If you're a truly passionate rock fan, it's almost like a test: You love a particular band or artist, you can't wait for the next record and you know, before it even comes out, that you'll be playing it to death and memorizing every lick, every line, every drum fill.

The thing of it is, though, is that you...are...the...only...one, and if it doesn't connect with your crowd, well, it's their tragedy of a life. You don't love it just because no one else gets it, you love it because it speaks to you in a way that no other piece does.

This week it's an artist born in Houlton, Maine(!) who would gain notoriety for a TV show theme (that he didn't write), but who has really made some excellent albums that come from the straight-forward Tom Petty/Bryan Adams school of bar band rockin'.

 

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Before Danny Wilde went pseudo-mega with the theme from "Friends" (as The Rembrandts, who were okay too, but with less hair on their balls), he recorded his first album for the Geffen label: "Any Man's Hunger" (1988) is perfect from start-to-finish. Danny's vocals are powerfully convincing, another one of those "little guys" (like Robin Zander and Liam Gallagher) who make ya wonder how they can possibly sing like...that!!!

 

And while the lyrics don't break any new ground, they are rather sharp observations on life, love, and family, with an occasional swipe at the politics of the world. The guitars chime, the solo's never outlast their welcome, and you can't help but sing along.

My wife and I have never (hand to God, not once) gotten tired of playing this one all the way through, every time, and you've probably never heard of him or this album. Check out Danny Wilde and "Any Man's Hunger". It should have been a monster, but...oh well, that's what the CD player in the car is for.

 

 

Classic Maine TV Commercial From the 80's

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