Customer Reviews

Coney Hatch

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Man, I love this stuff...and I miss this type o' music. For those of you who haven't heard Coney Hatch, If I were to try and compare who Coney Hatch sounds like I guess I'd have to say maybe April Wine from the era of "Harder Faster" or "Nature Of The Beast". I believe both bands are canadian and this album came out in 1982 about the same time as the aforementioned April Wine albums...so maybe that explains the similarities. Hatch is stripped down, all-out pure rock n' roll. In my opinion, this is their best album...followed closely by their second album, "Outta Hand". Their third album, "Friction" was a little too keyboard friendly for my taste...I guess the record company was tryin' to make them into pop stars...but yet, "Friction" is still a good album. In any case, this album kicks in with "Devil's Deck" which is just a great song and it ends with a great song in "Monkey Bars". Everything in between is just great...I love it all. One thing I do remember about Coney Hatch though, is that it took awhile to grow on me. I mean, right from the start I loved "Devil's Deck", "I'll Do The Talkin'" and "Hey Operator"...but the rest took a few more listenings. Especially "Monkey Bars" which seemed repetitive and dull until...I guess...one day I caught the groove and realized everytime I heard the song I would hum it all day long. Okay, 'nuff said, buy this cd...play it to death...you'll love it.

First time I heard of this group was around 82 while in California employed by Uncle Sam. Catchy tunes with a sense of humor. Devil's Deck was the first tune I had ever heard by them which was receiving radio play back then. Steve Shelski's soloes have a hint of Kim Mitchell influence but I also hear a bit of Randy Rhoads vibe on Love Poison. Over the years I have turned a few friends onto this band. No hair or speed metal here dudes, just really good early 80's hard rock.
This album is my favorite but the others have some great tunes on them as well.

To start with let me say, if you are looking for a good sampling of Coney Hatch you should try BEST OF THREE. To me the individual discs are better to have if you are already familiar with the bands works. I must admit, I picked up the bands first album in the early 80's simply because of the great cover art. The music inside was just as spectacular as the artwork outside. Coney Hatch is a 4 piece from Canada signed to Anthem Records, at that time Mercury in the U.S.. Of course, Anthem was the home to Rush and Max Webster. Coney Hatch didn't have the specatacular shows or crazy costumes, but they played great straight forward rock, which, to me, seemed aimed right at radio airplay. The songs weren't too long and drawn out and there was nothing to have to edit out.

The music speaks better for itself than sales and airplay did, however. The main reason for buying this disc and not settling for their BEST... are the songs "Love Poison", "No Sleep Tonight", "We Got the Night", and "I'll Do the Talkin'". There is no problem with the songs that made BEST OF THREE, but these songs are definitely great works by the band. There are catchy riffs and choruses throughout Coney Hatch's works and this first release is a definite plus to any collection. The songs from the hits package are "Devil's Deck", "Stand Up", their biggest hit "Hey Operator", and my favorite "You Ain't Got Me". Do yourself a favor and get Coney Hatch. There is also the bonus track "Dreamland" on this CD. Sometimes simple is better!

This album is a must if your a 80 rocker. Devil's Deck cooks and Monkey Bars is very fun. Must buy.

Listen up, people - this album is what we call 'the absolute headquarters'!

I don't know what it was but Canada ca. '82/'83 was brimming with new talent. Rush, Frank Marino, Triumph, April Wine a.o. had been making major waves in the mid to late 70's and pushed the door wide open for the next wave of Canuck talent such as Santers, Anvil, Saga, Headpins, Lee Aaron, Aldo Nova, Reckless, Kick Axe, Bryan Adams and, yes - Coney Hatch! And what a debut these guys delivered! This was seriously the illegitimate love child between AC/DC and Foreigner, very ably produced by Kim Mitchell (of Max Webster fame), who perfectly captures the quartet's youthful energy and gets some great tones.

Opener 'Devil's Deck' rudely grabs you by the proverbial collar with a killer riff and a great vocal from main vocalist Carl Dixon who sounds much like a younger, meaner Lou Gramm. 'You Ain't Got Me' is equally convincing before the hypnotic, bass heavy 'Stand Up' (one of 4 songs sung by bassist Andy Curran), lets you catch your breath for a moment. The infectious 'No Sleep Tonight' is another highlight before Curran takes over lead vox on 'Love Poison.' Side 2 (vinylly speaking) starts out with a bang - the hard charging 'We Got the Night' is easily the band's most relentless moment on this disc, topped off by a smoking solo courtesy of Steve Shelski, one of the more underrated axemen of his era. 'Hey Operator' is Coney Hatch's shining AOR moment - just a perfect song in every way (so much so that fellow Canuck Aldo Nova would cover it on his 'Subject' album). Curran grabs the mic once again on the rockin' 'I'll Do the Talkin' (nice twin guitar mid-section), before it's over to Dixon for the footstomping 'Victim of Rock', and the rock'n'roll gymnastics end on the fun-funky 'Monkey Bars' where Steve Shelski takes things outside with some seriously off-kilter but oddly fitting lead playing. Wicked!

To sum it up in a nutshell: Pretty much all killer, no filler. The CD re-issue bonus tracks are a nice throw-in but it's all about the original tracks here. 'Coney Hatch' is Canadian rock'n'roll hall of fame material and remains the band's magnum opus. Subsequent studio albums lacked the excitement and reckless abandon the boys display on their debut as the band 'refined their sound' in favor of a more AOR radio friendly approach which ended up doing very little to push Dixon and Co. over the top commercially speaking. Stick to this one and enjoy the 'true' Coney Hatch.

I was a teenager in the 80s, and I remember hearing these guys for the first time. I was a young guitar-player and ended up playing in various, local bands. I heard "Devil's Deck" and the raw guitar and bass, the whole raw classic sounding mix all-around hit me like a freakin' boulder man! One of my favorites from the debut-'We Got The Night' I love the main riff, ...wheh,wheh-dadada~wheh,wheh-dadada~wheh,wheh-dadada...dig it..killer-awesome solo Steve! When I got to countin' up them cars by the "Monkey Bars", I was like, Steve, what are ya doin'?!. Such a unique vocal and guitar...Killer, killer, killer! I love these guys! I spread the Coney Hatch love with anyone who'd listen. In my first band, we attempted "Stand Up", & played "No Sleep Tonight" since that was my theme in those days staying up late, learning guitar solos until I fell over at 3-4am & sometimes 'till dawn! Also played "Devil's Deck" in a later band-cool lyrics...'like a one-eyed Jack, stick a knife in your back...'! I have a bus-load of tunage, but there isn't a mood or time I can't pull out some Hatch and CRANK IT! This definitely is better the lounder the volume. I love the mix in vocal styles..with the raw energy of Carl and the uniqueness of Andy's voice. You can't go wrong from the classic "Hey Operator"(which was covered by fellow 80's rocker Aldo Nova on his sophomore release-'SUBJECT") and 'You Ain't Got Me', to 'Stand Up' and the epic 'Love Poison' etc. etc. there's simply not a bad track here-it doesn't let up from beginning to end, but no need trying to talk-up an album that speaks for itself! These guys along with Black 'N Blue were both under-rated bands that could hold their own against better than a lot of a lot of the others who reached a higher plain... commercially maybe, but not necessarily musically--It's all about timing I guess...I mean 'Quiet Riot' was the 1st Metal band to have the #1 album in America...look, they're OK, but they're no CONEY HATCH-then again, there's only one-One of the truly great rock bands that came outa the 80's, and not just from Toronto, any band from anywhere! I'm down in N.C., and unfortunately never got the chance to see them live, so as I doubt a reunion would ever happen, I'll keep my eyes opened...Coney Hatch definitely got it done from this debut, to their incredible sophomore 'Outa Hand' to the equally brilliant 3rd and final release,'Friction'. Long-Live CONEY HATCH!!!