RUBBER RODEO - Heartbreak Highway

New wave and country might seem like an unlikely combination, but Boston-based Rubber Rodeo attempted the fusion in the 1980s over the course of two LPs and an EP.

The band is best remembered for its excellent 1984 single Anywhere With You, which was definitely more straightforward pop than country. The song appeared on their debut LP, Scenic Views, which also yielded a minor hit in The Hardest Thing. Prior to that, Rubber Rodeo stirred some attention with an EP that featured a new wave take on the Dolly Parton hit, Jolene.

Scenic Views didn't break the band to the level that was probably hoped, and it's apparent that with their follow up LP from 1986, Heartbreak Highway, Rubber Rodeo was aiming to lasso major pop success. The songs are hookier and more developed, and while Scenic Views included lead vocals split pretty much evenly between core members Trish Milliken and Bob Holmes, Milliken's memorable singing is the emphasis on Heartbreak Highway.

Side 1 features the album's strongest cuts, starting with the storming title track. If You're Ever Alone is a gorgeous pop tune sung by Milliken that was criminally not released as a single. This one could have done really well for them. Holmes does a worthwhile take on Fred Neil's Everybody's Talkin'. The lead single, Souvenir, is an infectious, upbeat duet that should have been a commercial smash. The Civil War is a melodic, Western-influenced instrumental.

The brief side 2 includes highlights in Look Who's Back, another fine pop song with lead vocals by Milliken, and the hopeful Maybe Next Year.

All of Rubber Rodeo's releases remain unreleased on CD. You can check out my vinyl rip of Heartbreak Highway at the link below, and head here for the EP and here for Scenic Views.

Rubber Rodeo - Heartbreak Highway (LP, 1986)

Track listing:
1 - Heartbreak Highway
2 - If You're Ever Alone
3 - Everybody's Talkin'
4 - Souvenir
5 - The Civil War
6 - Deadtown
7 - When Words Collide
8 - Look Who's Back
9 - Maybe Next Year

DWIGHT TWILLEY - Wild Dogs

While power pop singer-songwriter Dwight Twilley had previously scored chart hits with the singles I'm on Fire and Girls, his 1986 LP Wild Dogs came out so quietly that many fans didn't even know it was released. Another piece of a career plagued by record label woes, Wild Dogs stood little chance for promotion after the label it was recorded for folded, leading to a rushed release through Epic's CBS Associated Records.

The oversight was criminal because Wild Dogs is arguably one of Twilley's strongest albums. Some fans might be put off by the increased use of synthesizers throughout, but the high quality of the material is undeniable. The LP features lush, melodic gems in Sexual, You Don't Care, Ticket to My Dream and Secret Place, while the title track, Hold On, Baby Girl and Radio offer a good dose of fun rock and roll swagger. Shooting Stars (the final collaboration with Twilley's long-time musical partner, Phil Seymour) and Spider & the Fly are dreamy and passionate slow numbers.

Twilley is one of the most talented singers and songwriters in power pop, but has never gotten the credit he deserves. Wild Dogs - which still hasn't seen release on CD - is just a sliver of his essential material, most of which you can purchase here.

Dwight Twilley - Wild Dogs (1986)

Track listing:
1 - Sexual
2 - Wild Dogs
3 - You Don't Care
4 - Hold On
5 - Shooting Stars
6 - Baby Girl
7 - Ticket to My Dream
8 - Secret Place
9 - Radio
10 - Spider & the Fly