MICHAEL STANLEY BAND
''NORTH COAST''
1981
57:43
1 In The Heartland 03:30
2 When Your Heart Says It's Right 03:27
3 Somewhere In The Night 03:17
4 You're My Love 02:40
5 Heaven And Hell 04:55
6 Don't You Do That To Me 05:21
7 Falling In Love Again 05:55
8 Tell Me 05:09
9 Chemistry 04:48
10 Victim Of Circumstance 02:49
11 We Can Make It 03:05
12 Let's Hear It 04:21
13 Somewhere In The Night (Live) (Bonus Track) 04:10
14 Shut Up And Leave Me Alone (Live) (Bonus Track) 04:09
Rick Bell/Saxophone
Tommy Dobeck/Drums
Michael Gismondi/Bass
Gary Markasky/Guitar
Bob Pelander/Keyboards, Lyricist, Vocals
Kevin Raleigh/Keyboards, Lyricist, Vocals
Michael Stanley/Guitar, Vocals
REVIEW
by Bret Adams (AllMusic)
The Michael Stanley Band reached its creative peak with 1980's Heartland and finally enjoyed some commercial success to boot. As Stanley has said, MSB was finally in the enviable position of having its record company clamor for a follow-up. Fortunately, 1981's North Coast offered another fine batch of songs and a new member in saxophonist Rick Bell. Assuming production duties this time around was legendary knob-twiddler Eddie Kramer, known for his work with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Kiss. "In the Heartland" has a pounding, insistent groove, and it became an MSB concert staple. Keyboardist/vocalist Kevin Raleigh's "When Your Heart Says Its Right" is infectious pop/rock and the chorus is terrific. "Somewhere in the Night," another favorite among the MSB faithful, is a strong tune in which the slightly more subtle verses make the chorus more explosive. Two other engaging rockers are "Heaven and Hell" and "Don't You Do That to Me." The acoustic guitar-based ballad "Falling in Love Again" is emotional without being syrupy. "Chemistry" nearly approaches new wave thanks to its jittery pace, repeating synthesizer lick and shouted chorus. It's a bit of a departure from MSB's consistently solid Midwestern rock & roll, and that makes it interesting. Buoyant 1950s-style rock is the model for "Let's Hear It," a hard-driving slice of all-out fun; the lighthearted lyrics touch on everything from a hard-working bar band to beautiful, tempting female fans to blue-collar audiences, while keyboardist Bob Pelander goes wild with an "attack piano" solo. [Some reissues add two live bonus tracks, "Somewhere in the Night" and "Shut Up and Leave Me Alone," recorded at Cleveland's Blossom Music Center in 1984.]
BIOGRAPHY
By Bret Adams (AllMusic)
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
''NORTH COAST''
1981
57:43
1 In The Heartland 03:30
2 When Your Heart Says It's Right 03:27
3 Somewhere In The Night 03:17
4 You're My Love 02:40
5 Heaven And Hell 04:55
6 Don't You Do That To Me 05:21
7 Falling In Love Again 05:55
8 Tell Me 05:09
9 Chemistry 04:48
10 Victim Of Circumstance 02:49
11 We Can Make It 03:05
12 Let's Hear It 04:21
13 Somewhere In The Night (Live) (Bonus Track) 04:10
14 Shut Up And Leave Me Alone (Live) (Bonus Track) 04:09
Rick Bell/Saxophone
Tommy Dobeck/Drums
Michael Gismondi/Bass
Gary Markasky/Guitar
Bob Pelander/Keyboards, Lyricist, Vocals
Kevin Raleigh/Keyboards, Lyricist, Vocals
Michael Stanley/Guitar, Vocals
REVIEW
by Bret Adams (AllMusic)
The Michael Stanley Band reached its creative peak with 1980's Heartland and finally enjoyed some commercial success to boot. As Stanley has said, MSB was finally in the enviable position of having its record company clamor for a follow-up. Fortunately, 1981's North Coast offered another fine batch of songs and a new member in saxophonist Rick Bell. Assuming production duties this time around was legendary knob-twiddler Eddie Kramer, known for his work with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Kiss. "In the Heartland" has a pounding, insistent groove, and it became an MSB concert staple. Keyboardist/vocalist Kevin Raleigh's "When Your Heart Says Its Right" is infectious pop/rock and the chorus is terrific. "Somewhere in the Night," another favorite among the MSB faithful, is a strong tune in which the slightly more subtle verses make the chorus more explosive. Two other engaging rockers are "Heaven and Hell" and "Don't You Do That to Me." The acoustic guitar-based ballad "Falling in Love Again" is emotional without being syrupy. "Chemistry" nearly approaches new wave thanks to its jittery pace, repeating synthesizer lick and shouted chorus. It's a bit of a departure from MSB's consistently solid Midwestern rock & roll, and that makes it interesting. Buoyant 1950s-style rock is the model for "Let's Hear It," a hard-driving slice of all-out fun; the lighthearted lyrics touch on everything from a hard-working bar band to beautiful, tempting female fans to blue-collar audiences, while keyboardist Bob Pelander goes wild with an "attack piano" solo. [Some reissues add two live bonus tracks, "Somewhere in the Night" and "Shut Up and Leave Me Alone," recorded at Cleveland's Blossom Music Center in 1984.]
BIOGRAPHY
By Bret Adams (AllMusic)
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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