Genre: AOR / Melodic Rock / Prog Rock
Disc (release) country: EU
Publication year: 2023 / ADD LINK!
Publisher (label): Pride & Joy Music
Country of the performer (group): US
Pride & Joy Music has released a 3-CD Box Set of San Francisco based AOR rockers EYE called ”Anthology”. The limited to 500 copies worldwide box includes 50 tracks from the band’s archive digitally remastered with a very good sound quality, including rare picture material, a 24 pages booklet featuring liner notes written by Mike Varney.
Formed in 1975 by John Harrison, Donny McLeod and Peter Penhallow, The band was originally named TIMMY. The starting sound was more Progressive in nature and eventually developed into more Harder Rock AOR stylings by the time they redeveloped and renamed the band to EYE in 1988.
”Anthology” features material from Eye’s 1989 album “It Might Rain”, Timmy’s “The Atlanta Project” (1984), “The Damn Thing Is Still Alive!”, and unreleased material from archives.
For the Timmy 1984 album the band recorded the 4 songs along with guest bassist Andy West of Dixie Dregs fame, and producer Eddy Offord (YES, POLICE, ELP). Although their musical influences also come from these bands, I can’t hear much of a similarity, because this Timmy was pure early 80s AOR/Pomprock recalling The SYNCH, LE ROUX, RATHSKELLER, THRILLS…
So basically you get a lot of wonderful keyboards (the band has two members who playing keyboards and singing), big melodic harmony vocals, catchy hooklines all over the place, superb memorable choruses, sharp guitar riffs and this is all packed in a radio-format early ’80s typed rock sound.
The songs from the album released under the name EYE recorded 1988-89 have the polished sheen production from the era, AOR with pop-rock feeling at places yet still retaining the pomp sound.
These songs are more refined, radio-ready than the previous material, with elegant arrangements.
Kudos to Pride & Joy Music for releasing this excellent box set from a band that deserved better promotion and a good recording deal.
Highly Recommended
CD 1:
01. Back Up Slow Down
02. Broadway Hollywood
03. Taylor Made
04. Lost And Confused
05. Romance (Version 3)
06. Just a Game
07. You’ve Got Nerve
08. Don’t Wait
09. Back Up (Alternative Version)
10. All I Need
11. Need Somebody
12. Presence
13. In A Hole
14. Eye Will Watch You
15. All Too Well
16. You’ve Got Nerve (Alternative Version)
CD 2:
01. I’m After You
02. The Hero Is Dead
03. Big Boy
04. Under The Weather
05. Baby Lady
06. Honestly Lovely
07. I Might Rain
08. Nuclear Affair
09. You Don’t Know Me
10. Right Time
11. Reddi Freddi
12. Baby Lady (Alternative Version)
13. Honestly Lovely (Alternative Version)
14. Time’s Got A Way
15. Baby Lady (Unplugged)
16. Grab A Seat – Reddi Freddi (Alternative Version)
CD 3:
01. Don’t Cry
02. Rumble
03. No Man’s Land
04. Witchin‘ Time
05. Night Scope
06. Eye 4 An Eye
07. You’ve Gotta Have It
08. Partyin‘ Angel
09. Change The Channel MPH
10. Chase The Blues Away
11. Here I Am
12. I Know What I’m Looking For
13. Ready Or Not
14. I Can’t Complain
15. I Know A Way
16. Birthday Part One
Eye (ex Timmy) – Anthology 2023 Box-Set 3 CD , MP3+FLAC, CD w/Scans
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