NYC band Aviator are pretty much resembling Icon circa ‘Night Of The Crime’ though far more melodic and far more commercial is how best to describe their one and only album.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Aviator
ALBUM: Aviator
LABEL: RCA
SERIAL: NFL1-8060
YEAR: 1986
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Ernie White – vocals * Richie Cerniglia – guitars * Steve Vitale – bass * Mike Ricciardella – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Frontline * 02 Back On The Street * 03 Don’t Turn Away * 04 Wrong Place Wrong Time * 05 Never Let The Rock Stop * 06 Comeback * 07 Magic * 08 Can’t Stop * 09 Too Young * 10 Every Schoolboy Knows * 11 Through The Night * 12 Woman In Love (bonus) * 13 Holding On (bonus)
Background
An album held in high esteem by the melodic rock community for years, and cherished in the rock press during those heydays of the 1980’s. Aviator came together with Cerniglia and Ricciardella coming from the New York band Wiggy Bits (also featuring Balance‘s Peppy Castro), before moving on to form Network.
Wiggy Bits sounded very 70’s and very dated by today’s standards while Network were more commercially accessible. Nearly six years later, Aviator move right into the centre lane of 80’s melodic rock and AOR with the much acclaimed Neil Kernon doing the production duties.
The Songs
The Aviator debut is pretty much resembling Icon (circa ‘Night Of The Crime’) though the music here is far more melodic and far more commercial. This is how best to describe their one and only album.
You’d be hard pressed to find any better moments in melodic rock than ‘Frontline’ (yes the track that started it all and spawned the band and spawned the Swedish magazine ..) and the track ‘Comeback’ which is further down the track listing. Both tunes have easily recognizable choruses, a trait that many melodic rock bands decades on have forsaken.
Most of the other songs are high class rockers that move with an authority that only musicians like these can play. Who can forget absolute bullets such as ‘Back On The Street’ and ‘Can’t Stop’, the latter track covered by Norwegian singer Issa on her 2012 covers album incidentally called ‘Can’t Stop’!
In Summary
Again, it must be remembered that this album for all its potential, suffered at the box office. Some Aviator demo’s as well as Ernie White demo’s turned up three years later, while Escape Music did the unthinkable and got this album a re-release some twelve years after the event! Well done chaps. Kudos also to Rock Candy Records for reissuing this once again 22 years after the Escape version. Another album that requires a compulsory seat in your collection.
Video
Full Album (Select Tracks)
