Pros: Strong melodies, plus guests Ian Lloyd and Michael Brecker.
Cons: No Wally Bryson and not enough rock 'n' roll among the dance tracks.
The Bottom Line: Disco-tinged third album from former power pop idols Fotomaker, featuring ex-Rascals Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli, with guests Ian Lloyd and Michael Brecker. Produced by Barry Mraz (Styx, Ohio Players).
Don_Krider's Full Review: Transfer Station by Fotomaker
Fotomaker appeared on Atlantic Records with a great deal of publicity in 1978 as the next "supergroup" featuring among its five-man lineup two former Rascals (bassist Gene Cornish and drummer Dino Danelli) and Raspberries' lead guitarist Wally Bryson (who is featured in the June 2006 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine).
The Rascals had scored 18 Hot 100 chart singles in Billboard magazine (including "Groovin'", "Good Lovin'", "How Can I Be Sure" and "People Got To Be Free") and Raspberries had seven chart hits of their own (including the million-seller "Go All The Way").
Fotomaker toured with acts such as Aerosmith and Alice Cooper, scored a couple of minor Billboard hits ("Where Have You Been All My Life?", which hit #81, and "Miles Away", which peaked at #63) in 1978, and their self-titled debut album, produced with Eddie Kramer (Kiss, Led Zeppelin), reached #88 in 1978.
A second album in 1978, "Vis-A-Vis", failed to chart and Bryson left the band (later joining Cornish and Danelli for a tour as The New Rascals in 1998).
So in 1979, Fotomaker, now a foursome, continued on with their third album. Bryson's departure is noted only in the album's title, "Transfer Station".
"Transfer Station"
Fotomaker decided on a new direction --- richly textured, dance-oriented, pop-rock, at times with a heavy disco feel. Personally, I'm not a fan of disco music, but I admit to liking this album.
Reasons to like the album are many. They include a gorgeous production by Barry Mraz (Ohio Players, Styx, Benny Mardones, Bob Seger, Pat Travers, Simply Red, Gentle Giant) which offers a lovely Phil Spector-ish wall-of-sound for the listener.
Dino Danelli's rock-steady beat and the funky bass rhythms of Gene Cornish are to be treasured. They propel lead guitarist Lex Marchesi and lead singer Frankie Vinci (who also plays keyboards and flute here) to new heights. It's interesting to note that Vinci has since seen his songs covered in more recent years by a number of artists, including Tim McGraw.
This is far from the band's best album (1978's "Fotomaker" is the best, in my opinion), but it is a fun listening experience just the same. I remember being stunned when a I saw a Louisville band covering "Gotta Feel Your Love" from this album and being even more stunned when a girlfriend got me to dance to it.
"Transfer Station", at its best, is a fine dance album filled with punchy rhythms, funky beats and some great harmonies. Disappointing for most Fotomaker fans is the lack of power pop tunes.
However, disappointments aside, the backing vocals by Ian Lloyd (lead singer on Stories #1 hit "Brother Louie", Lloyd also sang backup on many of Foreigner's hits) and sax work by Michael Brecker of The Brecker Brothers (who hit #54 in 1975 with the "Sneakin' Up Behind You"), when added to Fotomaker's own talents, make this a fun album.
This isn't a brilliant album (reserve that ranking for an album like "Pet Sounds" or "Sergeant Pepper"), but it is fun to listen to (I'm tapping my toes even now listening to the CD).
The songwriting (all eight songs are written or co-written by band members) may not have depth in the lyrics but the sweet melodies are very well-crafted here.
Standout tracks
"Gotta Feel Your Love"
On "Gotta Feel Your Love", Brecker's saxophone is downright steaming as he applies the necessary heat to the band's dance groove on the chorus (an endless "gotta feel your love" sung over-and-over again). At times, the tune reminds me of The Bay City Rollers' disco-tinged outing "You Made Me Believe In Magic".
"...I'm wanting you more and more, dance with me tonight, and show me you need me..."
"Make Me Wanna Dance"
With a throbbing bass intro, followed by swirling keyboards and funk guitar, with Lloyd's Rod Stewart-ish backup vocals contrasting with Vinci's smoother lead vocal, this is the album's most rocking track. It's got a dance beat, but I can rock to it, too.
"...I love the way you move, it makes me wanna dance, you make me feel so good, just give me half a chance..."
"Love Me Forever"
A lovely uptempo ballad --- the disco-guitar rhythm at its core is just right and not over-powering. What makes the uptempo melody work is the lovely vocal harmonies here and a nice guitar solo from Marchesi. Reminds me a bit of The Little River Band's hits.
"...there's nothing you can do that can keep me from loving you, love me forever (see it in my eyes)..."
"A Woman Like You"
The Rascals had a Top 10 single with "A Girl Like You" in 1967, so Fotomaker makes a spiritual nod to the song with "A Woman Like You", with plenty of funk guitar and just the right amount of rhythm and blues soulfulness in Vinci's lead vocal (and the band's cocky-response backing vocals) to make this a very good song.
"...(won't be caught) no matter what you do, (won't be fought) you'd better believe that's true, (won't get caught) in the arms of a woman like you..."
"Nowhere To Turn"
Marchesi and Vinci are capable of writing the prettiest of ballads, and this is among their best. No disco here, just pure pop heaven with some lovely keyboard work by Vinci.
"...if my feelings could get the best of you, then I wouldn't have to say I was wrong, and I wouldn't have a lot to learn, and I wouldn't be left alone, nowhere to turn..."
The CD:
With a total running time of 34 minutes and 58 seconds, and only 8 tracks, the album seems short by today's CD standards, but remember that in 1979 half-hour long-players were the norm. This CD version was released on Wounded Bird Records in 2004.
The album didn't chart and produced no hits.
The CD booklet is amazingly short at four pages and simply reproduces information found on the original vinyl LP. There are no lyrics, no biography and no photos of the band in the booklet (the original album's front and back covers appear as the front and the back covers of the booklet).
The 8 tracks
"Gotta Feel Your Love", "Lightning", "Make Me Wanna Dance", "Love Me Forever", "Fooled Again", "Nowhere To Turn", "A Woman Like You" and "Don't Let Go".
Recommendation
The remastered sound is outstanding, and this will be a treat for Rascals and Fotomaker collectors. Dance fans will love it. Rockers may be disappointed in the direction Fotomaker took here, but this rocker likes the album ("makes me wanna dance," if you will).
If you like bands like The Rascals, The Little River Band, Ace, The Average White Band, and the disco-period Bee Gees, Fotomaker's "Transfer Station" may appeal to you.
Related websites:
Official Frankie Vinci website: http://www.frankievinci.com
Official Wally Bryson website: http://www.thebrysongroup.com
"Poptopia! Power Pop Classics Of The 70s", another out-of-print Rhino Records compilation featuring Fotomaker's "Where Have You Been All My Life?" beside tracks by Raspberries, Big Star, Badfinger, Blue Ash, Nick Lowe, Cheap Trick, The Knack, Todd Rundgren and others: http://www.epinions.com/musc-review-17E7-3855329-38D3E14F-prod5
Ian Lloyd is featured on "Walk Away From The Left Banke", an anthology of his '70s band Stories, which featured Michael Brown of The Left Banke: http://www.epinions.com/content_24880385668
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