Year : 1988 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Glam Hard Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans + Video
Size : 120 mb
Bio:
Originally known as the glam band Teeze, upon signing a major label deal the band toned down their image and was forced to change their name to Roughhouse.Their material would easily have fit onto a Motley Crue album.In 1988 the members of Teeze, Luis Rivera (vocals), Gregg Malack (guitar), Rex Eisen (guitar), Dave Weakley (bass) and Mike Natalini (drums), finally got their long awaited signing with a major record label. However they had to change their name due to a Canadian rock band named Teaze and an R&B; group known as Tease. Despite protests, they finally gave in and became known as Roughhouse.Max Norman produced the debut album, and the band was set to make waves. Yet surprisingly their management didn't want to record a support video for the album, and after much fighting management finally relented and a video for "Tonite" was shot some two months after the album's release. Lack of radio promotion and a decent touring slot led to the album sinking without a trace. Roughhouse would headline a club tour, but by 1991 the band had fallen apart.The band reunited for some shows in 1992/93, but it wouldn't be until 2002 when the band once again hit the stage.They still continue to tour off and on, and there are future plans to re-release both the hard to find Roughhouse and Teeze albums.
Album:
After featuring the reissue of TEEZE’s 1985 album, we need to hear ROUGHHOUSE too. All TEEZE members felt it was necessary to change the band’s look and update the sound to a more mainstream, polished melodic hard rock style circa 1987.The core songwriting team of Teeze—bassist Dave Weakley, guitarist Gregg Malack, and vocalist Luis Rivera - enlisted a new drummer and guitarist, changed management, and switched the name to ROUGHHOUSE. Gone were the spandex, makeup, and sleazy delivery, replaced by catchy yet rocking glam metal.They secured a deal with major label CBS and got expert Max Norman (Ozzy, Coney Hatch, Dirty Looks) for producing, and recorded the blasting self-titled debut album “Roughhouse“. The band’s sound is definitely that hard rocking kind of glammed up sound that was prevalent in 1988, similar to early Cinderella, Poison, Shortino’s Badd Boyz.The first two songs on the album are pretty rocking n’ catchy. “Don’t Go Away” and “Tonite” each have a real solid hook to grab your ear.Next, “Love Is Pain” is a mid‑tempo track—not exactly a ballad—that may sound odd on paper, but comes across like females Vixen. Very good track.What follows are two more strong rockers. We really like “Love or Lust”, however the way the vocal was performed on the chorus of “Can’t Find Love” left much to be desired. They are back on track with “Teeze Me Pleeze Me”, an electric kick in the pants, while the fiery licks of “Midnight Madness” held you in its grasp. “Without You” adds a bluesy touch to the riffs, then ”Justify” is anthemic with a fist in the air chorus.The last two songs on ”Roughhouse” are truly outstanding in our glam metal book. “Racin’” definitely fired the imagination and lived up to its title with how the song moved from start to finish.The guitar work on this song as well as “Fantasy” are kick ass and kind of set me back on my heels a bit. The guitars blazed and I was surprised enough that a picture of my face as they played would probably have seen a real gleeful look in my eyes.Not many fans of the genre are aware of ROUGHHOUSE. They released the album right in time (1988), and had a major label back up. Why didn’t they succeed, or at least why don’t more people remember them? Well, it happened many times: CBS put zero interest in promoting “Roughhouse”.The album had decent sales in Asia, but ROUGHHOUSE found themselves helpless in America. They continued performing for a few years before breaking up, though they have reunited several times over the years. Today, they maintain an active Facebook page.This Japanese CD pressing has become quite rare and is now sold at infamous prices on eBay.
Line Up:
Luis Rivera - lead vocals
Gregg Malack - guitars, backing vocals
Dave Weakley - bass, backing vocals
Mike Natalini - drums
Rex Eisen - guitars
Production:
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Max Norman
Recorded At – Long View Farm Studios
Recorded At – The Warehouse, Philadelphia
Recorded At – Carriage House Studios
Mixed At – Carriage House Studios
Mixed At – Quantum Sound Studios
Mixed At – Galaxy Sound Studios
Mastered At – Masterdisk
Tracklist:
01. Don't Go Away
02. Tonite
03. Love is Pain
04. Can't Find Love
05. Love or Lust
06. Teeze Me Pleeze Me
07. Midnight Madness
08. Without You
09. Justify
10. Racin'
11. Fantasy
+ Video "Tonite" (Official Video)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
