Steve, Bob, & Rich Balls Bat 1984

Steve, Bob, & Rich Balls Bat 1984 CAT #SBR-42484

Man, glad I finally found this.  It's been on top of the list for some time.  I know of a copy down the street from me for $50, but when this showed up for $30 I happily took advantage.  It's the Rainmakers before the addition of drummer, Pat Tomek.  At this time in the band's career, they were gaining a substantial following in the area and front man Bob Walkenhurst was doing so from behind the drums.  It's a private release the band put out to sell at shows and obviously act as a demo prior to signing with a major label.  They called their label, "Bat," but it's clearly privately done.  The catalog numbers is the initials for Steve, Bob & Rich, and the label address simultaneously acts as the address to write the band.

Since discovering that the album existed, I've been building up this LP up in my mind.  I really like the ideas Walkenhurst put down on the Rainmakers LPs, just have a tough time dealing with the uber-slick 80's production.  I figured this LP would be a very young and raw edition of the band.  Stripped down roots rock like it should be.

After listening, it wasn't the album I had envisioned.  Overall, it's still pretty slick, wetback drums galore and some really polished guitar riffs.  However, there are real bar bands moments and the music sounds more live than their later major label output.  There's also some repetition, the Rainmakers debut features re-recorded versions of "Let My People Go-Go," Nobody Knows," "Big Fat Blonde," and "Information" that first appeared on this Steve, Bob, & Rich album.

Overall, it's a fun album to have.  Some of the moments showcase the band doing their early 'bring down the house' numbers.  For big fans of the band, it's got be essential, the quality is here even at the early onset of the band.  While I wouldn't find any of the tracks not included on the debut Rainmakers to be amazing, they still showcase Walkenhurst's literate lyrics and the band's charm.  There's also some moments without Walkenhurst taking lead vocals, which is nice change of pace and something they could have easily done more of later in their career.

Steve, Bob & Rich-Let My People Go-Go

Rainmakers 25 ON Big Dipper Records 2011

Rainmakers 25 ON Big Dipper Records 2011 CAT # BDRLP091

Pretty rad that this band is was so big in Norway and Scandinavian countries that they still can release music there.  This is an import vinyl issue that I bought locally at Vinyl Renaissance fairly cheap, they could barely give the thing away.  Which typifies the KC scene.  You can be a KC band, be huge somewhere else and everyone back home either calls you a sell out or doesn't know who the fuck you are.

There are even a couple of tunes here devoted to Kansas City, like the band is begging the hometown to embrace them.  'Missouri Girl' (pronounced Misery Girl) is exactly what you'd expect, a song about a Missouri Girl (Walkenhorst's wife).  It's no 'California Girls,' but it's a solid attempt.  'Kansas City Times' talks about the back roads of surrounding towns, also a good outing.  You can't say the band ignored their roots, they were always proud Kansas Citians; even when their audience is almost entirely foreign.

Overall, it's a decent album.  You can't expect a masterpiece from an aging, semi-retired band.  The Americana they relied on in the late-80's is now highly pronounced and well developed.  Bob Walkenhorst's lyrics are still literate and clever.   The production is far better than it was in the 80's.  Walkenhorst still sings in a style reminiscent of the 80's, but you get used to it and it's toned down over the years.  If the legend is true and these guys are huge in the Slavic countries, this isn't a bad way to represent KC.

Kansas City Times (Live)
Turpentine (Live)
Missouri Girl (Live)

The Rainmakers S/T Polygram 1986

The Rainmakers S/T Polygram 1986 CAT# 0704

1980's production sucks.  Disco may have died, but the uber-slick production never went away.  In the 80's the slick production style dominated, wet drums, vocal effects, synthesized horns, and guitars that sometimes don't sound real.

This album suffers from that, a lot.  It's unfortunate, the songs, the lyrics, it's all there.  You sense the roots rock and you can tell what the Rainmakers sounded like live, but that part of the band gets lost in the production.

When starting this project, I was excited to explore this band further.  They are an 80's KCMO band that just recently released a new album.  Their lyrics were featured in Stephen King novels, they had moderate chart success in the states, they were featured in Rolling Stone Magazine and always well reviewed.  They were also absurdly big in Scandinavian countries, having the equivalent of gold records in Norway.

Having never heard the band, I was excited to find this at a good price ($5.99 at Half Price Books).  All the reviews talk about the roots rock appeal of the band and Bob Walkenhorst's literate lyrics.  The lyrical aspect of the band isn't lost in the production, even a dumb title like "Big Fat Blonde" drops J.D. Salinger into the mix.  However, I cannot stress how much the production lessens this LP's appeal.  You can tell the twang, jangle, and boogie rhythms were originally intended.  But, in the 1980's it was apparently only going to make it on the radio if you made things sound plastic.  The guitars don't rumble, they pierce.  The drums don't bang, they splash.  Good luck picking up on the bass, it's there, but as vanilla as possible.

Let My People Go-Go
Steve, Bob & Rich Pre-Rainmakers Live in 83 Big Fat Blonde