Jon Stevens "Woman" 2015

...Lance Reynolds, Australian band Air Supply’s co-manager, visited New Zealand and offered Stevens an escape route. Reynolds read about Stevens, got a cassette tape delivered to him by CBS and met him. Stevens got on well with Reynolds, who made an offer he could not refuse, to travel to California and record a solo album for his Big Time Records label – “I will take you to America. Want to go to America?” “I had nothing else to do,” recalls Stevens. “I jumped on a plane. What an adventure. It’s early 1981 – I am working with some of the best musicians in the world and I am living in Beverly Hills. I was recording a solo record. Lance was the first one to get me writing. There I was, just a teenager.” Stevens enjoyed working with musicians like guitarist Steven Lukather (Toto), guitarist and bassist Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder) but when he refused to sign a song publishing deal with Big Time – “All hell broke loose,” Stevens recalls. “And I was ostracised.”...

...Two singles were released by Big Time, a remake of ‘Jezebel’ and ‘Lover My Love’ but neither single was successful. The Big Time album Jon Stevens was released in 1982. Stevens moved from Los Angeles to Australia and well-known music manager Michael Browning (his short-lived Deluxe label roster included Toy Love and INXS, and he managed AC/DC 1974-79) introduced Stevens to Stuart Fraser. “Stuart and I were like brothers,” says Stevens. “We were the same age and liked the same things. After my experience overseas and in New Zealand starting out, where I had so much pressure on me, I just wanted to hang out with a like-minded guy and make some music. Noiseworks grew out of that brotherhood.” Stevens and Fraser formed the band The Change and released an independent single, ‘Forever Young’ in 1984, and gigged with bassist Steve Balbi (from Kevin Borich Band). Kevin Nicol joined on drums in 1985 and keyboards player Justin Stanley completed the line-up in 1986. As Noiseworks, they built up a following on the pub rock circuit and Browning helped them get signed to CBS Records. The first single, ‘No Lies’, went to No.19 on the Australian sales charts in December 1986 and the second, ‘Take Me Back’, went to No.6 in May 1987. The band’s self-titled debut album reached No.2 on the sales charts in July 1987 and sold over 210,000 copies (triple platinum). In New Zealand ‘No Lies’ reached No.15 on the Singles Chart in June 1987. “Our schedule,” recalls Stevens, “was eight months on the road, 3 months in the studio, 1 month off.” English producer Chris Kimsey (Rolling Stones) produced their second album Touch. The title track reached No.11 in Australia and No.44 in NZ. The album was released in November 1988 and reached No.4 on the Australian Album chart, selling over 150,000 copies. The band wanted to produce their third album themselves. In late 1989 they did just that, but Sony Music Australia (Sony having purchased CBS) rejected the album and brought in USA producer Randy Jackson to record additional rock songs. Two singles were released from the band’s self-produced sessions – ‘Freedom’ went to No.30 on the charts in June 1990 and ‘Miles And Miles’ went to No.26 in December 1990...to be continued... audioculture

trax:
01 Woman 02 Catch You Falling 03 Passing By 04 Outer Space 05 In Your House 06 Flesh 'n' Bone 07 The Chronik Symphonic 08 Peaches 'n' Pie 09 Supabad 10 Save What Is Left Of Me 1 Hot Chilli Woman (Bonus)
…served by Gaius…