Salty Dog | Every Dog Has Its Day

by John Kindred
– Publisher —

Rock Candy Records has reached across the pond and opened operations in the U.S. The U.K.-based label kicks off its distribution of its catalog of re-release and re-mastered music with Salty Dog’s 1990 debut Every Dog Has Its Day.

Salty Dog was formed by Jimmi Bleacher, Scott Lane, Michael Hannon and ex-Ratt drummer Khurt Maier in 1986 in Los Angeles. The band honed its chops in local rehearsal studios. At the time, the group’s influences reached back to the ‘70s, think Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, and found inspiration from Hard Rock bands that were out performing on the local circuit of clubs and venues. The band also reached back even further in Rock history, merging in its love of the Blues to complement the music. Lane’s tenure in the band was short-lived, and prior to the group signing with Geffen Records, he was replaced by Pete Reveen.

The album, originally released in 1990, was produced by Peter Collins (Rush, Queensryche, Gary Moore) and engineered by Geoff Workman (Journey, Foreigner, Mötley Crüe).

As with all Rock Candy re-releases, the album has been fully re-mastered with 24-bit digital technology by Jon Astley. It also includes a 12-page color booklet with a 3,500-word biography of the band, complete with unseen photos and quotes from band members. The Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition contains the original 13 songs and four bonus tracks.

So, 36 years after Every Dog Has Its Day debuted on Geffen Records, fans and the uninitiated get another chance to taste the waters.

The music fits in with the band’s peers from the L.A. circuit of the ‘80s – early ‘90s, offering listeners a raw sound and Bluesy Rock swagger. Slash’s Snake Pit, Rock City Angels, Tora Tora, Faster Pussycat and Kix instantly come to mind when listening to Every Dog Has Its Day. Bleacher offers a slightly gritty vocal that is made for this style of music. Reveen’s riffs and rhythms also are mired in Bluesy, Hard Rock structures, while his soloing is influenced by the past but also the present. The rhythm section of Hannon and Maier keep the whole ship from running adrift, providing a steady beat and infectious grooves.

Salty Dog “Come Along”

There is certainly something special here – something unexposed that got lost over time. It’s isn’t immediately apparent, and it certainly isn’t based upon listening to the first song “Come Along,” on the CD, which others tote as the “be all, end all” for Salty Dog. Every Dog Has Its Day is an album that needs multiple spins to knock off the rough edges to expose the diamond buried deep inside.

Salty Dog “Lonesome Fool”

It’s easy to see how this album was lost in the shuffle as Geffen Records, prior to 1987, was not a big player within the Hard Rock genre. With the release of Whitesnake’s self-titled album or 1987, Aerosmith’s Pump and Guns N Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, the label put itself on the Hard Rock map. By 1989, with the release of Whitesnake’s Slip of the Tongue, Tesla’s The Great Radio Controversy, Don Henley’s End of Innosence and Cher’s Heart of Stone, there was little time, or effort, for promotion of less successful bands on the label.

The band’s short-lived career stems from the lack of management early on, bad business decisions and the changing musical landscape as Hard Rock and Metal were shoved aside as the Grunge movement took over the radio airwaves.

Genre: Hard Rock

Band:
Jimmi Bleacher (v)
Pete Reveen (g)
Michael Hannon (b)
Khurt Maier (d)

Track List:
01. Come Along
02. Cat’s Got Nine
03. Ring My Bell
04. Where The Sun Don’t Shine
05. Spoonful
06. Just Like A Woman
07. Sim Sala Bim
08. Keep Me Down
09. Heave Hard (She Comes Easy)
10. Lonesome Fool
11. Slow Daze
12. Sacrifice Me
13. Nuthin’ But A Dream

Bonus Tracks:
14. Keep me Down (original demo)
15. Come Along (original demo)
16. The Bucket Song (unreleased demo)
17. Ring My Bell (original demo)

Label: Rock Candy Records

Web: http://rockcandyrecords.merchnow.com/products/v2/241161/every-dog

Hardrock Haven rating: (8.5 / 10)