{"id":2722,"date":"2018-12-11T05:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T05:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=2722"},"modified":"2018-12-05T23:14:57","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T23:14:57","slug":"rock-city-angels-southern-vision-lost-recordings-from-1989-to-1992-volume-2-rock-city-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=2722","title":{"rendered":"Rock City Angels \u2018Southern Vision: Lost Recordings from 1989 to 1992 Volume 2\u2019 (Rock City Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Rock City Angels released one of my favorite albums ever in \u2018Young Man\u2019s Blues\u2019 back in 1988. It is 15 songs of rocking bliss that real favourite apart from their contemporaries by mixing so many different influences from southern rock to the blues to some danceable rhythms with Bobby Durango\u2019s (RIP) unmistakable vocals laid over the top. Geffen Records even indulged the band by letting them put 15 songs on their debut album instead of the industry standard 10 at the time. Possible reasons for this vary, but I subscribe to the theory that Geffen did not want this band out there competing with Guns \u2018N Roses moving forward at the time. If you do some googling, you can find this theory discussed out on the internet. The band made one video for \u2018Deep Inside Your Heart\u2019 and was then put on tour for about the next 4 years even though you would struggle to find the album in the stores at that point. \u2018Young Man\u2019s Blues\u2019 received a ton of plays back when it was released by me and continues to add more to that total every year. \u2018Southern Vision\u2019 presents the second collection (\u2018Midnight Confessions\u2019 being the first) of demos the band was working on for Geffen Records for their second album that never got to be recorded for them.<\/p>\n

If you are already a fan of the band, it goes without saying that this album is recommended as we get to hear more from Durango and crew, but these songs are also clearly some rough and ready demos as opposed to studio quality recordings. What immediately stands out in the recordings though is the passion this band had for the music, and it is criminal that we will never get the finished versions of these songs. \u2018Going Fast Slow\u2019 gets this started with a solid straight ahead hard rocking beat with Durango\u2019s drawl in full effect. The guitar riff is catchy with the solo begging for air guitar participation. Drums welcome us to the boogie of the title track with its bluesy guitar riff finding the band taking elements from \u2018Young Man\u2019s Blues\u2019 and pushing the sounds even further. The smooth sounding chorus fits perfectly with a great Durango ad lib kick starting the killer guitar solo. A huge guitar riff rings in \u2018Lower East Side\u2019 and features the band at their \u201cheaviest\u201d really with the song recalling an assertive hair band song, but this still drips with passion even if the sonic quality drops a little bit here. Some love and tenderness clearly went into making the quality of these recordings as good as they are, but this one shows its rough edges more than some of the others. \u2018I Confess\u2019 doesn\u2019t connect with me as much and could have been one of the tracks that would have missed the second album if I was choosing from the demo collections.<\/p>\n

\u2018All Our Tomorrows\u2019 features a nice guitar riff and provides a catchy midtempo anthem that could have ultimately been pushed as a 3rd<\/sup> or 4th<\/sup> single from the album back in the day. I could have seen them adding some additional instrumentation in the studio to the album version, but this would have been terrific as a live song as is. Acoustic guitar introduces rocker \u2018Lost Generation\u2019 where the band indulge their hard rock side on the verses and contrast it with an excellent chorus that sticks long after the album is done playing. This would have likely been a live staple and an album favorite. My favorite part is actually how they use the bridge to transition over to the guitar solo. Changing gears completely, the band slows down with \u2018Dark End of the Street\u2019 capturing the spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd at Muscle Shoals Studio. This track is simply magical in its feel. A finished version could have included some gospel style backing vocals, piano, and\/ or horns, but that might actually have caused it to lose this spirit. \u2018Saving Grace\u2019 moves back into some rocking blues with some catchy guitar picking and Durango sounding excellent.<\/p>\n

Our stretch run begins with \u2018Halfway to Heaven\u2019 where the band show they had quality catchy hard rock songs spilling out of the speakers at this point. Give this one a real studio recording and it would have been another standout on the second album. Where a lot of the hair bands of the day lost their footing with the emergence of grunge and alternative, the Rock City Angels might have actually been able to carve out a whole other identity that would have carried them through because of their roots. The quick tempo of \u2018Take Me\u2019 sounds better and better with repeated listens, and it definitely would have benefitted from a proper recording. It would have been a deep album track that I would have loved which excels due to its simplicity and fun. \u2018The World of Today\u2019 is a slow rocker that has some ballad qualities but carries more musical weight and power. The guitar work is awesome with this one capturing a 70\u2019s rock feeling. Closer \u2018New Hope for the Dead\u2019 is ironically titled given the passing of Durango several years ago. This sleazy rocker highlight showcases what a special band this was, and the final shout by Durango at the end causes me to both smile and feel sad as it is the perfect last thing to hear.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest, these types of releases can be obvious cash-ins by people who have the tapes and take advantage of the circumstances. \u2018Southern Vision\u2019 sounds excellent given the time period and what was likely available to the band. The label has clearly taken measures to make this a worthwhile release for the fans of the band. Geffen Records did some phenomenal work with artists around this time, but that clearly didn\u2019t happen with these guys for whatever the reason was. The passing of time has only continued to heighten my love for the \u2018Young Man\u2019s Blues\u2019 album, and \u2018Southern Vision\u2019 provides evidence that the band was writing excellent songs that deserved to be properly done. If you are a fan of the band, this cannot be recommended enough. The world lost a star when Durango left us.<\/p>\n

Buy Southern Vision Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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Author: Gerald Stansbury<\/p>\n