There are many stars in rock that are known throughout the world, yet for every big name there must be a thousand other musicians equally as important but all working in the background to ensure that the music business actually runs succesfully. We can all name those who should be better known, and Mark Spiro is another of those hardworking artists whose contribution is immeasurable yet remains mainly unseen and/or unknown by the record buying public. Spiro is an American musician, songwriter and producer and his work has been represented on 100 million records sold worldwide (which includes 45 Gold and Platinum) so it seems that he is very well known to those that matter! He has written songs for Bad English, Giant, Cheap trick, Julian Lennon, Heart and John Waite amongst many, many others. In addition, he has also had a successful solo career with albums going back to 1986, and he also sings as well as playing guitar, bass and keyboards. This is a very talented man indeed.
He primarily operates in the melodic rock world and is extremely adept in the genre – particularly with the emotion filled ballad, with a voice and delivery rather similar to early Michael Bolton. He has now released nine solo albums, all very fine AOR, with his second album, Care Of My Soul, seeing a re-release in 2012 as a two part release with Volume 1 being the original album with a couple of new bonus tracks, and Volume 2 being all new material. To date, these were his last recordings, but a new album is currently being worked on which, with luck, we could see this year. As we await the new album, Frontiers have released this very neat 3CD package which is a compilation of his earlier material, and is very welcome as much of his solo work is now either out of print or only available for silly prices. There is a delight in store too for fans who know his work, as the set includes thirteen previously unreleased tracks, which include material involving Michael Thompson, Tim Pierce, Jason Derlatka and Dann Huff. This is a lengthy compilation of both previously released and unreleased material and all are classic and smooth AOR with that slick and timeless sound expected from superior melodic rock. You may not know his name but his hallmark sound is writ large over so many songs that you will be aware of, and this well put together compilation needs to be in every discerning rock fan’s collection.
Track List
CD1 – All The Love We Kill, Wind On The Water, Better With A Broken Heart, Don’t Leave Me In Love, Vendetta, Through My Eyes, Mid Western Skies, My Devotion, Valdez, The Rain Came Tumblin’ Down, The Rhythm Of Your Soul, Can’t Take That Away (Stuff Version). Total Time 56:16.
CD2 – I’ll Be There, King Of The Crows, When Winter Comes, It’s A Beautiful Life, Come Back To Me, Mighty Blue Ocean, Monster, Between The Raindrops, The Fisherman 3, Wheels May Rust, A Beautiful Mistake, Love Don’t Come Around Here. Total Time 53:53.
CD3 – Take Your Time, Holding You, Cry Me A River, Leave My Heart Alone, By The Riverside, Watching Over Me, 24 Hours A Day, Broken Home, Whirling Dervish, Whenever I Remember, Feels Like, When You Were Nothing, Screaming Like A Crow. Total Time 62:56.
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