In theme with what makes me think of summer we'll explore the hard to find soundtrack to the film Light of Day starring Joan Jett and Michael J Fox which came out in 1987. Four of the tunes are performed by the Barbusters which consists of Jett, Fox and Michael McKean and two other dudes. These guys actually played together as a unit and they also played a couple of live gigs togehter as the Barbusters. Bon Jovi, Ian Hunter, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and a song written and performed by Michael J Fox round [...]
Summer has finally come to the Island. Living in such an awesome temperate climate really spoils us sometimes. So far this year the temperature hasn't exceeded 20 degrees. Just this Monday the high was only 13. Then Tuesday rolled around and it's been 31 or over every day. So summer is finally here and you know what really gets homercat into the summer mood? Two artists in particular go hand in hand with summer, in my humble opinion. None other than Jimmy Buffett and Joan Jett. Jimmy is an obvious choice, but with Joan it goes deeper for me because [...]
Avalon , released in 1982, was Roxy Music's eighth (and, to date, final) studio album. Definitely one of the best albums to be released in the 80's it also appears on my list of Top 100 albums of all time. It was the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. It was a decent commercial success, hitting #1 in the UK (for 3 weeks) and staying on the album charts for over a year, yet only peaking at #53 in America. One of the sexiest and aurally rich albums ever recorded, and yes, it's true [...]
Todays entry is a repost from 2 years ago that I felt was time to resurrect again, especially with the shortage of time on my hands. Also to avoid this album from being relegated to the lost, never to be found again files. Older readers have probably snagged this already, newer readers might want to take a gander. Sue Saad and the Next is a lost gem in rock history. Sue Saad and the Next only did one album way back in 1980. If you [...]
Harlequin was originally formed in the mid-seventies. After several demos and trips to Toronto, Harlequin was finally discovered playing in a tiny bar in Toronto by representatives of Jack Douglas, legendary producer of Aerosmith, Patti Smith and John Lennon. Ironically, the scouts for Douglas' company had actually intended to see Goddo, the band playing downstairs, but were turned away due to a sold old show. Instead they retired upstairs to a much smaller bar - only to be blown away by the band, playing a high-energy set of strong original songs for only a handful of people. This chance meeting [...]
Lots going on last week, this week which will see much Canada Day festivities observed by the homercat household plus the standard work stuff which I seem to be getting more jobs of late so posting will be pretty spotty here for a couple weeks (like it hasn't been already). Billy Idol's solo career began with an EP titled Don't Stop which was released in 1981. It included his solo rendition of "Dancing with Myself"(basically a remix of the Generation X version) and a cover of Tommy James & The Shondells' song "Mony Mony". [...]
Bachman-Turner Overdrive's fifth release, Head On , came out in December of 1975. Unfortunately this album pretty much heralds the end of the Bachman-Turner Overdrive story. That doesn't mean it's a bad album, quite the opposite. The tracks are mostly typical BTO stuff yet Randy Bachman's dominance of the group is apparent -- his face alone fills the front cover (although the original vinyl cover folded out into a huge poster featuring the whole band), he produced the record, and he wrote or co-wrote five of the nine songs. You can hear the band slightly going into [...]
When people think about lists for best albums or must have albums one band seems to get lost in the shuffle. In fact if you are a true connisseur of rock n roll, then you must own the 1973 debut album from Montrose. No collection would be complete without it. A guitar, a bass, some drums and a singer whose vocal could peel paint. A simple formula for hard rock that served as a template for hard rock bands that followed. One of the first American-bred hard rock groups to challenge British supremacy in the early '70s. Just listen to [...]
I have really been spending a lot of time playing and ripping all this new (to me) vinyl that we've acquired over the last couple months. I've mentioned the K-Tel brand before and those records are the ones I have had the most fun transferring to digital. It seems that the years from 73 to 78 were the most prolific for the K-Tel records especially since a lot of what I've been ripping are from 1973. I believe that AM radio was still king at the time and there didn't seem to be specialty stations [...]
You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish was REO Speedwagon's seventh studio album and came out in 1978. It was their first album to be produced entirely by lead singer Kevin Cronin and lead guitarist Gary Richrath. The album was REO's first to make the Top 40, peaking at #29. The album sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. which led it to go 2x Platinum. It's a great album that shows that REO can rock their asses off when they put their minds to it. When I was in high school these guys were [...]
Kat-Tail Records presents Catnip Fever , 20 songs as recorded by the original artists for a limited time only. Seriously though, I thought that as long as I've been ripping a bunch of these K-Tel compilation records that the Mrs. had in her vinyl collection, I might as well make one myself for Good Rockin'. A "should have been released on K-Tel" compilation. Now I know several of the songs on this comp have made their appearance here at one time or another, maybe on one of my previous comps or a stand alone post. [...]
Paul Davis was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career which started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul, country and pop music. Davis had his first American Top 10 single with the ballad "I Go Crazy," which peaked at #7 in 1978. "I Go Crazy" spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, which at the time set the single-song record for most consecutive weeks on the chart in the rock era. His biggest or most well known hit was probably 65 Love Affair which was his highest charting [...]
Suzi Quatro is Suzi Quatro's 1974 debut album. Depending on where you live and the country of release also decides which tracks may be on the album or what the title may be. For example the title of the album in Australia is "Can the Can". The first pressing in the UK omitted the song"Can the Can" and was replaced by "Rockin Moonbeam" instead. Whereas the American release has a different track listing than my Canadian vinyl pressing. As glam rock debut albums go, you'll have to search a long way to find one that outclasses [...]
One of my very favorite Elvis albums is That's the Way It Is: Special Edition (TTWIISE) highlighting his comeback Vegas concert in 1970. To put it simply, if you're an Elvis fan, you MUST have this three CD set in your collection. I've always considered the period of 1968-1974 to be Elvis's absolute best, and TTWIISE certainly proves that. The first CD contains the 12 tracks from the original album, plus 7 additional songs which range from a tender, heartfelt version of "Love Letters" to the lively, rockin' "Cindy, Cindy." The second disc contains Elvis's [...]
A couple years ago somebody ran an online poll asking people what they thought were the Greatest Opening Song Lines in rock 'n' roll history. I think it was BBC radio although it seems like I saw some organization in America did it too. That's a pretty broad category as there's so many to choose from. On this particular pole Warren Zevon 's Werewolves of London took the number 1 spot with this opening lick, "Saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand, walking through the streets of Soho in the [...]
I am fed up with the music industry and record companies in general, even some of the artists are starting to tick me off. Let me explain, although if you've been visiting here for a while you know homercat is about to go off on another rant. I went out to the store today to pick up a couple new releases. In fact I went to a couple different ones as I couldn't find what I was looking for. I had to go to Wal Mart for one because of one of those artists exclusively [...]
Mere months after the release of Who Are You in 1978, Keith Moon died and the future of The Who was uncertain. The remaining members felt that with Keith gone they would never be the same. So for a few years Pete, Roger and the Ox piddled around with their own projects. Roger was working on a film version Of John McVicar's autobiography. McVicar was an armed robber who was tagged 'Public Enemy No. 1' by Scotland Yard with a 'dead or alive' reward on his head. He was apprehended and given a 26 year jail [...]
I don't know if anyone has noticed but homercat has kinda been taking a break from Good Rockin' during this fine April. Fine weather, hockey playoffs, more work and other assorted goings on has kept my computer time limited. Last week homercat's ole lady finally got the rest of her vinyl collection transported to our place from it's former resting place in Alberta. Most of her collection hasn't seen the light of day for thirty years or more. I found it interesting that she [...]
In 2007 Cheap Trick teamed up with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and several guest artists and performed several sold out shows of a track by track rendition of The Beatles Sgt' Peppers album. This was in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the release of the historic album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Both a live album and a companion DVD of the performance were released in 2009 simply titled Sgt. Pepper Live . Cheap Trick has never shied away from their love of The Beatles. From their [...]
Eddy Grant's most popular album, 1982's Killer on the Rampage, was an international hit, slaying its way into the Top Ten in the U.S. The album spun off the smash hit "Electric Avenue," while two further tracks — "I Don't Wanna Dance" and "War Party" — also hit in the U.K. This self-composed, performed, and produced album was a magical feat by Grant which he never repeated, but it was absolutely brilliant. Generous helpings of pop are lavished across the record, foamy concoctions of strong synth beats and bright melodies, all spiced with smatterings of rock, funk, and wave. For [...]
TSURURADIO Presents… Baby, Don’t Forget My Number!!! The Story & Mixtape Of The Trials & Tribulations Of Broken Phones & A Broken Heart…
Bitter, old music critic goes 2 Pitchfork Festival, pans Panda Bear, questions P4k’s brand
Pitchfork Fest 2010 in pics & setlists (Day 3 - Pavement, Big Boi, St Vincent, Major Lazer, Lightning Bolt & more)
