Monday, 20th April 2015
The self-titled debut album by Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell's old band Riverdogs was re-released last month.
The 1990 album was reissued as a deluxe 2CD set by Rock Candy Records who are based in the UK.
The original featured the single/video 'Toy Soldiers' and is considered a long lost classic by many fans of AOR music. The original album is included along with a second disc that features a 1990 promo CD of live acoustic radio appearances plus a B Side.
The original band, formed in 1989, featured Vivian alongside singer Rob Lamothe, Nick Brophy (bass) and drummer Marc Danzeisen.
Marc played drums/sang backing vocals on Vivian and Joe's cover of 'American Girl' from the Wal-Mart Bonus CD in 2006 that was issued alongside the YEAH! album.
They have since reformed a number of times to write new music and played four live shows in California during August 2004.
The new sessions were eventually released as a mini album called World Gone Mad released in 2011 featuring 8 songs.
Order the new version of the album via Amazon UK. The original album can be purchased as a digital download in the USA.
- Buy 1CD Album @ - Amazon.com - MP3 Only
- Buy 2CD Album @ - Amazon.co.uk
Vivian Campbell - 13th April 2015 facebook Quote
"Many of you probably don't know that I was in this band, too: Riverdogs. Glad to see that it's being re-released. I think about 24 people heard the original - and that included my parent's. And my cousins. And the mix engineer. And my dog..."
Rock Candy Records - Release Info
Despite coming and going in the blink of an eye, the Riverdogs have always been held in high esteem. Sure, lots of underachieving acts are bestowed with acclaim but if one group genuinely deserves reappraisal, the Riverdogs are about as deserving as you can possibly get. And the reason isn’t just because the band featured the presence of former Dio and Whitesnake (and future Def Leppard ) guitarist Vivian Campbell.
They were formed in Los Angeles at a time when hair-metal was king, but were determined to avoid clichés, adopting a bluesy, almost Americana, style where restraint was central and excess frowned upon.
Naturally Vivian Campbell played an influential part in fashioning the musical palate but both bassist Nick Brophy and vocalist Rob Lamothe also attracted immediate attention. The latter displaying one of the most soulful voices this side of Paul Rodgers. Warm, commanding and instantly identifiable, Lamothe’s voice didn’t rely on meaningless bombast to get noticed.
Produced by Michael Frondelli (Kiss, Rolling Stones) and polished by Jeff Glixman (Gary Moore, Georgia Satellites) their album was greeted with universal acclaim but any hopes of hitting the big time were immediately extinguished when their label president was fired and a new regime installed showing zero excitement amongst the new team. It was a devastating blow and one that they never recovered from. One of the most overlooked records of all time.
Special Deluxe Collector’s 2CD Edition, 11 bonus tracks, fully remastered sound, 16 page full colour booklet, features Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, new interviews, 3,400 word essay and enhanced artwork.
Riverdogs - Tracklisting CD1
01 - Whisper
02 - Toy Soldier
03 - Big House
04 - Holy War
05 - Baby Blue
06 - I Believe
07 - Water From The Moon
08 - Rain, Rain
09 - Spooky
10 - America
Riverdogs - Tracklisting CD2
01 - Whisper
02 - Toy Soldier
03 - Big House
04 - Holy War
05 - Baby Blue
06 - I Believe
07 - Water from the Moon
08 - Rain, Rain
09 - Spooky
10 - America
11. - Pennsylvania (non album track).
- News Source - rockcandyrecords.com
- Related News - 30th July 2011