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Retrospect Records Press Release 9-25-08


Retrospect Records

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Hello from Retrospect Records!! Our all-out assault on the re-issue market continues with the following new releases and signings...

 

 

NOW AVAILABLE:

 

TERRY GANN If You're Listenin' -- CD + DVD set - Late 80's Melodic Rock/AOR finally released on CD , Midwest-based TERRY GANN gained a bit of notoriety from his success on the MTV basement tapes show. Terry never got the recognition he so rightly deserved. Produced by VAN McLAIN of SHOOTING STAR (who also contributes several guitar solos). This collection of 13 songs and a DVD featuring exclusive videos and live footage is an essential addition to your AOR collection. RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF: John Waite , Rick Springfield , Shooting Star, Jimi Goare , Joe Lamont ETC...

 

HARLOW Nowand Then - Not to be confused with the female-fronted act that featured Tommy Thayer , this Harlow originally formed in Kansas City back in 1985 and moved to Los Angeles where they played every club on the Sunset strip non-stop for 2 years before calling it a day. Mickey Kravitz & Co. should have been huge!! What we have here are 6 tracks from the extremely obscure 1985 release entitled "We Do What We Wanna Do" , which includes the hit single 'Rock the Box' , plus the addition of 5 brand new songs recorded right before Harlow's electrifying re-union performance at Rocklahoma 2008. All fans of 80s Glam / Sleazy Hard Rock should re-discover the bump n grind of Harlow and grab a copy today. Features backing vocals by Cherie Currie of The Runaways.

 

M-80 The Complete Collection - Finally , the entire catalog of M-80 on one cd , including 3 never-before released bonus tracks! So who is M-80? When Niki Buzz left Detroit rockers VENDETTA after the one album with Epic Records , he formed a melodic metal act in L.A. but found more success in Europe , hence recruiting British bassist Chris Aylmer (SAMSON) and drummer Ian Roberts (L.A. SECRETS). These songs were all recorded between 1984 & 1987 and showcase fiery axework as well as strong songwriting and powerful vocals. Highly recommended to all fans and collectors of mid-80s Melodic Metal!!

 

MIDNIGHT HERO II - Formed in Philadelphia back in 1985 , Midnight Hero has toured extensively all over the U.S. for the past 2 decades and still plays live shows today! During this time they recorded a number of demos that have never made it to CD , until now. Call it Melodic Hard Rock , Hair Metal or Melodic Metal - Midnight Hero stay faithful to the sound of the best decade in Rock.

 

INSANIA self-titled - Not to be confused with the Swedish Power Metal act of the same name , this is the first time ever on cd for this ass-kicking Melodic Hard Rock / Hair Metal act from Chicago. Featuring supercharged rockers and soulful ballads and recorded between 1989 & 1995 , this band has an amazing vocalist in Lawren Russell who has a massive range and would certainly give Sebastian Bach a run for his money. Add an ultra-tight rhythm section , ripping guitars and super catchy hooks to the mix and you have a real winner. Insania is one of the most unique-sounding acts on the huge Retrospect roster and should definitely find its place in your collection today.

 

URBAN VAULT (1985) - In the early to mid 80s there were three bands that dominated the Florida Metal scene - Savatage , Crimson Glory and Brat. Savatage and Crimson Glory found global stardom but unfortunately Brat somehow got lost in the shuffle. Anyone familiar with the two Retrospect Records releases BRAT and ATOMIK COCKTAIL will be familiar with guitarist Bruce Batten and Bassist John Urban. Following the break-up of BRAT , John Urban and Bruce Batten recorded 4 tracks with a new band (which also includes guitarist Glenn Enriquez of ARGUS) at the famous MORRISOUND STUDIOS in Florida. These tracks have never been released - until now!

This LIMITED NUMBERED EDITION 4-track EP is loaded with pure Hi-Octane 80s Melodic Metal and has been signed by John Urban himself. A VERY NICE addition to your 80s Metal collection.

 

 

 

HAVEN self-titled (1990-2000) - Haven hails from Connecticut and is fronted by the lovely and talented Rose Coppola. These tracks were all recorded between 1990 & 2000 and showcase strong songwriting , great musicianship and soulful vocals. Anyone into artists such as: Sass Jordan , Chrissy Steele , Saraya , Baby Animals , Robin Beck , Joanna Dean , Jodi Bonjiovi etc.. should definitely check out HAVEN!!

 

INTRINSIC self-titled (1987) - After 20 years this classic cult underground debut release from U.S. Power Metallers INTRINSIC is finally released on cd. Powerful songs and a killer dual axe attack , Intrinsic combined the sound of NWOBHM with mid-80s American Metal and the results are a headbanging assault that every metalhead will enjoy.

 

 

PROBLEM CHILD Problem Child (1985) -- Not to be confused with the Milwaukee-based band of the same name (also released by Retrospect) , this Problem Child hails from Maryland and was only originally released as limited edition vinyl LP back in 1985. This obscure indie Glam / Hard Rock / Hair Metal gem finally gets the cd treatment it deserves and is a nice collectible piece for fans and collectors of the greatest decade in Rock.

 

FX In Motion (1987), In The Sky (1991) -- 80s Hi-tech AOR / Progressive Pop-Rock that most collectors didn't even know existed. Hailing from California , FX sound very much like their British counterparts with their brand of keyboard-dominated Pop-Rock. Recommended to fans of: Japan , Peter Gabriel , Lodgic , Twelfth Night , RPM's 'Phonogenic' , The Koo , Duran Duran , Beau Heart , The Police , Bogart Co. etc...

 

 

HEAVEN DECOY Another Pompeii Weekend -- Heaven Decoy was another project that the members of FX were a part of in the 80's. Based in Santa Cruz, CA and fronted by Jay Pomerantz, the 19 songs on this disc were all recorded in the mid to late 80's and is a great blend of keyboard-dominated new wave, progressive pop~rock, powerpop and hi-tech AOR.

 

 

NEW SIGNINGS:

 

ORPHANN Don't Say No (1980) -- Classic Midwest Melodic Rock / AOR Gem finally gets an official CD release.

 

LIGHTYEARS Lightyears -- Fantastic Seattle-based female-fronted Melodic Rock / AOR. These recordings from the mid 80s have never before seen the light of day until now! Wait til you hear these incredible tracks!!

 

 

MATA HARI / HYPNOTIC SYMPHONY / UNIVERSEXIT -- This killer melodic progressive metal band from Indiana has gone under these 3 names over the years since the late 80's. Featuring the powerhouse Geoff Tate-esque pipes of Darren Rhyne and virtuoso guitar wiz Greg Millikan. We will be releasing all their superb material including a near-flawless live album (no overdubs) that will certainly wow you.

 

ELECTRIC EELS - Yes!! Retrospect has inked a deal with Electric Eels founder Jerry Leal and not only are we releasing this Cult Classic Melodic Hard Rock / Metal album from 1984 but we are also releasing the 2nd unreleased Electric Eels album from 1985!! One of the most anticipated releases we have ever had!!

 

THE HERITAGE -- After Electric Eels, guitarist Jerry Leal formed the blues-fueled melodic hard rock band The Heritage with Groundstar female vocalist/keyboardist Sharon Jordan. Not only are we re-issuing and remastering their 1991 album "Living...Standing...Burning" but 2 more albums worth of unreleased material!!

 

7TH HEAVEN Planet Under Siege (1992) - Incredible Melodic Hard Rock / AOR CD gets a well-deserved reissue. If you didn't get it then, its time to get it now!!

 

SCRAM Scram (1980) - Very obscure Classic AOR / Melodic Rock Gem (on many collectors want lists) finally gets an official CD release!! Wait til you hear this one!! Digitally Remastered.

 

WARMINISTER Out Of The Ashes (1986) - Extremely Rare and fantastic 80's Power Metal / Speed Metal e.p. from this midwest band. Now it gets digitally remastered and officially re-issued.

 

SPIKE OPERA -- Another exciting addition to our RETROTHRASH label - Spike Opera were a fantastic Late 80's / Early 90's Thrash Metal band from Ohio. Both their albums will be getting their first CD release. Digitally Remastered.

 

RATHSKELLER Rathskeller (1984) -- Superb 80's Melodic Rock / AOR Gem from this Illinois band was almost impossible to find UNTIL NOW!! This huge collectors album will now be officially issued on CD by Retrospect. One of AOR's best kept secrets just got out!! Absolutely essential.

 

THE MEADIA The Meadia (1997) -- Stunning Melodic Hard Rock / AOR compared to Hit The Ground Runnin', Falcon, No Credit and Swiss rockers, Face face (Childhood Dreams). A CD that would have been huge in 1989, this elusive disc will now be readily available at retrospectrecords.com!!

 

THRESHOLD Midnight Dreamer (1993) -- Awesome Washington-based Melodic Progressive Metal band featuring virtuoso guitarist/vocalist Kicho Forrest before forming the more recent Atomic Clock. Digitally Remastered.

 

ATOMIC CLOCK (2008) -- Easily one of America's premier Melodic Progressive Metal bands - this brand new release from this Spokane, WA-based band features virtuoso guitarist Kicho Forrest with the powerful stellar pipes of vocalist Philip Gregory. A must have for fans of Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Fates Warning, etc...

 

PYRAMID Cryptic Treasures (1992) -- If you picked up PYRAMID's 1st release "Hieroglyphics" from Retrospect within the last few months then you know just how killer this Philly Melodic Hard Rock / Hair Metal band is. This is their 2nd release (on CD for the first time) with a fantastic new singer and the blistering chops of guitarist Victor Chiarella continue to wow all over this disc. Just as good if not better than the first release and absolutely essential!

 

TYR It All Comes Down To You (1988) -- Santa Cruz Hair Metal legends TYR fronted by Joel Valentine have inked a deal with Retrospect to release this amazing collection of superb anthemic Melodic Hard Rock songs - first time ever on CD. If you ever saw their powerful dynamic shows back then, you know what a monster band this is. Certainly one of our best and most anticipated releases this year -- watch for some TYR reunion shows too....

 

BUXX Knickers Down (1982) - Not only is Retrospect releasing this highly sought-after Melodic Rock / AOR Gem from 1982 but Buxx have dug up over 50 unreleased tracks to finally see light of day on CD!!! You will not believe your ears!!

 

DAVID Journey to Poexula (1995), Presence (1998), David III (2004) -- All 3 awesome David CD's featuring guitarist/vocalist David Mikeal of the classic AOR band MPG (look for news on that album soon too!!) will be re-issued, re-mastered and/or distributed by Retrospect. Top notch essential Melodic Rock / AOR.

 

THUNDERBOX As Is -- Thunderbox was another side project of DAVID MIKEAL's (ex-MPG) and is yet another superb slice of Pomp Rock / AOR featuring some fantastic guitar / keyboard interplay. An absolute must-have!!

 

CINEMA Break The Silence (1986) -- Mega obscure AOR treasure from this NY-based band is getting its first CD treatment with a whopping 6 incredible bonus tracks never before released in any form!! Tons of rich keyboards, classy guitar playing and hooks galore -- you'll be all over this one!!

 

ESSENCE -- For fans of CINEMA, and top notch classy AOR, this is Cinema frontman Bruce Papa's (aka "Dartanyan") other 80's band. Fantastic material that has never seen the light of day!! This CD will certainly be put on wantlists worldwide....

 

TOPAZ A World Of Secrets (1990) -- And what a secret this super rare CD has been for 18 years!! AOR / Melodic Rock fans will be falling all over themselves to pick this gem up. This killer Chicago-based AOR band are also digging up more AOR treasures from their 80's catalog that have never been released. We can't wait to see what they have for us to get out there!!

 

MASQUERADE -- Early 90's very impressive Melodic Progressive Metal band from Toledo, OH whose powerful music has never been released until now. With killer vocals and virtuoso musicianship, this band will no doubt appeal to fans of their obvious influences Queensryche, Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, etc....

 

PANDEMONIUM -- Retrospect has inked a THREE album deal with this L.A.-based Metal act to re-issue their classic underground Melodic Metal releases "Hole in the Sky" , "Heavy Metal Soldiers" and "The Kill". Originally released between 1983 and 1987 , metal collectors around the world have long lamented that this triple Metal assault has never been available on cd. That changes now! We'll also be releasing a slew of unreleased tracks.

 

KRANK Hideous (1986) - Another cult Metal classic gets the official re-issue treatment it finally deserves. Philadelphia-based KRANK have been around for over 20 years and this album will appeal to fans of in-your-face Metal like WASP.

 

LOVE AFFAIR -- Another TRIO of re-releases from Cleveland-based AOR / Melodic Hard Rock act Love Affair. Love Affair (1980) , DoYouWanna (1981) and Cleveland (1983) become available for the first time ever on cd. Great Stuff!

 

SPINA/SULLIVAN 12x8x2 (1987) -- Following the demise of LOVE AFFAIR , Rich Spina teamed up with Billy Sullivan and recorded this excellent slice of AOR / Melodic Rock back in 1987. First time ever on cd and what a GEM!!!

 

ROSIE - The trios keep rolling into the Retrospect station and here we have yet another TRIO of releases that have never seen a cd release before. Rosie were easily one of the top Cleveland-based bands during the 80s and Retrospect will be releasing the following Melodic Hard Rock treasures.. Precious Metal (1982) , LIVE (1988) , Under Control (1988). Many collectors have waited 20 years for these releases!

 

C.B.S. Three Guesses (1987) - During his tenure as lead vocalist of ROSIE , Carl Shelor recorded this solo album that has never previously been released. Definitely high quality Melodic Hard Rock.

 

FRICTION Baby Talk (1990) - Yes!! On collectors lists all around the world and touted as one of the best independent AOR / Hair Metal releases of all-time , Baby Talk finally sees a full proper silver-pressed re-issue thanks to Bob Michel & Co. A title that frequently sees $400+ on eBay , now every collector and 80s Hard Rock fan can own this treasure for a fraction of that price.

 

EZ THRILL Rock n Roll Forever (1992) - Hard-Hitting and yet Melodic Hard Rock / Hair Metal hailing from Columbus , Ohio. This band had 2 members of the band ONEY in its ranks at one time. These guys recorded a dozen tracks back in the heyday of REAL rock n roll and now they finally get the official cd treatment. ASS-KICKING stuff.

 

SWITCH (1987) - Our first Kansas-based act. Switch recorded a 6-song EP back in the day before falling into obscurity. We found them and they are thrilled to bits that after 20 years these 6 songs will see a worldwide release. Melodic Hard Rock / AOR.

 

ALIAS self-titled (1987) - Not to be confused with the Freddy Curci led AOR band , this Alias hailed from Florida. Many collectors already have the follow-up 'Metal to Infinity' and now the self-titled debut will be available for die-hard Melodic Metalheads on cd for the first time.

 

FOXX self-titled (1990) and Stick It Out (1991) - Excellent Melodic Hard Rock / Metal featuring none other than Allen McKenzie of Firehouse. While the obscure collectors cd 'The Grand Finale' does contain a lot of the Foxx material , these 2 releases will feature the ENTIRE back catalog of Foxx. Awesome stuff!

 

 

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST...

 

 

SILENT RAGE Shattered Hearts (1987) + Don't Touch Me There (1989) - YES! Retrospect has landed two classic Hair Metal / AOR releases from L.A. stalwarts SILENT RAGE. Produced by Gene Simmons , Silent Rage garnered quite a bit of success with the MTV hit 'Rebel With A Cause'. We are extremely honored to welcome S.R. to the Retrospect family and these two releases will include previously unreleased bonus tracks. STAY TUNED!

 

 

 

RELEASES JUST AROUND THE CORNER...

 

 

WORLD WAR III (1985) - features members of Whitefoxx , Britny Fox.

 

MICHAEL FURLONG Use it or Lose It (1985) and Breakaway (1987) - Excellent Melodic Rock / AOR.

 

DC STAR "Livin in a Rock n Roll Whirl" (1983-1985) - the entire catalog of this coveted Melodic Hard Rock act on one cd....

 

GRAVEN IMAGE - early 90s Melodic Metal from L.A.

 

SPLIT IMAGE Sign of Aggression (1994) - Florida-based Hair Metal / Melodic Hard Rock

 

VENDETTA self-titled (1982) - Detroit-based Melodic Hard Rock finally on cd!

 

ERIC VANLANDINGHAM Meet My Demons (2008) - Fantastic Hi-Octane Metal in the style of King Diamond meets Megadeth. One of the best metal indies of 2008...

 

THE JACKS (1986) - Mid-west AOR sees daylight on cd for the first time...

 

TYGER TYGER II (1995) - Tony Wise & Co. are back with a heavy slice of Florida metal.

 

LIQUID MIRROR Kicked Out of Fantasy (1987) - Now re-packaged and re-mastered!!

 

 

 

 

BANDS IN THE STUDIO RECORDING FOR 2009 RELEASES...

 

Mariah

Tommy Had A Vision

Nasty Black

Pair-A-Dice

 

 

Retrospect Records thanks all who continue to support the world's leader in 80s Hard Rock , Metal and AOR re-issues and you can check out the entire catalog of over 300 releases at www.retrospectrecords.com

 

YOU ROCK!

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Nice batch here.... But people are coming to expect that from Retrospect.

 

Can't wait to hear the Problem Child, Pyramid, and Krank releases.

 

~ So looking forward to the DC Star release. :drink:

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Thanks guys , Friction will be available to order sometime in October methinks!!

 

Hey Sam...awesome news!!!! Looking forward to the new releases and signings.

 

Are the following still in the works to be released as they were not mentioned above

 

Staxx-s/t new cd

Siin

Bulletproof Babies

Solus Rex

Northstar

Americade (UNRELEASED ALBUM!!)

PROBLEM CHILD a slew of unreleased material for a 2nd album!! Baltimore band

 

Cheerz

 

Joe

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Rathskeller, Cinema, Friction, Topaz, ....... NICE !!! :bowdown:

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There were actually a few that I missed..

 

Aftermath - 3 Thrash albums from the late 80s

 

Solus Rex - will probably be renamed...I am actually playing keyboards on quite a few of these tracks (including a solo or two) and we're almost finished mixing it. We also drafted in Chip Z'Nuff , Donnie Vie and Dennis Lind of Mariah to do backing vox on it... This one is a KILLER!! I am excited to see what you guys think of this release...

 

As far as these go..

 

 

Staxx-s/t new cd - from 1987 , the band thinks these are too poppy - dude they sound like Bon Jovi!! I gotta convince them to release this album!!

 

Siin - offshoot of TEEZE , um , yeh I still want to release these tracks.

 

 

Bulletproof Babies - this was a tough call. Two of the band members were fighting over the rights and the tracks are pretty solid BUT the sound quality wasn't very good. Between that and the bickering I had to let this one go for now....

 

Northstar - still working this one...

 

Americade (UNRELEASED ALBUM!!) - Yep , just gotta meet with the guys and pick up the masters...

 

PROBLEM CHILD a slew of unreleased material for a 2nd album!! Baltimore band - my brother is working this deal....

 

I am also still hoping for the 2nd Alliance unreleased album , you should hear the tracks I got already - HOLY SMOKES!!

 

 

One more thing if I may...

 

We are editing the Rocklahoma footage but I have decided instead of making just a dvd with the bands playing , this is going to be tentatively titled "The Rise of Retrospect Records and the Resurrection of 80s Metal" - yeh I know it's long , I'll figure something out.

But anyhoo , this is going to be a video biography of my life for the first 10 minutes and then we'll get into some cool videos / Live footage of the bands. Again , I hope that many here will give it a shot and let me know what you think , it will be priced right and since it'll be a Rockumentary , I'd be interested in y'alls opinions.

 

Anyways , thanks guys , this is a very exciting time for 80s Rock fans for sure...

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