Year : 1976 (Rock Candy Remastered 2016)
Style : Melodic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 108 mb
Bio:
Target was an exciting US quintet from Memphis that featured the legendary Jimi Jamison (Cobra, Survivor) on vocals. They released two albums on A&M in 1976 ("Target") and 1977 ("Captured"). However, it has come to light that a third album was recorded in 1979, entitled “In Range”, before the band split in 1982.While vocalist Jimi Jamison did go on to greater heights - thanks to his stints fronting Cobraand Survivor, not to mention releasing an impressive catalogue of solo records – Target was the band with whom he first made the progression from playing the bars and clubs to touring as a major label act opening for the likes of Black Sabbath and Styx. However, the debut Target LP wasn’t the singer’s first album recording credit. Nor bassist Tommy Cathey’s either. Having started to work together in a band called Omaha in the early 70s, an opportunity to hook up with another project was just too good to miss, as the latter explains: “After a stint in Omaha with Jimi, we both wanted to explore the chances of original music”, recalls Cathey. “David Beaver had been doing original music for a couple of years so we gravitated to that. We did two records with D. Beaver, of which only one was released (‘Combinations’ on the TMI label in 1973). Right after the second record, Jimi and I were ready to take the splash into forming our own band to do original music, so we teamed up with guitarist/organist Buddy Davis and formed Target. We still played cover music to pay the bills, but all along writing our own music and trying to be a good rock and roll band!” The band toured substantially back then and it was a shame that the band split before that third release saw the light of day "In Range" was recorded in the autumn of 1979. It took the band about two to three weeks to do this third album. What an album it is though! This is Target’s best recording, chock full of quality songs and musicianship. It's criminal it has laid dormant for so long, but here it is for you on Escape Music.Here is what bassist Tommy Cathey says about the recording: “I think what I'm most proud of with the third album is the maturity of our songs and the developing sound we were getting in the studio. This album doesn't sound like the first two and I consider it to be the best of the three! We produced it ourselves and I think you can tell the distinction from the first two albums. The third album is all Target with no outside help or direction! I am very proud of our efforts and I hope all our fans and a new generation of fans will appreciate the music!”
Album:
TARGET, out of Memphis, Tennessee, was the first band to bring the great Jimi Jamison to a major label release (pre- Cobra). Target put out a pair of albums for A&M never officially released on CD. Thanks to Rock Candy Records, we are able to hear these great LP’s again, with their special remastered treatment. Target’s first album, the self-titled “Target”, includes two bonus tracks in this reissue.Arguably the British rock scene was hugely influenced by the massive commercial impact of American melodic rock bands that emerged during the late ’70s. However there was a time, earlier in the decade, when British rock cast a huge impact on American music. Acts such as Bad Company, Trapeze and Deep Purple were the hot ticket items of the time and their influence was staggeringly persuasive… not least on Target.Memphis based Target were keen students of the British sound and forged their style and identity with exacting accuracy.It was a style that showcased vocalist Jimi Jamison’s vocals perfectly, a wonderful combination of rough-hewn growls delivered with velvet smoothness, sitting proudly atop songs that packed a decidedly bluesy hard rock punch. The combination was hugely compelling.Discovered by Black Oak Arkansas frontman Jim Dandy and his manager in a Memphis Club, the five piece band were soon signed to A&M records and put in to the legendary Ardent Studios, with producer John Ryan, to cut this, their debut album.It is a work of sublime proficiency, digging deep into soulful grooves and muscular rock. Despite a concerted effort, including a thirty date US tour opening for Black Sabbath, and also Boston and Kiss, the record failed to resonate commercially with the public at the time but did it provide a healthy platform from which to launch their follow up album.Considering Jamison’s reputation as an arena rock frontman, “Target” comes as quite a surprise. With a bluesy hard rock sound, the album comes closer to Blackfoot than it does anything related to his work with Survivor.Though the hooks are subtle for the most part, this is an excellent batch of classic hard rock with great musicianship, and Jimi – well, you could already tell he was something special…Excellent remastered sound by Rock Candy Records.
Line Up:
Jimi Jamison (vocals) R.I.P 2014 (Ex-Survivor, Voices of Classic Rock, Cobra...)
Buddy Davis – lead guitar, keyboards, vocals
Paul Cannon – lead guitar
Tommy Cathey – bass, vocals
David Spain – drums, percussion
+ guests:
Piano – Marius Penczner (tracks: 8)
Synthesizer – Marius Penczner (tracks: 10)
Cello – Jesse Elrich
Horns – Jerry McKinney (tracks: 6), Joe Mulherin (tracks: 6)
Production:
Art Direction – Roland Young
Creative Director [Reissue] – Julia Melanie Goode
Design [Album Design] – Chuck Beeson
Design [Reissue] – Cürt 'Bad Boy' Evans
Engineer – Ron Capone
Illustration [Front Cover Illustration] – Lou Beach
Management – Butch Stone
Mastered By – Larry Nix
Photography By – Scott Enyart
Producer – John Ryan
Product Manager [Re-issue] – Jon Richards
Remix – John Ryan, Michael Stone
Sleeve Notes – Malcolm Dome
Written-By – Buddy Davis (tracks: 3,5,7-8,10-12), David Spain (tracks: 7, 11), Eddie Floyd (tracks: 6), Jimi Jamison (tracks: 1-2,5,7-8, 11), Johnny Burnett* (tracks: 4), Ken Woodley (tracks: 9), Paul Cannon (tracks: 2,7, 11), Steve Crooper* (tracks: 6), Tommy Cathey (tracks: 1-2, 7, 11), Wilson Pickett (tracks: 6)
Tracklist:
01. Love Just Won’t Quit
02. Bad Boy
03. Let Me Live
04. Just A Little Too Much
05. Can’t Fake It
06. 99 1/2
07. You Need A Woman
08. Let Me Down Easy
09. Walkin’ Song
10. Are You Ready
11. You Need A Woman (Live 1978) (Bonus Track)
12. Let Me Live (Live 1978) (Bonus Track)
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