N E A L
S M I T H
LEGENDARY DRUMMER
AND CO-FOUNDER
of THE ALICE COOPER GROUP
(ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME MEMBER)
New Album of Retro Pop Songs
Legendary
Alice Cooper Group drummer Neal Smith released a new album on June 1st, 2020. Neal’s new
Retro Pop album is titled “POP 85/95” signifying the music style and time
period in which Neal wrote these songs between 1985 and 1995.The songs and
album concept are totally sexy and politically incorrect. Neal’s “POP 85/95”
songs represent all aspects of relationships, falling in and out of love in a simpler
bygone era before Coronavirus, politically correctness and the new world
disorder.
With
the onslaught of glam hair bands and heavily homogenized rock of the 1980’s,
Neal Smith, Hall of Fame Drummer and founding member of the original Alice
Cooper Group, was looking for a new direction for his songwriting. Inspired by
another drummer, songwriter, singer Phil Collins, Neal turned from writing hard
rock to a slicker, more pop rock songwriting style. In the late 1980’s he took
four of his new songs into the studio and recorded them. One of the songs
“Secret Eyes” helped land a recording deal with newly formed record company
called Grudge Records. Along with Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper fame), Joe
Bouchard (Blue Oyster Cult fame), Charlie Hune (Ted Nugent fame) and lead
guitarist Jay Jesse Johnson (also known as “Triple J”), a new band called
“Deadringer” was formed and signed by Grudge Records. Deadringer recorded an
album in 1989 called “Electrocution Of The Heart” featuring the single “Secret
Eyes.” The album and Deadringer were all short lived after Grudge Records quick
demise. After Deadringer and well into the 1990’s, Neal continued writing songs
with Jay Jesse Johnson (“Triple J”) in this pop rock style.
Decades
later, well into the New Millennium, Neal was searching through his archives of
music and found those songs that he composed and recorded with ‘Triple J”
between the years of 1985 and 1995. Inspired by “Triple J’s” amazing lead
guitar work, Neal polished the songs and brought them back to life with the
help of two of his best friends, Peter Catucci (bass guitar of Killsmith) and
Rick Tedesco (guitarist/engineer). Now, much to the excitement of his fans
worldwide, Neal Smith’s “POP 85/95” is available digitally and on CD!
N E A L
S M I T H
POP
85/95
Neal’s new Retro Pop album
For more information about Neal Smith
visit
www.nealsmithrocks.com
http://nealsmithrocks.com/store
https://www.facebook.com/NealsmithRocks
www.nealsmithrocks.com
http://nealsmithrocks.com/store
https://www.facebook.com/NealsmithRocks
NEAL SMITH
APPEARS
JULY 28TH 2020
7 PM PACIFIC/10 PM EASTERN
on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS
with RAY SHASHO
BBS RADIO ONE
www.bbsradio.com
MY NEW BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!
ENTITLED
THE
ROCK STAR CHRONICLES
SERIES ONE
CHRONICLES, TRUTHS,
CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE
…Order yours today on
Hardcover or E-book
at bookbaby.com
Featuring over 45
intimate conversations with some of
the greatest rock
legends the world will ever know.
CHRIS SQUIRE... DR.
JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA… JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL
KANTNER... RAY THOMAS... RONNIE
MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE...
BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN
LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD
RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN
ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX...
RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER... ROGER
FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK...
SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY...
PETE BEST
BOOK TRAILER
BOOK REVIEW
-By Literary Titan (5) STARS
The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray
Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their
heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his
obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school
but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried
chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book
on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the
70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists,
legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview
gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies
that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For
readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring
old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this
book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.
The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I
didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into
trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new
frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music
fan.
Ray Shasho masterfully gets the
interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions
designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse
issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been
on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to
get them comfortable about talking about their lives.
The book’s cover is befitting of its
subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden
letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking
order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock
music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high definition pictures
to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures
that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones.
Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to rock music
enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious
to learn new things by going back in time.
