Year : 1988 (AOR Heaven Limited Edition 2020)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : Canada
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 115 mb
Bio:
The melodic rock/AOR group Diamond in the Rough was a duo effort between songwriters and singers David Buckthorpe and Louis Nitikman.The result was a self-titled album released in 1988 under the Virgin Records label.Buckthorpe started his life as part of a rock band in the '70s. He had some success, but after giving a decade of his life to music, he didn't feel the return he was getting was worth all of the soul and sweat it was taking. In search of a "normal" life and career, he went into business with his brother in Canada. They opened a waterbed company, and then another, and so on, making a better than decent living at it. Buckthorpe's love of music kept pulling at him while he ran his "normal" business.It was little surprise to family and friends when Buckthorpe pooled his earnings to build a recording studio in his basement. At first he only used it to help friends, but after he began writing songs with Nitikman, that would eventually change.Canadian keyboard player Lewis Nitikman whose major influence is early Elton John, began his professional music career in 1981 when he joined Stonebolt at the age of 21 gigging worldwide including a two-month-run in Japan. 1982 saw the release of Stonebolt’s ‘Juvenile American Princess’, his first recording experience. While still being a member of the band, Nitikman decided that he needed to expand his musical knowledge and applied to Berklee college of Music in Boston, Ma. Winning two scholarships for composition, Lewis quit the group and headed from Vancouver to Boston. After two and a half years he got his diploma and came back to Canada where he decided to write and record his own album. He was subsequently introduced to singer /writer Dave Buckthorpe, and together the two of them set upon writing and recording an album of original music. Their friendship still lasts to this day. Putting a lot of effort and money into the record, the two of them started looking for the right musicians from the Vancouver area to join them. Scotty Hall (g, Agent, Idle Eyes, Rez), Phil Robertson (d, Idle Eyes/Rez) and Tom Christiansen (b, Boulevard) with Ray Roper (v, Stonebolt) also making an appearance on the sessions came on board as well as a host of the finest musicians in the city. They raised a sizeable amount of money, and also won a FACTOR grant which enabled them to complete the songs at Vancouver’s Ocean sound studios with the help of award winning engineer Howard Rissin. Once the songs were completed, Lewis flew to Toronto where he managed to make appointments with all the major Canadian labels. He was turned down by everyone but his final meeting was with Doug Chappell at Island records (Virgin Canada). Doug was very impressed and after living with the songs for awhile phoned the pair and told them he was going to release the album. Doug decided to add to the recorded tracks and flew Lewis and Dave to Toronto to record additional production at The famous Metal works Studio, home to Canadian Rock Band Triumph. Virgin put in a huge sum of money to the delight of the two writers and hired Red Rider’s producers to complete the Album. It would not only feature Sharon Lee Williams (who sang on Bob Seger’s ‘Night Moves’) singing backing vocals on ‘Where Is Love’, but Lewis also managed to persuade Triumph guitarist Rik Emmett to make a guest appearance on the opening track ‘Walk On The Wire’ written by Vancouver song writer and Lewis’s long time performing partner Neil Harnett. The result was an album with a hugely enjoyable collection of songs that feature a mixture of sublime pop rock arousing comparisons to Spandau Ballet, Level 42, and Toto, all very successful back then. Originally released in 1988, the success of the singles (‘Where Is Love’ was followed by ‘I Wish There Was A Way’ and ‘Ain’t Good Lovin’’) ensured the self-titled album’s sales were fantastic and airplay for the singles was massive. The group never did tour but their songs received critical acclaim. For various reasons the two friends decided to go their separate ways and Dave went on to co-write a number of songs on Boulevard’s second album, ‘Into The Street’ (1990). Since ‘Diamond In The Rough’ was originally released, Lewis eventually relocated to Sheffield, England, where he has long enjoyed a successful musical partnership with Liverpool born singer/songwriter John Reilly. In addition, he recorded an album’s worth of material with former Agent vocalist Troy Reid and his erstwhile Stonebolt band mate Ray Roper that became Stranded’s ‘New Dawn’ CD (released by Escape Music in 2019).
Album:
Originally released in 1988, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH and its self-titled album resulted a one-off project, but a what a great one.This album comprises all the best from second half of the ’80s Canadian AOR; that meaning class, gusto, smoothness and clinical production.Now AOR Heaven Records is reissuing this little gem (only 500 copies).With TRIUMPH’s Rik Emmett dropping a guest solo on the awesome opener ‘Walk On The Wire’ you get an idea of what this is musically. But David Buckthorpe (DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH’s mastermind, singer & songwriter) also adds a radio-friendly, rock&pop energy to many tracks, resulting in a terrific collection of pure Eighties stuff akin GLASS TIGER, TOTO, etc.Signed and released by major label Virgin Records, ”DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH” initially did it quite well in sales, but inexplicably something went wrong when the time to promote the album in the USA arrived.This project had everything second half of the 80s rock music needed to make it big: catchiness, radio-friendly appeal, and a wide range of potential listeners ranging from classic AOR to elaborated rock&pop from the era.It’s incredible this band / album didn’t had major exposure given the quality of tracks like the aforementioned “Walk On The Wire“, “I Believe in This Love”, “Run From The Dark“ or Tell Me”.All songs are good, buy our favorite should be the pumping midtempo AOR of “When It’s All Said and Done”, a wonderful piece that worth the disc alone.Thanks to AOR Heaven we can enjoy this lovely ’80s ‘diamond in the rough’ indeed. The sound quality is much better than the previous Long Island Rec reissue, fuller.Hurry up, it’s limited to 500.
Line-Up:
David Buckthorpe (vocals)
Troy Reid (vocals)
Scott Hall (guitar)
Kim Kayzer (guitar)
Ray Roper (guitar)
R. Marsland (gutiar)
Rik Emmett (guitar)
Tom Christainnsen (bass)
Lewis Nitikman (keyboards)
Bud Williams (drums)
production:
Produced by: Mike Rheault, Lewis Nitikman
Engineered by: Howard Rissin
Tracklist:
01. Walk On The Wire
02. Where Is Love
03. Ain’t Good Lovin’
04. I Wish There Was A Way
05. When It’s All Said And Done
06. Stand And Deliver
07. Sultry Lady
08. Run From The Dark
09. Thief In The Night
10. Young Of Heart
11. Tell Me (Bonus Track)
12. I Believe In This Love (Bonus Track)
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