Takara - Taste Of Heaven (1995) (Lion Music Records Edition 2002)
Napísané: 29 Júl 2026, 13:46
Takara - Taste Of Heaven (1995) (Lion Music Records Edition 2002)
Year : 1995 (Lion Music Records Edition 2002)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 114 mb
Bio:
Takara was an American melodic rock band, formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, California.Takara recorded 5 studio albums for several different record labels in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Founding member and lead guitarist Neal Grusky, and bassist Carl Demarco remained permanent fixtures in the band since its early days.Takara was formed in August 1987. After a few months of rehearsals the band made their debut in October with a show in Hollywood, California. The band proceeded to play many more shows throughout 1987-88. In November 1988, Takara went into the studio to record their first demo with producer Jeff Scott Soto. As they entered the studio it became apparent that the original singer was not ready to record. In order to finish the new Takara demo, Soto was asked to help out by providing vocals for the demo. This was the beginning of a long relationship between the band and Jeff Scott Soto.In 1990, Takara went back into the studio to record what would eventually become their debut album, Eternal Faith. In 1992 Takara regrouped and added new members who would perform in Eternal Faith. The line-up was ultimately completed with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, Neal Grusky on guitar, Gary Schutt on bass and Bob Duda on drums. In August 1993, Zero Corporation (Japan) and Now and Then records (Europe) offered Takara a deal to release Eternal Faith in December 1993.After a short break the band began to work on what was to become their second album. Before rehearsals began, bassist Carl Demarco replaced Schutt and they returned to the studio to record Taste of Heaven. The band enlisted Bob Daisley on bass for guest performances on two songs. Taste of Heaven was released in May 1995 by Zero Corporation (Japan) and Long Island records (Europe). Upon its release, Taste of Heaven had commercial success, and Long Island records brought Takara to Germany for a promo tour.In 1996 Saraya Recordings, a new US label, asked permission to re-release Eternal Faith and Taste of Heaven as its first releases. Feeling that there was momentum starting to build, the band wasted no time in working on their third album. In 1998 they released Blind in Paradise through Zero Corporation (Japan), Point Music (Europe), and Saraya Recordings (US). Shortly after the release of ‘Blind in Paradise’, all of Takara's labels released a greatest hits album Eternity: Best of 93 - 98.In late 1998, the Takara went through significant lineup changes, leaving only guitarist/band leader Neal Grusky and bassist Carl Demarco to rebuild begin writing new material. The band found drummer Chad Clark and keyboardist Brook Hansen. Brook and Neal had known each other for years and always shared similar ideas on music. The last to come aboard was vocalist Michael J. Flatters, who Grusky found through a mutual friend. With the band complete, Takara re-entered the studio in February 2000 to record their fourth album, Perception of Reality. One year later, it was completed and released on the Avalon Marquee (Japan), Lion Music (Europe), and Metal Mayhem (US) labels.After a hiatus of several years, Grusky decided to reform Takara in 2008, once again with a new lineup. This lineup saw the arrival of several new members including Bjorn Englen (bass), Patrick Johannson (drums), and vocalist Gus Monsanto. Keyboardist Brook Hansen returned to the lineup. Jeff Scott Soto also returned after ten years to provide harmony vocals for the resulting 2008 album entitled Invitation to Forever. This album, released by Progrock Records, marked a turning point for Takara with Grusky taking his powerful songwriting to a much harder edge than on previous Takara albums. The album subsequently gained mass approval by fans and progressive rock critics alike.After the release of Invitation To Forever guitarist and bandleader Neal Grusky was faced with some tough decisions. Feeling that the band had gone too far in the direction of a studio project with hired musicians contributing internationally, he opted to change the lineup once again in hopes of finding fresh local talent willing to pursue the local LA club scene. Grusky brought back Carl Demarco now "Carla DeMarco" "on bass, reuniting the core of Takara. After a long search for a suitable vocal talent, the band found Jamie Kelli, who had been regularly performing in the LA area. Drummer Gene McEwen, also active in the local scene, completed the lineup. With Kelli filling in temporarily on keyboards, Takara proceeded to prepare for a series of live shows intended to re-introduce the modern LA rock scene to both new and old material from the band. On October 30, 2010, Takara's new lineup performed their first live show to showcase new vocalist Jamie Kelli at Paladino's in Los Angeles, California. In October 2011, Takara announced they would be contributing a song to a Randy Rhoads/Ozzy Osbourne tribute album which was released in the spring of 2012 by Versailles Records. Takara recorded a version of the song "Little Dolls" from the 1981 album "Diary of a Madman".In 2019, Grusky announced that the then current members of Takara would be moving on to alternate projects, and that for the time being Takara would no longer be active. Neal Grusky went on to form the LA progressive metal band Prey For Sunday, releasing their first self titled EP in 2021. Vocalist Jamie Kelli relocated to the Boston area where he has since formed the hard rock band Jasper Lane, releasing their debut self titled album in September 2020.
Album:
Here’s the band’s sophomore CD ”Taste of Heaven”. Originally released in Japan without bonus tracks, this edition is a much-improved version issued by Finnish label Lion Music, featuring 2 additional bonus tracks which are among the best Takara songs. This reissue has become quite rare, now fetching around $250 on eBay.The band had more money to produce this second record, plus Jeff Scott Soto was getting better at it. The biggest difference is that Jeff’s friend Gary Schutt was no longer on bass. Duties were handled by Carl DeMarco. There were two songs that the bass was done by Bob Daisley from Ozzy and Rainbow fame which is pretty cool, but Carl was the now official band member. On drums, we still had Robert Duda and founder Neal Grusky on guitar as expected. There are also some keyboard elements done by none other than Jeff’s then girlfriend Julie Greaux, of course!“When Darkness Falls” opens the album with a great riff from Grusky. An upbeat melodic rocker with some great vocals from Soto and a catchy chorus. Carl’s bass is thumping away and Robert’s pounding drums both lay a solid groove. Then Neal comes back with a sweet solo and Julie’s keyboards add a nice AOR touch to the song towards the end. You get an 80’s Melodic Hard Rock song but in 1995, and that was a great thing!Then we get “Days of Dawn” which rocks more and it is pure melodic bliss. The chorus will have you singing along as it is laden with great harmonies. It slows down in the verses and goes full steam on the choruses and yes, has the obligatory guitar solo. “Your Love” starts off acoustically and then goes full tilt but it isn’t a ballad. It is another rocker. The harmonies are on overload with this one and Jeff is singing very high. Bob Daisley played bass on.The other track Bob played bass on is “December” and I would say he adds some great flavor. The song starts off with a cappella harmonies and then full band. Another strong rocker.Opening with keyboards ala Journey, we get a ballad with “Last Mistake”. Jeff goes all emotive on the vocals. The chorus is filled with harmonies and sounds really 80s (but again we are in 1995). The title track, “Taste of Heaven”, gets the rocking back with a chorus full of swirling harmonies.“Sacred Pleasure” has a great opening riff and is styled a little different. The vocal approach is different as well. There is no full on chorus that you sing along to and in this case it is a good thing. And to top it off, the solo is a keyboard solo and Julie tears it up and then Neal comes and shreds up and down the fret for the guitar solo. A great 1-2 punch and something interesting.“2 Late” comes in heavy with keyboards with a very commercial sound. “Save Me” rocks again, there’s a catchy chorus, the guitar work is pretty good and I caught myself bobbing my head along with it… that is a good sign. Plus, another keyboard and guitar solo.Then we might be at a favorite song on the album and one Jeff does later in his career as well. “Lonely Shade of Blue” has an acoustic style opening as this ballad delivers the goods. Is it cheesy, yes, but great. Soto’s vocals are slow, emotional and effective. When you get to the build up and then that chorus is killer. The way he sings the title is wonderful. His best performance on the album.The first bonus track is an acoustic version of “Again Your Love Is Mine” which is a take on the 3rd track “Your Love” from the album. This is way better than most anything on the album or a lot of albums actually. Jeff’s vocals are so perfect and pristine. A beautiful ballad delivered with so much heart and soul. Brilliant.The second bonus “Restless Heart” is another acoustic performance. This song is from the debut album ‘Eternal Faith’ and damn, did they just slay this one too. Jeff’s vocals are again unbelievable. His vocals are on point, smooth and silky. Neal’s guitar playing is perfection as well. Just give me a whole album of acoustic songs from these guys and we would get 5.0 Stars all around. It shows that these songs are truly good songs…“Taste Of Heaven [Lion Music reissue +2]” is regarded by many as the best TAKARA album. It’s plenty of ’80s magic, and despite originally released 1995, this music is timeless.
Line-Up:
Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
Neal Grusky – Electric & Acoustic Guitars
Carl DeMarco – Bass
Robert Duda – Drums
+ guests:
Bob Daisley – Bass # 2, 3
Julie Greaux – Keyboards # 7, 9, 10
Production:
Recorded At – Manu Padden Studio
Engineer – Jeff Scott Soto
Mixed By – Jeff Scott Soto
Percussion – Jeff Scott Soto
Producer – Jeff Scott Soto
Tracklist:
01. When Darkness Falls
02. Days Of Dawn
03. Your Love
04. December
05. Last Mistake
06. Taste Of Heaven
07. Sacred Pleasure
08. 2 Late
09. Save Me
10. Lonely Shade Of Blue
11. Again Your Love Is Mine (Acoustic Track) (Bonus Track)
12. Restless Heart (Acoustic Track) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
Year : 1995 (Lion Music Records Edition 2002)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 114 mb
Bio:
Takara was an American melodic rock band, formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, California.Takara recorded 5 studio albums for several different record labels in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Founding member and lead guitarist Neal Grusky, and bassist Carl Demarco remained permanent fixtures in the band since its early days.Takara was formed in August 1987. After a few months of rehearsals the band made their debut in October with a show in Hollywood, California. The band proceeded to play many more shows throughout 1987-88. In November 1988, Takara went into the studio to record their first demo with producer Jeff Scott Soto. As they entered the studio it became apparent that the original singer was not ready to record. In order to finish the new Takara demo, Soto was asked to help out by providing vocals for the demo. This was the beginning of a long relationship between the band and Jeff Scott Soto.In 1990, Takara went back into the studio to record what would eventually become their debut album, Eternal Faith. In 1992 Takara regrouped and added new members who would perform in Eternal Faith. The line-up was ultimately completed with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, Neal Grusky on guitar, Gary Schutt on bass and Bob Duda on drums. In August 1993, Zero Corporation (Japan) and Now and Then records (Europe) offered Takara a deal to release Eternal Faith in December 1993.After a short break the band began to work on what was to become their second album. Before rehearsals began, bassist Carl Demarco replaced Schutt and they returned to the studio to record Taste of Heaven. The band enlisted Bob Daisley on bass for guest performances on two songs. Taste of Heaven was released in May 1995 by Zero Corporation (Japan) and Long Island records (Europe). Upon its release, Taste of Heaven had commercial success, and Long Island records brought Takara to Germany for a promo tour.In 1996 Saraya Recordings, a new US label, asked permission to re-release Eternal Faith and Taste of Heaven as its first releases. Feeling that there was momentum starting to build, the band wasted no time in working on their third album. In 1998 they released Blind in Paradise through Zero Corporation (Japan), Point Music (Europe), and Saraya Recordings (US). Shortly after the release of ‘Blind in Paradise’, all of Takara's labels released a greatest hits album Eternity: Best of 93 - 98.In late 1998, the Takara went through significant lineup changes, leaving only guitarist/band leader Neal Grusky and bassist Carl Demarco to rebuild begin writing new material. The band found drummer Chad Clark and keyboardist Brook Hansen. Brook and Neal had known each other for years and always shared similar ideas on music. The last to come aboard was vocalist Michael J. Flatters, who Grusky found through a mutual friend. With the band complete, Takara re-entered the studio in February 2000 to record their fourth album, Perception of Reality. One year later, it was completed and released on the Avalon Marquee (Japan), Lion Music (Europe), and Metal Mayhem (US) labels.After a hiatus of several years, Grusky decided to reform Takara in 2008, once again with a new lineup. This lineup saw the arrival of several new members including Bjorn Englen (bass), Patrick Johannson (drums), and vocalist Gus Monsanto. Keyboardist Brook Hansen returned to the lineup. Jeff Scott Soto also returned after ten years to provide harmony vocals for the resulting 2008 album entitled Invitation to Forever. This album, released by Progrock Records, marked a turning point for Takara with Grusky taking his powerful songwriting to a much harder edge than on previous Takara albums. The album subsequently gained mass approval by fans and progressive rock critics alike.After the release of Invitation To Forever guitarist and bandleader Neal Grusky was faced with some tough decisions. Feeling that the band had gone too far in the direction of a studio project with hired musicians contributing internationally, he opted to change the lineup once again in hopes of finding fresh local talent willing to pursue the local LA club scene. Grusky brought back Carl Demarco now "Carla DeMarco" "on bass, reuniting the core of Takara. After a long search for a suitable vocal talent, the band found Jamie Kelli, who had been regularly performing in the LA area. Drummer Gene McEwen, also active in the local scene, completed the lineup. With Kelli filling in temporarily on keyboards, Takara proceeded to prepare for a series of live shows intended to re-introduce the modern LA rock scene to both new and old material from the band. On October 30, 2010, Takara's new lineup performed their first live show to showcase new vocalist Jamie Kelli at Paladino's in Los Angeles, California. In October 2011, Takara announced they would be contributing a song to a Randy Rhoads/Ozzy Osbourne tribute album which was released in the spring of 2012 by Versailles Records. Takara recorded a version of the song "Little Dolls" from the 1981 album "Diary of a Madman".In 2019, Grusky announced that the then current members of Takara would be moving on to alternate projects, and that for the time being Takara would no longer be active. Neal Grusky went on to form the LA progressive metal band Prey For Sunday, releasing their first self titled EP in 2021. Vocalist Jamie Kelli relocated to the Boston area where he has since formed the hard rock band Jasper Lane, releasing their debut self titled album in September 2020.
Album:
Here’s the band’s sophomore CD ”Taste of Heaven”. Originally released in Japan without bonus tracks, this edition is a much-improved version issued by Finnish label Lion Music, featuring 2 additional bonus tracks which are among the best Takara songs. This reissue has become quite rare, now fetching around $250 on eBay.The band had more money to produce this second record, plus Jeff Scott Soto was getting better at it. The biggest difference is that Jeff’s friend Gary Schutt was no longer on bass. Duties were handled by Carl DeMarco. There were two songs that the bass was done by Bob Daisley from Ozzy and Rainbow fame which is pretty cool, but Carl was the now official band member. On drums, we still had Robert Duda and founder Neal Grusky on guitar as expected. There are also some keyboard elements done by none other than Jeff’s then girlfriend Julie Greaux, of course!“When Darkness Falls” opens the album with a great riff from Grusky. An upbeat melodic rocker with some great vocals from Soto and a catchy chorus. Carl’s bass is thumping away and Robert’s pounding drums both lay a solid groove. Then Neal comes back with a sweet solo and Julie’s keyboards add a nice AOR touch to the song towards the end. You get an 80’s Melodic Hard Rock song but in 1995, and that was a great thing!Then we get “Days of Dawn” which rocks more and it is pure melodic bliss. The chorus will have you singing along as it is laden with great harmonies. It slows down in the verses and goes full steam on the choruses and yes, has the obligatory guitar solo. “Your Love” starts off acoustically and then goes full tilt but it isn’t a ballad. It is another rocker. The harmonies are on overload with this one and Jeff is singing very high. Bob Daisley played bass on.The other track Bob played bass on is “December” and I would say he adds some great flavor. The song starts off with a cappella harmonies and then full band. Another strong rocker.Opening with keyboards ala Journey, we get a ballad with “Last Mistake”. Jeff goes all emotive on the vocals. The chorus is filled with harmonies and sounds really 80s (but again we are in 1995). The title track, “Taste of Heaven”, gets the rocking back with a chorus full of swirling harmonies.“Sacred Pleasure” has a great opening riff and is styled a little different. The vocal approach is different as well. There is no full on chorus that you sing along to and in this case it is a good thing. And to top it off, the solo is a keyboard solo and Julie tears it up and then Neal comes and shreds up and down the fret for the guitar solo. A great 1-2 punch and something interesting.“2 Late” comes in heavy with keyboards with a very commercial sound. “Save Me” rocks again, there’s a catchy chorus, the guitar work is pretty good and I caught myself bobbing my head along with it… that is a good sign. Plus, another keyboard and guitar solo.Then we might be at a favorite song on the album and one Jeff does later in his career as well. “Lonely Shade of Blue” has an acoustic style opening as this ballad delivers the goods. Is it cheesy, yes, but great. Soto’s vocals are slow, emotional and effective. When you get to the build up and then that chorus is killer. The way he sings the title is wonderful. His best performance on the album.The first bonus track is an acoustic version of “Again Your Love Is Mine” which is a take on the 3rd track “Your Love” from the album. This is way better than most anything on the album or a lot of albums actually. Jeff’s vocals are so perfect and pristine. A beautiful ballad delivered with so much heart and soul. Brilliant.The second bonus “Restless Heart” is another acoustic performance. This song is from the debut album ‘Eternal Faith’ and damn, did they just slay this one too. Jeff’s vocals are again unbelievable. His vocals are on point, smooth and silky. Neal’s guitar playing is perfection as well. Just give me a whole album of acoustic songs from these guys and we would get 5.0 Stars all around. It shows that these songs are truly good songs…“Taste Of Heaven [Lion Music reissue +2]” is regarded by many as the best TAKARA album. It’s plenty of ’80s magic, and despite originally released 1995, this music is timeless.
Line-Up:
Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
Neal Grusky – Electric & Acoustic Guitars
Carl DeMarco – Bass
Robert Duda – Drums
+ guests:
Bob Daisley – Bass # 2, 3
Julie Greaux – Keyboards # 7, 9, 10
Production:
Recorded At – Manu Padden Studio
Engineer – Jeff Scott Soto
Mixed By – Jeff Scott Soto
Percussion – Jeff Scott Soto
Producer – Jeff Scott Soto
Tracklist:
01. When Darkness Falls
02. Days Of Dawn
03. Your Love
04. December
05. Last Mistake
06. Taste Of Heaven
07. Sacred Pleasure
08. 2 Late
09. Save Me
10. Lonely Shade Of Blue
11. Again Your Love Is Mine (Acoustic Track) (Bonus Track)
12. Restless Heart (Acoustic Track) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/