Hello everyone - Retrospect is very pleased to present the following new releases for a rockin' summer!!

 

 

FREAKSHOW - 'Freakshow' (2009) - One of the year's most anticipated releases is here!  Freakshow boasts an amazing array of talent that is sure to make the top ten lists of 2009 releases.  Featuring enigmatic vocalist Markus Allen Christopher (Miss Crazy) , the six-string sting of guitarist Jeff LaBar (Cinderella) , legendary drummer Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot , W.A.S.P.) and rounded out by bassist Tony Franklin (Blue Murder , The Firm) , Freakshow rocks from beginning to end!!  All killer , no filler.  The debut release from Freakshow showcases hi-octane powerful Hard Rock that blends the melodic sound of the 80s with a fresh punchy modern production that is sure to win over many fans worldwide.  Retrospect Records is very honored to host this kick-ass NEW rock-n-roll entity , order this cd today and discover why FREAKSHOW is one of the most talked about bands on the scene.  ESSENTIAL!

WILDSTREET - 'Wildstreet' (2009) - Holy Smokes! Another huge release here from Retrospect.  Wildstreet are a young up-n-coming band from New York that should cause some major waves in the Melodic Rock world.  One of Retrospect's first 'new' bands is an absolute winner.  Is it the second coming of Def Leppard?  Unbelievably these guys produced the cd themselves but it sounds like a Mutt Lange production.  With their combination of big arena style anthems , power ballads , massive backing vocals and fiery axework mixed with a REAL Rock n Roll image , Wildstreet is a fantastic debut of Melodic Rock meets Glam that should make many top ten lists this year.  Fans of Def Leppard's 'Pyromania' and 'Hysteria' albums should definitely give Wildstreet a listen!  Wildstreet are currently on tour all over America and will make their first festival appearance at Rocklahoma in July.

 

HUNTER - 'L.A. Crossfire' (1988-1991) - Just when you think there can't possibly be any more unreleased treasures to dig up , Retrospect unleashes Los Angeles-based Hunter.  AOR and Melodic Rock fans rejoice!  This release has NEVER seen the light of day before in any format.  Produced by Bobby Kimball of Toto , the musicianship in Hunter is world-class and the hooks are endless.  Keyboardist Brook Hansen (Takara) sounds akin to Gregg Giuffria , Guitarist Michael Taris shreds and vocalist Stephen Hunter sounds like a mix of Max Bacon and Jimi Jamison.  This release also features the late BILOXI vocalist Clyde Holly on 2 tracks recorded back in 1988.  A classy slice of AOR!  Highly Recommended to fans of: Journey , GTR , Survivor , Biloxi , Giuffria , Fortune , Atlantic , I-Ten , Alliance , Arrival , Franke & The Knockouts.

 

THE INNOCENT - 'Livin in the Street' (1983) - Quite possibly one of THE most coveted AOR releases from the 80s!!  Digitally Remastered and featuring members of Breathless , Shadow King , Dreamstreet and Donnie Iris , Melodic Rock just doesn't get much better than this.  AOR bliss - ESSENTIAL!! 

 

POWERGLIDE - 'Where Do We Go From Here' (1991) - Powerglide was a great Melodic Rock / AOR band from Massachusetts actively playing and recording from 1983 to 1991 and featured Paul Goll (who has been playing bass with Donnie Iris since 1995). They recorded an LP, 2 EP’s (look for these to be released soon by Retrospect) and this, their last recording, from 1991. This superb melodic rock gem has been tucked away for 18 years and never officially released until now.  “Where Do We Go From Here” is chock full of strong material. As you will hear, the obvious 70’s rock influences are here (including an intense cover of Grand Funk Railroad’s ‘Heartbreaker’) but all wrapped in an 80’s package!! Recommended to fans of:
Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Boston , Foreigner, Kansas , Michael Stanley Band.

 

VENDETTA - 'Vendetta' (1982) - Finally , after over over 25 years , this early 80s Melodic Rock classic gets an official CD release.  Vendetta was led by vocalist/guitarist Niki Buzz who would go on to form the more metallic M-80 in 1985.  Bassist Klyph Black would end up in AORsters 'Urgent'.  This power trio's debut release showcases a no-frills approach to Melodic Hard Rock that featured a tight rhythm section , killer riffs and Niki's soulful soaring vocals.  Highly recommended to fans of : Riggs , Sammy Hagar , Montrose , Mayday and Illusion.

 

D'MOLLS - 'Double Platinum' (2009) - Desi Rexx and S.S. Priest are back with a killer live album and a slew of new tracks.  D'Molls began their career in 1986 and saw a couple of releases on the Atlantic label during the heyday of Hair Metal.  This live show , recorded in Los Angeles in 2007 , has the band sounding better than ever. 

 

QUEENY BLAST POP - 'Queeny Blast Pop' (1990s) - During the '90s when glam was 'uncool' , QBP stuck to their guns and continued to pound out their brand of uptempo Sleaze / Glam on the L.A. strip.  This is a collection of demos and live tracks and the only recordings ever committed to tape during that time.  Lesli Sanders would eventually move on to join Pretty Boy Floyd.  A nice find for glam / sleaze collectors. 

 

SCRAM - 'Scram' (1980) - This great Ohio-based band released a limited edition LP in 1980 that topped many vinyl collectors want lists worldwide for decades. Now it finally gets the much needed CD release, digitally remastered and found at a much more reasonable price!! This talented quintet’s brand of melodic arena rock mixed with flourishes of southern rock, earned them quite a following back in the day in Ohio where even TOTO refused to be upstaged by them at a concert in their hometown and insisted Scram NOT play!! Recommended to fans of: Fortnox, Head East, April Wine, Bad Company, Fortress, Nantucket and .38 Special.

 

EZ THRILL - 'Rock n Roll Forever' (1996) - Another Ohio-based Hard Rock / Metal act featuring the Zakk Wylde-ish guitar wizardry of Dante Lee and monster drumming of Kyle Virgin (Oney).  EZ Thrill is hi-octane hooky 80s-style Hard Rock / Metal that is definitely worth a listen.  

 

JEKYLL - 'Play Doctor' (1986) - Originally only released on vinyl back in 1988 , this is the first time ever on cd for Sunset Strip cohorts Jekyll.  If you are familiar with the bands Letchen Grey or Hyde , Jekyll is a basically a combination of both bands.  While their only recordings resulted in this rather obscure EP , Jekyll was still an integral part of the Sunset Strip scene and this is a super addition to your Hair Metal collection.

 

FLEURY - 'Fleury' (1986) - Again , only released on vinyl in limited quantities in 1986 , we see the first cd release from Denver-based Melodic Hard Rock / Hair Metal band Fleury.  Named after vocalist Jeff Fleury , this release features soaring vocals and catchy songwriting.  One for the collectors of obscure 80s Metal!!

 

Please check out our other new releases including THE ROMEO SLAM , ARMADA and ROXANNE (+4 Bonus Tracks).

 

Many more releases to come in 2009 (including Baton Rouge , Icon , Lord Tracy , Michael Furlong and DC Star).  Thanks for supporting Retrospect Records - the world's largest 80s AOR / Melodic Rock re-issue label.  See you at Rocklahoma in July!!!