Year : 1988 (Heaven & Hell Records Limited Remastered Edition 2019)
Style : Hard Rock , Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 157 mb
Bio:
In early 1986 Reimer put the band on hiatus. Paragon cable then came knocking for an offer of additional appearances and more video shoots. So when the band regrouped at the tail end of 1986, Kranick and Byrd were not asked to return. Reimer, Ritchie and Solina decided to revamp the sound a bit and brought in stellar vocalist Brian Paine and brought back former drummer Rob Lombardi. Lombardi had ditched the drums and had been a full time bassist for two years. The band then entered the studio to record a fresh batch of brand new music that would be the soundtrack for their early 1987 New York television appearances as “Love And War” and “Back On Top” were gaining radio play. The band then began showcasing for major labels, most notably MCA and Capitol records, who both wanted to hear more material. So, again the band began writing songs to appease the labels interest. Seven more songs were written when tension again arose between Reimer and Solina which led to Solina exiting the band and joining ROUGH DYMOND. The band briefly recruited drummer Jim “Feek” Ferraioli (of WHITE FOXX), but sadly Ferraioli became ill with cancer. Sessions for the new material were completed with veteran drummer Jimmy Drnec (CINDERELLA, TANGIER, NETWORK) filling in. After basic tracks were done, the bands relationship with Reimer totally broke down. The rest of the band were never happy with the departure of Solina, so, Ritchie re-recorded all the guitar parts and Reimer was then ousted from the band he created. The recordings were released as “1987-1988" as Reimer then assumed a different name and toured the U.K.At this point in 1988, the band drafted in drummer Mark Kaminski and changed the name of the band to BRAT. The name recognition was gone with the change to BRAT and the label interest dried up. Ritchie and Paine joined the popular DEAD END KIDS, while Lombardi joined APRIL FOOL, then formed THE RAGE, RED SKY and eventually ROAD TRIP.
Rob Lombardi: Bass, Background Vocals, Songwriter, Producer.This is the band where I really started to come into my own as a bassist. I really wanted to be the best I could be and I worked hard to be talented & entertaining.
Curt Ritchie: Guitars, Background Vocals, Songwriter, Producer.Curt was in many bands throughout the 1980's. He is probably best known for being the brains behind "Saints In Hell" which also featured Tom Keifer & Eric Brittingham of "Cinderella" as well as Michael Kelly Smith from "Britny Fox". Curt was also in "The End", an earlier version of "Brat" and "Dead End Kids", another Philly / South Jersey favorite, as well as many other great bands. I don't have any information on Curt , but, I believe he is still in the South New Jersey area.
Brian Paine: Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Songwriter.Brian was a singer that had always wanted to be in "The End" and kept working on Jean Reimer until he got the job! Brian is what I would call a consummate rock & roll singer. Confident, powerful & could howl like the best of them! Brian was also in a later version of "Dead End Kids" with Curt Ritchie. I haven't seen him since 1989.
Mark Kaminski: Drums. Mark joined "Brat" as a result of a long search for the departing "Bazooka" Joe Solina. Mark was a veteran of many cover bands and his style & personality really fit the band. Unfortunately, we never recorded together. We were rehearsing new material for a new demo when the band broke up, So I only have Mark on a live tape (which includes a smokin' drum solo!). I Haven't seen him since 1988.
Album:
The band played shows and recorded songs for a handful of tribute CDs but never formerly released an album of songs.This self-titled collection on Perris Records is a collection of those tribute tracks, some finished original Razamanaz compositions and some unfinished demos.The band's sound is most certainly derrived from their 1970's heros with a nod to the raspy 80's metal that Smith is known for with Britny Fox. Vocalist Cory Massi has a definite 80's feel with a great vocal range mixed with inspiration from Steven Tyler to Bon Scott. At times he also reminds me of Jason McMaster of Dangerous Toys/Broken Teeth fame. The first two tracks, and especially "Feel It" have that classic AC/DC vibe. However, the albums shining moment is album opener "Urgency", and upbeat rocker that easily could have been a hit for Britny Fox or Cinderella had it been recorded in 1987 instead of 1993. "In the Dust" is another short, straight forward rocker with a hooky chorus. "Make You Mine" is the obligatory ballad, and it a bluesy number that might have been at home on a Jackyl album. I also dug the bluesy "Swamp Slide/Bad Feelin' Blues" which features an excerpt of Jimi Henrix's "Red House".The band record an superb cover of one of Aerosmith's more underrated gems, "Season of Wither". Massi's attempts to channel his best Steve Tyler impression for the song and the guitar sound has that heavy, 70's feel. To be quite honest, it was this track that attracted me to this CD. I'm a sucker for cool Aerosmith covers. Add a cover of Kiss' "King of the Night Time World" and my interest is even more peaked. The other covers included is "Kicks", originally recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders and the Ventures classic "Walk, Don't Run".Unfortunately the rest of the album isn't quite as interesting as the previously mentioned originals and the four covers. "Call of the Wild" may very well have been a killer tune, but the lack of vocals makes for a dull listen. As well, the recording quality dips severely for some of these songs, since they are merely demos. On the last couple songs on the album, the vocals are mixed way to low and are almost hard to hear. Listening to this in my car I kept wanting to turn up the song to hear the vocals, but of course that only makes the music surrounding the vocals louder and never really fixes the problem.This compilation of material shows as band that had promise and would have been a blast to see in some smokey club. Too bad they never had the opportunity to record properly. I would have loved to have heard them. As it stands, this album is worth owning if just for the Aerosmith and Kiss cover alone.
Line-Up:
Brian Paine - Vocals - See also: ex-The End
Rob Lombardi - Bass, Keyboards - See also: ex-The End, ex-April Fool, ex-Eclipse, ex-Road Trip, ex-Streetrocker, ex-The Facts, ex-The Rage, ex-White Lines
Mark Kaminski - Drums - See also: ex-The End
Curt Richie - Guitars - See also: ex-The End, Saints in Hell
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BAZOOKA JOE SOLINA - Drums (Tracks 1-7)
JIMMY DRNEC - Drums (Tracks 8-14)
JEAN PIERRE REIMER - Guitars, Songwriter (Tracks 1-7, 14)
2019 remastering by Jamie King
Tracklist:
01. The Seer
02. Dressed to Thrill
03. Back on Top
04. Love & War
05. Curse of the Black Widow
06. Not Ready for Love
07. Loud n' Proud
08. Slow Down
09. Hot Rod
10. One Life to Live
11. Liar
12. Push It
13. Promise of Destruction
14. Venus
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