Phil Seymour - Prince of Power Pop (2017)

2017 collection. Phil Seymour's story reads like a novel: three young hopefuls from Tulsa in love with '60s music and determined to bring back melody and pop songs to '70s rock set off for Hollywood to find fame and fortune. First comes joy as they sign to Shelter Records and crash into the Top 20 in 1975 as the Dwight Twilley Band. Next, frustration as they encounter problems with their failing record company, and the inevitable split as drummer/vocalist/songwriter Phil Seymour goes solo. Initially he struggles to find a foothold but once the new wave hits America, the Phil Seymour Band storms Hollywood and becomes one of the hottest acts on the circuit. Signed to Neil Bogart's Boardwalk label, by 1981 Phil is riding high at #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 with the self-penned classic 'Precious To Me'. More terrific releases follow and, for a while, Phil is the brightest star on the horizon, but Bogart's death in 1983 means the end of his Boardwalk contract. He doggedly continues to make good music but contracts lymphoma and dies in 1993 at age 41. Handsomely packaged with a 20-page booklet sporting rare photos and extensive notes incorporating exclusive interviews with bandmate Michael Anderson and recording engineer Bill Cooper, our collection comprises 13 of Phil's finest recordings and 11 never-before-heard tracks, including nine terrific demos cut at producer Richie Podolor's American Recording studio in Los Angeles.