When HONEYMOON SUITE released their wonderful debut album in 1984 and their single “New Girl Now” exploded in the radio many naysayers put the ‘one hit wonder’ tag on the band. Four decades later HONEYMOON SUITE not only just released a very good new album but became one of the most relevant and enduring acts in Canadian Rock history.
HONEYMOON SUITE continued touring since, and while they released live recordings – the first is from 1995 – there wasn’t live shows from their golden ’80s era. However, the band released ‘‘Love Is An Ocean (Live Pittsburgh ’84)” three years ago, some kind of an ‘official bootleg’, a recording captured after three months their debut LP hit the shelves.
This show was recorded in Pittsburgh, PA, for WDVE-FM radio, when Honeymoon Suite was on its debut 1984 U.S. tour. Initially, this was partially aired on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio concert series.
But ”Love Is An Ocean (Live Pittsburgh ’84)” features all the tracks from the group’s first album – yes “Honeymoon Suite” in its entirety performed live, plus other songs. Sound quality is very good for a soundboard recording, showcasing how good these guys were as musicians already.
Honeymoon Suite hailed from Niagara Falls, Ontario, and offered a Canadian take on the kind of radio-friendly rock ‘n’ roll with melody that Bon Jovi was already doing in the States. Honeymoon Suite was signed by Warner Brothers Records, who were determined to break them big Stateside with the help of MTV.
Guitarist/singer Johnnie Dee had started the group with two other Canadian musicians, guitarist Derry Grehan and drummer Mike Lengyell. Yengell was soon replaced by Dave Betts, when keyboardist Ray Colburn and bassist Gary LaLonde joined shortly after the initial demos were made.
The song “New Girl Now” paved the way for considerable airplay on Toronto’s Q107 FM station and ultimately led to the deal with Warner Brothers’ Canadian division. It would be nearly two more years before the band’s debut was released and this tour was launched, but in the meantime, they had become a popular club draw in their native Canada.
Opening with “Burning In Love,” the show recorded Aug 30, 1984, at The Decade, Pittsburgh, PA, features the radio favorites from the first LP (“New Girl Now,” “Burning In Love,” “Wave Babies,” and “Stay In the Light”) all of which were hits in Canada (and “New Girl Now,” which broke the U.S. Top 40.)
They close the show with a rocked out version of the Al Green / Talking Heads classic “Take Me To The River,” definitely a highlight of the night.
Highly Recommended
01 – Burning In Love (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
02 – Now That You Got Me (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
03 – It’s Your Heart (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
04 – Hearts On Fire (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
05 – Wave Babies (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
06 – We Got The Night (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
07 – Face To Face (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
08 – Riding Into the Night (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
09 – Down The Road (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
10 – Stay In The Light (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
11 – Turn My Head (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
12 – New Girl Now (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
13 – Funny Business (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
14 – Take Me To The River [Al Green cover] (Live Pittsburgh ’84)
Johnny Dee – vocals
Derry Grehan – guitars
Gary LaDonde – bass
Ray Coburn – keyboards
Dave Betts – drums
HONEYMOON SUITE – Love Is An Ocean (Live Pittsburgh ’84) [2022], MP3+FLAC
Leave a Reply