FORTRESS – Hands In The Till [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]

As requested, here’s the wonderful long lost AOR / Arena Rock cult classic from the ’80s “Hands In The Till” by FORTRESS, remastered & reloaded by Rock Candy Records with a crisp sound from the original master tapes.
With a touch of Pomp also thrown into the mix, this album really is a one-off all time classic of it’s type. Full of glorious uptempo rockers, this is music from a bygone era when albums were ten-fold, and often got overlooked – as was the case with “Hands In The Till”.

The music business is littered with sob stories. Those that shoulda, coulda, woulda made it if matters hadn’t conspired against them. It’s a familiar tale of woe alright and one that we’ve heard a million times before yet the strangest thing is some of the world’s greatest recordings have been cruelly thrown to the kerb by a simple twist of fate.
Step forward Fortress, an act that really ought to have made a much bigger splash than they did. Although the band came and went in the wink of an eye, their members had actually been active for a number of years, even rubbing musical shoulders with several prestigious outfits during the seventies, including Tom Petty’s Mudcrutch and cult hard rock act White Witch.
The big break came with the formation of Fortress yet, sadly, through no fault of their own, success failed to materialise.

Based in Los Angeles, the band attracted the ears of Freddie Piro, a producer who had already made a big kick recording the progressive rock band Ambrosia.
Piro’s Fortress demos were enthusiastically received by Atlantic Records who promptly signed them, resulting in “Hands In The Till”, one of the most impressive melodic rock albums of the early ’80s, gaining eager comparisons to the likes of Journey, Roadmaster, Foreigner and Boston.

Led by the golden-coated vocals of Jim West, the Fortress brand of rock was punchy, energetic and melodious. Songs like “How Do I Exist”, “Hands In The Till”, “Kisses”, the Axe-like “Requiem” and the utterly immense “Mystery” are still firm favorites to this day.

Fortress’ rocking AOR / Arena Rock / Pomp style was tailor made for the Eighties, but still sounds fresh to this day thanks to this Rock Candy remaster conducted by Jon Astley.
Highly Recommended

01 – Hands In The Till
02 – How Do I Exist
03 – Comin’ After You
04 – Requiem
05 – Kisses
06 – Let’s Do It Again
07 – Breakin’ Free
08 – Carry Me Back
09 – Back On The Path
10 – Mystery

Jim West – vocals
Eric Turner – guitars
Charlie Souza – bass
Donnie Vosburgh – drums
Gabriel Catona – keyboards
Gary Falcone, Ronn Price – backing vocals

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