Thanks to a rising tide of public demand,
Moritz's eighties' recordings have now been reissued (and digitally remastered) on CD.
This Brit rock band's music clearly mainlined into the mood of North American
AOR and caught a ride on its ascendant star. They had the music, they had an audience and they had a market ripe for exploitation.
What they didn't have was a label.
Consequently, instead of fame and fortune,
Moritz had to settle for something so much less rewarding - cultdom.
'City Streets' comprises of 4 tracks from an EP released in 1984 and 4 self produced tracks recorded subsequently, through to 1986.
Greg Hart's well crafted songs and his band's energetic, well defined musicianship together make a convincing argument that somehow, some way, the labels that picked up on other British talent like
FM and
Tobruk had a blind spot in their talent spotting process.
From the original EP, Hart's flair for a catchy tune and a suitably dramatic lyric matched to Nigel Palmer's production nous delivered four sweetly bombastic tracks, colourfully dressed in US melodic rock clothing, mirroring giants of the genre like
Journey and Night Ranger.
'Can't Stop Loving You' and
'Break It Up' are probably the picks from those four tracks. Each has a sharp hook and a memorable melody. Interestingly, the latter hints at something a little more adventurous and riskier musically. Perhaps album number 2 would have seen the band escape from the grip of their influences and develop a more identifiable sound.
On the second batch of tracks, self produced, the band stretch a shoestring budget into musical corners it had no right to reach.
Peter Scallan's vocals never quite hit the nail on the head, but the musicianship and energy levels displayed by the rest of the band, married to Greg Hart's and Ian Edward's high calibre songwriting and intuitive arrangements carry the album to a satisfying resolution.
'Don't Walk Away' is an immense
AOR song, a distillation of all that the genre aimed for in the eighties, before it became diluted by labels looking for easy pickings.
'Caught In The Action' isn't too far behind. Hart's soloing again suggests that the band had something more sophisticated to offer than the simple staples of
FM Radio, fine examples though they were.
Word is that
Moritz are again recording, and Greg Hart's band
Hartless has an album out.
It's not over till it's over.
Written by
Brian Sunday, February 15, 2009
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