Year : 1984 (Bellaphon Records Edition)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 104 mb
Bio:
Raindancer is an AOR/hard rock band from Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, that was formed in 1982. It's the follow-up to the band Revolver.Raindancer from Nuremberg was kinda the band Revolver under a different monicker, with the only difference being that Mary B. Thompson and Wilfried Schnieker wasn't in the band anymore and the latter got replaced by Evert Fraterman. Their next adventure just lasted for one more album, though it's not really bad stuff if you might think that was the reason for their off. "A little bit confused" offers a colored mix of Hard Rock, AOR and even lighty hints of Heavy Metal, everything highly melodic and pompish with the featured musicians are showing that they wasn't any bloody amateurs. What's the reason they gave up so early I can't tell, but seen by the more than average quality of the album a second one would have been deserved. For heavy AOR fans thumbs up. A bit later on (or between the Revolver/Raindancer showdown?) Dieter Roth, Mary B. Thompson and Wilfried Schneiker returned with the band Touch and recorded a selfproduced 7", but either this band disappeared unheard. Jürgen Kühnlein on the other hand reappeared during the later 80’s with Melodic Hardrockers Number Nine.Dieter Roth is German rock musician, producer and owner of the Rothrecording Studios in Burghaslach.
Revolver - A Hard Rock band from Nuremberg/Würzburg featuring the black female vocalist Mary B. Thompson plus former Skin members Dieter Roth and Friedel Amon, who already released the album “Hot skin" with that band in 1979. Revolver started in 1980 and got produced by Dieter Dirks who tried to make them the next big Hard Rock thing besides the Scorpions in Germany. The album just lacked of hits and didn't really feature anything new besides well produced, but average Hard Rock with AC/DC and Boogie edge. The band split up quickly and most of the guys formed the much better Raindancer, who either wasn't blessed with bigger success. A bit later on Dieter Roth, Mary B. Thompson and Wilfried Schneiker returned with the band Touch and recorded a selfproduced 7", but either this band disappeared unheard. Jürgen Kühnlein on the other hand reappeared during the later 80’s with Melodic Hardrockers Number Nine.
Album:
This is the only release by RAINDANCER, a German AOR/hard pop band. As far as records indicate, it appears this 1984 pressing was never reissued, making it one of the earliest CD releases. Indeed, the “SANYO JAPAN” notation on the matrix number confirms this was a CD pressed in large quantities in Japan for export during that period. Thinking about how it's returned to Japan after so many years feels romantic, and somehow makes me feel attached to it.Content-wise, it's a very soft, melodic sound leaning towards TOTO-style industrial rock. While the songs are packed with elements that feel dated – like the way the choruses come in and the keyboard usage – even listening to it now, though it feels slightly old-fashioned, I think it's a work that can still appeal strongly to melody maniacs.Translated with DeepL.com (free version)A few days ago we featured an obscure but very good band from the early ’80s: German melodic hard rockers REVOLVER.That ’81 debut LP featured an American female singer, a pretty successful platter that lead to tours in Japan and Europe supporting Ozzy Osbourne and others.By 1982 guitarist and songwriter Dieter Roth took over the lead vocal duties and the band decided to change name to RAINDANCER. In 1984 the outfit released the album “A Little Bit Confused“. Same may say that was a proper yet unintentionally chosen title as musically this is very diverse.However, the band wasn’t ‘lost’ looking for their style: according to Roth they just wanted to put on record all the musical styles they loved. Hence, we find here 1983-sounding AOR numbers like title track ‘Little Bit Confused’, ‘Gameless Times’ (reminds a lot American rockers CHEATER), or the TOTO-ish ‘Don’t You Steal My Heart Away’ and ‘Baby Can We Get It Together’. The smooth ‘Summerbreeze’ even recall Norwegians LAVA.On the other hand, numbers like ‘Nasty Habits’ and ‘Loving Hating’ are hard rocking, with edgy guitars, the later closer to melodic metal.A really nice, well recorded & produced ’80s album.
Line Up:
Dieter Roth - guitar, vocals
Jürgen Kühnlein - guitar, vocals
Ludwig Fellinger - bass
Evert Fraterman - drums
Friedel Amon - keyboard
+ guests:
Saxophone – Lazy Wolpert
Backing Vocals – B. B. Thompson, Wolfgang Riegel
Production:
Manufactured By – Bellaphon Germany
Engineer, Mixed By – Manni Neuner
Lyrics By – B. B. Thompson, Raindancer
Music By [Tunes] – Dieter Roth, Friedl Amon
Producer, Arranged By – Raindancer
Recorded and mixed at Tonstudio, Hiltpoltstein., W. Germany, September 1984
Tracklist:
01. Little Bit Confused
02. School Fool
03. Gameless Times
04. Nasty Habits
05. Loving Hating
06. Don’t You Steal My Heart Away
07. Summerbreeze
08. Baby Can We Get It Together
09. Keep On Looking
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