Album Notes

On the latest releases from the Michael Guthrie Band----

DIRECT HITS. The album that landed like a direct hit and defined powerpop in the 80s. Songs like "sorry about that", "tomorrow", "do what you're doing", and" forever" that are now melodic classics are balanced by the power rockers"back on the street", "rock it on", and "saturday night rave up." The crashing and bashing are carried on in 1983's follow up BANNED IN AMERICA with the mod anthems "beat kid", "streets come alive", and the energy overload of "payola".
Michael Guthrie: "We were so under the gun to record quickly due to time and cost, that we smashed through the songs like there was no tomorrow, and that gave it the urgency. It was all done between gigs, and we were opposed to adding keyboards or extra musicians-we didn't want people to think we couldn't play it. As the recording got well underway, the rockers were knocked out, and the pop numbers shaped up into what we had been going for".
Besides DIRECT HITS and BANNED IN AMERICA,these new releases are filled out with period rarities such as the late 70s basement 45s"city boy blues" and the original "back on the street", early powerful live versions from clubs and concerts and alternate demos. The demos include the 70s rough cassette of "everything","that man" and the 1986 studio recording of "here and now".
This is the long awaited first two lps from the MGB at the early peak of their powers.

ROCK IT ON.