Year : 1984 (Rock Candy Remaster) (2013)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Canada
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 215 mb
Bio:
Honeymoon Suite is a Canadian hard rock band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls.The band's name was a nod to the fact that Niagara Falls is the unofficial honeymoon capital.The band was originally formed in 1981 by lead vocalist and guitarist Johnnie Dee (of Niagara Falls, Ontario), Keyboardist Brad Bent (of Toronto, Ontario), and original drummer Mike Lengyell, formerly with The Diodes. By 1983, the line-up changed, with Dee (the only original remaining member) now on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, along with new recruits Derry Grehan on lead guitar and Dave Betts on drums. Grehan became the band's primary songwriter, and penned "New Girl Now," which won them an unsigned band contest put on by Toronto radio station Q107.
Album:
UK reissue label Rock Candy Records have released the first three albums from Canadian melodic rockers HONEYMOON SUITE, something you may have been noticed on this blog as 1986’s ‘The Big Prize’ and 1988’s ‘Racing After Midnight’ where already featured here.Now it’s time for 1984’s self-titled debut “Honeymoon Suite“, not only ‘Remastered & Reloaded‘, but also presenting 5 juicy bonus tracks previously unavailable on CD.Their combination of catchy rhythms and fluffy radio-friendly melodies did wonderfully well on the Canadian charts, with the first four tracks hitting the singles charts, while “New Girl Now” also made a dent onto the US Billboard Charts. A Loverboy meets Journey style with a touch of refined pop, rough around the edges and striated with keyboards, much of this album contains hardened guitar work painted with up-tempo choruses that hold their own.“New Girl Now” is a killer opener full of bluster and bite with the help of the guitar-driven melody, followed by the scorching “Burning In Love” and then the smooth caress of “Wave Babies”.The fourth minor hit for the band was “Stay In The Light”, a more poppy / light melodic rock tune than the others but excellent as well.Johnny Dee & Co. go AOR for the Harlequin influenced, tight rockin’ “Now That You Got Me”, and then blow the leaves out of the yard with the fast-paced “Funny Business”. David Tyson and Eddie Schwartz provide the songwriting goodies with “Heart On Fire”, a track Schwartz released three years earlier on his solo album.The band return to some punchy AOR with “Turn My Head” followed by the hi-tech wizardry of “It’s Your Heart”, a workout for Coburn and his battery of synths. One of my favorites.Album closer “Face To Face” is a mid-tempo semi-ballad rich in melodies and keyboards combining breezy moments with a stabbing attack.The Rock Candy remaster is really good, and you have the awesome bonuses only appeared previously on vinyl. I don’t know if the source of these bonuses are the master tapes, but the sound is great.“Honeymoon Suite” is must have for any mid-Eighties AOR fan, and this remaster is Highly Recommended.
Line-Up:
Johnnie Dee – lead vocals, guitar
Derry Grehan – lead guitar, vocals
Gary Lalonde – bass, vocals
Dave Betts – drums
Ray Coburn – keyboards, vocals
Bass on the album played by Brian Brackstone
Tracklist:
01. New Girl Now
02. Burning In Love
03. Wave Babies
04. Stay In The Light
05. Now That You Got Me
06. Funny Business
07. Heart On Fire
08. Turn My Head
09. It’s Your Heart
10. Face To Face
11. Stay In The Light (Remix) (Bonus Track)
12. We Got The Night (Live) (Bonus Track)
13. New Girl Now (Live) (Bonus Track)
14. Stay In The Light (Extended Version) (Bonus Track)
15. Wave Babies (Edited Version) (Bonus Track)
+ Video "New Girl Now" (Official Video)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
