line up 1  

- Bryan Banks -- vocals

- none known

Genre: rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  New York City Blues

Company: Baby Grand

Catalog:  SE 
Year: 1977

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: still in shrink wrap; opened

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 3056

Price: $50.00

Another mysterious release on the mid-'70s Baby Grand tax scam label ...

Other than the vague information on the liner notes, I can't tell you anything about this one.

- Produced by Duke Benson

- Executive Producer R.G. Brown

- Engineer T. Smillow

- Recorded at Midot Sound Studios, White Plains, New York

- All songs credited to S. Banks

Assuming Bryan Banks was the actual artist, I'll admit the man had a decent voice.  If you liked Neil Diamond, Lobo, Gram Parson, or Poco's Paul Cotton and Rusty Young, then Banks' adult contemporary pop voice should go down easily.  Most of the songs had a country, or country-rock flavor, but  I'll even admit that a couple of these efforts weren't bad.  Kicked along by some raucous telecaster, 'Everybody' and 'Montana' were both decent country-rockers.  Think along the lines of Firefall, or Poco and you'll be in the right aural neighborhood.  Pleasant, but nothing spectacular.  Speculation on my part, but I'd guess these were demos that were abandoned in a studio and subsequently sold to Baby Grand for a pittance.

"New York City Blues" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) New York City Blues   (S. Banks) - 4:11  rating: *** stars

Imagine Lobo playing in Holiday Inn lounge and you'd get a feel for the ballad 'New York City Blues'.  Professional; competent musicianship that had all the soul of a Twinky.   

2.) American Music   (S. Banks) - 2:57   rating: ** stars

Hideous, up tempo country tinged number by a guy who clearly thought he could pull it off (he couldn't).

3.) Tomorrow   (S. Banks) - 3:35   rating: ** stars

Flacid, mildly jazzy, lounge act ballad.

4.) Everybody   (S. Banks) - 2:40  rating: *** stars

Nice telecaster opening and it found Banks taking a stab at a country-rock oriented tune.  Probably the best song on side one.   

(side 2)

1.) You   (S. Banks) - 2:08   rating: ** stars

Another country-rock tune, 'You" sounded like a second, or third tier Firefall, or Poco effort.  I happen to like both of those bands so I'll give 'You' an extra star.

2.) Montana   (S. Banks) - 3:44  rating: *** stars

'Montana' was the album's most conventional country-rocker and the album's standout performance.

3.) Do It Right   (S. Banks) - 4:11   rating: **** stars

Touch of Byrds melded to a Poco melody ...  My favorite performance.

4.) Satisfy   (S. Banks) - 3:14  rating: *** stars

Add in a touch of good-timey feel which may have dragged Banks a bit too close to Tony Orlando territory.  Not sure where the title came from since it didn't seem to bare any relationship to the lyrics.