Contents Under PressureSolid Smoke Records/War Bride WB 9003 (6/10) 1981
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Roy Loney: Lead Vocals & Guitars Guests |
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Produced by John Rewind and Roy Loney
Recorded at John Altmann Recording San Francisco
Engineers: John Altmann and Woody Simmons
Album Supervision: Marty Arbunich and Rico Tee
Cover Design/Ellie Byrom
Photography: Charly Franklin
A new year, a new line-up of the band, a new record label (well not exactly, but another name anyway), and a new 80’s sound with synthesizers! I don’t like synthesizers from the 80’s and the cold sterile sound that many records had then. This is the worst record Roy Loney did in that aspect. But it’s full of good playing, very good songs and the synthesizers are not that dominant. It’s very different from Roy’s other albums and was probably a good try to make a hit record. It could have been, but it wasn’t.
Sorry (Wright-Young). The album opens with a beat from the new drummer Johnny Surrell. The song is an Easybeats cover and is as raw as Emmy Emmy from the last album and there are no synthesizers on this track. The change you can hear is that there’s another drummer. He has a very different style to Danny Mihm and I prefer Danny’s playing.
We're all Heroes (Roy A. Loney) is a funky number with electric piano and, yes, some synthesizers in the background.
Dead Ringer (Larry Lea - Roy A. Loney). A funky pop rock song again with great bass playing from Maurice Tani.
Different Kind (Roy A. Loney – Sandra Fox). This is the track that stands out as the longest track on the album and the track that has the most dominant use of synthesizers and even a saxophone. But it’s still a very good song.
Swinging Single (Roy A. Loney). Roy goes calypso! Maybe it’s a synthesizer in this song, but it’s used as and sounds like a cheap old electric organ. A sax solo again. Can Roy do calypso? Yes!
Too Funky Yo Live (Roy A. Loney). Now it’s almost Heavy Metal but with a great melody and a great riff. Great guitar solo and great bass playing again!
She's No Lady (Roy A. Loney). A good rocker but a way too much use of a synthesizer as the main instrument in the background.
Heartful Of Soul (Graham Gouldman). This is a very good choice for a cover, an old Yardbirds song written by Graham Gouldman of 10cc fame.
Cinema Girls (Maurice Tani - Arthur Adcock - Roy Loney) A song with the line ”Real women are OK / But they’re just not cinema girls” can’t be bad. And it isn’t. A rocker in the best Loney tradition.
Last Time I'll Cry (Roy A. Loney). There are many good songs about breaking up and this is one of the best! A great melody with great harmony vocal and a crying double tracked guitar solo. Why wasn’t this song released as a single?
Intrigue Indeed (Roy A. Loney) is a bit like George Thorogood with great slide guitar. It’s a synthesizer in this song that is a bit annoying. But it’s the 80’s and it could be worse!
Contents Under Pressure (Roy A. Loney). A very good song again which for some reason reminds me of Buddy Holly. A great melody and great production! One of my favourites again!
This album is tough to review. It is full of good songs and the band rocks as good as ever. Even if I prefer Danny Mihm on drums, Johnny Surrell is also a very good drummer. I just don’t think his style suits this kind of music. If it wasn’t the 80’s, the synthesizers have sounded better and if it was today, you’d maybe used synthesizers, but they can now produce realistic sounds from vintage organs and pianos. If I wrote this in 1981 I would say this is a very good album and could, with its modern production and good songs, be an album for the charts. Now it just sounds a bit dated. I will say a bit dated because it’s not as bad as I have read other people think it is. I’ll give it 6/10.