POWERGLIDE - Amazing obscure Massachusetts-based Melodic Rock/AOR band with a slight pomp and hi-tech flair - they released an LP and 2 EP's in the 80's which have been remastered and will be released all on one disc AND also.. a special DVD of rare live footage, music videos and music slideshows will also be available shortly!! Check out their tunes at www.myspace.com/powerglideretrospect.
VISITOR - AOR/Melodic Hard Rockers with slight pomp leanings had three super obscure vinyl releases from 1980~1983. Fantastic riffing and soloing, and the occasional keyboard interjection, has made this band a favorite amongst collectors of both pomp and hard rock. (think a mixture of Winterhawk and Redvette). Look for all these recordings to be remastered together with a full live DVD from 1983!!
FRONTLINE - San Francisco bay area band that had an obscure self titled CD EP release in the early 90's also had a slew of awesome unreleased material from the 80's recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito!! All those recordings plus the previously released tracks will be compiled together for an amazing anthology 2 disc set!! Westcoast AOR fans will be eating this one up - simply incredible!!
MATA HARI - Smokin=E 2 melodic metal band from Indiana with a progressive slant. Featuring the powerhouse Geoff Tate-esque pipes of Darren Rhyne and virtuoso guitar wiz Greg Millikan. We have remastered and shortly be releasing all their superb material including a live album (no overdubs) on a 2 disc set that will amaze you.
ELECTRIC EELS - Retrospect will FINALLY release this Cult Classic Melodic Hard Rock/Metal album from 1984 AND we are also releasing the 2nd UNRELEASED Electric Eels album from 1985!! One of the most anticipated releases we have ever had!!
THE HERITAGE -- After Electric Eels, guitarist Jerry Leal formed the blues-fueled melodic hard rock band The Heritage with Groundstar female vocalist/keyboardist Sharon Jordan. Not only are we re-issuing and remastering their 1991 album "Living...Standing...Burning" but 2 more albums worth of unreleased material!!
GROUNDSTAR - 'Forced Landing' (1979) and a second unreleased album (1980) - Classic melodic pomp rock/AOR gem, high on collectors want lists, now gets an official CD issue - remastered from the original master tapes. We are also issuing their great second unreleased album where Sharon Jordan takes most of the lead vocals. It will also include some super rare live recordings!!
WARMINISTER Out Of The Ashes (1986) - Extremely Rare and fantastic 80's Power Metal/Speed Metal e.p. from this midwest band. Now it gets digitally remastered and officially re-issued.
BUXX Knickers Down (1982) - Not only is Retrospect releasing this highly sought-after Melodic Rock/AOR Gem from 1982 but Buxx have dug up a ton of unreleased tracks to finally see light of day on CD!!! Its been a long time coming but Buxx are just about finished mastering all these songs so we should be looking at a release soon!
THUNDERBOX As Is -- Thunderbox was another side project of DAVID MIKEAL's (ex-MPG) and is yet another superb slice of Pomp Rock/AOR featuring some fantastic guitar/keyboard interplay. An absolute must-have!!
ESSENCE -- For fans of CINEMA, and top notch classy AOR/pomp rock a la Styx, Kansas and Boston, this is CINEMA frontman Bruce Papa's (aka "Dartanyan") previous late 70's/early 80's band. Fantastic material that has NEVER seen the light of day!! This CD will certainly be put on wantlists worldwide....
TOPAZ A World Of Secrets (1990) -- And what a secret this super rare CD has been for 18 years!! AOR/Melodic Rock fans will be falling all over themselves to pick this gem up. This killer Chicago-based AOR band are also digging up more AOR treasures from their 80's catalog that have never been released. We can't wait to see what they have for us to get out there!!
ARDENT - Guilty As Charged:The Metalogy (1985~1987) - Retrospect has signed 4 bands that virtuoso guitarist Roy Coston was in. Retrospect is releasing this great female fronted NY-based band's entire catalog all on one disc! 21 tracks of pure 80's melodic hard rock/metal, including 4 songs produced by RAVEN's John Gallagher and a whopping 12 songs previously unreleased in ANY format!!
D.C. STRUT - Self titled (1989) - In 1989, ARDENT became DC Strut and we are also releasing their entire catalog on one disc! Includes 17 powerful melodic hard rock/metal songs, of which six are previously unreleased!!
F.L.M. & LOVEBONE - After DC STRUT , guitarist Roy Coston went on to record with 2 other great hard rock bands with male singers: F.L.M. and Lovebone - we will be releasing all their material too.
BANDIT - Another great melodic hard rock band that guitarist Roy Coston was in during the early 90's. We are releasing all their recordings on 1 disc and will be available very soon!!
FORTNOX - Fortnox (1982) - Retrospect will soon be remastering and re-issuing this melodic rock gem from 1982 featuring Rick Fowler (of Bombay).
MPG - Mpg (1981) - Finally, after years and years of waiting, this melodic pomp rock/AOR treasure gets an official re-issue, digitally remastered and will also include bonus unreleased tracks that MPG recorded for a second album that never happened!!
D.Z. STANZ - Retrospect has inked a deal with this awesome melodic hard rock band to re-issue all their fantastic releases in the 90's including 'Brimstone and Fire' (1994) and 'Whiskey, Coffee, Nuts and other assorted melodies' (1996) - these 2 will be released shortly as a 2-on-1 disc.
PERENNIAL 'In My Dreams' (1986) and 'You're The Ones' e.p. (1983) - Stunning Melodic Hard Rock/Hair Metal band from Seattle featuring BLOODGOOD drummer Mark Welling. We have remastered and shortly be re-issuing both coveted releases on one CD, for the first time ever - including additional pristine previously unreleased bonus tracks just recently dug up by Mark. These guys were almost signed to Capitol before tragedy struck their guitarist after being in an accident and he was in casts for 6 months. If you have not yet heard this band then I can promise you -- lovers of 80's melodic hard rock/metal will be all over this!!
THE PRESS/GASTINEAU - The Press was an astounding 80's band led by Jeff Gastineau, that had previously issued only a mega rare EP. Retrospect will not only be releasing a slew of material by this amazing pure 80's AOR band but will also release material by Jeff's own band 'GASTINEAU' whose songs were arguably even better than The Press!! This is one of our most exciting finds of the year!!
KAOS 'Concrete Jungle' (1992) - This great CD from Massachussetts quartet KAOS gets a long awaited CD re-issue - available soon. Undoubtedly one of the most obscure discs to find, this great band, featuring blazing guitar solo's by Kevin Michaels, played a mix of melodic hard rock, AOR and 70's pomp rock. Digitally remastered.
ARIOCH 'Test Of Strength' (1989)/'Between Light And Shadow' (1990) -- Before INNER STRENGTH, Joe Marselle was in another killer prog-ish melodic power metal band called Arioch. All their recordings have been remastered and will finally see a long-awaited CD issue on Retrospect.
ILLUSTRATOR 'Illustrator' (1987)/'Somewhere In The World' (1989) - The first release from Retrospect's Christian music subsidiary label RETROCROSS will be a re-issue of both these classic and highly acclaimed Christian westcoast AOR cd's on ONE disc. Featuring fantastic guitar work by Dann Huff!! Digitally remastered.
TRACER FOX 'Steal The Show' - Tracer Fox had a strong following from the mid-80's to the early 90's in the Las Vegas, Bakersfield and Sunset Strip areas amongst melodic hard rock and hair metal fans. Their electric live performances coupled with powerful original songs garnered attention from none other than JOHN & DINO ELEFANTE. Never before released in ANY format comes the album Tracer Fox recorded with and produced by John & Dino who also contribute musically and vocally. You can only imagine how awesome the music on this CD is with John & Dino on board, with their trademark HUGE backing vocals and production skills!! This release will certainly be on your want lists! Remastered from the original reels and will include additional bonus tracks!! Do a search on youtube for Tracer Fox where you will find some of their explosive live footage.
LOST & FOUND 'Welcome To The Real World' (1988) - Finally this highly sought after Christian AOR gem from 1988 will see a re-issue on Retrospect's subsidiary RetroCross!! This CD will be remastered and will include previously unreleased bonus tracks!!
RUFF JUSTICE 'No Justice No Peace' (1995) & 'Wings Of Desire' (1993) - Both highly touted releases from this powerhouse 80's-style melodic metal band from Dallas, TX will get a re-issue treatment from Retrospect. Undoubtedly one of the best bands to come from the Dallas area - drummer Scott Baughn has assembled a new Ruff Justice, currently working on a NEW CD (A Return to Justice) and you will be seeing them at Rocklahoma 2010!!
ECLIPSE 'Blind Side' (1995) - Obscure full-on 80's style melodic rock/AOR nugget featuring ex-AGENT vocalist Rick Livingstone. Top notch musicianship, fat production and strong hooky songs make this a CD you do not want to pass on!!
ROADMASTER 'One For The Road: Live' DVD (1994) - Our first release from this legendary cult AOR/pomp rock band will be this superb reunion show recorded live in Indianapolis in 1994. Featuring 17 Roadmaster classics with crystal clear audio and superb camera footage - this is an absolute essential item for your collection!! Look for Roadmaster CD's to followa€¦
TOBY MYERS 'Big In Japan' (1989) - And speaking of ROADMASTER, this little known gem from Roadmaster/John Mellencamp bassist TOBY MYERS was recorded in 1989 and will finally be re-issued 20 years later by Retrospect!! This great collage of melodic rock/quirky powerpop/AOR and heartland roc k songs features musical help from Roadmaster and Mellencamp alumni!!
NEMESIS 'Nemesis' (1985) - For the first time on CD ever comes this mega rare Las Vegas-based AOR band's only recording!! And what an album it is!! The absolute epitome of classic great 80's melodic hard rock/AOR containing all the elements of why we love 80's AOR in the first place!! Digitally Remastered.
ORPHANN 'Up For Adoption' (1977) - If you have Orphann's 'Don't Say No' CD that we re-issued earlier this year then brace yourselves for this - their more obscure (and arguably even better) first album 'Up For Adoption' from 1977. The original record album goes for over $200 on ebay and now it is getting a long awaited CD issue so everyone can afford it! Great melodic rock with a slight pomp twist. Digitally Remastered from the original tapes and will contain bonus tracks!!
IRONCLAD 'Metal Monster" (1993) - For all you PYRAMID fans - this was Steve Kessler's and Victor Chiarella's band post-Pyramid where they shared vocal duties and played a fiery brand of 80's melodic hard rock/metal. With smoking riffs and blistering guitar solo's that we've come to expect from virtuoso Chiarella - this will be a CD that will get regular rotation on your player!!
