MICHAEL STANLEY
''THE HANG''
2012
70:42
1 From Somewhere Else 04:02
2 The Last Great Illusion 04:40
3 How Many Guitars Do You Need 05:16
4 Breaking Down 04:53
5 When It Don't Come Easy 04:36
6 Fait Accompli 04:55
7 A Damn Fine Way To Go 04:45
8 Wonder Wheel 04:58
9 Down In The Suck 05:21
10 Back In The Day 04:29
11 Martha 05:08
12 Romeo & Juliet 06:47
13 Another New Years Eve 05:30
14 The Hang 03:58
15 Little Michael On Wgar (Glad He Found Pelander 01:19
REVIEW
By Joseph Suto
When one thinks of the Michael Stanley Band, they are immediately identified with Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1974, The Michael Stanley Band set several Cleveland area attendance records including 74,404 on a four night stand at Blossom Music Center in 1982. Since then the MSB disbanded and Michael has released several solo albums. Michael still lives there and hosts a daily radio show on classic rock station WCNX as well.
The Hang is produced by Michael and engineered by Bill Szymczyk who is known for his work with The Eagles. The album features fifteen tracks including a Dire Straits cover as well as a Patty Griffin song to boot. The Resonators, Michael’s touring band plays throughout the album.
The Hang can be described probably as Stanley’s darkest release to date. The playing on the album along with the production however enlighten the somewhat somber mood a few of the tracks exhibit. For me the standouts tracks are “From Somewhere Else” and “The Last Great Illusion” but “How Many Guitars Do You Need” is the albums strongest track. Michael does the Mark Knopfler penned “Romeo and Juliet” justice.
The Hang is a solid release by a veteran of the music industry who has been almost kept a secret despite releasing some solid solo albums since the dissolution of the Michael Stanley Band back in ’86. If you like good musicianship and songs that have meaning pick this one up, as you will not be disappointed.
When one thinks of the Michael Stanley Band, they are immediately identified with Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1974, The Michael Stanley Band set several Cleveland area attendance records including 74,404 on a four night stand at Blossom Music Center in 1982. Since then the MSB disbanded and Michael has released several solo albums. Michael still lives there and hosts a daily radio show on classic rock station WCNX as well.
The Hang is produced by Michael and engineered by Bill Szymczyk who is known for his work with The Eagles. The album features fifteen tracks including a Dire Straits cover as well as a Patty Griffin song to boot. The Resonators, Michael’s touring band plays throughout the album.
The Hang can be described probably as Stanley’s darkest release to date. The playing on the album along with the production however enlighten the somewhat somber mood a few of the tracks exhibit. For me the standouts tracks are “From Somewhere Else” and “The Last Great Illusion” but “How Many Guitars Do You Need” is the albums strongest track. Michael does the Mark Knopfler penned “Romeo and Juliet” justice.
The Hang is a solid release by a veteran of the music industry who has been almost kept a secret despite releasing some solid solo albums since the dissolution of the Michael Stanley Band back in ’86. If you like good musicianship and songs that have meaning pick this one up, as you will not be disappointed.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bret Adams
Cleveland native Michael Stanley became a regional phenomenon, but the singer/songwriter/guitarist and his Michael Stanley Band deserved more national success than they achieved. Stanley, whose real name is Michael Stanley Gee, played bass with the folk-rock group Silk in the late '60s. He then went solo and released two solo albums in the early '70s that fit right in with the "singer/songwriter" era. His talent attracted the likes of producer Bill Szymczyk and guest musicians Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, and David Sanborn from the beginning. He formed the Michael Stanley Band (aka MSB) in 1975 and pursued a more straightforward rock direction. MSB recorded a string of albums through the late '70s and early '80s that were modest successes nationally but major hits in Ohio. In fact, the Michael Stanley Band was such a sensation at home that it still holds attendance records at major concert venues. 1980's Heartland was easily MSB's best album, and Stanley agrees. It included the hit single "He Can't Love You" (sung by vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Raleigh) and the minor hit "Lover" (sung by Stanley and featuring blistering saxophone by Clarence Clemons). MSB's second and last Top 40 hit was Stanley's anthem "My Town" in 1983. After recording for Epic, Arista, and EMI, MSB independently released two albums on their own before breaking up in 1987.
The Michael Stanley Band was a reliably consistent, meat-and-potatoes enterprise responsible for superb Midwestern rock & roll. Stanley went on to become a popular television and radio personality in Cleveland. He still regularly releases albums -- solo and the one-off group project the Ghost Poets -- and performs annual summer and New Year's Eve shows along with occasional acoustic dates; these concerts and albums both feature MSB alumni and other Cleveland musicians. Razor & Tie has reissued most of MSB's catalog and two excellent best-of collections on compact disc.
OFFICIAL SITE
''THE HANG''
2012
70:42
1 From Somewhere Else 04:02
2 The Last Great Illusion 04:40
3 How Many Guitars Do You Need 05:16
4 Breaking Down 04:53
5 When It Don't Come Easy 04:36
6 Fait Accompli 04:55
7 A Damn Fine Way To Go 04:45
8 Wonder Wheel 04:58
9 Down In The Suck 05:21
10 Back In The Day 04:29
11 Martha 05:08
12 Romeo & Juliet 06:47
13 Another New Years Eve 05:30
14 The Hang 03:58
15 Little Michael On Wgar (Glad He Found Pelander 01:19
REVIEW
By Joseph Suto
When one thinks of the Michael Stanley Band, they are immediately identified with Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1974, The Michael Stanley Band set several Cleveland area attendance records including 74,404 on a four night stand at Blossom Music Center in 1982. Since then the MSB disbanded and Michael has released several solo albums. Michael still lives there and hosts a daily radio show on classic rock station WCNX as well.
The Hang is produced by Michael and engineered by Bill Szymczyk who is known for his work with The Eagles. The album features fifteen tracks including a Dire Straits cover as well as a Patty Griffin song to boot. The Resonators, Michael’s touring band plays throughout the album.
The Hang can be described probably as Stanley’s darkest release to date. The playing on the album along with the production however enlighten the somewhat somber mood a few of the tracks exhibit. For me the standouts tracks are “From Somewhere Else” and “The Last Great Illusion” but “How Many Guitars Do You Need” is the albums strongest track. Michael does the Mark Knopfler penned “Romeo and Juliet” justice.
The Hang is a solid release by a veteran of the music industry who has been almost kept a secret despite releasing some solid solo albums since the dissolution of the Michael Stanley Band back in ’86. If you like good musicianship and songs that have meaning pick this one up, as you will not be disappointed.
When one thinks of the Michael Stanley Band, they are immediately identified with Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1974, The Michael Stanley Band set several Cleveland area attendance records including 74,404 on a four night stand at Blossom Music Center in 1982. Since then the MSB disbanded and Michael has released several solo albums. Michael still lives there and hosts a daily radio show on classic rock station WCNX as well.
The Hang is produced by Michael and engineered by Bill Szymczyk who is known for his work with The Eagles. The album features fifteen tracks including a Dire Straits cover as well as a Patty Griffin song to boot. The Resonators, Michael’s touring band plays throughout the album.
The Hang can be described probably as Stanley’s darkest release to date. The playing on the album along with the production however enlighten the somewhat somber mood a few of the tracks exhibit. For me the standouts tracks are “From Somewhere Else” and “The Last Great Illusion” but “How Many Guitars Do You Need” is the albums strongest track. Michael does the Mark Knopfler penned “Romeo and Juliet” justice.
The Hang is a solid release by a veteran of the music industry who has been almost kept a secret despite releasing some solid solo albums since the dissolution of the Michael Stanley Band back in ’86. If you like good musicianship and songs that have meaning pick this one up, as you will not be disappointed.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bret Adams
Cleveland native Michael Stanley became a regional phenomenon, but the singer/songwriter/guitarist and his Michael Stanley Band deserved more national success than they achieved. Stanley, whose real name is Michael Stanley Gee, played bass with the folk-rock group Silk in the late '60s. He then went solo and released two solo albums in the early '70s that fit right in with the "singer/songwriter" era. His talent attracted the likes of producer Bill Szymczyk and guest musicians Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, and David Sanborn from the beginning. He formed the Michael Stanley Band (aka MSB) in 1975 and pursued a more straightforward rock direction. MSB recorded a string of albums through the late '70s and early '80s that were modest successes nationally but major hits in Ohio. In fact, the Michael Stanley Band was such a sensation at home that it still holds attendance records at major concert venues. 1980's Heartland was easily MSB's best album, and Stanley agrees. It included the hit single "He Can't Love You" (sung by vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Raleigh) and the minor hit "Lover" (sung by Stanley and featuring blistering saxophone by Clarence Clemons). MSB's second and last Top 40 hit was Stanley's anthem "My Town" in 1983. After recording for Epic, Arista, and EMI, MSB independently released two albums on their own before breaking up in 1987.
The Michael Stanley Band was a reliably consistent, meat-and-potatoes enterprise responsible for superb Midwestern rock & roll. Stanley went on to become a popular television and radio personality in Cleveland. He still regularly releases albums -- solo and the one-off group project the Ghost Poets -- and performs annual summer and New Year's Eve shows along with occasional acoustic dates; these concerts and albums both feature MSB alumni and other Cleveland musicians. Razor & Tie has reissued most of MSB's catalog and two excellent best-of collections on compact disc.
OFFICIAL SITE
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