Roxx Gang were easily the most underrated, misunderstood band of the late 80's and early 90's. If ever there was a band that should have attained superstardom it was Roxx Gang, Virgin Records first American hard rock signing. Unfairly lumped in with the whole hair band scene, Roxx Gang truly had the makings to become one of America 's greatest rock n' roll bands. And for one glorious moment... they were.
Their cult classic first album Things You've Never Done Before was a rock n' roll tour de force that had about as much in common with the L. A. hair wimps as a hungry shark does to a bowl of goldfish. Their incendiary live shows are still talked about today by those lucky enough to have witnessed them. Now FnA Records proudly presents a second helping to this phenomenal band with the a new disc, Last Laugh. Last Laugh continues in the tradition of FNA Records previous Roxx Gang release, Boxx Of Roxx, with more rare and previously unreleased gems spanning the bands history, the Lost Roxx Gang Demos. This release stands as a second testament to the raw power and visual splendor of one of America 's true unsung greats... Roxx Gang!
“Roxx Gang were, for awhile one of America's great rock bands...what you'll hear is a band so original, inventive that they were the antithesis of what the music industry at that time wanted to promote.” - Malcolm Dome (Kerrang!/Classic Rock)
FNA Records is set release Roxx Gang “Last Laugh (The Lost Roxx Gang Demos)”These recordings feature original Roxx Gang guitarist and co-founder Eric Carrell who died in a mysterious accident in 1986. Eleven of the fifteen track were recorded from 1984-86 when singer Kevin Steele and Carrell founded Roxx Gang writing and recording these demos that include the original versions of Roxx Gang classics like “Scratch My Back”, “No Easy Way Out” and “Too Cool For School”.
“These are Roxx Gang’s first demos, some of these are close to thirty years old and as a result the audio quality on some songs leaves something to be desired but the point is to pay tribute to my dear friend and co-founder of Roxx Gang, Eric Carrell. He was taken from us much too soon and so few recordings exist of his playing that I felt this disc was necessary. This is not meant to be the new Roxx Gang album it is a labor of love paying tribute to a great guitar player and a good friend.” said Kevin Steele.
Among other highlights the CD includes a cover of the Alice Cooper classic “I'm Eighteen” that was recorded live in the studio. The songs were all recorded at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, FL with Jim Morris (Savatage, Iced Earth, Warrant and Trans-Siberian Orchestra) engineering the sessions. “Last Laugh (The Lost Roxx Gang Demos)” album cover is a photo of Kevin Steele shot in Tampa, FL in 1987 by Mick Rock the legendary British photographer best known for his album covers and iconic shots of Queen, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy and the Stooges and The Ramones.
After recording these demos Roxx Gang exploded on the world music scene in 1988 with their classic demo-album "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" as a hybrid mixture of rock, blues and punk that virtually defied classification. "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" earned stellar reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, out selling Guns-N-Roses and Whitesnake in their hometown (Tampa, FL), and earned Roxx Gang a spot on the Top Ten Heavy Metal Albums Of The Year in Tower Records' Pulse! In a short space of time the Gang did a series of showcase gigs, garnered a huge international following, and were signed to Virgin Records to be that labels first hard rock band.
Their debut CD, "Things You've Never Done Before," was released to great critical acclaim. Coverage in the international rock and music press was extensive. The band released two videos "No Easy Way Out" directed by Nigel Dick (Guns-N-Roses, Oasis) and "Scratch My Back" directed by Ralph Ziman (Ozzy Osbourne, L.A. Guns) that received airplay on MTV. The band toured all over the world and "Things You've Never Done Before" went on to sell over 250,000 copies.
Always experimenting with many musical styles Roxx Gang refused to paint themselves into a corner. They were unique in a watered down music scene. The intelligence behind their unbridled raw power, prolific songwriting and a mastery of the live performance made them for a time one of America's greatest rock bands. The band is no longer together but a recent resurgence of interest in the band has lead to the release of last year’s box set “Boxx Of Roxx” and now “Last Laugh – The Lost Roxx Gang Demos”. FNA Records will release a regular version, an autographed version, and a super fan pack version with a t-shirt featuring the popular Roxx Gang skull and cross bones logo. All three will be made available for purchase via the FNA web site and traditional retail outlets.
This album is available for purchase at [ Ссылка ]
