STAN BUSH & BARRAGE
S/T
Scotti Brothers Records 1987
www.larecords.com

What’s the 4-1-1?
Rock music was different back in the eighties. If you weren't leather, spandex or hairspray, you were long hair, sport coats, and tight jeans. If you were the latter, you had "twangy" guitars, catchy melodies, and most definitely a keyboardist. This brings us to Stan Bush and Barrage. Stan Bush started his career in 1979 with the band Boulder. Later he scored a solo deal with Columbia Records, and released his self-titled debut in 1983. Possibly feeling the pressure from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Katrina and the Waves, Bush put together a backing band; Barrage. Their self-titled debut was released in 1987.

The album opens with a pulsing keyboard riff on "Temptation." As the song moves forward you can picture yourself riding along with Crocket and Tubbs on Miami Beach. Next, the band throws in the obligatory ballad, "Love Don't Lie." It could easily be the love theme to any of your favorite eighties movies. Speaking of eighties movies, Stan Bush & Barrage have two songs on this album that appeared in films. "The Touch" is the most notable, having appeared first in The Transformers Movie, and most recently in Boogie Nights (being butchered by Dirk Diggler). Come on, you know the song - “You got the touch / you got the power.” A lot of people think Sammy Hagar did that song. The other song, "Heart vs. Head," appeared in the Charlie Sheen race car flick, The Wraith (the cheese factor of that movie is off the chart, a must see!)

The album is about as good as melodic rock gets. The riffs are just excellent on "Primitive Love" and "Crank That Radio." They're not too heavy, but strong enough to have you strumming your air guitar. The song structure is your typical verse / chorus / solo / verse, the choruses are catchy and Bush has an excellent melodic, often raspy voice throughout the album. The guitar solos are just as precise as any metal guitar hero. This is evident on "Do You Remember." Stan Bush isn't trying to get any deep meaning across on this album. He sings of the typical eighties rock staples: music, love, girls, and heartbreak. Sadly, Stan's follow-up releases were not as well-received as this one. Stan was unfairly classified as AOR (Adult Oriented Rock). Of course, every kid in America was listening to stuff like this, go figure! By the early ‘90s, the genre had passed and Stan Bush fell off the face of the Earth. Actually, he was HUGE in Europe and in Japan (probably still is). In 1999 Bush released a collection of unreleased Barrage tracks entitled, Heaven, and a solo album in 2001 titled Language of the Heart.

The Verdict
He's not the flashiest guy, and doesn’t have the coolest rock and roll name, but Stan Bush can sing his ass off! Not to mention shred on the guitar. Stan Bush and Barrage is a melodic rock classic. Unfortunately, most of Bush's albums are out of print. If you're a fan of melodic rock and can get your hands on any of his albums, you won't be disappointed.

Did you know?
Stan Bush won an Emmy Award in 1996 for Best Original Song ("Until I Was Loved by You"), which appeared on the soap opera Guiding Light. Also that year, NBC used Bush's "Capture the Dream" during their coverage of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. (Okay, I guess he didn't fall off the face of the Earth)

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne