Many of you asked for Rock Candy Records reissues to complete collections, so here’s one more featured for the first time here: HOTEL self-titled debut “Hotel” from 1979, for the first time officially released on CD and digitally remastered.
As Rock Candy states; they often receive requests for obscure and now hard to find records, but the amount of demand for the Hotel albums has been decidedly overwhelming, surprising when considering that the act barely made a blip on the radar back in the early 1980s when they were first issued.
It appears that there is something of an insatiable appetite for music from that era, especially by melodic rock acts such as this, with a penchant for melody and strong hooks.
Originating from Birmingham, Alabama, Hotel evolved through a number of line-ups, based around the central duo of Marc Phillips and Tommy Calton.
Hotel was a popular favorite on the southeastern United States Rock-n-Roll club scene and played in all the best and largest clubs, as well as fronting concerts for many national acts who toured through the area in the mid-to-late 1970s.
Their original songs were highly laced with pop hooks and heavy vocal harmonies, sometimes 6-part, with a polished sound and refined musicianship; they routinely peppered their sets with tunes that showed off their musical prowess by covering difficult-to-play songs note-for-note by acts such as Steely Dan.
Phillips’ lead vocal also gave the group an identifiable trademark that combined a good range with exceptional quality.
They were originally signed to the Mercury label in 1977 but, after releasing one solitary single, found themselves cast adrift. In a fortuitous meeting on a plane journey, the head of the Scotti Brothers records was handed a tape which led to a new record deal.
Recorded in Nashville and produced by their mentor Dain Eric, this album was issued in 1979, but despite good intentions failed to gain traction with the paying public at the time.
The album itself is a measured example of carefully crafted AOR, drinking from the same goblet as Player, Air Supply, Le Roux and the Little River Band.
The musicianship is first class in all respects, with careful attention paid to arrangements and execution. From the harder rock of ‘City Lights’ and ‘Not Wise To Say’ to the beautifully crafted ‘Right On Time’ and ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’, the material is a fine example of the era’s signature slick FM-ready sound.
01 – You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
02 – You’ll Love Again
03 – Right on Time
04 – One Time Too Many
05 – Old Silver
06 – Not Wise to Say
07 – Losing My Mind
08 – City Lights
09 – Hold on to the Night
10 – Your Green Eyes
Guitar, Vocals – Michael Reid, Tommy Calton
Bass, Vocals – George Creasman
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Michael Cadenhead
Drums – John Nuckols
Grand Piano, Keyboards, Lead Vocals – Marc Phillips
Keyboards, Vocals – Lee Bargeron
Organ [B-3], Synthesizer [Moog] – Shane Keister
Percussion – Farrell Morris
Strings – The Shelly Kurland Strings