Brother Bait
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1975-78) - Maurice David Crutcher -- keyboards, backing vocals - Christopher "Rudy" Costley -- drums, backing vocals - Rod Lester -- vocals, percussion - Larry "Golden" McDonald -- vocals, bass
line up 2 (1978-81) - Maurice David Crutcher -- keyboards, backing vocals - Christopher "Rudy" Costley -- drums, backing vocals - Rod Lester -- vocals, percussion - Larry "Golden" McDonald -- vocals, bass NEW - Bob Ramsey -- keyboards, backing vocals (replaced Maurice David Crutcher)
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- Maurice David Crutcher (solo efforts) - The Fabulous Pack (Rod Lester)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Brother Bait Company: Tiger Lily Catalog: TL
14070 Country/State: Atlanta, Georgia Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5972 Price: $125.00
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One of the final
releases on Morris Levy's infamous Tiger Lily tax scam label, "Brother
Bait" was interesting for a number of reasons. Showcasing the
talents of lead
With guitarist Bloom responsible for penning all eight selections, the songs offered up a collection of fairly standard mid-1970s AOR. Think along the lines of Journey, Kansas, Pablo Cruise, early Steely Dan, Styx, or any one of dozens of outfits that tried to find success blending pop, hard rock, and occasional progressive moves. The good news was that Bloom had a talent for crafting catchy melodies that for the most part managed to avoid the artistic dead ends and excesses that plagued much of the competition. He was also a talented guitarist who managed to make the most of his time in the spotlight. The rest of the band were equally good. Both Lester and McDonald were accomplished singers who blended their voices well (check out 'I Caught You In the Act'). Costley and McDonald were a capable rhythm section, giving the album a needed kick in the butt whenever things threatened to turn pompous and overblown. That said, Crutcher was seemingly the band's secret weapon, his arsenal of keyboards frequently serving as what amounted as a second lead guitar ('Masquerade'). Admittedly nothing here was going to radically change your life, but the performances were uniformly enthusiastic and it was fun to play "spot the influence" while listening to the collection. Given the album's general quality it was also interesting to note Crutcher's comments about these being demos they did not want released. Wonder what a fully produced album would have sounded like. Again, not meant as a slam, but it's kind of funny to realize that you could buy a similar sounding Kansas, or Pablo Cruise album for 50 cents, or perhaps a dollar, whereas this one's rarity has seen it become a fairly expensive purchase.
"Bait
Brothers" track listing: 1.) Masquerade (Ron Bloom) - rating: *** stars The opener 'Masquerade' showcased the interesting combination of Bloom's squealing lead guitar and Crutcher's arsenal of keyboards and cheesy '70s synthesizers. The result was a pounding rocker which sounded like a mixture of Pablo Cruise and Santana. Very FM radio friendly and could have been a hit had Tiger Lily actually cared about selling records. 2.) I'm No Pushover (Ron Bloom) - rating: *** stars The opening could easily have been mistaken for a Kansas, or Styx outing. 'I'm No Pushover' was one of the album's more commercial offerings, boasting a refrain that was clearly written for radio airplay. It's not a stretch to imagine this one having done well on top-40 charts. 3.) Rainbow (Ron Bloom) - rating: *** stars Opening up with Crutcher turning in some ELP-styled synthesizers, Rainbow' found the band taking a stab at a more progressive sound. What you thought of the song was going to depend on what you felt about early Styx. Like early Styx then this will be right up your alley. Not a big Styx fan, then this is going to be an acquired taste. Admittedly I didn't think much of it originally, but the bubbly synthesizers and Lester's enthusiastic vocals have grown on me. 4.) I Caught You In the Act (Ron Bloom) - rating: **** stars If only due to the fact it broke away from their patented AOR attack 'I Caught You In the Act' was my choice for album's standout track. Yeah, this one was hyper-commercial again sounding like it had been structured with top-40 radio in mind (not a crime), but the performance was enthusiastic; the band actually sounded like they were having fun.
(side
2) 'Two Sides of Love' was one of those songs that threatened to derail by spinning off into keyboard virtuosity. Luckily drummer Costley and bassist McDonald did their best to reign in those excess and keep the song focused. Unfortunately they couldn't hold back Crutcher who turned in some of the cheesiest synthesizers you've heard in a long time. Of course I'm a sucker for cheesy '70s synthesizers so it wasn't all bad. 2.) Crazy World, Crazy Girl (Ron Bloom) - rating: *** stars Showcasing Crutcher's keyboards and some pretty harmony vocals, 'Crazy World, Crazy Girl' was a breezy, bouncy Caribbean-flavored slice of pop ... It wasn't particularly original, 'course how could you dislike a lyric about life in Southern California, chasing women? Well, perhaps in a time before the state's prolonged drought and then the repeated atmospheric rivers ... 3.) All I Need Is Your Love (Ron Bloom) - rating: **** stars One of my favorite performances, 'All I Need Is Your Love' dropped most of the progressive flourishes in favor of a conventional rocker. One of the few songs to showcase Bloom's lead guitar, the track also allowed Costley to finally show that he was a first-rate drummer. Great track and made you wonder why they didn't record more stuff like this. 4.) Rider In the Sunset (Ron Bloom) - rating: **** stars To my ears initially the closer 'Rider In the Sunset' sounded like something that had been left off of a mid-1970s Kansas album. I happen to like mid-1970s Kansas so that wasn't meant as a criticism, but the rock-progressive hybrid was likely to irritate some people. And with time I've overcome my initial criticisms and grown to like the song's po-progressive mash-up.
Bloom seems to have stayed in music through the 1980s including a stint as a hired gun for Benny Mardones' recording and touring band. He has a web presence that shows him as "... currently a leading innovator in digital entertainment and the founder, chairman and CEO of BiteSizeTV, The Entertainment Network for New Hollywood." Ron Bloom
Crutcher is still involved in music, lives in Las Vegas, and has a small web presence at: www.myspace.com/mauricedcrutcher
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Alive Company: Tiger Lily Catalog: TL
14071 Country/State: Atlanta, Georgia Grade (cover/record): -- Comments: -- Available: -- Catalog ID: -- Price: --
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In spite of the title, "Alive' was a studio set. Apparently drawn from the same demos as the previous album, it's even harder to find than their debut album.
The album also seems to have spelled the end of the line for the infamous Tiger Lily label, though with a couple of personnel changes the band apparently kept touring until 1981.
"Alive" track listing:
1.) Heaven's Beauty 2.) What Do You Believe 3.) Heart To Heart 4.) Redman
(side
2) 2.) Chariot of the God
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guitarist
Ron
Bloom, keyboardist Maurice David Crutcher, drummer Christopher
"Rudy" Costley, singer Rod Lester and bassist Larry McDonald,
Brother Bait was an actual touring band. They were apparently from
Atlanta, Georgia (though their fan club was located in Oak Law, Illinois).
Like so many other outfits, they started out as a traditional top-40 cover
band, adding occasional originals to their repertoire. They toured
throughout the Southeast and the mid-West picking up a mentor in producer
Charles Greene. That relationship saw them cut some demos with Greene;
presumably for his Greene Mountain label. So how'd these guys end
up 'signed' to Tiger Lily? Well, keyboardist Crutcher explained
it in an online forum: "We were aware when the
album was released. It was supposed to be a demo, but our
manager/producer-Charles Greene released it against our wishes."
