CONEY HATCH – ST [Rock Candy remaster +3]

A reader requested the first, self-titled debut LP by CONEY HATCH , 1982’s “Coney Hatch”, Remastered & Reloaded‘ by Rock Candy, including 3 bonus tracks. This is one of the finest rocking albums coming out from Canada during the first half of the ’80s.
With a name derived from ‘Colney Hatch’, which at the time was the location of a Victorian lunatic asylum, home to 3,500 mental patients in North London, this Canadian four-piece were much more than your average early Eighties rock band.
Whereas many of their US counterparts chose to rely on big hair & party anthems, Coney Hatch – based in Toronto Rock City – had an altogether more twisted take on the Great Rock’n’Roll Dream (and big hair!).

From the striking sleeve art onwards, ‘Coney Hatch’ – the album – was different. A happy (if unconventional) marriage of rolling riffs & off-kilter melodies, topped off with lyrics that were as likely to take a scenic shortcut as stick to the beaten path.
Produced by legendary Canadian artist Kim Mitchell (of Max Webster fame), these 10 songs are some of the best examples of ‘Maple Leaf Mayhem’ you’re likely to hear.Ray Danniels, Rush manager and boss of Anthem Records signed Coney Hatch and before they knew it, the band were in the studio to record their debut album.

These 10 songs, although rocking and kickin’, are extremely melodic and catchy such as opener “Devil’s Deck” (featuring chorus vocals from producer Kim Mitchell), “You Ain’t Got Me”, the energetic “No Sleep Tonight”.
But the real strength of the album was its diversity and tracks like the bouncy “Monkey Bars” or the excellent, AORish “Hey Operator”, covered one year after by Aldo Nova on his 1983 solo album Subject.

This re-issue comes with no less than three bonus tracks from the original sessions: the rocking “Dreamland”, “Where I Draw The Line” showing a different side of the band including pianos, and the good sounding demo “Sin After Sin”.
On this kind of old recordings is where you can appreciate a good remaster, and Rock Candy has done another fine job here.
Highly Recommended

01 – Devil’s Deck
02 – You Ain’t Got Me
03 – Stand Up
04 – No Sleep Tonight
05 – Love Poison
06 – We Got The Night
07 – Hey Operator
08 – I’ll Do The Talkin’
09 – Victim Of Rock
10 – Monkey Bars
BONUS TRACKS:
11 – Dreamland
12 – Where I Draw The Line
13 – Sin After Sin

Carl Dixon – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
Andy Curran – bass guitar, lead vocals
Steve Shelski – lead guitar, vocals
Kim Mitchell – backing vocals, production

BUY
www.amazon.co.uk/Coney-Hatch/dp/B0009Y33DI