Category: REMASTER ROCK CANDY

REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY / RIOT

RIOT – Narita [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded] HQ

This one was requested by one of you and it’s a real pleasure for me to seen it featured here; “Narita“, the second album by Americans hard rockers RIOT, in its ‘Remastered & Reloaded’ Rock Candy Records version.
“Narita” is a very special album to me, I grow up listening to this killer / no filler rockin’ LP spining it to death. Musically, Riot has always been ahead of their time, being in this earlier incarnation pioneers in many ways.
Although their debut ‘Rock City’ contained the first examples of a proto speed metal approach to the ever expanding spectrum of harder edged styles, “Narita” shines a bit more in the overall musical department, offering up a good mix of classic bluesy hard rock and early, traditional metal that hasn’t lost any of its punch with the passage of time.
“Narita” was really hard to find for many years. The album was actually only published in Japan and available as import worldwide until it was finally released in the US about 5 months later. It only appeared on CD in Japan years after, but became out of print in the late ’80s.
Until Rock Candy Records came to the rescue and reissued “Narita” for the first time of CD outside Japan and for the first time remastered. And yes, Riot’s “Narita” is the first Rock Candy release ever, the 001 album in their catalogue…

DETECTIVE / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

DETECTIVE – Detective [Rock Candy Remastered] HQ

As requested, here’s the self titled debut from DETECTIVE, remastered & reloaded by Rock Candy Records some time ago, and not listed at their website anymore (sold out?).
DETECTIVE’s line-up contained an intriguing motley crew of musicians: sometime Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, original Steppenwolf guitarist Michael Monarch, singer/actor Michael Des Barres (formerly of Silverhead), drummer Jon Hyde (who had played with Monarch in a band called Hocus Pocus), and ex-Sugarloaf bassist Bobby Pickett.
DETECTIVE were championed and signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label by Jimmy Page, who intended to produce the record. As it turned out, Jimmy’s lifestyle, together with scheduling issues, focused his attentions on other matters, resulting in an album recorded twice and costing in the region of a million dollars. But such was the power of the performance rumors quickly circulated that John Bonham himself had played on the album…

COBRA / JIMI JAMISON / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY / SURVIVOR

COBRA (Jimi Jamison) – First Strike [Rock Candy Remastered & Reloaded] HQ

After all the ’80s Survivor material featured here, I think it is necessary to complete the circle with an album strongly related to this incredible US Melodic Rock band; “First Strike” by COBRA featuring future Survivor vocalist Jimi Jamison. This Rock Candy remaster is pure gold, officially for the first time on CD with a fantastic sonic treatment.
Originally issued in 1983 and produced by ‘Colonel’ Tom Allom (Judas Priest, Def Leppard, etc), “First Strike” remains one of the best and certainly one of the most criminally overlooked albums of the era.
Cobra rocks out hard on ‘Blood On Your Money’, ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ or ‘Danger Zone’ but are also capable of delivering a great ballad such as ‘Looking At You’, a real gem. My personal highlight is the epic ‘Travelin’ Man’, which alternates between brooding tension and glorious release as it explodes into an anthemic chorus.
This is a great Rock Candy 24-bit remastering from original source tapes, with a really interesting 4,000 word story of the making of the album by Dave Cockett and exclusive interview with Jimi Jamison, plus previously unpublished…

LITTLE CAESAR / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

LITTLE CAESAR – Redemption [Rock Candy Records release] HQ

LITTLE CAESAR, a tatted-up bunch of mean biker boys from Los Angeles, stood out a mile from the big haired, lipstick smeared glam contingent during the late ’80s. They even scored a hit with a cool-as-a-cucumber cover of ‘Chain Of Fools’, a performance that separated the men from the boys by virtue of its pulsating energy and vocalist Ron Young’s gargantuan vocal delivery.
After a long hiatus, in 2000’s Ron and the guys reunited and crafted a new album, titled ”Redemption”, a record full of vim and vinegar hard rock. Going back to their roots – not that they ever left them – the emphasis is on tough-guy riffs, blues soaked vocals and the sort of earthy swagger that suggests men on one hell of a mission.
Released by themselves in 2009, the next year ”Redemption” was re-released by Rock Candy Records including an extra track and getting European distribution.

DONNIE VIE / ENUFF Z'NUFF / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

ENUFF Z’NUFF – Enuff Z’Nuff [Rock Candy Remastered +2]

Rock Candy Records has ‘Remastered & Reloaded‘ the two first major label releases of ENUFF Z’NUFF, both really enjoyable pieces of melodic hard rock music. Their 1989 self-titled “Enuff Z’Nuff” was marketed as a hair-metal album, but actually shares more common ground with power-pop / melodic rock luminaries Cheap Trick and Sweet than with the lipstick-and-leather crowd.
Formed near the sprawling metropolis of Chicago during the mid 80s, this four man outfit featured two central characters in songwriters Donnie Vie and Chip Z’Nuff. Brothers in all but name, they were feted as the Lennon and McCartney of the hard rock scene.
Great remaster by Rock Candy on an album which deserves much more respect, it’s a really, really melodic and catchy effort. Additionally, there’s 2 bonus tracks recorded…

AMBROSIA / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

AMBROSIA – Road Island [Rock Candy remastered]

The other AMBROSIA album remastered by Rock Candy Records is “Road Island“, their fifth and final studio album until they reunited again several years after.
With the previous record, Ambrosia morphed into a hugely successful AOR unit, enjoying hit singles and mainstream media exposure very much in the breezy but precise style of Toto, Player and Steely Dan.
Of course, the icing on the cake was vocalist David Pack, a man whose voice has been compared to such masters of the art as Bobby Kimball, Michael McDonald and Steve Perry. “Road Island” saw them continuing with the commercial and catchy flavor of its predecessor, but tighten up a hard rocking approach and adding a touch of melodic progressive elements on some songs, blessed with ambitious arrangements.

AMBROSIA / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

AMBROSIA – One Eighty [Rock Candy remastered]

This one has been repeatedly requested, a proper copy of AMBROSIA‘s “One Eighty” – Remastered & Reloaded by Rock Candy Records. Fronted by talented David Pack this is one of that early ’80s AOR albums that defined the genre’s sound in the USA.
Based on America’s West Coast, Ambrosia began their recording career in the mid ’70s as a full blown progressive rock band, brandishing a sound that was clearly influenced by British groups like Procol Harum, Genesis and Caravan.
However, with the passing of time, their style was to radically shift towards a more accessible, song based, approach, resulting in brace of melodically inclined albums that elevated the band’s profile considerably…

LOVERBOY / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

LOVERBOY – Keep It Up [Rock Candy remastered] (2021) HQ *0dayrox Exclusive*

After the reissue of LOVERBOY‘s first two albums, Rock Candy Records continue with their fresh remastered version of the Canadians third effort: “Keep It Up“. Despite “Keep It Up” spawned 4 hit singles and went platinum, this is one of the less known Loverboy albums and yes, one of their best. Not only in the songwriting department (with the help of guru Bruce Fairbairn, producing as well), but also in its purest first half of the ’80s AOR sound.
“Keep It Up” continued in the same vein as previous recordings, mixing a potent blend of melodic rock, sophisticated production and contemporary sounds that were just right for the period. It also showed the band working as a tight unit giving every member room to impress, led by the immediately commanding vocals of frontman Mike Reno and Paul Dean’s razor-sharp guitar riffs…

BRITNY FOX / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

BRITNY FOX – Boys In Heat [Rock Candy Remastered & Reloaded] (2021) *0dayrox Exclusive*

One of the most amazing rocking albums from the terrific 1989 years is without a doubt “Boys In Heat“, the Philadelphia glam metal gods BRITNY FOX sophomore opus. Now it has been reissued by Rock Candy Records specialists with a fully remastered audio.
After their hard rocking debut, the band added a much higher dose of melody to this second effort plus an extremely polished sound production according to the era, courtesy of the expertise hands of master Neil Kernon. It’s a more mature Britny Fox, with that ‘big sounding’ acoustic guitars / clean electrics into the mix, a bombastic rhythm section and oversized vocals / choruses.
One of the last true hair / glam metal albums recorded in the golden days of the genre…
Only at 0dayrox

REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY / VALENTINE

VALENTINE (Hugo) – Valentine [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]

Fronted by Hugo’s (future Journey singer) smooth vocals, VALENTINE‘s awesome self-titled debut album has just been remastered for the first time by Rock Candy Records specialists. Easily, “Valentine” is one of the best AOR / Melodic Hard Rock releases from the beginning of the ’90s. And in our AOR book, a must have album.
The release of “Valentine” in 1990 is one of the sad examples of bad timing and misfired opportunities by bad management and wrong music executives. If any ’80s AOR / Melodic Hard Rock band should have made a huge international splash then this should have been the one.
I know many people lists “Valentine” as a ‘cult album’, but for me it’s an essential AOR / Melodic Hard Rock LP in your collection. All in all a complete overview of what the genre was in the late ’80s / early ’90s: luxurious, bright, smooth and polished…

BRITNY FOX / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

BRITNY FOX – Britny Fox [Rock Candy Remastered & Reloaded] (2021) *0dayrox Exclusive*

Rock Candy has remastered & reloaded one of the brighter debuts to emerge in the late ’80s melodic hard rock glam scene; BRITNY FOX‘s self-titled album “Britny Fox“. This classic record from the era established themselves early on as hard-hitting contenders for the Hair Metal crown. Often labeled clones of sister band Cinderella – whence they got their image, their guitar player Michael Kelly Smith, and record contract – the quartet overcame expectations by filling their first album with song after song of top-flight ’80s glam.
The boys each play to their strengths here, which results in killer riffs and licks from Smith and impassioned howling from Dizzy Dean Davidson.
This fresh remaster comes kickin’ n’ punchy, bass defined and overall speaker-killer.
Only at 0dayrox

FACE DANCER / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

FACE DANCER – This World [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded] *0dayrox EXCLUSIVE*

More requested albums here; the hard to find Rock Candy Records remastered reissue – first time on CD – of US rockers FACE DANCER debut LP; “This World“. This is one of the early Rock Candy releases and now pretty scarce.
“This World” is a fantastic album full of wonderful quirky new-waveish melodic rock mixed with Pomp rock overtones, produced by Richie Wise who had previously aided on the first two Kiss albums. Blending sounds from Queen, Styx, The Cars, and the power pop of Cheap Trick, Face Dancer offered up a rousing collection of great tunes with a sound ahead of its time…

LOVERBOY / PAUL DEAN / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

LOVERBOY – Loverboy [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded] (2021) *0dayrox Exclusive*

Rock Candy Record has done their own remastered version of LOVERBOY‘s debut album ”Loverboy”, a fully 24-bit sonic treatment from the original source tapes. This Vancouver slick melodic act became one of the most successful Canadian acts in America with their self-titled debut including the single hits “Turn Me Loose” and “The Kid Is Hot Tonite” which sold more than 2 million copies.
While previous remastered versions of “Loverboy” are a good, this Rock Candy fresh release not only sounds huge and detailed, but also is welcomed reissue making this ’80s essential album available again…

LOVERBOY / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY

LOVERBOY – Get Lucky [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded] (2021) *0dayrox Exclusive*

Rock Candy Records has done their own remastered version of LOVERBOY‘s most beloved ’80s album ”Get Lucky”, a fully 24-bit treatment from the original source tapes. The Vancouver slick melodic act became one of the most successful Canadian acts in America with their self-titled debut including the single hits “Turn Me Loose” and “The Kid Is Hot Tonite” which sold more than 2 million copies.
This follow up “Get Lucky”, which was produced again by Bruce Fairbairn got released in 1981 and followed the same musical paths with augmented radio potential. With the first single release “Working For The Weekend” they would score an even bigger single hit and secured their status as Canada’s best selling melodic rock act ever.
While previous remastered versions of “Get Lucky” are a really good, this Rock Candy fresh release not only sounds huge and detailed, but also makes this essential album available again.
You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

JOHN CORABI / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY / THE SCREAM

THE SCREAM – Let It Scream [Rock Candy remaster +6] HQ

Out of print for many years THE SCREAM‘s one and only album finally got its reissue / remaster by Rock Candy Records. “Let It Scream [Rock Candy remaster +6]” includes a bunch of worthy bonus tracks, a really welcomed as this is a record that criminally flew under the radar when it was first released, but has subsequently become one of the most respected and revered releases from the early ’90s.
It represented a high point for blistering blues-based hard rock, akin Badlands (Ray Gillen guest backing vocals), Cinderella, Aerosmith, etc. But as we know, grunge engulfed them and others but at least they didn’t go down without a fight.
Produced by industry legend Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Fastway) and originally issued in 1991, the album is a riot of riffs and thrills, with Corabi surrounded by the sort of thunderous…