Heaven and Hell Records is about to release the complete recordings from mid-Eighties U.S. melodic hard rockers NEW YORK, fully remastered including their official 1984 EP ‘Carry The Torch‘ plus the never released second album ‘Electric Thunder‘ from 1988 co-produced with KISS’ Eric Carr.
I still remember cranking the ‘Carry The Torch’ cassette to 11 and seeing New York’s ads in Circus magazine. Ah, those were the days. Anyway, NEW YORK’s music will please fans of Dokken, Ratt, KISS, Black N’ Blue and beyond. They were good, very good.
After that first EP and heavily touring, NEW YORK would enter the studio again to record an EP for Grand Slam Records. The sessions were planned to be overseen by KISS’s Paul Stanley but due to his hectic schedule and KISS obligations the project would be passed to drummer Eric Carr who would handle the pre-production. Carr would also co-write and perform on the song “Electric Thunder”.
These recordings from 1988 would remain unreleased for decades.
NEW YORK was formed in Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1977 by guitarist / vocalist Jimmy Ennis. The band would begin gigging in 1979. Several line-up changes would follow, eventually leading to the line-up of Ennis, guitarist Johnny Glover, bassist Freddy Foster and drummer Ric Hanz.
This version of the band would enter Reflection Studios, Charlotte, NC to record its 5-song debut EP “Carry the Torch”. The record would be originally released on vinyl and cassette in 1984 by Tinker’s Damn Productions in the US and Dream Records in France.
In support of the release, NEW YORK would relentlessly tour up and down the East Coast club circuit amongst all the other countless 80s hard rock / heavy metal bands hoping to become the “next big thing”.
Another personal change would see Hanz being replaced by ex-VYPER drummer Michael Scott Mills. Around this time, 1987, NEW YORK began to work with Carr to record the new songs.
Unfortunately due internal troubles NEW YORK would disband soon. But we have their music to enjoy… well, almost this music get lost forever.
When Heaven and Hell Records approached singer / guitarist Jimmy Hansen for this release, he reported the master tapes of both the EP and later sessions any longer exist lost to time. The label then search and found a cassette of ‘Carry the Torch’ in excellent condition.
As for the ‘Electric Thunder’ sessions (tracks 6-13); they had previously been restored by Hansen from a damaged bootlegged cassette found in the ruins of a burnt down house. Before obtaining this copy, Hensen himself did not even have the recordings.
Then tracks 14-15 ‘Don’t Fall” & ‘Electric Thunder’ (featuring Eric Carr on drums) were professionally recorded for an ‘unsigned bands’ CD compilation so common at the time.
What is collected here is probably the best presentation of the NEW YORK material that will ever be released, restored and re-mastered by the best possible means in the effort to keep the music available so that it doesn’t one day disappear.
This is classic American Melodic Hard Rock with that 80s vibe, solid songs driven by strong guitar work and catchy choruses.
Highly Recommended
01 – Let It Roll
02 – Teas’r
03 – Nobody Like You
04 – Nite Flyer
05 – Death Wish
06 – Go, Let’s Go
07 – Brake 4 Fools
08 – Shoot to Kill
09 – Down on My Knees
10 – Heart of Stone
11 – Head Over Heels
12 – Give and Take
13 – Bein’ Away
14 – Don’t Fall
15 – Electric Thunder
TRACKS: 1-5 taken from ‘Carry the Torch’ EP originally released 1984
Recorded at Reflection Studios, Charlotte, NC
TRACKS: 6-13 taken from ‘Electric Thunder’ demo 1988
Produced by NEW YORK and Eric Carr
TRACKS: 14-15 ‘Don’t Fall” & ‘Electric Thunder’
taken from a promotional CD compilation
Jimmie Ennis Hensen — Vocals, Guitars
Freddy Foster — Bass, Vocals
Johnny ‘G’ Lover — Guitars, Vocals
Rikk Hanz, Michael Scott Mills — Drums