Here’s the 2nd of two discs that Brian gave me for review from the new archive label Eonian Records out of Indiana. PISTOL DAWN was a four-piece that were based out of Chicago, IL. The two main points of the band seemed to be they were produced by none other than everybody’s "brother" the one and only Chip Z’Nuff and also their bass player, Rob Stratton was the original four-stringer in the mighty LILLIAN AXE.
The cool thing about archive releases is you get to hear what was and could have been back in the day. It’s honest, as it was created when the scene was thriving and it’s not a representation of a band trying to sound like the past but failing miserably. Having said that I can’t say I enjoyed this as much as the previously reviewed Eonian-released CHARLEMAGNE but it’s not all that bad either.
The band have a more glammy/sleazy sound not that much unlike the band of their producer Chip Z’Nuff. They aren’t as classy (or as BEATLES-influenced) as ENUFF Z’NUFF but you can certainly see that some of Z’Nuff’s style rubbed off on them.
The record opens with the title track "Conversation Piece" which is a fairly standard sounding sleaze track. There are hints of the aforementioned LILLIAN AXE in the sound without ever quite reaching the heights of that band.
The record gets rolling a bit with the more accessible and melodic "Dreams Come True". It’s not unlike the sound of a lot of other bands of this style from the day but it’s done fairly well and has a pretty catchy chorus. "Be My Girl" continues in the same mold with it’s melodic and catchy approach.
"Message In A Bottle" certainly isn’t a cover of the POLICE song but did you really think it would be? It is a typical hair rocker which again has shades of LILLIAN AXE but is a bit more contrived sounding in it’s approach.
"Hard Way" brings back the ENUFF Z’NUFF style and it makes for a better result for the sound of the band. As mentioned earlier the bands sound is clearly in the glam/sleaze arena but they do have enough of a commercially accessible appeal to keep you interested.
The track "Gone Away" is a mid-tempo rocker with a certain appeal. I can see in a way why these guys never hit the big time. It’s not that they are bad or anything but they just have that unpolished feel to their game. Perhaps had they stuck it out a bit longer and honed their skills they’d have been a little closer to the big-time?
The last two tracks "Talk Of The Town" and "Wish Upon A Star" have a clear LILLIAN AXE influence and are two of the better tracks on the record.
All in all, PISTOL DAWN’s "Conversation Piece" is just that to me… It could be debated whether these guys were worthy of the big-time or not. Their sound wavers between both the musical territories laid by ENUFF Z’NUFF and LILLIAN AXE but without the class of either.
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Band Lineup:
- “Faster” Freddie Brecht – Lead Vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar
- Scotti Ryan – Lead Guitar, background vocals, bass guitar
- Don Ferguson – Drums
- Rob Stratton – Bass guitar
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Track Listing:
- Conversation Piece
- Dreams Come True
- Be My Girl
- Message In A Bottle
- Hard Way
- Gone Away
- Stocks and Blondes
- Still Running
- Talk of the Town
- Wish Upon A Star
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