JETT BLACK – Night Flight ’85 [Bad Reputation remastered] (2022) *HQ*

Bad Reputation specialists are reissuing for the first time on CD and remastered, Canadians JETT BLACK 1985’s album “Night Flight“. For decades out of print and with used vinyl LP’s being sold for over $120, this is a collector piece for all ’80s Melodic Hard Rock / AOR lovers.
Based in Toronto, Jett Black formed in 1983. The next year they produced a cassette before heading into the studio for their now collectible 10-tracker “Night Flight”. With 3 brothers in the line up, Jett Black played a mix off Melodic Rock / AOR with plenty pompy keys.
To compare their brand of melodic catchiness, bands like LITTERER, VICTORY GROUP, JESSE BRADY, UNCLE SAM, and also a bit HYBRID ICE and RATHSKELLER come to mind. Most of the songs are uptempo and there’s no bad songs on the entire album. Especially in the chorus department, these guys sure wrote some nice tunes together.

The album starts really strong with the title song, an uptempo rocker with a cathy chorus. ‘Hold on’ contains some heavy guitars, but has again a very enjoyable chorus and a nice instrumental break with a guitar solo towards the end. One of best songs is ‘Bad News’, which sounds very much like HYBRID ICE on their second effort.
‘Don’t Knock The Kids’ adds acoustics to the mix for a moody midpace, then ‘Stranger In You’ is an excellent ballad but still with a rocking vibe.
‘Big City Lights’ sounds pretty Americanized, a song that would found place into any soundtrack from the era.

‘Chase the Dream’, is a midtempo AOR tune plenty of smooth vocals and tinkling keys like only Canadians were able to craft in the mid-Eighties, and a definitive highlight. ‘Don’t Walk Away’ adds more bite via sharper guitars though the synths keep floating around for a chorus similar to PREVIEW.
The poppy ‘Make Your Move’ delivers a fresh, joyful refrain, then closer ‘Breaking Away’ returns to full-on pompy AOR and a melody with some first NIGHT RANGER.

“Night Flight” also featured Jeff Jones (Red Rider) on bass, listed as a “guest performer” because original bass player, Mike Greger, had left before the album was completed although he did appear on the pre-production tapes; and there was also Steel River’s John Dudgeon on additional vocal parts.
A ‘lost’ album from the golden ’80s era finally available for all Melodic Rock / pompy AOR fans.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

01 – Nightflight
02 – Hold On
03 – Bad News
04 – Don’t Knock The Kids
05 – Stranger In You
06 – Big City Lights
07 – Chase The Dream
08 – Don’t Walk Away
09 – Make Your Move
10 – Breaking Away

Joe Atkins: lead vocals, guitars
Mark Atkins: guitars
Gary Atkins: drums and percussion
John Rhyman: keyboards
guests:
Jeff Jones (Red Rider): bass
Don Dudgeon (Steel River): backup vocals
Norm Brown: synthesizers

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