'Lost' Bands (Updated: The Scientists)

This thread 'Lost' Bands Of Rock 'N' Roll, is an ongoing thread for people to do some write ups/profiles of bands that slipped through the cracks into obscurity over the years. Its an oppurtunity to 'hip' people to some of your favourite 'hidden treasures'. Anything that encompasses rock n' roll from garage to hard rock, powerpop to college, punk to goth, prog to alternative, sleaze/glam to grunge and all thats between and outside. So feel free to add to the thread, and try and give links to websites/myspace and youtube videos if possible. The first profile is up.

I posted somewhere recently on the following band, but it got lost so I'll do it again here. Sorry no pictures or anything.

Russia s/t (1980).
There is absolutely no hope that this will ever see re-release on CD, but if I could request anything to be re-released this would be it.
Russia was a Pomp/New Wave/Glam hybrid with a great sense of humor. The closest comparison would be the Canadian band Zon from the same era, but other similar bands would include Sparks, Strapps, and Skyhooks. Their lone album was a great mix of infectious, catchy, and fairly heavy songs. Poppy, but with a unique personality, and loads of it. Unfortunately they went nowhere.
They changed their band name to Force Ten and made a second record (same approach, but not quite as good) which flopped as well. Luckily I was able to find copies of both records on vinyl.
Seeing bands like Gunfire Dance get re-released gives me a little hope, but I really don't think this one will ever see the light of day again. Lost indeed.

Mott The Hoople

rattpoison....ever hear SPEEDBALL BABY?

DeathCult wrote:

Mott The Hoople

No seriously. If you like heavy Hoople you gotta check out the Strapps s/t album from 1976. It's available on CD.

SAHB Healer wrote:

DeathCult wrote:

Mott The Hoople

No seriously. If you like heavy Hoople you gotta check out the Strapps s/t album from 1976. It's available on CD.

Thanks, I'll check it out. I love MTH, even the Nigel Benjamin era, have em all.

Shiney wrote:

rattpoison....ever hear SPEEDBALL BABY?

Yeah! Wanna do their write up.

I only have their "Cinema!" cd...does that qualify me?

none the matter...here goes:


SPEEDBALL BABY!




With Crisco in their hair and the sound sort of everywhere SPEEDBALL BABY came about in 1995, equal parts psychobilly stomp and junkie sleaze swagger. these cats are the real deal...from psycho baptist sounding sermon rants to bass jiggling ass shaking gutter blues romps.
They are swamp gas an' skull rings....short skirts and cigarette burns...snake charmers and mascara stains on the pillows....
For those who like a smattering of CRAMPS now and then give this little band a chance....

Hailz to you Mr. Shiney, you summed them up perfectly in one of the most entertaining write ups i've ever read! Why do i go weak at the knees for anything thats Gun Clubbed or Cramped?

Heres a link for all you thrill seekers

www.myspace.com/speedballbaby1

I remember having a CD from a band called Flame. Good 80s hard rock and it only cost me like $2 dollars. Looks like I can still get it at that price on Amazon.

that is a good one, Dallas....very TESLA sounding blues based hard rock...

I just sent a copy of that to Ultmetal....ironically....

Shiney wrote:

that is a good one, Dallas....very TESLA sounding blues based hard rock...

I just sent a copy of that to Ultmetal....ironically....

Yeah, I need to get another copy because for some dumb reason I got rid of mine. However, Amazon is fully stocked on cheap used copies so at least it's not a rare find.

SAHB Healer wrote:

I posted somewhere recently on the following band, but it got lost so I'll do it again here. Sorry no pictures or anything.

Russia s/t (1980).
There is absolutely no hope that this will ever see re-release on CD, but if I could request anything to be re-released this would be it.
Russia was a Pomp/New Wave/Glam hybrid with a great sense of humor. The closest comparison would be the Canadian band Zon from the same era, but other similar bands would include Sparks, Strapps, and Skyhooks. Their lone album was a great mix of infectious, catchy, and fairly heavy songs. Poppy, but with a unique personality, and loads of it. Unfortunately they went nowhere.
They changed their band name to Force Ten and made a second record (same approach, but not quite as good) which flopped as well. Luckily I was able to find copies of both records on vinyl.
Seeing bands like Gunfire Dance get re-released gives me a little hope, but I really don't think this one will ever see the light of day again. Lost indeed.

Wow someone else knows of Russia I have both those on cd they are very hard to come by! The Russia album is very good!

Wargod48

This is an all time Shiney favorite...I remember the year their "hit" came out....I was in junior high...NO ONE liked the song" Keep Your Hands To Yourself" but to a boy raised on the STONES and FACES as well as JOHNNY CASH and HANK WILLIAMS this was a heavenly band...It was hard rock with some honky tonk skronk....It was HEARTBREAKERS on hay stacks.. (Ironically I would see them open for PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS in 1989....)

"Battleship Chains" is such a down home groovin' Southern boogie tune...Take a decent bar rock band...wrap them in oily rags and set them on fire with a pyre of STONES, FACES and boogie records and you have this band, sadly relegated to one hit wonder status but in actuality all their stuff is good....

The Godz - great early biker rock

http://www.thegodz.net/

Starz/Hellcats/RRG - fun as hell! Equal parts "Sweet", "Free", and "Kiss". Hellcats 1 is one of the best unknown albums in history!!! Ritchie Ranno still gigs every week.

http://www.starzcentral.com/index2.html

Love the Godz, awesome band. If you like them Saxon try a band called the Boyzz. They were doing the same thing around the Godz time. The released one album called Too Wild To Tame in 1978. Great southern fried rough n' ready biker rock. Check out this live video of them in the late 70's with none other than Meatloaf guesting, it rocks like crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Sl5JkRsm0

Love the Georgia Satellites, i love their brand of pub honky tonk roots/country rock (ala Del-Lords) hard rock crossover. And their cover of the Rod Stewart track 'Every Picture Tells A Story' is killer.

Rick Richards is one of my fav guitarists, being the perfect foil for Izzy Stradlin on all his awesome solo rekkids.

It all began in the early 90's (actually earlier if you follow the lineage far enough) with the band DENVER GENTLEMEN...a band that was an Americana NICK CAVE mixed with old gospel and a dash of Bluegrass...and alot of eccentricity. When the initial incarnation of that band splintered, DAVID EUGENE EDWARDS formed his band 16 HORSEPOWER....While other members wound up in bands like SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB, DEVOTCHKA and KALAMUTH BROTHERS.** 16 HP took the sound of DENVER GENTLEMEN stripped it down to it's skeleton and refleshed it with blood, sweat and pages from the Bible. It's a dark gothic end times sermons with banjos and brush percussion...It's rainy nights and spiritual longing. It's wanting badly to belong and be loved while waving your middle fingers and screaming at everyone to get away from you. It's lonely and loving and it's good for your soul.

This incredible band released several cds (my favorite being "Low Estate" but each one is unlike the others but without changing the bands inherent sound. dark gospel bluegrass rawk is how I describe them to folks....they make a face but usually after they have given them a listen...they fall in love....not rigt away...but it happens.

Now in 2003 a bad thing happened and the band fell apart....DAVID EUGENE went on to do his WOVEN HAND project...and a void was created in the world.....


**EVERY single artists name checked in capital letters is incredible, and should be checked out by one and all!!!!

I have 16 Horsepower's (debut I think). Gothic Bluegrass is right. Thanks for reminding me of them. I've had the song "Black Soul Choir" going in my head all night as I work, which makes the shift go along nicely.

Wargod48 wrote:

SAHB Healer wrote:

I posted somewhere recently on the following band, but it got lost so I'll do it again here. Sorry no pictures or anything.

Russia s/t (1980).
There is absolutely no hope that this will ever see re-release on CD, but if I could request anything to be re-released this would be it.
Russia was a Pomp/New Wave/Glam hybrid with a great sense of humor. The closest comparison would be the Canadian band Zon from the same era, but other similar bands would include Sparks, Strapps, and Skyhooks. Their lone album was a great mix of infectious, catchy, and fairly heavy songs. Poppy, but with a unique personality, and loads of it. Unfortunately they went nowhere.
They changed their band name to Force Ten and made a second record (same approach, but not quite as good) which flopped as well. Luckily I was able to find copies of both records on vinyl.
Seeing bands like Gunfire Dance get re-released gives me a little hope, but I really don't think this one will ever see the light of day again. Lost indeed.

Wow someone else knows of Russia I have both those on cd they are very hard to come by! The Russia album is very good!

Wargod48

You mean they were re-issued at some point? Where did you find them, I've never seen 'em anywhere!

p.s.- I'm willing to trade you my girlfriend for those discs.

Gothic Americana? Love 16 Horsepower and Denver Gentlemen, its amazing how they took music and instruments so old yet made it new and fresh. Their experimental instrumentation is up there with the awesome Brian Jonestown Massacre although in a whole different universe.

My fave record is Secret South with its amazing Bob Dylan cover Nobody Cept You. Dark and spooky, almost like the devil is present or waiting at the crossroads of the sparse soundscapes of 16 Horsepower's music. But then that description of the 'music' flies in the face of Eugene's great lyrics, enough to make you fear the devil whether you believe or not. Religious music not for the religious!

Eugene like fellow 'fire spirit' Jeffrey Lee Pierce being a man outta time and place.

How about some FASTWAY

Do it....post a band pic And a blurb....

Fastway is an EXCELLENT blues based metal band originally formed by "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motorhead and Pete Way of UFO. In 1983 both players had been disgruntled with their own bands and decided to work together in a new outfit. They recruited drummer, Jerry Shirley, formerly of Humble Pie, and the then unknown vocalist, Dave King. They took their name from a combination of the founding members' names. However, Way then discovered that he could not escape from his recording contract with Chrysalis Records, and then received a tempting offer to play for Ozzy Osbourne, so abandoned the project. Bringing in session bassist, Mick Feat, the band then recorded their debut album, Fastway. They are often incorrectly considered to be a NWOBHM band as Fastway did not commence until 1983.
A critical and commercial success, the band toured to promote the album (with Alfie Agius as their session bass player). The band then recruited Charlie McCracken, formerly of Taste as "permanent" bassist, and released another success in the form of All Fired Up the following year. After the hardships of touring, Shirley and McCracken subsequently left. In 1986 Clarke and King reformed Fastway with a new line-up. Recruiting Shane Carroll (second guitar), Paul Reid (bass), and Alan Connor (drums) from Dave King's first band Stillwood, this line-up released Waiting for the Roar. The record took an AOR approach instead of the driving bluesy-metal of the previous albums. The success of the record was limited, and it disappointed many fans. In 1987 Fastway was approached to make the soundtrack for the heavy metal horror film, Trick or Treat. The film flopped (although I think it's great), but the soundtrack re-established Fastway as a hard hitting metal band. The soundtrack was a moderate success, and stayed on the Billboard Hot 200 chart for eleven months. The success of the soundtrack, and the very little money the band received, caused in-fighting and the band disbanded. King took most of the band with him and started Q.E.D., a more AOR styled outfit. They released a two-track single.
King then got a call from David Geffen and Jon Kollodner to come to the United States to head up a heavy metal supergroup, called Katmandu. Katmandu also featured Mandy Meyer from Krokus on guitars. The band was rounded out by Cain Carruthers of the punk rock band The Untouchables, and Mike Alonso of the punk band, The Meanies.
Clarke decided to restart Fastway again from scratch using vocalist Lea Hart and session men, quickly releasing On Target in the same year, but it sold poorly.
In 1990 this duo released Bad Bad Girls, employing various session musicians including members of Girlschool. It was widely ignored and sold poorly. After calling it a day in 1991, they released a perfunctory live album Say What You Will LIVE (an older recording, curiously with King on vocals). In 1997 however the pair reunited and released a reworked version of On Target, but there was no commercial success.
Vocalist King later returned to his roots in 1997 with Flogging Molly, an Irish inspired punk band, who have sold over a million and a half copies of recorded output. The last studio CD Within a Mile Of Home hit #20 on the Billboard Hot 200.
As reported on MelodicRock.com on 26 February 2007, an updated line-up for Fastway will appear at this year's Sweden Rock Festival. They will also be appearing at the 2007 Download Festival at Castle Donington. Besides guitarist Clarke, the band features among others John "Harv" Harbinson (Stormzone), Steve Strange and John McManus (Mama's Boys).
On 25 May 2007, Toby Jepson, former lead singer with Little Angels, announced he had accepted an approach from Fastway to perform lead vocal duties during the year's festival appearances. Jepson will also continue with his solo work.
The current line-up appeared at the 2007 Japanese Loud Park Festival in Saitama,Japan on Saturday October 20th 2007. Songs performed were Misunderstood,Steal The Show,Another Day,Say What You Will,Heft,Telephone,Non Stop Love,Feel Me,Touch Me (Do Anything You Want),Easy Living.
In an interview with Komodo Rock at the Hard Rock Hell Festival in November 2007, Eddie Clark confirmed that he and Toby Jepson would be working on new material. He said "Toby and I are going to sit down and maybe do a few tunes over the winter. See if we can write some tunes."