Produced by
Paul Stanley
of
Kiss
who was also represented by manager
Bill Aucoin
, this Boston band's debut still stands as their finest.
"Hello, Hello, Hello,"
much like
Alice Cooper
's use of
Rolf Kemp
's
"Hello Hooray,"
is a nice opener, but the lyrics are more like
Stevie Nicks
witchcraft and magic. Song two is the most classic statement made by writer
John Fannon
and his group
New England
.
"Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya"
is perhaps the shortest poem/song on record by
Fannon
, but it is his most famous. There are swirling keyboards by
Jimmy Waldo
and the precision the band is known for in performance. Like another Boston-based group,
Private Lightning
on
A&M
with their local hit
"Physical Speed,"
these groups were ahead of their time and exploring sounds that were not identified with the city that brought the world
the Modern Lovers
,
Aerosmith
, and
the Jonzun Crew
. But with three albums on a major label, and superb production,
had a good shot at the brass ring and a tune with all the elements of "hit" in this track.
"P.U.N.K."
is also a song that generated attention. About a punk, and certainly not punk rock, although the band frequented (and played) the clubs like
the Paradise
and
the Rat
, which, no doubt, helped inspire this.
"Shall I Run Away"
has a great vocal from
and is the best tune next to
-- mellow with cosmic guitars, a unique sound removed from the
Asia
style producer
Mike Stone
and the band
became known for, almost
Roxy Music
. And that is where the band could've really made its mark, by being more experimental and less like the arena rock bands of the day.
"Alone Tonight"
is a great song held back by the "overproduction," to quote the late
Stones
producer
Jimmy Miller
and his idea of the
sound. The thick production on this music is incessant.
"Nothing to Fear"
has hooks a plenty and the voice more prominent;
"Shoot"
is like a progressive
Black Sabbath
riff sped up and gone pop.
Fannons
' great ideas and lyrics seem to get lost in some of the instrumentation of
"Turn Out the Light."
That stage life which
knows so well from the
hit
"Beth"
is the theme of
"The Last Show."
"Encore"
concludes the album with
almost sounding like
Roger Waters
in delivery and idea.
deserves recognition for years of hard work and the creation of a very important tune from the late '70s. The cover photo has
Terminator
-style lightning (so did
's cover, of course) and the band being delivered from out the blue. ~ Joe Viglione