Brunette - The Huge Sunset Strip Band That Fizzled

Random Tuesday Tidbits!

Before Hardline, there was Brunette. The band never released an actual album but a few songs exist, including "Lady Love." The video for the clip is below and there is a nice guitar solo around the 2:15 mark or so. Brunette played the Sunset Strip a lot and people seemed to love them. Of all the 80s acts that got signed to a major, it seems odd that Brunette wasn't included in the fun.

Apparently the "Lady Love" clip below is from the unreleased move Smash, Crash and Burn. Brunette plays the band Royal Smash. The soundtrack for the film was produced by - wait for it - Dana Strum.

Brunette has a Flickr page that details their movie fame. Oh yeah, Francis Ford Coppola happened to be director of Smash, Crash and Burn.

Comments

[Gogmagog]

Also existing is a demo of Hot Cherie!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VGdhU8f6AQ

That sounds much more like the Danny Spanos version, which I thought (until tonight) was the original. Turns out it was written by a Canadian band called Streetheart, which included two guys who later founded Loverboy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OwNozK3SaA

Now I'm wondering how in the hell Streetheart didn't get huge with their version. It's better than any of the Brunette demos I listened to this evening. IMHO, of course.

[Him]

Would an older version of Brunette, if they were being honest, be called Salt and Pepper? I kid. Brunette had the sorts of things you look for: 'galloping horses' guitars, and the 'pushing a kidney stone' earnest vocals. You can hear what was to come. Johnny sounds good . . . heck, occasionally he sorta' sounds like Lizzy Borden with his intonation. And opening for Odin? You know the meal ticket is just outside the door, around the corner, past the deli, and next to . . . well, history.

Gioeli has the pipes. Still does, even if he has made a Devil's bargain as of late. Shame he and his brother (also named Gioeli, natch) never made it bigger. Hardline had (not has, even if they are still sorta' going) the chance to be a great mid-tier AOR band. Make no mistake: you hitch your wagon to Schon, you are asking for it. You tell me what 'it' is!

Gogmagog is spot on with the deep digging. Personally, I feel like Spanos has the better vocals and Streetheart has the better sound. And I think, if you squint a bit and mash those two together with better production values and a slightly faster pace, you get the Hardline version.

[Metalboy!]

I think it was around 2009, I scored a now much sought after and rare Brunette bootleg EP, and my first impression (that still stands today) is they were SO much better than Hardline, since they were way more Glam and way less AOR in their sound than the latter.

As Gagmygawd eludes, let’s thank Schon for f*cking up yet another project with his overproduced “Cheese Metal” tendencies.

p.s. Geezus, what? … Allyson, did you say Dana Strum produced a Francis Ford Coppola flick or is my dyslexia kicking in! … And just kiddin’ ya, Gogmagog … I happen to love your Nom de Plume … What is it’s meaning and origin, if you don’t mind me asking?

[Gogmagog]

Gogmagog was a mythical giant of Welsh lore, with the story going back to at least the 1100s. Some time later, Gogmagog was a metal supergroup featuring ex-Iron Maidens Paul D'Anno and Clive Burr, future Maiden Janick Gers, ex-Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis and bassist Neil Murray. Could have been awesome, but all that came of the band was a three song EP. One of the songs was written by Russ Ballard ... sadly, not nearly as catchy as Since You Been Gone.

Hardline (and Brunette before it) needed better songs. Also, the timing absolutely awful, as Double Eclipse came out in 1992, at the exact point when Pearl Jam and Nirvana were getting huge. I still prefer the version with Schon. And now that I know the song's history, I can put it on a playlist with other obscure songs that improved tremendously when the songwriting/recording pros got involved (like Heart's "Alone").

[Metalboy!]

Indeed, Gogmagog …

And now I realize I should be stripped of my nom de plume, “Metalboy!” for not knowing the Metal origins of your namesake …

I will check it out and probably wish I had that EP in my collection (or what’s left of it since I had to sell it all) …

And, me thinks (had to throw that in there since we’re talking the 1100’s here) I still like Brunette’s recordings over Hardline’s because they’re just kinda more Rock & Roll from that original permutation, whereas Hardline is way more AOR and lacks personality …

I mean, I guess THAT’s what I’m REALLY trying to get at … Brunette = ATTITUDE … Hardline = AOR …

They’re just kinda generic, if you know what I mean, including a charmless name and nerd rocker, Neil Schon … Yes, a monster on the frets (and apparently as a human being) but just comes off uncool, at least to me …

But then again, Frank Zappa musta seen something in his playing (“Zoot Allures”) but as soon as Schon parted ways with him, he lost all legit credibility, discounting the fact he has made 40 mil primarily in Journey, the ULTIMATE Cheese Rock.

[Gogmagog]

Metalboy -- do you mean Carlos Santana? Schon started playing with him when he was a teenager, and stayed until he and Rolie left that band to form Journey. I looked and looked and looked and couldn't find anything about Schon playing with Zappa, but let me know if I'm wrong. I know next to nothing about Zappa's music.

[stimpy]

Really good take on a bed of music no matter the production quality is still worth the salt.