Money - First Investment (Reissue, Remastered) (1979/2008)

The music business is littered with those that should have, could have and would have made it. For Midlands based band Money, the story was a familiar one; a highly talented unit, formed amidst a musical climate that was more concerned with punk and new wave than hard rock yet still managing to earn plaudits and praise despite their ill-timed presence. And then, just when the tide appeared to be turning in favour of heavy rock via the emergence of the NWOBHM, championed by Sounds magazine’s Geoff Barton, Money were perceived as a band riding the coat tails of the movement rather than taking a place on its frontline. Sadly, they fell between two stools, a position which they never quite managed to improve, forever dubbed as NWOBHM nearly men. Despite this lack of good fortune the band did however attract the attention of UK independent label Gull Records, home at the time to none other than Judas Priest, who astutely paired them with fast rising production maestro Chris Tsangarides, a man who would later go on to work with Priest, Gary Moore, Y&T and Ozzy Osbourne. ‘First Investment’ was uniformly praised by fans and critics for being a brave, forward thinking work encompassing a variety of influences (Led Zeppelin, Queen and Sparks have been rightly mentioned) that should have catapulted them to major acclaim. Sadly, despite a ground swell of grass roots support, a lack of major management, no agent and few touring opportunities meant that the band were always playing catch up rather than leading the charge. However, their lack of commercial success has failed to dim the bands brief but bright appearance on record with ‘First Investment’ consistently hailed as a hidden British hard rock classic. Truly, one of the era’s most highly regarded obscurities. 24-bit remastering from original source tapes.

Money - First Investment CD. Reissue of 1979 UK hard rock originally released on the Gull label (Judas Priest) and produced by Chris Tsangarides (Tygers of Pan Tang, Anvil). Includes 16-page booklet with photos and liner notes. One bonus track! First time available on compact disc!