Alongside the requested FAKE I.D. album featured yesterday here, if you love classic ’80s AOR you need to hear this compilation called by the fans ‘Fake I.D. 2nd unreleased album‘ or ‘Second Coming‘, which in fact are previous demos from talented female songwriters Pamela Barlow & Janet Minto.
There’s some bootlegs of these songs but with 12 tracks only – this compilation CD ”BARLOW / MINTO – Demos” put together by Japanese ‘AOR Moon Collectors‘ fans features 16, and sound quality is much better.
As happened on the official FAKE I.D. album title ‘Dreaming Ezekiel’, many of the songs are performed by the great Gene Miller (vocals for Richard Marx, Peter Cetera, Gregg Rolie) but there’s other male and female vocalists.
Mark Free handled lead vocals on the demo versions of “Tied To The Mast” and “I’m A Fighter”, both songs later re-recorded with Gene Miller’s vocals. Stan Bush is on “Even The Strong”, also re-recorded later with Gene. “Livin’ In The Trenches” is co-written with Lanny Cordola – Lanny later took the intro riff for the unreleased Giuffria song “Are You Ready” (check out the David Glen Eisley CD “The Lost Tapes” and compare the riff). Other lead vocals were handled by Rob Throwe, Shana Morrison, and perhaps some others.
Musically the songs here are pretty rocking, still AOR but bordering melodic hard rock at places, with some terrific musicians as session men, especially the guitarists.
”BARLOW / MINTO – Demos AOR Moon Collectors” sound quality is overall good, but just wait to hear the compilation we are preparing with unreleased / finished great songs!
01 – If we call it love
02 – I’d know you
03 – Long last look
04 – We know this love
05 – Don’t say no
06 – The thunder
07 – Honour
08 – Livin’ in the trenches
09 – Carry me away
10 – Woman in chains
11 – Easy for you to say
12 – One night of love
13 – Tears don’t put out the fire
14 – Even the strong (Stan Bush)
15 – Tied to the mast (Mark Free)
16 – I’m a fighter (Mark Free)
LEAD VOCALS
Eddy Ray Wolffe – Rob Trow – Gene Miller – Shana Morrison – Basil Fung – Lorraine Frisaura – Mark Free – Stan Bush
SONGWRITERS / MUSICIANS
Pamela Moore Barlow – Janet Morrison Minto – Shana Morrison – Pat Regan – Steve Klong – Brad Bailey – Basil Fung – Bruce Barlow – Brent Klopp – Rocket Ritchotte – and many more