Year : 1986 (YesterRock / Sony Music Remastered Edition 2009)
Style : Melodic Rock , AOR
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Videos
Size : 121 mb
Bio:
Robert Tepper (born May 30, 1950) is an American songwriter, recording artist and sporadically active singer, best known for his hit song "No Easy Way Out" from the Rocky IV motion picture soundtrack. Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Tepper moved to New York where he became a staff writer. He paired up with fellow singer Benny Mardones, and together they wrote Mardones's hit ballad "Into the Night," which earned them a Grammy Awards nomination. Tepper worked with Mardones on writing the latter's follow-up album Too Much to Lose in 1981.In 1985, Tepper signed with Scotti Brothers and moved to Los Angeles. Actor/director Sylvester Stallone was taken with Tepper's song "No Easy Way Out," which subsequently led to its inclusion in the movie Rocky IV. "No Easy Way Out" climbed into the Top 40, reaching #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1986, and momentarily putting Tepper in the public eye. Several European labels, including Ministry of Sound, released "No Easy Way Out" with their own dance versions, resulting in regular airplay on German radio stations that continues today (in particular evening dance and party programming in Munich featured on Charivari 95.5 and Radio Gong 96.3). The heavy metal group Bullet For My Valentine also recorded the song in 2008. Tepper released two solo albums for Scotti Bros. Records, but both albums received little promotion from the label. In 1986, one year after Rocky IV, another song from Tepper's debut album (titled No Easy Way Out) called "Angel of the City" became the main song of Stallone´s film Cobra. Also in 1986, he co-wrote the single "Le Bel Age" for Pat Benatar, which peaked at #54 on the Billboard charts. A second album, Modern Madness was released in 1988. He went on to join the classic hard rock group Iron Butterfly for a few years. His third solo album No Rest For The Wounded Heart was released exclusively in Europe in 1996 on the MTM Music label.In 2009, Sony/BMG re-released his first two albums digitally.In recent years, he ventured into writing music for television and film, and collaborated on a musical. In 2012, he released his fourth solo album titled New Life Story. The music is a departure from the big rock sound of the 1980s and has been described as "acoustic, singer/songwriter with an electric tinge."Tepper's "No Easy Way Out" was featured on a special list of the best songs from '80s action film montages that appeared on music website, No Echo.Tepper has 5 children and currently resides with his wife in Los Angeles, California.
Album:
ROBERT TEPPER’s 1986 debut album “No Easy Way Out” digitally remastered.The title track become a Top 30 single featured in the blockbuster movie Rocky IV.Robert Tepper (born Antonie Roberto Teppardo), raised up in New Jersey. He began his career as a writer in New York City and paired up with Benny Mardones.Together they wrote the hit ‘Into The Night’ (which earned a Grammy nomination) and Tepper also was part of Mardones’ band playing bass on many of the songs on that album.Afterwards, Robert also was a partner on Benny’s 1981 follow-up album Too Much To Lose, then departed to L.A. for a solo career.In 1985 Tepper signed a record deal with Scotti Brothers. The day when Sylvester Stallone listened to the track “No Easy Way Out”, he chose the song for the Rocky IV Soundtrack.“No Easy Way Out” became one of the biggest hits in 1986. The single climbed into the US Top 30. But there’s much more on this great album.The production by Joe Chicarelli is huge but detailed and cinematic, and has loads of atmosphere which makes you feel you are in the seediest parts of a big city like Los Angeles or New York.The key players are originally from the late great Van Stephenson band who later became Giant; awesome guitarist Dann Huff and keyboardist Alan Pasqua, as well as terrific drummer Carlos Vega and Myron Grombacher, who played on all those classic Pat Benatar records… they really packs a wallop like you are being hit in the ring by Rocky himself.There are also harmonies by Van Stephenson himself, as well as David & David which is where the atmosphere comes from.Since the opening title track you notice the adrenaline running fast, and for all 9 songs and 38 minutes, doesn’t let up. All killer, no filler.“Angel Of The City” was also used in another Stallone film (Cobra) and packs that lovely action movie feel so ’80s.I really love “Don’t Walk Away” with similar but different elements as the prior 2 songs and a catchy-as-hell chorus & passionate delivery of Robert’s go-for-broke vocals… great keyboard lines and those ‘big’ drums!Track 4 is “Your Love Hurts”, the first ballad with a killer vocal and a multi-part backing chorus that makes an impact. “Restless World”, a cool atmospheric midtempo rocker, opens with Tepper delivering a smooth spoken word passage before the drums and guitars kick in to rock.“Hopeless Romantic” is very Van Stephenson with an AOR aura, then comes another monster track called “Soul Survivor”. What a great song. Melodic, haunting and hard-hitting all at once.“If That’s What You Call Lovin'” is a ballad-of-sorts yet quite intense, with lyrics that portray his woman as a maneater and he wants to get out of there fast.With “Domination” and its booming drums plus Tepper’s seething vocals, this album leaves a deep impression when it’s over. I can’t think of any other record like this one from the mid-Eighties, stylistically & in intensity as this one.Thanks to the kind collaboration between YesterRock and Sony Music Germany, this album is available again and now digitally remastered in all its glory.“No Easy Way Out” is without any doubt a must have for any lover of ’80s bombastic productions going from Melodic Rock and AOR to punchy rock&pop.It would be classified as a ‘classic need‘ to have in your music inventory.
Line-Up:
Robert Tepper – vocals. keyboards (Ex-Iron Butterfly)
Dann Huff, Guy Marshall, Eric Williams - Guitars
Tim Landers - Bass
Alan Pasqua - Keyboards
Carlos Vega, Myron Grombacher - Drums
Steve Reid - Percussion
Van Stephenson, David & David - Backing Vocals
Production:
Recorded At – Avatar, Malibu, CA
Mixed At – Capitol Studios
Mixed At – Conway Studios
Glass Mastered At – Sony DADC – A0101484085-0101
Art Direction – Lane/Donald
Engineer [Assistant, Mix] – Gary Hollis, Jeff Stebbins
Engineer [Assistant] – Bill Thomas, Jeff Demoorse, Marc DeSisto, Steve Himelfarb, Steve Hug
Management – Vicky Germaise
Photography By – Bradford Branson
Producer – Joe Chiccarelli
Remastered By [Digitaly] – Toni Übler
Tracklist:
01. No Easy Way Out
02. Angel Of The City
03. Don’t Walk Away
04. Your Love Hurts
05. Restless World
06. Hopless Romantic
07. Soul Survivor
08. If That’s What You Call Lovin’
09. Domination
+ Video "No Easy Way Out" (Official Video)
+ Video "Don’t Walk Away" (Official Video)
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