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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Paul’s Found Vinyl

  • Paul’s Found Vinyl – Episode 2: Eric Martin Band

    Artist: Eric Martin Band
    Title: Sucker for a Pretty Face
    Label/No.: Elektra 60238
    Year: 1983
    Peak Chart Position: #191
    Producers: Kevin Elson and Rodney Mills
    Singles: “Sucker for a Pretty Face” (Mainstream Rock #42); “Don’t Stop” (didn’t chart)

    SIDE A:
    Sucker for a Pretty Face
    Don’t Stop
    Private Life
    Ten Feet Tall
    Letting It Out

    SIDE B:
    Young At Heart
    Just Another Pretty Boy
    One More Time
    Catch Me If You Can
    Love Me

    Judging by the Cover: Looks very power pop to me. The little earring. The heavily shellacked junior mullet look. The rouged cheekbones, and coy androgyny of the sideways glance. The voluptuous pink lips. The black jacket over the red t-shirt, and a lapel pin of the band’s logo. Seriously, what’s not to love. Except, yikes! That creepily exploitive silhouette in the background! Still… his face looks familiar. Where have I seen him before? Oh, shit. What have I done? Do you know what this is? Do you know who this is? Here’s a hint: I’m the one who wants to be with you, deep inside I hope you feel it too.

    What It Sounds Like: Yup, by the end of the decade, Eric Martin would be the lead singer of one of the wankingest hair metal bands ever: Mr. Big. But in 1983, he was leading an eponymous sextet (the other five are pictured with comically feathered hair and blank looks on the back cover) playing the kind of soul-destroying-but-super-catchy hard rock (with keyboards!) that other, arguably more talented bands like Survivor and Journey were taking to the bank. As demonstrated by this LP, the Eric Martin Band really could have been contendahs in the 80s second-tier film soundtrack sweepstakes. Their sound has just the sort of crassly generic bigness that would sound great next to, say, a montage featuring Ralph Macchio preparing himself for, like, the challenge (any challenge) of a lifetime. Needless to say, I love it. The title track has a galloping beat that’s hard not to love, and other songs like “Ten Feet Tall”, the piano-driven, Hammond-organ accented “Private Life”, and “Just Another Pretty Boy” all have an appealing bar band feel to them (that is the kind of bar band that plays in a bar in a 1983 Demi Moore vehicle) that seems thankfully far removed from the Hollywood pop metal scene of the early 90s. On the other hand, the ballads that close both sides of the LP rival Air Supply for pure, shameless, guilty-pleasure treacle. As it turns out, Eric Martin did land himself a spot on the soundtrack of the 1984 film Teachers (starring Nick Nolte and – what? – Ralph Macchio!). But that song isn’t here. (And frankly, though I remember loving it when I was in junior high, it’s been ages since I’ve seen Teachers, so I couldn’t tell you what scene you’ll hear Eric Martin singing in.)

    Recommended If You Like: Survivor (the band, not the TV show), Journey, Second-Tier Sports Movies, Feathered Hair and Jumpsuits

    CD Availability: In the late 90s, “Sucker for a Pretty Face” was reissued in Japan with newer, more generic cover art, and five bonus tracks. Right now, the cheapest you’ll pay for it on Amazon though is $55. Yikes. Keep the vinyl – it’s good.

    The Highlight Reel: Snippets of “Sucker for a Pretty Face”, “Private Life”, “Ten Feet Tall”, “Just Another Pretty Boy”, and “One More Time”

  • Paul’s Found Vinyl – Episode 1: Tycoon

    Artist: Tycoon
    Title: Tycoon
    Label/No.: Arista AB 4215
    Year: 1978
    Peak Chart Position: #41
    Producer: Robert John “Mutt” Lange
    Singles: “Such a Woman” (Pop #26), “Slow Down Boy” (not charted)

    SIDE A:
    Such a Woman
    Slow Down Boy
    Out in the Cold
    Don’t You Cry No More
    Too Late (New York City)

    SIDE B:
    That’s the Way It Goes
    Don’t Worry
    How Long (Can We Go On)
    Drunken Sailor
    Count On Me

    Judging by the Cover: I’ll be honest. It was all about the mustaches for me. And the band got co-credit for the art direction! Actually, the combination of the airbrushed 70s faces and the cover’s obvious debt to Kraftwerk makes the band look like a bunch of Stepford Gays.

    What It Sounds Like: Don’t let the drawn-out, dramatic introduction to “Such a Woman” fool you. This early “Mutt” Lange production is all about strong pop hooks, gigantic, seamlessly layered harmonies, and a thick, hard pop/rock sound that still leaves some room for some sleazy New York blue eyed soul moves (see “How Long (Can We Go On)”, the band’s slinky ode to gettin’ a little on the side) – a prototypical version of the sound he brought to Foreigner 4, though the band’s sound was too diverse (whiffs of reggae here and there) and distinctive to dismiss as a mere corporate rock clone.  Lead single “Such a Woman” made a respectable showing on the disco-dominated pop charts in early ’79 – no doubt helped along by a pornographic picture disc single. But the catchy, straightforward rocker “Slow Down Boy” seems like the more obvious candidate for heavy rotation. Even better than both the singles is “Don’t You Cry No More”, a soaring rock ballad with a majestic a capella opening that sounds awesome on headphones. 

    The band followed this album up with a record called Turn Out the Lights in 1981, but it tanked, partially due to the ascendance of new wave and synth pop, partially due to their label’s apparent indifference.  Tycoon was dropped from Arista’s roster shortly thereafter, and while a third album, called Opportunity Knocks, was recorded, the band was unable to secure a deal to release it.  In November of 2007, lead singer Norman Mershon, pictured at the far right on the album cover, died from liver disease at the age of 57.

    Recommended if You Like: Foreigner, Those New Swiffer Commercials, Big Gay 70s Mustaches

    CD Availability:  Tycoon was issued digitally via iTunes a few years ago, thanks to the band’s friend and former manager Dean Sciarra, who runs a supercool website called ItsAboutMusic.com.   He also sells digital downloads of this album, along with the band’s second album Turn Out the Lights (1981) and their otherwise unreleased third record Opportunity Knocks, completed after they were dropped from Arista Records.  CDs of these albums are also available through ItsAboutMusic.com.  I had a chance to chat with Sciarra and while he confirmed that these are CD-Rs, he vouches personally for the integrity of both the sound mastering and the CD packaging which attempts to recreate the individual album and sleeve art to the greatest extent possible; given his personal relationship with the band, I’d take him at his word (and the iTunes downloads I purchased confirm the integrity of the sound).  The other cool thing about ItsAboutMusic is that the artists set their own prices for the CDs/downloads, and bank 90% of the actual purchase price.

    The album was reissued on the Renaissance label as a twofer with the band’s second album Turn Out the Lights.  But while this CD is readily available on Amazon.com (and a less expensive option), note that among reissue labels, Renaissance has a very poor reputation.  According to Sciarra, for the Tycoon two-fer, Renaissance acquired incorrect masters for the records, and so what you hear on the vinyl is not what you get on the CD.   Keep the vinyl. It’s good. 

    The Highlight Reel:  Snippets of “Such a Woman”, “Slow Down Boy”, “Don’t You Cry No More”, and “How Long (Can We Go On This Way)”