EDDIE AND THE TIDE – Stand Tall [1st time digital + bonus] (2013)

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Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, EDDIE AND THE TIDE were one of these feel-good, lovable radio oriented commercial AOR bands of the ’80s.

After a self-released debut in 1984, Atco/Atlantic Records heard the quintet’s ability to write catchy, potential single hits and signed them immediatly.

Two moderately successful albums followed of this fruition, including tracks for the movies Grandview USA and blockbuster The Lost Boys, but Atco was experimenting some troubles in America, and subsequently dropped the band.

However, Steve ‘Eddie’ Rice and the boy continued as band releasing two more albums on the indepedent Spin Records label. These were ‘Dig Down Deep’ (1988) and my favorite from them, this “Stand Tall” from 1989.

Although pressed on CD, Spin Records was very limited in logistics and the plates were quite hard to find being deleted soon. Later in 2003 Target Records (Germany) secured the rights to release both of them onto one CD but in a strictly limited edition of 1000 copies.

Then “Stand Tall” always was a hard-to-hunt album.

Now the band themselves are reissuing little by little the entire Eddie And The Tide catalog digitally for the first time, so everyone all around the world now has the opportunity to get these recordings with great audio quality.

Without the major label pressure, Eddie And The Tide recorded “Stand Tall” freely, with a positive vibe and a fresh crisp sound produced by long time friend Bobby Corona and engineered by Steve Fontano (Santana, Cher, Wasp, Marty Friedman, MSG).

Title track “Stand Tall” opens with great harmony vocals later repeated in the chorus over a punchy instrumentation sounding more Canadian (Honeymoon Suite) than American if you ask me.

Next, the name of “She Lives For The Summer” says all. This is pure American ’80s AOR bliss with dreamy keyboards and an instant chorus.

“Nothing Like Love” is dance-floor crafted (I hear some Eddie Money here), the ivory-laced midtempo “If You Were Mine” is plenty of soaring vocal harmonies (and a nice short guitar solo), and “Pray For A Miracle” is a proud US anthem.

“In Her Dream” has an elegant first half of the eighties oriented melody, followed by the more uptempo “It’s About Time”, both radio friendly AOR numbers, again filled with velvety vocal harmonies.

Last track “Driven By Love” has a typical American feel, structurally recalling earlier Night Ranger but sonically close to Michael Stanley Band.

The bonuses are “Color Me Gone” and “Days Go By” – originally appeared in the previous album – yet to me sound a bit remixed here, both nice melodic tunes.

“Stand Tall” was the last Eddie And The Tide recording, and one of my favorites.

Easy listening, fun commercial radio oriented AOR tunes with adorable choruses and clean instrumentation, simple, catchy and effective, tailor-made for the arenas.

Pure ’80s indeed.

01 – Stand Tall

02 – She Lives For The Summer

03 – Nothing Like Love

04 – If You Were Mine

05 – Pray For A Miracle

06 – In Her Dream

07 – It’s About Time

08 – Driven By Love

09 – Color Me Gone (bonus track)

10 – Days Go By (bonus track)

Steve ‘Eddie’ Rice: lead vocals, guitar

J. Perri: guitar, backing vocals

Georg Diebold: bass

Chris Rieger: keyboards, backing vocals

Scott Mason: drums, backing vocals

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itunes.apple.com/us/album/stand-tall/id525519827