts' (featuring members of Roxx Gang , Entice) Intrinsic 'Intrinsic' Wild August (2 titles) Isom 'Isom' (lead singer of Monster) Redd Barron 'The Barron's Here To Rock' Slam Savvy 'Slam Savvy' Oney 'TBA' Lazy Susan 'Lazy Susan' As you can see , there's still much to look forward to before the end of 2006. Behind the scenes , many bands are re-uniting even if it's just to celebrate their first royalty check from an album recorded 20 years ago. Some have gone as far as writing new material for a new release and/or playing a few live shows. Many of the members of these bands haven't seen each other in a dozen years or more so it's exciting to be a part of bringing them together again. It's amazing what the power of music can do , and it doesn't matter if these guys are selling 50 units or 50,000 - they still have the fire.... Thanks again everyone and ROCK ON!!! www.retrospectrecords.com

I am VERY excited about this... The most anticipated re-issue of 2006 is back in stock and it looks amazing. SILVER disc , 20-page booklet , quite possibly the best Retrospect release yet. Already over 500 pre-orders so make sure you secure your copy right now at www.retrospectrecords.com Official International press release will be forthcoming... PLEASE REPLY NOW!!!!!! lol

Oney is in the art department right now as a matter of fact. David , I just have one question for ya. And this is a serious question. You signed at least a half-dozen bands since December of last year - when can we expect to see a release of this material?

And now the holierthanthou SenatorLynx , who seems to know what EVERY collector wants.... "Sorry to hear these negative things about labels I enjoy(ed) like Wounded Bird or Long Island (by the way, I believe the owner got cancer or something?). That alone tells me a lot about your character that you'd be willing to take such an unprofessional approach and rip those in the same business as you." Unprofessional approach? WTF? Do your homework man. TALK to bands. I don't have to rip these labels , they do a very good job of digging their own holes. "You've attempted to clear up some of the things I asked about and I appreciate that. I'd love to believe that the CDs of The Cauze that you sell are original pressings, but your credibility has been called into question enough that I can't spend $40 to find out for myself. Same with Galaxy Group...how about these "silver pressed" CDs for $30?? Originals from some post-Cold War storage facility in Siberia I suppose?" Galaxy Group originals. Yep. Accept it. It's nice to have a Russian connection. "As for Strutt, I have owned that CD since the mid-1990's before anyone else knew about or cared about who they were. So I am absolutely positive that I own the "real" thing, and I'd love to compare my authentic article to the ones you sell as "legit". Even if they pass legal inspection, there will be a difference no doubt." So here you are bagging me for selling a few Strutt cd's and YOU THINK the ones I am selling are frauds. Wow , that's pretty f'g rich Chris. Get your facts buddy before making assanine statements. "I certainly wish things were different with you because I think we were all waiting and hoping for someone to re-issue a lot of hard to find releases from the past. We just wanted it to be better than this." Well , I guess you'll never hear a lot of great music , your loss. And plenty of other people are enjoying RR releases. "Oh, and a couple final thoughts in response as well. "Real" collectors of music will not all settle for a CD-R." Then they aren't REAL collectors. If you are a true collector , you'll buy the music if it's on a purple , green , orange or f'g polka-dot disc. And if you care about the color of a disc , look elsewhere. If someone is stupid enough to pay $200+ for a cd , then that's not collecting , that's just dumb (IMO). " Real CDs are more collectable and always will be. Don't believe me? Let's auction off one of your Friction - Baby Talk green-tinted swirly shit discs against the real McCoy from PA back in the day and see what happens!" Yeh , and let's see how many people want to pay $500 for a cd. Don't like it? DON'T BUY IT. "Collectors do have integrity and the community that buys music should (and in many cases does) demand the same from the people who make and sell it!" HEY MORON , Collectors don't collect re-issues from 2006 , they collect oop titles from 20 years ago. Name ONE record company that actually caters to anal 'collectors'.... YOU CAN'T , because they DON'T.

Let's start with this CEREBUS , who doesn't know if he wants to be Dr Jeckyll or Mr Hyde. "I think its b.s. that people jump all over David because of his frustration with a competitor that doesn't play by the rules, cheats bands and customers, and sells cds that come directly off his computer cdr drive and laser color printer." Cerebus , here's a big for that statement and it shows your true ignorance. Doesn't play by the rules? Yeh , I don't play by YOUR rules (i.e. a failed record company from the 80s). Cheats bands? WTF? I don't know any bands that haven't had funds made available to them. Cheats Customers? How do you figure? Sells cd's that come off my cd-r drive? HAHAAH dude you really should STFU til you know what the hell you're talking about. "Sam, you don't sell your released for more than 17 dollars?? What about the London release, which is on the Retrospect label, which is not even available on your website (for obvious reasons that you bootlegged it without the bands permission). You routinely sell if for 30 bucks plus, passing it off as a legit cd. Interestingly, you don't advertise it as a Retrospect Records cd. But you and I both know that it is." Nadir D'Priest knows exactly what's going on there numbnuts , so again , shut up til you have the facts. "What about the Vyper release, which is also questionable?" Nothing questionable about it. It sold 100 units and is now out of print. Accept it. "Or how about the hard rock demo series you sell on ebay (limited to 100) as per all of your other Retrospect releases?" As per all my other releases? You sleeping under a rock? It is nice to know that you are watching my stuff 24/7 and for someone to hate my releases so much , you sure spend alot of time monitoring my existence. "I recognize that your trying to go straight now, but don't pull your holier than thou BS. I wish your business the best of luck, but if you keep bootlegging and/or selling bootlegs, your eventually going to fail miserably and quite possibly get prosecuted for fraud and a number of other offenses." Yeh , I may just go after your back catalog and Retrospect ain't going nowhere.

I think Dan should copy and paste my response as a pinned statement at the top of this forum - LOL. I get really tired of typing it all. Haha.

I'm not exactly sure , I'll find out from the company that did the dvd's but since they were manufactured in the USA I assume they are Region 1 / NTSC.

You're gonna dig the dvd's!! Thanks for the purchase.

Hello SenatorLynx , I am suspecting that you are David in a new screenname and that wouldn't surprise me , but in case you are the real deal , I'll have to explain things to you like I have many times before....so let me answer to the best of my ability.. "As a collector, I have to admit I was pretty pissed to learn that original CDs I had owned for years or searched everywhere and perhaps paid top dollar for were being offered up as CD-Rs and also being sold for top dollar (which I think is the worst crime at work here)." Top dollar? Nothing on the Retrospect label is over $17....and did you expect that some discs were never going to be re-issued eventually? "Now that some time has gone by though, I have to say that it's becoming obvious that even though I have seen an apparent drop in value with some pieces in my collection, the integrity of true collectors still willing to track down and pay for the real thing has not completely ruined the value attached to having the 100% originals on the shelf at home." That's good news. "Although now it's become much more difficult to decern the real thing from the bogus (without naming titles....ok, Strutt comes to mind! Rare as fuck if you've got the real deal!). " All the Strutt cd's I have are the real deal. "So, while I'm angered at some of the activities with Retrospect, I do admire the desire to release the more obscure music to the masses." Thanks. "How about starting from scratch (which appears to be what's happening now?) and make things right? Take the time to respect each and every re-issue in your catalog, as well as every new band you sign....and also for a reasonable price!! EVERY SINGLE TITLE!! It takes a real ass hole (pardon me) to offer up a re-issue, CD-R or not for $40 (The Cauze). It's unreasonable business and totally transparently greedy." This really sounds like David here but giving you the benefit of the doubt , I'll offer up my age-old answer. Supply and demand. The Cauze cd I have been selling is not a re-issue of any kind and in fact , it was the very first pressing of 100 units that was made by the band as promotional cd's for record companies only. $40 is hardly unreasonable. I have learned alot in the first year of running my own label and pricing has been something I have had to adhere to as I tried to analyze supply and demand. Right now you'll find all Retrospect titles on the website from 9.99 to 14.99 , I believe that is very fair considering most of them will only see a 100 unit pressing. Not to mention I have a flat rate of $3 shipping anywhere in the world for unlimited amount of discs. How can I be more fair? Next , the idea of RE-pressing silver (1000) units for ALL 135 Retrospect releases is completely ludicrous. If you think there are 1,000 people out there who are going to buy a 4-track EP from Uzi Suite (for example) then YOU make the investment. I have no interest in spending $135,000 in pressing silver discs of obscure bands just so a few people will be happy at the color of a disc. I have maintained from day one that I do NOT cater to people concerned about the color of a disc. A true collector would want the music in any format , even if they had to download it. There are a few bands I have taken the risk of pressing silver discs for , some have paid off , some have not. It's all a learning process and I'm always very careful at this point to make the right decisions for the bands and my company. Defcon's first 100 units sold out in 30 days so yes, they deserve a silver pressing. Mariah deserved it. RPM deserved it. XL New York deserved it , although them , Axtion , Manila Thrills and Strikeforce are moving slower than Mariah. It's not your investment 'Chris' , so although I appreciate the advice , it's ultimately my decision , and there is no way you will see a silver press of 135 releases. "Again RR (Sam?), I'm not jumping you or trying to throw fuel on the flaming. I'm just saying, listen to all the folks out there who love this stuff and give them what they want. There's been a ton of great labels dealing with re-issues (Long Island, Wounded Bird, etc.) who have taken the time and had the interest in protecting the integrity of everything they sell to do it right!" Protecting the integrity? Are you kidding? Long Island was in business for what? 2 or 3 years? They went under , filed bankruptcy , and the bands never got paid....EVER. Wounded Bird? Ask Paul Shortino how much he has seen from the Rough Cutt re-issues. Ask Mike Uzzell how much he has seen from the Nantucket re-issues. Ask Henry Paul how much he has made from the re-issues of his solo albums. I have more examples if you need them... Look , Wounded Bird may be a great company but they aren't doing the artists any favors by re-issuing their material and quite frankly , the artists are freakin pissed , especially when they had plans to re-issue the albums themselves so they could make a little cash off their hard work from back in the day. Oh , they owe the record company right? Well , in my eyes , if a record company does NOTHING to promote an album in 20+ years then they forfeit their rights to that album....and friends of mine like Ron Keel , Frank Dimino , Richie Ranno and Paul Shortino feel the same way. I wouldn't care if Metal Mayhem re-issues were 24k gold , Ryan owes Ron Keel $10,000 for the Right To Rock royalties and it should piss people off knowing that. "To tell the truth, I wouldn't have touched one of your releases for free until I saw Georg Siegl over at AOR Heaven selling the Mariah stuff. This man is one of the pillars of the selling community for hard rock and AOR collectors and if he is willing to sell it, I am willing to buy it. He's got the same mature attitude about doing business that most of us respect and want to see in the world." I don't have a problem with Georg , except for the fact that he has an outstanding bill of $200. "So how about it? Everything silver pressed and officially licensed or authorized by each band, and everything $12 to $15. I'll be a customer for certain then, and I think a lot of others who visit the HH forum will be too." All silver-pressed? Ain't gonna happen, however, everything on the RETROSPECT label is officially licensed and priced between $9.99 and $15 so I guess 2 out of 3 ain't bad...

It's a silver pressing of a new version of the original (lol - if that makes sense). It has 14 tracks and 3 bonus tracks not on the original release. Keep in mind that one song from the original release WILL NOT be on the upcoming release. It also has a 20-page booklet. Here's an idea of the songs on the cd , track order is different than the last pressing also but here are the songs (in no particular order) How Close Rock Me My Time To Fly Cold Hearted Time Waits Into the Night Don't Stop the Lovin Never Too Far Away All Night Long All Your Love Hard Loud & Heavy Hungry For Love Down the Road (LIVE) Rock n Roll Machine (LIVE) Defcon have recently reunited and are preparing another NEW album for Retrospect Records as well as a few live shows in the Ohio , Illinois , Michigan areas. I am still working on a Retrospect tour package for Europe which will include Mariah , Defcon and Keel.

On the website available for purchase.... RPM 2 CD SET - RPM (1982) + Phonogenic (1984) Classic AOR finally digitally remastered from the ORIGINAL master tapes (not a vinyl transfer released by another company) and includes a 20-page booklet featuring all lyrics and liners by Mark Gendel. THIS is the definitive collection. SILVER-PRESSED. Sharx - On The Rock SUPER RARE MELODIC ROCK / AOR FROM THE UNLIKELY ISLAND OF BERMUDA!! FIRST TIME EVER ON CD AND WHAT A GEM THIS IS!! FROM THE HARD ROCKING 'I Can't Rock Without You' TO THE AOR FINESSE OF 'The Game' , FANS AND COLLECTORS OF 80s AOR WILL LOVE THIS LOST TREASURE. KILLER VOCALS , BIG HOOKS , TASTY AXEWORK AND KEYBOARDS GALORE!! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF: Toto , RPM , Foreigner , Dreamstreet , Aviator , Franke & the Knockouts , Survivor , Preview , Saga AND ANY OTHER TOP-NOTCH EARLY 80s BAND!! Weapons 'Captive Audience' (1986) + Weapons 'Second Thoughts' (1990) BOTH of these albums have been released as a cd/dvd set and I can't say enough about these guys. Awesome Melodic Hard Rock / Hair Metal that was criminally overlooked by major labels back in the day. These guys were just as good as bands like Keel , Hurricane , Heavens Edge , Banshee , Icon , Shok Paris , Hericane Alice , TNT , 220 Volt , Baton Rouge , Loudness etc and yet somehow missed the major label boat. All soundclips are on the website. DEFCON will be available next week!!

Thanks for the kind words Lon , you are a man of true integrity , and that is very difficult to find these days. I wish you all the success in the world with your upcoming projects.