Year : 2025
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Hard FM , AOR
Country : Australia
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 159 mb
Bio:
Roxus were an Australian AOR band which existed between 1987 and 1994. Members included Juno Roxas - lead vocals, Dragan Stanić - guitar, Darren Danielson - drums, John 'Stones' Nixon - bass guitar and Andy Shanahan - keyboards. Their style used melodic keyboards with guitar-driven hard rock and elements of glam metal. Their debut album, Nightstreet (September 1991),produced by Mark Opitz (The Angels, AC/DC.Divinyls, Cold Chisel), peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their most successful single, "Where Are You Now?" (writers - Juno Roxas, Robin Randall, Judithe Randall) (July 1991), reached No. 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart.In 1992, American AOR maestro Jeff Paris was hired to produce what was to be Roxus' second LP. Recorded at Platinum recorders in Melbourne Australia, the sessions engendered 4 tracks-"Invisible Man", "What You Don't Know", "Stop Playin' With My Heart" and "All The Way". These dates were cut short by and large due to the unanimous decision to replace Danielson with a drum machine after time restrictions became an issue, with Danielson unable to provide adequate rhythm tracks.Roxas and Stanic returned to Los Angeles with Paris, to mix the four completed songs, hiring David Bianco (The Black Crowes, Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, USA For Africa) as engineer. The album however, was never completed and on New Year's Eve, 1992, Roxus played their last show before disbanding in the wake of a change in the musical landscape.(Grunge) In 1993 Danielson and Nixon joined Melbourne-based rockers, Chocolate Starfish.Roxus formed in 1987 in the Melbourne south-eastern suburb of Springvale with Joe Cool on guitar; Darren Danielson (ex-Windsor Jamm) on drums; John 'Stones' Nixon (Windsor Jamm) on bass guitar; Juno Roxas on lead vocals (Party Pies); and Andy Shanahan on keyboards.Roxus gained a considerable live following.Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, found the group played a "blend of tuneful, Van Halenesque hard rock and Living Colour-inspired funk around the Melbourne pub circuit ... carefully cultivated image of black leather, ripped jeans, cowboy boots, bandannas and big hair".In 1989 Roxus supported international bands, Poison and Bon Jovi, on their respective Australian tours.Also that year Dragan Stanić replaced Joe Cool on guitar. The band came to the attention of music commentator and promoter, Ian (Molly) Meldrum, who signed them to his Melodian Records label via Mushroom Records.The group issued two singles, "Stand Back" in July and "Body Heat" in November.In 1990, they released a live EP, That Girl, including live versions of the tracks "Stand Back" and "Body Heat".In April 1991 Roxus supported US band, Warrant, on their Australian tour.In September that year their debut album, Nightstreet, was released,which reached No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart.In July they issued their most successful single, "Where Are You Now?", which is a power ballad that received considerable radio airplay and peaked at No. 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 11 on the AMR Singles Chart.In August, they followed up with "Bad Boys", which reached No. 39 on the ARIA chart, and in December, "Midnight Love" was released.After Roxus/Roxas had disbanded Juno Roxas went solo and recorded the album, Far From Here, on Melodian in 1994.He has worked as a musician and producer in both Los Angeles and Melbourne.Stanić continued playing locally in a range of projects including De-Arrow, Among Thieves and Kream.By March 1993 Danielson and Nixon had joined Melbourne rockers, Chocolate Starfish.Shanahan became a lecturer at RMIT University in Sound Production.
Album:
Aussie band ROXUS fronted by singer Juno Roxas was without a doubt one of the best Melodic Rock acts ever emerged from Down Under. They only released a full length album, an EP and some singles, but all these include some real gems from the genre.This collector’s unofficial CD “The Jeff Paris Sessions & More” features unreleased demos and sessions recorded by Roxus with Jeff Paris as producer tracked down in America at the beginning of the Nineties, where Juno Roxas moved to pursue a songwriter career.This 17-track collection feature seven previously unreleased tracks, including a version of the classic single “Body Heat” with Jeff Paris as backup. Also a demo version of the classic VENUS & MARS track “Where Are You Now,” featuring James Christian on backing vocals.We find as well single B-sides, live recordings, and Juno Roxas’ solo track “Hold On,” featured in the 1987 film “Mul” which never made an appearance on the soundtrack.This is a must-listen collection for all fans of classic melodic hard rock, unreleased and rare non-album recordings from 1988 to 1992, all with VG+ sound quality. Limited to 200 copies.Among highlights there’s the catchy Melodic Rocker “Love Me, Do Me” with a really Americanized sound, which somehow reminds of Damn Yankees. Or the re-worked long version of “Body Heat” (a winner) with the ‘Jeff Paris treatment’.Another rarity is the original demo of the band’s biggest hit “Where Are You Now”, featuring Robin Randall (Mark Free, Venus & Mars) and Steve Hopkins (Mark Free) on keyboards, while James Christian (House Of Lords) and the superb Diana Dewitt (Venus & Mars) did backing vocals. This version is far superior than the finally appeared in Roxus’ album / single.And we have more from the Paris Sessions: killer rocking, melodic unreleased tunes as “What You Don’t Know”, “Stop Playing With My Heart” or “Invisible Man”.Additional rarities are the original ’89 single version (Australia only) of “Stand Back”, the b-side “Borderline”, unreleased live versions of “Bad Boys” and “All Right Now” (Free cover) which I believe were recorded at MTV studios.Very good stuff, a true collector’s item.
Line Up:
Dragan Stanic - guitars, backing vocals
Darren Danielson - drums
John Stones Nixon - bass, backing vocals
Juno Roxas - lead vocals
Andy Shanahan - keyboards
Produced by Jeff Paris
Tracklist:
01. Love Me, Do Me (Jeff Paris session demo)
02. What You Don’t Know (Jeff Paris session demo)
03. Invisible Man (Jeff Paris session demo)
04. Body Heat [long version] (Jeff Paris session demo)
05. Stop Playing With My Heart (Jeff Paris session demo)
06. All The Way (Jeff Paris session demo)
07. Don’t Stop (Jeff Paris session demo)
08. Where Are You Now (original demo ft. J. Christian)
09. Borderline (Where Are You Now b-side)
10. Stand Back (Original 1989 Radio Version)
11. Spaghetti Wire
12. Body Heat (Demo)
13. Bad Boys (Live)
14. All Right Now (Live)
15. Hold On (Juno Roxas – From The Movie Mull)
16. That Girl (Live)
17. Morning Light (Live)
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