PAGE 99 – For Imagination’s Sake +1 (2022) HQ
Berklee musician John Nixon’s project, PAGE 99, aims to keep alive the great West Coast AOR musical ideals of the 1970s and ’80s, and following on from their critically acclaimed debut last year, their second album is already here, titled “For Imagination’s Sake“.
The title track is a remake of a Sons Of Champlin song, and guess what, the stainless Bill Champlin joins on lead vocals, as well as legendary session guitarist Paul Pesko (Hall & Oates, Madonna, Glenn Hughes). There’s other guest appearances like Swede AORster Peter Friestedt on guitar.
Classic chord progressions, sophisticated melodies, and top-level musicianship are values that should never be lost or diminished in this genre, and PAGE 99 not only take care of it, but also add a fresh updated approach. If you love that classic FM Radio sound, you can’t get it better than this. Seriously.
More melody-oriented and varied in styles than its predecessor, the AOR appeal of this album is enhanced by a cover of Finis Henderson’s classic ‘You Owe It All To Love’ and Mark Jordan’s ‘Dance With Me’ from his stupendous album ‘A Hole In The Wall’…
