SHAKIN’ STREET – Shakin’ Street [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]
As requested, here’s the for years impossible to find eponymous self titled album from SHAKIN’ STREET, for the first time on CD and finely remastered by Rock Candy Records. Although self-titled, some LP copies came with ‘Solid as a Rock’ (one of the song titles) stickered on front sleeve.
Fronted by expressive female vocalist Fabienne Shine and with skilled guitarist ‘Ross The Boss’ Friedman joining the band for this recording, “Shakin’ Street” rocks with that early ’80s feel courtesy of Sandy Pearlman (Aldo Nova, Blue Öyster Cült) production.
Recorded in San Francisco and issued in 1980, the album is a blistering example of red-hot guitar driven hard rock with a rebel, ‘I don’t care’ attitude.
As the hostest with the mostest, Shakin’ Street’s Fabienne Shine’s rock credentials were impeccable. During much of the early ’70s she was the consort of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, travelling with and directly immersed in all their sweeping grandeur. It was this baptism by fire and, later, the encouragement of both Page and Robert Plant to write songs that fueled her creative aspirations, setting in motion the path to forming her own band, namely Shakin’ Street.
Of French-American origin, Fabienne’s musical aspirations were further enhanced by guitarist Eric Levi who was piecing together a band in Paris. Eric had first thought about inviting the then unknown Pretenders star Chrissie Hynde to front the band before Fabienne made herself known.
Named after an MC5 song from the album Back In The USA , they scored a small record deal with CBS in France and cut their debut album Vampire Rock , released in 1978.
Sensing that the band needed an international boost Fabienne engineered a meeting with Blue Öyster Cult svengali Sandy Pearlman. Pearlman took the band under his wing, renegotiated their CBS deal in the USA, enlisted former Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss into the line-up and produced this self titled second album.
Rock Candy Records’ Andy Pearce did a great job in restoring obtaining a high quality crisp sound which has still retained the raw mix of both punkish and Classic Rock guitar that ‘The Boss’ brought to the band. Fabbiene Shine’s vocals are a perfect match to go with The Boss’ riffs and the whole thing is wrapped up by a really tight rhythm section.
As was the case with many albums of the time this is short and sweet at just over 35 minutes but it is well worth of anyone’s money.
Highly Recommended
01 – No Compromise
02 – Solid As Rock
03 – No Time To Lose
04 – Soul Dealer
05 – Susie Wong
06 – Every Man, Every Woman Is A Star
07 – Generation X
08 – So Fine
09 – I Want To Box You
Lead Vocals – Fabienne Shine
Guitar – Ross The Boss
Guitar – Eric Levi
Bass – Mike Winter
Drums – Jean-Lou Kalinowski
BUY IT
www.amazon.co.uk/Shakin-Street/dp/B00GAZPGAI
Thank you very much! Hm … Seems like my request was too easy because it was very quick to arrange. 🙂 Then I try this then… Ram Jam “Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Ram” (Candy012). 15 years since it was released. Are you fixing it?
Fulfilled!