ROMEO'S DAUGHTER [UK] - Pop/Rock
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Romeo's Daughter @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (UK)
March 10, 2012 - Pictures by Franky Bruyneel |
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Discography01|1988|Romeo’s Daughter
786 (#1) 02|1993|Delectable 751 (#3) 03|2012|Rapture 761 (#2) 04|2015|Spin Released on April 20, 2015 
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Rock Report's choice
Romeo's DaughterJive, 1988
Tr. 1, 3, 5 & 6 produced by Robert John Lange Tr. 2, 4 & 7 produced by Robert John Lange & John Parr Tr. 8, 9 & 10 produced by John Parr Ratings: HH: 89 (28) | RYM: 3.41 (40) Total rating: 786 Updated: 150518 Line-upLeigh Matty (v)
Craig Joiner (g, v) Tony Mitman (k) |
Track listing01|Heaven In The Back Seat (L/J/M)
02|Don’t Break My Heart (L/J) 03|I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night (L/J/M) 04|Wild Child (L/J/M) 05|Hymn (Look Through Golden Eyes) (L/J/M/Ma) 06|Velvet Tongue (L) 07|Stay With Me Tonight (L/J/M/Ma) 08|Inside Out (J/M) 09|I Like What I See (J) 10|Colour You A Smile (J) SongwritersJ = Craig Joiner
L = Robert John Lange Ma = Leigh Matty M = Tony Mitman |
Rock Report reissue review
ROMEO'S DAUGHTER - Romeo's Daughter - Rock Candy Records, 2008
Romeo's Daughter arose from the ashes of Arctic Fox. When manager Olga Lange came to see the band play in St. Albans, she talked Craig Joiner (g) and Tony Mitman (k) into firing their vocalist and search for a better one instead. About 75 female vocalists came to the auditions, but it was Leigh Matty who easily got the job. Olga Lange then invited John Parr to record a demo with the trio and it was the song "I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night" that aroused the interest of Olga's husband (at the time), Robert John 'Mutt' Lange. Being a well-respected and busy producer, he couldn't produce a whole album for the still unnamed band, but agreed to cut three songs with them. "I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night", "Wild Child" and "Don't Break My Heart" were all recorded in October 87 and were more than enough to convince Jive Records to sign the band on the spot. Not that it was that difficult though, if you know that the label was owned by The Zomba Group, who also managed 'Mutt' Lange back then. From one thing came another and Lange got seriously involved in the songwriting as well. The trio as well as John Parr learned a lot from the master and although Lange couldn't produce the whole album, he agreed overseeing things to ensure there was a consistency of sound and style.
With four songs produced by Robert John Lange, three by John Parr and another three by Lange/Parr, "Romeo's Daughter" indeed sounds as a cohesive album. With great expectations, the album was released in 1988, but failed to sweep the market. Jive Records thought that Lange's involvement was enough to ensure an immediate breakthrough and didn't feel the need to promote the album much. Confusion over singles and style (is this rock or pop?) plus the grunge scene that came rushing along gave the band an (almost) final blow. A self-produced second album, "Delectable", followed through Music For Nations in 1993, but it couldn't turn the tide for the band.
What we have here, is a remastered version of Romeo Daughter's glorious debut album, featuring the ten original tracks plus three bonus tracks recorded live at Newcastle Mayfair in 1990 that sound quite well and show how good the band performs in a live environment. Listening tips definitely include the first four songs: "Heaven In The Backseat" (later covered by Eddie Money), "Don't Break My Heart", "I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night" (later covered by Bonnie Tyler and Chrissy Steele) and "Wild Child" (later covered by Heart). Another must have album, I'm afraid, even though it bears that typical 'Mutt' stamp (think of Leppard and the album he did for Bryan Adams). And in case you're wondering: Leigh Matty is happily married to Merv Goldsworthy (of FM fame) and is now running her own London-based voiceover agency.
Chris Lambert, March 2008
Romeo's Daughter arose from the ashes of Arctic Fox. When manager Olga Lange came to see the band play in St. Albans, she talked Craig Joiner (g) and Tony Mitman (k) into firing their vocalist and search for a better one instead. About 75 female vocalists came to the auditions, but it was Leigh Matty who easily got the job. Olga Lange then invited John Parr to record a demo with the trio and it was the song "I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night" that aroused the interest of Olga's husband (at the time), Robert John 'Mutt' Lange. Being a well-respected and busy producer, he couldn't produce a whole album for the still unnamed band, but agreed to cut three songs with them. "I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night", "Wild Child" and "Don't Break My Heart" were all recorded in October 87 and were more than enough to convince Jive Records to sign the band on the spot. Not that it was that difficult though, if you know that the label was owned by The Zomba Group, who also managed 'Mutt' Lange back then. From one thing came another and Lange got seriously involved in the songwriting as well. The trio as well as John Parr learned a lot from the master and although Lange couldn't produce the whole album, he agreed overseeing things to ensure there was a consistency of sound and style.
With four songs produced by Robert John Lange, three by John Parr and another three by Lange/Parr, "Romeo's Daughter" indeed sounds as a cohesive album. With great expectations, the album was released in 1988, but failed to sweep the market. Jive Records thought that Lange's involvement was enough to ensure an immediate breakthrough and didn't feel the need to promote the album much. Confusion over singles and style (is this rock or pop?) plus the grunge scene that came rushing along gave the band an (almost) final blow. A self-produced second album, "Delectable", followed through Music For Nations in 1993, but it couldn't turn the tide for the band.
What we have here, is a remastered version of Romeo Daughter's glorious debut album, featuring the ten original tracks plus three bonus tracks recorded live at Newcastle Mayfair in 1990 that sound quite well and show how good the band performs in a live environment. Listening tips definitely include the first four songs: "Heaven In The Backseat" (later covered by Eddie Money), "Don't Break My Heart", "I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night" (later covered by Bonnie Tyler and Chrissy Steele) and "Wild Child" (later covered by Heart). Another must have album, I'm afraid, even though it bears that typical 'Mutt' stamp (think of Leppard and the album he did for Bryan Adams). And in case you're wondering: Leigh Matty is happily married to Merv Goldsworthy (of FM fame) and is now running her own London-based voiceover agency.
Chris Lambert, March 2008
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