Joe Cerisano’s Silver Condor: Studio Cuts, Rarities and Live Across America (MelodicRock)

Silver Condor was one of those “could have been, should have been huge” bands from the early ’80s that just never quite hit the big time. This despite featuring the likes of Earl Slick and Steve Plunkett (yes, theAutograph guy) in their ranks. They put out some impressive AOR albums though, and vocalist Joe Cerisano had quite the commercial career (as in he literally sang on commercials) afterwards, and lent his voice to artists as diverse as Michael Bolton and Gloria Estefan to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve definitely heard his voice (and like me probably thought you were hearing John Fogerty).

The two Silver Condor albums (1981’s Silver Condor and 1983’s Trouble at Home) have been out of print for ages, and Silver Condor never made it to CD in the first place. I have to assume record label issues prevented straight-up reissues of those albums, but the MelodicRock Records label gave us the next best thing, a 2-disc retrospective titled Studio Cuts, Rarities and Live Across America (rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?).

As the title indicates, this set has some material that made the studio albums, though not the band’s lone Top 40 hit “You Could Take My Heart Away.” It also has several demos and previously unreleased songs that are sure to satisfy Silver Condor fans. The second disc, Live Across America, features recordings from the band’s 1981 North American tour, and even more than the studio material it really shows just how tight the band was and how much presence Cerisano had.

While a set like this is bound to thrill fans who knew Silver Condor back in the ’80s, it also makes a fantastic overview and introduction for those of us who missed the band the first time around. The music is the quintessential American rock n’ roll sound, bridging the gap between Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bruce Springsteen, but with a great melodic accessibility. Kudos to the MelodicRock Records label for getting this materal into fans’ hands.