Heavy Cruiser
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1972) - Rick Gaxolia -- guitar - Coffi Hall -- drums, percussion - James Newton Howard -- keyboards - Neil Merryweather (aka Robert Neilson Lillie, aka Bobby Neilson) -- vocals, bass, guitar
line up 2 (1972) - Coffi Hall -- drums, percussion NEW - Alan Hurtz -- guitar (replaced Rick Gaxolia) - James Newton Howard -- keyboards - Neil Merryweather (aka Robert Neilson Lillie, aka Bobby Neilson) -- vocals, bass, guitar
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- Eyes (Neil Merryweather) - Hundred Watt Head (Neil Merryweather) - Ivar Avenue Reunion (Neil Merryweather) - The Just Us (Neil Merryweather) - James Newton Howard (solo efforts) - Mama and Papa Rockin' Family - Mama's Lion - Merryweather & Carey Vacuum Cleaner - Neil Merryweather (solo efforts - The Mynah Birds (Neil Merryweather) - The Tripp (Neil Merryweather)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Heavy Cruiser Company: Family Catalog: FPS
2706 Country/State: Canada Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1530 Price: $50.00
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Depending what you read, there appear to be two stories behind the band Heavy Cruiser.
Story 1: Heavy Cruiser evolved out of some demos singer/multi--instrumentalist Neil Merryweather had recorded. At the time Merryweather was a member of the band Mama Lion. Along with singer Lynn Carey, guitarist Rick Gaxolia, drummer Coffi Hall ,and keyboardist James Newton Howard, Mama Lion had released a pair of early 1970's album's for Artie Ripp's, short-lived, Los Angeles-based Family label.
The demos were apparently planned for the third Mama Lion release. but before they could be completed the band headed off on an American tour. Family Productions President Artie Ripp somehow managed to sell the demos to another company, but insisted the results be released credited to a different band in order to protect the Mama Lion nameplate. Ironically, by the time Merryweather and company finished their tour and began recorded additional tracks, lead singer Lynn Carey had quit the band. That left the surviving members to come up with the Heavy Cruiser nameplate.
Story two: When his personal relationship with Lynn Carey ended, Merryweather quit Mama Lion. Merryweather was quickly replaced by former Smith bassist Jerry Carter. In the meantime Merryweather had begun recording material for a solo project, but brought in most of the Mama Lion crew after the band imploded during a European tour.
Regardless of the album's origins, produced by Merryweather, "Heavy Cruiser" sounded a lot like a Mama Lion LP. The chief difference this time around was the fact Carey was largely absent. Though she co-wrote four of the ten tracks and could be heard singing backup on a couple of tunes ('Wonder Wheel', 'As Long As We Believe', and the strange 'Miracles Of Pure Device'), this time around the focus was clearly shifted to Merryweather. How you feel about the album is going to be largely dependent on what you thought of Mama Lion. Personally I always thought Carey was a shrill and irritating presence on the two Mama Lion albums. Her tendency to try to power her way through songs was simply grating. Imagine Janis Joplin of steroids. To my ears Merryweather was a far better singer with a voice that was well suited for traditional rock and roll. The main problem with the album was that most of the tunes simply weren't very good. Judging by 'My Little Firefly' Merryweather was clearly capable of writing some first rate material. Similarly. an enthusiastic cover of the classic 'Louie Louie' (released as an instantly obscure single), showed the band were quite capable. Unfortunately those were the isolated exceptions in what was overall a fairly dull and plodding collection. Lots of okay FM rock, but simply not enough to keep you engaged. I guess you could blame it on the circumstances including the short timeframe provided to complete these tunes (along with the material that subsequently appeared on the second Heavy Cruiser album).
"Heavy
Cruiser" track listing: 1.) C’mon Everybody (Eddie Cockran - Jerry Capehart) - 2:14 Hum, ever wondered what Eddie Cochran would have sounded like in a heavy metal band? Well I hadn't either and based on this lame-assed cover you shouldn't waste your time. Completely forgettable in a sub par Spinal Tap fashion. Gawd only knows why, but the track was tapped as a French single:
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1972's 'C'mon Everybody' b/w 'Louie Louie' (Philips catalog number 6078 003)
rating: ** stars Maybe
because the leadoff track was simply so bad, Merryweather's 'My Little
Firefly' came as a major surprise. A bruising, irresistible
blues-rocker the tune showcased how good Merryweather's voice could be, as
well as his piercing, feedback drenched lead guitar. I would have
tapped it as a 45.
rating: **** stars Powered
by Newton's stabbing organ and Merryweather's howling vocals, 'Don't Stop
Now' sounded a it like an over-the-top slice of Uriah Heep,
rating: *** stars Given
'Wonder Wheel' included Lynn Carey's seriously shrieky voice, it seems
likely the tune was a leftover from the Mama Lion sessions. The
band at their "heaviest". rating:
*** stars WTF ? Seriously strange tune that seemingly couldn't decide whether it wanted to be an outlaw country-rocker, a bad Elvis Presley parody, or a slice of heavy metal. In the end it came off as sounding like a lounge act trying to sound tough. rating: ** stars 6.) Let Your Rider Run (Neil Merryweather - James Howard Newton) - 3:22 Powered
by Newton's keyboards, 'Let Your Rider Run' started out as a pretty
ballad, but quickly picked up speed and energy. Nice cheesy
synthesizers helped it along.
rating: *** stars (side
2) Given most of these tunes were cut as demos, I guess it's easy to see why they decided to include this rock chestnut. Like the earlier 'C'mon Everybody', this one was given a heavy rock arrangement; the difference being this one actually somehow worked. Hard to explain why it works - something about Merryweather's growling vocal and the molten guitar and organ arrangement made it mindless fun. Family even went as far as releasing the tune as a single:
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1972's 'Louie, Louie' b/w 'Outlaw' (Family catalog number FPA - 0909)
rating: **** stars Nice
Southern-flavored blues-rocker that should have appealed to Delaney and
Bonnie fans, The
band at their heaviest. Mindless fun with plenty of Rick
Gaxolia fuzz guitar.
Always wondered if it was inspired/dedicated to Lynn Carey. rating:
*** stars The band at their most progressive/experimental. 'Miracles Of Pure Device' was simply difficult to aptly describe. In addition to the extended Coffi Hall drum solo, the album featured Howard playing around with an arsenal of keyboards and synthesizers in a kind of over-the-top ELP fashion. Imagine six minutes of a migraine headache and you'll have an idea of what to expect. rating: ** stars
Merryweather is a fascinating character and anyone interested in learning more about the man and his career should checkout an extensive interview he did with Ruth McCartney. You can find in at: http://www.theneilmerryweather.com/interview.html
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