For a decade the rock music coming out of Los Angeles was raw, energetic, magnificent. The 80s seemed dominant with this hard hotting explosive rock n roll replete with attitude and an energy that seemed boundless – if you had the chops then you probably had the record contract.
For one band, the dream inescapably never found its way to realisation – not for the lack of talent – because as you listen to the two compilation albums of unreleased works by TAZ, what is noticeable is the depth of their writing, hard rocking glammy tunes that could have been staples of the genre and illuminating stadiums alongside others of their craft, and yet somehow became lost to time.
“Wake Up And Sweat” comprises the 80s recordings of TAZ (remastered by Anthony Focx of Buckcherry, The Dead Daisies fame), with some tracks produced by multiple Grammy Award winner Rob Cavallo, others by renowned Kim Vincent Fowley and Bryon DeLear. While TAZ got an EP released (only in Japan) which is included here, the rest of the material is previously unreleased.
Their very first tracks (1986) have a demo sound, but the songs produced by the pros mentioned above sound great. We hear a lot of Kix, Britny Fox and Bang Tango streaming through the veins of these 1988-89 cuts.
If you are a fan of those bands, you will absolutely love this album.
TAZ sold out every venue they played from San Diego down to San Francisco, and especially in Los Angeles when they played Gazzarri’s, Roxy Theatre, Troubadour, L.A. Country Club, & The Whisky, just to name a few.
The group also were regulars at the famed Moby Grape Lounge in Las Vegas and the Mason Jar in Phoenix. TAZ was also regularly featured in well-known publications such as BAM, Hollywood Rocks, Rock City News, Screamer, BURRN!, RIP, Metal Edge, Metal Forces, and so many more.
TAZ was a big draw, and fans were lining up.
TAZ combined Pop Metal, Funk, Hard Rock, Metal, & Glam with a stage show that would not let you look away because you might miss something amazing if you did.
“I think we were trying to create music that came from our hearts, and at times we accomplished that really well,” frontman Kent “K.K.” Kleven said. “We pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone, and because we all had so many different influences, no two songs sounded the same. You could tell it was us, but they all had their own flavor.”
Warner was interested to offer TAZ a contract, but perhaps the band decision to release an EP via a small label in Japan pushed away the major label.
How TAZ never made it big is a mystery, but at least we can now discover the band all over again thanks to Eonian Records.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
01. Are You Ready (3:35)
02. She Does Bad Things Good (4:53)
03. Rock-N-Roll Rodeo (4:34)
04. Love Violation (4:39)
05. Love Violation (Reprised Version) (6:17)
06. I'll Wait (3:19)
07. You & Me (4:00)
08. SEX (88) (3:19)
09. L.A. Danger Zone (4:43)
10. She Does Bad Things Good (88) (4:18)
11. Missing You (4:07)
12. Political Song (3:57)
13. Caroline (3:54)
14. Cold Shoulder (5:17)
15. M.I. Insane (6:20)
16. Bad Religion (4:26)
17. Tattoo You (4:23)
Taz – Wake Up & Sweat, Vol. 1 [unreleased 80s recordings Eonian Records remaster] (2023)+FLAC
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