STORM – Storm II [Rock Candy remastered +6]

California based quartet STORM led by the married couple of Lear Stevens and Jeanette Chase released a total of two great Melodic Hard Rock albums, both remastered by Rock Candy Records.
Their second, entitled “Storm II” is being reissued by the label with the addition of 6 bonus tracks.
Both Storm albums are really good, but especially “Storm II”, originally released in 1983, is regarded as a female-fronted cult classic capturing the unique early ’80s melodic essence.

The Melodic Hard Rock highway is littered with those who could/should have made it if only Lady Luck had been smiling in their direction; none more so than Orange County four-piece Storm, who first whipped up the proverbial gale in 1979 with a self-titled album for MCA that fell unceremoniously by the wayside while others shot to fame & fortune.

Down but not out, the band retrenched and reshuffled their line-up rhythm section (but still helmed by Jeanette Chase & Lear Stevens), making way for a second assault some four years down the line.
This time, the label was different (Capitol) and the music even more confident in execution and strident in style – moving from quirky pop rock origins through to a bigger, beefier sound fusing a love of Queen and the Sweet with out ‘n’ out hard-hitters like Van Halen.

“Storm II”, although failing to propel the band to worldwide success, earned impressive critical appraisal amongst the melodic hard rock cognoscenti (it was hailed by Kerrang! as an overlooked work of brilliance), becoming a collector’s favourite and a yardstick by which many a similar work has been measured.
Thanks to the pristine Rock Candy remaster (handled by Jon Astley) it’s a pleasure to be able to listen again to such great songs as opener ‘Settle Down’, the magnificent ‘Hand In Hand’, the rocking Queen-like ‘Anything For Your Love’, the Pat Benatar-ish ‘Play With Me’, or the heavier album closer ‘So Long’.

What makes this re-issue even more interesting is the addition of no less than 6 demo tracks, of which 3 never appeared on the original album. The sound quality of these tracks is surprisingly good, so much so that you can really consider them as a BONUS.
As with all Rock Candy Rock re-issues, this one is also provided with a 16-page colour booklet, full of pictures and extensive liner notes written by Stephen Allen.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

01 – Settle Down
02 – Runnin’ From You
03 – Come Home
04 – Hand In Hand
05 – Anything For Your Love
06 – Play With Me
07 – Pez
08 – Take Me Away
09 – So Long
BONUS TRACKS:
10 – Play With Me (Demo)
11 – Anytime (non LP Demo)
12 – If It’s True (non LP Demo)
13 – Dangerous (non LP Demo)
14 – So Long (Demo)
15 – Pez SS (Demo)

Lead Vocals, Piano – Jeanette Chase
Guitar, Synthesizers, Backing Vocals – Lear Stevens
Bass, Synthesizers, Backing Vocals – Ronni Hansen
Drums, Percussion – Jimmy Monroe

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www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FQITSO