Talas Talas 1979 USA, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock AOR

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Talas - Talas 1979 (USA, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock / AOR)

Bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, famous for his work with David Lee Roth’s first all-star band, Mr. Big, the Winery Dogs, and many others, made some of his first professional recordings on this 1979 debut from Buffalo, New York power trio Talas.

But you probably knew that ...

What you may not know is that the twenty-something Sheehan was already a peerless virtuoso and a shameless showboat, even then, unafraid to unleash frenzied lead bass all over this LP, to the point of drowning out guitarist Dave Constantino on many of these cuts.

Honestly, I can’t think of any sonic parallel in rock (except perhaps Lemmy’s overdriven four-string behind the classic Motorhead trio), and you’ll quickly hear what I’m talking about as Billy overwhelms hard rocking Talas originals like “Most People,” “She Don’t Know” and the almost doomy “Thick Head.”

Heck, not even the fan favorite “See Saw” (infectious and irritating in equal measures), nor the power ballad “Any Other Day” are spared Sheehan’s domineering bass, as it lurks like a rhino in a china shop behind band mates Constantino and drummer Paul Varga.

All three efficiently alternate lead and chorused vocals throughout, by the way, and they do eventually negotiate a sonic truce, of sorts, for a truly special hard rock revision of The Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love.”

And if you just presumed that Talas would sound like Van Halen because the two bands toured together in 1980 and Billy later worked with Diamond Dave, know that Eddie and co.’s influence is only really apparent on the playful “My Little Girl” and final track “Baby it Sure Looks Great.”

Come to think of it, while VH were busy “inventing the 1980s,” as early as ‘78, Talas were very much a product of the ‘70s, and that was hardly the only obstacle in their path to fame and glory.

You can add to that a hapless management team and a poorly funded independent label (whoever heard of Evenfall Records?), to say nothing of the group’s geographic isolation, which ensured this LP would go down like the proverbial tree in a forest: without a sound, if there’s no one there to hear it.

Talas’ sophomore album, Sink Your Teeth into That, wouldn’t surface until 1982, and the band broke up soon after, briefly returning as a reshuffled four-piece on ‘84’s High Speed On Ice, before crumbling for good after Sheehan signed on with DLR.

The debut album from Buffalo (State New York). Group (hard'n'hevi trio) is notable in that it debuted bassist Billy Sheehan (William "Billy" Sheehan), which subsequently five times won first place in a poll of readers Guitar Player magazine in the category "Best bass player in rock. "Sheehan's main instrument is the bass chetyrehstrunny Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude 4 ... In this group, Billy got up to these "chips" on the bass, which at that time no one in the head and could not come ... Talas soon become so popular in the area, even the cult ... The group has existed intermittently until 1998.

Tracks:

01. See Saw (Dave Constantino) - 0:00

02. Stop! In The Name Of Love (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Edward Holland) - 4:47

03. Most People (Billy Sheehan) - 8:01

04. She Don't Know (Dave Constantino, Billy Sheehan) - 11:01

05. Any Other Day (Paul Varga, Dave Constantino) - 14:36

06. My Little Girl (Paul Varga) - 19:02

07. Thick Head (Dave Constantino, Paul Varga) - 21:58

08. You (Dave Constantino) - 25:41

09. Expert On Me (Dave Constantino, Billy Sheehan) - 29:33

10. Baby It Sure Looks Great (Dave Constantino) - 32:40


Personnel:

- Dave Constantino - vocals, guitar
- William "Billy" Sheehan - bass
- Paul Varga - vocals, drums
 
- Larry Swist - producer