Customer Reviews

Watts in a Tank

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been reminiscing and trying to find that beautifully groovin song "Sausalito Summernight" for years on 80's compilations and could never find it. That song was my absolute favorite back in '82 when I was a very impressionable young tike in 1st grade around Kenner, Louisiana; I would always hear it on the school bus, and when i hear it now it conjures up the sweetest and most golden memories of being a kid and becoming intrigued, inspired, and mystified by music of the late 70's and early 80's! That sound moved me very deeply (Diesel, Little River Band, Billy Joel, Gerry Rafferty, Supertramp, and the Doobie Brothers). Can't wait to get the whole disc. And yes, it is totally coincidental that I now live in Sausalito.

I have been looking for someone to release this gem of an album for fifteen years. It's one of those great 80's albums that you will never tire of. The sound quality is great as well.

Even though the hit "Sausalito Summernight" has been issued on a compilation CD (edited version), it's good to finally get the whole album. The main reason for getting this was the longer 5:06 version of "Sausalito". Unfortunately, this group never had another hit in the U.S.

"Sausalito Summernight" is easily one of the best pop songs of the last 30 years; I take a back seat to no one in loving it. And yes, the single edit of the song (previously available on the compilation CD "Barry Scott Presents the Lost 45s of the '70s & 80s, vol. 2") DOES cut an entire verse as well as 3/4 of the bridge of the song (not in itself a bad thing; how many key changes does one song need?), so fans of that song will do well to snag all copies of this re-issue (which is once again unavailable as the CD has gone out-of-print) in order to hear the track in its entirety.

However, the rest of this album AT BEST is hit-and-miss; there are hints that these guys COULD'VE been a fine power pop outfit if they were just a little grittier ("Good Morning Day", "Bite Back" are good examples where this approach works reasonably well), but the prevailing feel of this album is goofiness, from "Goin' Back to China" (sounding not unlike the efforts of John Carpenter and Alan Howarth on the "Big Trouble in Little China" soundtrack; this should not be considered a compliment to either artist) to "Down in the Slivermine" (I don't get this at all) to "Remember the Romans" (which was probably sufficient to get them some cred as a "new wave" band).

I bought the CD; I figured as much as I liked "...Summernight" the rest of the album was worth a spin. And I don't regret the decision, but the overall sound of the band itself is a disappointment. The best way I can think of to describe them is a cross between the Mickey Thomas-era Jefferson Starship along with ABBA at the height of their '70's disco prowess. If you're a fan of either group (or sound) this is definitely a must-buy. But if you're expecting the rest of the album to be anywhere NEAR as good as the hit single (hence the term), you should prepare yourself for a significant let-down; if the album was really that good it would have sold better when it was originally released when its sound was even close to fresh.

I have been wanting Watts In A Tank on CD since 1984! Sausalito Summernight is a great song that brings back memories of great album rock from the early 80s!!

It's great that this classic album has finally been given the treatment it deserves- being released on CD FINALLY!!

WATTS IN A TANK is a great lost classic album by the Dutch band Diesel, and I've recently downloaded it onto my computer. Among the groups who influenced this sadly underrated band include the Steve Miller Band, the Allman Brothers Band, the Doobie Brothers, the Outlaws, Foreigner, and Foghat. The big hit here, "Sausalito Summernight", combines a dance rhythm, lyrics evoking a road trip from L.A. to San Francisco in a broken-down Nash Rambler, percolating synthesizers, and a lead guitar break that would have been right at home on the Outlaws' anthology BEST OF THE OUTLAWS: GREEN GRASS AND HIGH TIDES. Download this album if you can.

Great band from Holland in the early 80's. The music sounds dated but the songs are well done. I think mostly musicians like this one. Sausalito Summernights made a big impact.

I had this album on cassette in '82. My dad, brother, and I absolutely loved this tape. So much so that it wore out playing it so much. I hadn't given the album much thought but I found it on Apple iTunes the other day and had to buy it. I am glad I did. I was shocked to find it is $85.00 on Amazon. That is way too pricey for any album. It is a great classic rock album. I feel that there is not a bad song on this album, although "Sausalito Summer Night" is by far the best (I think everyone thinks this). This is a great album. It is not one of the albums that only one or two songs are good they all are. Great buy at iTunes $9.99.

This is a One Great 80's Album! Waited, Waited and Waited for my copy from amazon that I never got and had to cancel. Only to find at Apple's iTunes Music Store (as of 7/26/05)!!! Download in about 60 sec. Freakn' Cool Dudes!!! Apple Saves the day again!!!

I first heard Diesel's "Sausalito Summernight" while on my way home from Colorado Springs in 1987. During my search for the song, I learned that everyone in the world knew of "Sausalito" but me! Don's Discs in Thornton, Colorado, had the single, but it wasn't until 1994 that I found the Watts in a Tank LP, which contains the superior long version of "Sausalito Summernight." In the early 90s, the defunct Diesel was occasionally confused with guitarist Johnny Diesel, whose band is called Diesel; Johnny's single "Tip of My Tongue" was played quite often on Boulder's KBCO during the summer of 1993.