Company of Wolves is one of those hard rock hair bands that I just love madly and feel got the shaft when the World Moved On and music changed in the early 90’s. The band is four guys, Kyf Brewer, Steve Conte, John Conte, and Frankie LaRocka, who play hard rock reminiscent of Tesla and Great White. They recorded their first self titled album right down the hall from the London Quireboys at Cherokee Studios in 1990 and vanished. This is a very sad thing. In my experience, it takes a ban about 3 albums before they start turning out really good stuff and if this was the ok first effort we were in for a real treat with album number 3.

Why this band is so good.
The musicianship is wonderful. Rough edged, squealing guitars. Drums so heavy they could sink a ship. Singing that sounds like water matted velvet, rough and smooth all at the same time. You can’t ask for a tighter act. Not many bands can pull off harmonizing guitars. Macca and Wings, Tesla, um, well, not many others and Company of Wolves does it with finesse.

And the song writing ain’t half bad either. Shall I prove it?

From Call of the Wild:
"There’s a cheap motel every other mile
across the great divide
and if walls could talk you could hear the tales
of lovers and thieves with the hunger inside."
Evocative and lovely and this is the first track.

How about this bit of the last song, Everybody’s Baby which always makes me thing of the relationship Paul McCartney must have found himself in with Jane Asher:
"a girl like that could keep you home
a girl like that could stop you runnin’ around
everybody’s tellin’ me
how good my life must be
but whey they talk of love
what are they thinking of?

she's everybody’s baby when they turn the house lights down
and she takes the stage and leaves my world behind
sometimes I think I’m crazy tryin’ to follow her around
cuz she treats her public well
and she looks divine
and she’s everybody’s baby but mine."

And one last example which happens to be my favorite off the album from The Distance:
"you think we’ll work it out on some restaurant
but I got my reservations girl."

A hair band that actually knows how to use the language. I was in 7th heaven!

And then there’s the inevitable power ballad. "I Don’t Wanna Be Loved" doesn’t quite reach the lofty, heart wrenching heights of Hurricane’s "Don’t Wanna Dream", but it’s close. It contains the line "I need time to breathe deep and sleep alone" delivered with a heart breaking wail. And it shares that Don’t Wanna thing.

So these guys are perfect or something?
Darn close. If you like the rock stylings of Bon Jovi, this is about the best fit I can think of. These guys aren’t Kate Bush-like in their depth and subtlety and they can’t turn a phrase on its head like Paul McCartney, but gosh they’re good. Besides, considering that this band vanished into the misty wastes of Rock Styles Gone Old so you can probably pick up their CD for next-to-nothing-plus-shipping at Half.com.

Trivia.
The London Quireboys, who were recording their one and only album down the hall can be heard in the background of St. Jane’s Infirmary.

Track list:
1. Call Of the Wild
2. Hangin’ By a Thread
3. Jilted!
4. The Distance
5. Romance On the Rocks
6. Can’t Love Ya, Can’t Leave Ya
7. Hell’s Kitchen
8. St. Jane’s Infirmary
9. My Ship
10. I Don’t Wanna Be Loved
11. Girl
12. Everybody’s Baby


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: At Work