This Strangeways album is so good, it is perhaps one of the best ever AOR releases to spring forth from the UK – or ever!
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Strangeways
ALBUM: Native Sons
LABEL: Bonaire
SERIAL: 258 579
YEAR: 1987
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Scotland
LINEUP: Terry Brock – vocals * Ian Stewart – guitars * David Stewart – bass * Jim Drummond – drums
Additional Musician: David ‘Munch’ Moore – keyboards
TRACK LISTING: 01 Dance With Somebody * 02 Only A Fool * 03 So Far Away * 04 Where Do We Go From Here * 05 Goodnight L.A * 06 Empty Streets * 07 Stand Up And Shout * 08 Shake The Seven * 09 Never Going To Lose It * 10 Face To Face
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Those who know me well also know I rave about this album. Superlatives run off the tongue like a years supply of saliva! This Strangeways album is so good, it is perhaps one of the best ever AOR releases to spring forth from the UK – or ever!
From Glasgow Scotland, these boys started life off as the band China White. Their name change to Strangeways coincided with their debut release on Bonaire in 1985. It too was a great album, and featured local singer Tony Liddell.
Encouraged by the success of Bon Jovi and Europe, Strangeways wanted to enhance their fortunes and they successfully recruited the vocal skills of talented Terry Brock, a U.S session singer from Atlanta, who prior to Strangeways had worked with Le Roux and Kansas.
So forth began the ‘Native Sons’ material, recorded in Switzerland and produced by the equally talented John Punter.
The Songs
A very tight production, and a good drum sound provided by Jim Drummond really made this album. It is an album which has been described as ‘outdoing Journey at their own game’.
Brock’s vocals imitate Steve Perry in the best possible way, it is remarkable to say the least.
Listen to ‘So Far Away’ and ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ as examples. However, all round, the quality level is at 110% and the songs just go from strength to strength.
Standouts? Well where do you start? I suppose the fantastic ballad ‘Goodnight L.A’, the incredible depth and atmospherics of ‘Shake The Seven’ and the equal measure of ‘Never Going To Lose It’ and the aforementioned ‘Where Do We Go From Here’, which is so Journey that Schon, Perry and co should be off to see their Patent Lawyers!
In Summary
Really, you have to listen to the whole CD to enjoy a pure melodic rock sonic experience. Still considered to be in top 10 AOR albums of all time (for mine, no#1 AOR album of all time), ‘Native Sons’ is without doubt one of the star releases of 1987.
The band followed it up with another incredible release two years later with ‘Walk In The Fire’. Unfortunately, Strangeways is far removed from where the Stewart brothers took them into the 90’s and beyond though they are still an ongoing but infrequent concern.
Strangeways on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
