THE SEVENTY SEVENS
Mike Roe - vocals, guitar
Mark Tootle - keyboards, guitar Jan Eric - bass, guitar
Aaron Smith - drums
Some people like their music to be homogenized and predictable. They like every song on an album to sound just like the one that preceded it. They like their favorite artists to play it safe and take no chances.
Other people have a sense of adventure when it comes to music. They like to hear an artist stretch out, try new things, combine different kinds of music into new and exciting forms. They're not upset if each song on a record stands on its own, if every album cut explores new and uncharted territory.
If you're the adventurous type, meet The 77'5. Here's a fourpiece band from Sacramento, California that's downright impossible to pigeonhole. On their new Exit/A&M LP "All Fall Down", The 77'5 merge rock influences as diverse as Bo Diddley, The Police, The Doors, The Byrds, Ultravox, Elvis Presley and Talking Heads into a cohesive vision they can call their own.
"There's a classic tradition in rock," says 77'5 lead singer and guitarist Mike Roe, "that when you hear 'Hound Dog' or 'Be My Baby', you think, 'Hey, that's a great record! '. You don't really think about the influences involved. Rock music is the sum of a lot of different parts, and all of us have heard so many different kinds of music from our childhood until the present that it's no problem if Elvis Presley gets mixed up with The Smiths. It just makes for some interes-ting music."
The varied backgrounds of the group .members .are the major reason that "All Fall Down" is so eclectic. Mike Roe grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he played in various bands, including an all-acoustic trio. Mark Tootle, who plays keyboards and guitar, is a classically-trained musician. Bass guitarist Jan Eric honed his chops on the Northern California and Nevada nightclub circuit. And the newest member - drummer Aaron Smith - previously played with Romeo Void and The Temptations. The common thread running through this group is their high level of musicianship and their dedication to creating original and exciting music.
The 77'5 date back to 1979, when Roe, Tootle and Eric formed the band to perform at high schools. By the time the group returned from England in the spring of 1984 (with Smith just added on drums) to record "All Fall Down", they had evolved into a band with more serious ambitions. Mike Roe played guitar on Charlie Peacock's
"Lie Down In The Grass" LP (also on Exit/A&M); Peacock returned the favor by applying his considerable production knowledge to the new 77'5 album.
Every song on "All Fall Down" is a fully-realized production piece; each song stakes out a different territory and claims it as The 77'5 0wn. The first single - "Mercy Mercy" - kicks off with an almost hardcore punk guitar intro, then locks into a wild Bo Diddley guitar riff propelled along by frenetic drumming, over which Mike Roe sings in a voice that's part Elvis Presley, part Lux Interior of The Cramps. In contrast, "Ba Ba Ba Ba" is a delicious pop ditty as tuneful as anything to come out of the recent British pop explosion, with more hooks than a bait-and-tackle shop. "You Don't Scare Me" - a song about coming to terms \1/ith death - starts off like "Take Me To The River", veers off into Talking Heads-gone-heavy metal, and \1/inds up sounding like a vintage Doors tune. "Your Pretty Baby" is such a gorgeous pop ballad, it wouldn't be out of place on the side one of Something/Anything? by Todd Rundgren.
There are songs that sound like The Police singing garage punk a la The Seeds, songs with chiming Byrds-like guitar, songs with un-abashedly poppy choruses .... "All Fall Down" is a long-player that's fun to listen to, from a band that has certainly done its homework in the library of rock. "Some record and radio people want to be able to neatly categorize you, so they can get a handle on how to market your music more easily. I guess we make it tough for them by our being so eclectic", confides Jan Eric.
"We are eclectic," Mike Roe emphasizes. "We all love so many different kinds of music; when we come up with new songs, that quality of being right at home with anything and everything is reflected in the music."-
Ready for an adventure? Give "All Fall Down" by The Seventy Sevens a spin. Because the element of surprise always makes life a little more interesting.
STEVE SCOTT: LOVE IN THE WESTERN WORLD
It is rare when a single artist can bring to bear a full range of- experience, education and vision, reflecting not only a developed stylistic awareness but an emotional and intellectual resonance that infuses meaning and purpose to his work. It is rarer still when such an artist offers up his work in a popular context, reaching out to receptive hearts and minds wherever they might be found. Such an artist is Steve Scott whose debut album on Exit Records, Love In The-Western World is one of the most challenging, invigorating and uniquely satisfying· LP's in recent musical memory.
Part of the power and appeal of Love IN The Western World stems from Scott's unique ability to fuse words and music into a single, unified expression. More than a lyricist, he is an accomplished poet; more than a musician, he uses sound to enhance and underscore his urgent message. Produced by Steven Soles, Love In The Western World is more than a collection of songs--it is a new way of communicating that demands new ways of listening.
Born in Walthamstow in Northeast London, Steve Scott began his artistic odyssey as the Laughton Art School. After three years of study there he went on, in 1970 to the Croydon College of Art in South London for four years of postgraduate work in experimental film.
Scott continuing interest in film has overlapped into a field where he has proved himself immensely talented. The rich visual component to his poetry no doubt reflects his grounding in the visual medium of film. As a poet he has gained a transatlantic reputation since the late 60's, when he first began performing his work. Aside from extensive public reading, Scott's work has
been widely published both in this country and in the United Kingdom. Troubadour I & II, Poetry Round, Radix and Poem of the 3rd Epoch are only a few of the publications that have featured
Scott's evocative verse. It was in 1975, however, that his wide-ranging work in both film and poetry came together in the proaction of aa work titled Ghost Dance.
As a journalist and essayist, Scott’s material, covering an enormous range of subjects with a special emphasis on art criticism and religious inquiry, have appeared in such periodicals as the Spiritual Counterfeit Project Journal (USA), Update Denmark) and Ship of Fools (U.K). In the late Seventies Scott relocated to the U.S. where he became involved with a multi-faceted arts collective in Sacramento known as Warehouse Ministries. It was there that he began work on the poetry and music that was eventually to come together on Love In The Western World.
"It is the purpose of my art to get as close as I can," Scott has remarked on numerous occasions, and on Love In The Western World he has brilliantly succeeded. In eight original compositions, including the title track “Wall of Tears,” “Flesh and Blood,” and "This Sad Music, 11 Scott has forged a powerful new medium of expression--utilizing a spectrum of musical styles and moods to emphasize some of the most emotionally arresting and hauntingly beautiful lyrics either in or outside the contemporary music horizon. It is obvious from the first listening that the music and.words of Steve Scott reflect an intense artistic integrity and an abiding concern for both the material and spiritual condition of the human race. Scott has proven conclusively that popular music can carry a message of timely significance straight to the soul of man.
"I believe that the best thing that can happen with a piece of art," Scott asserts, "is that the person gets in touch with the artist and out of that some kind of meaningful dialogue occurs and out of that a change of mind or a change of heart or a change of consciousness occurs." Out of the poetry and music of Steve Scott occurs a revitalizing force for art and for us all.
Steve Scott's debut album, Love In 'I'he Western World on Exit Records, is one Of the most challenging, invigorating and uniquely satisfying LP's in recent musical memory. Part of the power and appeal of Love In The Western World steams from Scott's unique ability to fuse words and music into a single, unified expression. More than a lyricist, he is an accomplished
poet, more than a musician, he uses sound to enhance and underscore his urgent message. Love In The Western World is more than a collection of songs - it is a new way of communicating that demands new ways of listening.
STEVE SCOTT: EMOTIONAL TOURIST
Steve Scott - an Englishman - has worked in different media such as film, performance and music. He is also a writer working with fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Born in London and educated at Loughton Art School and Croydon College of Art in England, Steve's poetry has been published in various magazines and journals. He's also an accomplished musician and songwriter, his most recent work being his new album - Emotional Tourist - recently released by Exit/A&M Records.
Emotional Tourist was produced by fellow Exit/A&M artist Charlie Peacock. The album features Peacock on keyboards, plus The 77's Mike Roe, Mark Tootle and Aaron Smith; Steve Griffith and Bruce Spencer of Vector; Gary Landaker of Scott's band Primitive Justice; Benjamin Bossi ex-Romeo Void; Katherine Guthorn of the Zazu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, and Bongo Bob Smith of the Charlie Peacock group.
The eclectic nature of Emotional Tourist reflects Scott's avid passion for many kinds of music from Chinese orchestra music, American folk to modern composers like Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Emotional Tourist travels across many boundaries; musical, lyrical and geographic.
Don't be fooled. In spite of the esoteric sounding references, Emotional Tourist rocks. The lyrics are heartfelt and personal, yet express a wide range of emotions and experiences. The sensitive production highlights the union of words, music and musicianship to maximum effect on each song, bringing them into razor-sharp focus.
Scott has a novel doing the rounds with publishers. He intends to continue working in different media such as fiction - but right now, as people hear Emotional Tourist, Scott will continue getting out there and playing music with his own group Primitive Justice.
Listen to Emotional Tourist by Steve Scott. It will enhance your life.
Charlie Peacock - guitar, keyboards, and vocals
Michael Miller - guitar
Gino Lopes - bass guitar
Kurt Wortman - drums
Bongo Bob Smith - percussion
Charlie Peacock is an artist who isn't afraid to address the larger issues in life. That he chooses to write songs that deal with themes outside of the narrow 'boy meets girl' lyrical constraints is quite an achievement; that he frames these songs in some of the most compelling arrangements in pop music is a cause for celebration. As evidenced on Charlie's Exit/A&M debut LP Lie Down In The Grass, this is contemporary pop music with a vengeance.
Most newcomers who explode onto the pop music scene have actually spent many years perfecting their craft; Charlie is no exception. Born and raised in Yuba City, California - the son of a music teacher - Charles Ashworth spent his formative years surrounded by music. Soon after high school, Charlie dropped Ashworth for the slightly more stellar Peacock (in homage to jazz musician Gary Peacock) and moved to nearby Sacramento, where he spent the next several years working in local bands. One of these - Sacramento's legendary Runners eventually became the first Charlie Peacock Group.
Charlie's current group - who have opened for such luminaries as The Fixx and General Public (they're currently touring with the latter) - is a razorsharp ensemble led by Mr. Peacock's formidable skills on keyboards and guitar. Charlie is also the group's vocalist. "It's a little different working with a group again," Charlie says. "I'm used to making all the decisions in my studio work. With the group, there are four other opinions to consider, so there's a different kind of creative tension going on. It's very stimulating."
Charlie has spent much of his spare time these last few years perfecting his studio techniaue at Sangre Studios in Sacramento; it was there that he picked up his man-in-the-booth Hkills that shine on Lie Down In The Grass. He also produced The Seventy Sevens' All Fall Down, recently released by Exit/A&M.
His many hours of extra-curricular experimentation paid off with Lie Down In The Grass. "I tried out some different ideas that I'd worked out in the studio,'' he explains. "For example, I orchestrated some of the percussion along lines usually used for orchestrating horns. It's a little twist that gives everything a different feel. The songs on the album are built on simple changes, which allows the lyrics to stand in the forefront and makes it possible to try out new production ideas. You can build a lot of complexity on simpler chord changes; if you write more complex tunes, you don't have as many options when you go to produce your music."
Simple they may be, but Charlie Peacock's songs shine with brilliant production touches. Like the title cut, "Lie Down In The Grass", where acoustic guitar is played off a heavily metallic synthesised rhythm track reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder's landmark mid-seventies work, and whic is highlighted by a stunning trumpet solo on the bridge. Like "Love Doesn't Get Better", with its late-sixties R&B feel and knockout horn arrangement, or "1,2,3", a smoldering ska-flavored song built on a killer riff. Or like the album's most intensely lyrical cut, "Who Is Not Afraid". "Who is not afraid?", Charlie asks. "Who walks tall? Who has courage? Where is honor? What is peace? Who are we?", as the melody soars over a stunning arrangement that sounds like a cross between The Cars' "Drive" and "Close To The Edge" by Yes, the shimmering instrumental track underscoring the emotion-wracked vocal at every heavenly turn.
If you can imagine, for a moment, what a modern pop group like, say, The Police or The Fixx might sound like if they went into the studio with Weather Report, you're beginning to get the idea. Don't just imagine. Listen to Lie Down In The Grass, and let the music of Charlie Peacock speak for itself. It's an experience that you'll want to repeat time and time again.
His many hours of extra-curricular experimentation paid off with Lie Down In The Grass. "I tried out some different ideas that I'd worked out in the studio," he explains. "For example, I orchestrated some of the percussion along lines usually used for orchestrating horns. It's a little hist that gives everything a different feel. The songs on the album are built on simple changes, which allows the lyrics to stand in the forefront and makes it possible to try out new production ideas. You can build a lot of complexity on simpler chord changes; if you write more complex tunes, you don't have as many options when you go to produce your music."
Simple they may be, but Charlie Peacock's songs shine with brilliant production touches. Like the title cut, "Lie Down In The Grass", where acoustic guitar is played off a heavily metallic synthesized rhythm track reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder's landmark mid-seventies work, and which is highlighted by a stunning trumpet solo on the bridge. Like "Love Doesn't Get Better", with its late-sixties R&B feel and knockout horn arrangement, or "1,2,3", a smoldering ska-flavored song built on a killer riff. Or like the album's most intensely lyrical cut, "Who Is Not Afraid". "Who is not afraid?", Char lie asks. "Who walks tall? Who has courage? Where is honor? What is peace? Who are we?", as the melody soars over a stunning arrangement that sounds like a cross between The Cars' "Drive" and "Close To The Edge" by Yes, the shimmering instrumental track underscoring the emotion-wracked vocal at every heavenly turn.
If you can imagine, for a moment, what a modern pop group like, say, The Police or The Fixx might sound like if they went into the studio with Weather Report, you're beginning to get the idea. Don't just imagine. listen to lie Down In The Grass, and let the music of Charlie Peacock speak for itself. It's an experience that you'll want to repeat time and time again.
Charlie Peacock has arrived. Charlie Peacock is being represented by Bill Graham Management.
ROCK OF OFFENSE (1984)
First Strike
In 1984 there was quite a bit of heavy metal, new wave and punk, but very little “hard rock.” In fact, hard rock has always been generally lacking as a genre in Christian music. The fringe and most popular styles always seem to be represented, but very little in regards to just good old fashioned hard rock.
Sounding like 38 Special after discovering a heavier rhythm and longer guitar solos, First Strike’s debut release, Rock of Offense was a breath of fresh air in the stagnant world of rock music in CCM. Produced by The 77’s Mike Roe, First Strike struck at the heart of fans of Triumph, the Scorpions and Journey. Wall of sound backing vocals supporting loud drums (with actual fills), pounding bass and extra crispy and crunchy guitars.
Lyrically the band branched out into topical fair that would later be the norm for Christian alternative and heavy bands, but at the time were considered risque and controversial. There was no secret as to the content of the songs as the titles pretty much told the story. Loneliness Kills, Hurt By Love and Dirty Loving are self-explanatory. The latter caused several Christian Bookstores to ban the sale of the album.
The band would later release a four song cassette that was no where near the quality. Like too many other bands of the era there was never a real follow up project or supporting tour and the band just disappeared. This always seems to result in the lack of presence on CD which is real shame given the quality of Roe’s production on the album.
ROBERT VAUGHN
Love and War, Robert Vaughn & The Shadows' debut album on Exit/Island Records has, as Vaughn expresses it, "a big sound, a very victorious sound, triumphant." The urgency and commitment that power the music are reflected in the provocative, often metaphoric lyrics of the group's songs. Lead vocalist/guitarist Vaughn, who wrote one song by himself, one with pianist Jon Nau, and the rest with guitarist Anthony Daluz, explains, "The album was conceived -- romantically, socially, politically, even religiously -- around issues that are only now settled in my life."
The underlying theme of the LP is the constant fight for justice and opportunity: The intense "Spanish Rebels" deals with the exploitation of the poor people of Central America in general terms as there are no easy answers. The taut "Palace of Tears" looks outward at injustice -- "Behold, the river turns to red/Where· faithless countrymen are falling dead/While they rape the land of everything we own" -- and inward for some sort of salvation -- "Take me in yoµr arms and make it right/Show me justice through this never ending night." The oddly catchy "Love and War" sets out the terms of the battle -- says Vaughn, "You have to go to war with yourself to maintain what is important to you"; the darker "Night on Fire" confronts the resulting anger and frustration that all too often make us, in Vaughn's words "just want to burn the house down." Love and War was produced by guitarist T.J. Tindall, who has worked with David Bowie and Robert Palmer, as well as innumerable Philadelphia International Records.
Growing up, Robert Vaughn was originally inspired by Jimi Hendrix; when his grandfather treated him to a $33 Teisco, he "just started jamming." His new wave/rock band, the Hubcaps, was popular in the San Diego area at the end of the '70's. Then, six years ago, he teamed up with Anthony Daluz, bassist Doug Boone, and drummer Greg LaRocco, and together they played gigs up and down California, developing their sound. As the New Presidents, they released an indy EP which garnered some success on college radio stations. And, having changed the group's name to Robert Vaughn & the Shadows, they played cuts on three compilation albums released by San Diego's top rock radio station, 91X. At home, Vaughn concentrated on his writing: "I locked myself in a closet and listened to symphonies, studying their themes and melodies. The biggest influences on me over the years have been Hendrix's guitar work, Bob Dylan's lyrics and Rachmaninoff's big dramatic sweep." Having found, says Vaughn, "our own musical niche," and with the addition to the group of saxophonist/keyboardist Steve Kocherhans and pianist Jon Nau, Robert Vaughn & the Shadows recorded Love and War this past winter in San 'Diego.