Titled 'Last Parade' (after one of the unreleased tracks), the special limited-edition package paid tribute to one of the great songwriters of this genre. Brett tragically and suddenly passed away in July 2013, with a special tribute paid to him by his band and wife at MRF3 later that year.
I kept in touch, recalling various conversations I had with Brett about releasing his Person To Person songs and some of his unreleased demos, which collectors had been trading for some years.
Brett's wife Sheron and I agreed to look at what was available and see what could be done. Brett's entire DAT collection was sent to me to digitize, which lead to an extraordinary discovery.
Over no less than 47 DATs, it became evident that Brett was sitting on a treasure trove of unreleased material. I was blown away at the quality and the brilliance of these songs, with a cross-reference of styles present from throughout Brett's career.
Some of the older unreleased material rivals the classic 'Nevertheless' album for melodic rock brilliance. Fans of all eras will in fact, be blown away I'm sure.
'Last Parade' is the most complex project I've ever put together, mainly because of the vast number of songs. At last count there was 174 song files in the “Work In Progress” folder. There were at least 2 versions of almost every track on the DATs and sometimes 5 or even 6! Some are from all different mixes, others various audio quality and some completely different versions of known songs.
JK Northrup has been mastering and remastering for the past several months!
Either way...lots of listening time and so many amazing songs.
Long may Brett's music live on.
Now Out Of Print, the box set is brought back to life here in two individual sets, both featuring exclusive previously unreleased songs that only came as a digital bonus to purchases of the original box set.
There has been some demand for a truncated version of the box set, as well as a stand-alone release of the Person To Person tracks.
So it is with great pleasure that MelodicRock Classics has gone to work on two exclusive new releases due out February 24.
Person To Person – 'The Complete Recordings' (2CD Set) and
Brett Walker – 'Highlights From The Last Parade' (2CD Set)
That's 4 discs of Brett Walker and Person To Person magic. The original purchase of the box set came with some 50+ bonus tracks in MP3 download – songs which we didn't have room for on the original set, so several of those songs have been curated to appear as bonus tracks on each release – exclusively on CD for the first time.
For the Person To Person cover art, the band's original and only promo shot was black and white. Par Winberg took the picture and used new AI colouring technology to make an accurate portrait of the band just as they were ready to launch.
MRC033 - PERSON TO PERSON - The Complete Recordings
Disc 1 - The Original Album
01. Undercover Love
02. Never Be The Same
03. No Shortcut To Paradise
04. Careless Nights
05. Lecia
06. More Than A Memory
07. Waiting For Love
08. Hard To Find An Easy Way
09. No Sense In Falling (Previously Unreleased Version)
10. No Fire Without You
11. Far Cry From Love
12. One Night Away
13. Ayla (Previously Unreleased)
14. Outta Site
15. Eye For Love
Disc 2 - Person To Person – Live, Alt Mixes and Brett Walker Demos
01. Hard To Find An Easy Way (91-93 Demo)
02. More Than a Memory (91-93 Demo)
03. Never Be The Same (91-93 Demo)
04. No Sense In Falling (91-93 Demo)
05. Undercover Love (Slower Version) (Previously Unreleased)
06. Never Be The Same (Alt Mix/Brett Vocal) (Previously Unreleased)
07. No Sense In Falling (Extended)
08. Waiting For Love (Original Demo)
09. Lecia (Mixed For TV Inst) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Undercover Love (Live)
11. Waiting For Love (Live)
12. Burning In The 3rd Degree (Live)
MRC032 - BRETT WALKER – Highlights From The Last Parade
Disc 1 - Highlights:
01. Still A Dream Away (Demo Version)
02. Branded
03. Bad Time For Goodbye (Alt Mix)
04. Crossroads Motel (91-93 Demo)
05. Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
06. After The Tears Have Gone
07. American Dreamer (Rock Version)
08. A Little Too Late
09. Fools Paradise
10. Catchin' On
11. Heaven Stops The Rain
12. Always A Place
13. Everything I Want To Do (Piano Ballad Version)
14. Don't Turn Out The Lights (Guitar Mix)
15. On The Train Again
16. Higher Ground (Revision)
17. Last Parade
Disc 2 - Spotlights (All Previously Unreleased on CD):
Titled ‘Last Parade’ (after one of the unreleased tracks), the special limited-edition package paid tribute to one of the great songwriters of this genre. Brett tragically and suddenly passed away in July 2013, with a special tribute paid to him by his band and wife at MRF3 later that year.
I kept in touch, recalling various conversations I had with Brett about releasing his Person To Person songs and some of his unreleased demos, which collectors had been trading for some years.
Brett’s wife Sheron and I agreed to look at what was available and see what could be done. Brett’s entire DAT collection was sent to me to digitize, which lead to an extraordinary discovery.
Over no less than 47 DATs, it became evident that Brett was sitting on a treasure trove of unreleased material. I was blown away at the quality and the brilliance of these songs, with a cross-reference of styles present from throughout Brett’s career.
Some of the older unreleased material rivals the classic ‘Nevertheless’ album for melodic rock brilliance. Fans of all eras will in fact, be blown away I’m sure.
‘Last Parade’ is the most complex project I’ve ever put together, mainly because of the vast number of songs. At last count there was 174 song files in the “Work In Progress” folder. There were at least 2 versions of almost every track on the DATs and sometimes 5 or even 6! Some are from all different mixes, others various audio quality and some completely different versions of known songs.
JK Northrup has been mastering and remastering for the past several months!
Either way…lots of listening time and so many amazing songs.
Long may Brett’s music live on.
Now Out Of Print, the box set is brought back to life here in two individual sets, both featuring exclusive previously unreleased songs that only came as a digital bonus to purchases of the original box set.
There has been some demand for a truncated version of the box set, as well as a stand-alone release of the Person To Person tracks.
So it is with great pleasure that MelodicRock Classics has gone to work on two exclusive new releases due out February 24.
Person To Person – ‘The Complete Recordings’ (2CD Set) and
Brett Walker – ‘Highlights From The Last Parade’ (2CD Set)
That’s 4 discs of Brett Walker and Person To Person magic. The original purchase of the box set came with some 50+ bonus tracks in MP3 download – songs which we didn’t have room for on the original set, so several of those songs have been curated to appear as bonus tracks on each release – exclusively on CD for the first time.
For the Person To Person cover art, the band’s original and only promo shot was black and white. Par Winberg took the picture and used new AI colouring technology to make an accurate portrait of the band just as they were ready to launch.
MRC033 – PERSON TO PERSON – The Complete Recordings
Disc 1 – The Original Album
01. Undercover Love
02. Never Be The Same
03. No Shortcut To Paradise
04. Careless Nights
05. Lecia
06. More Than A Memory
07. Waiting For Love
08. Hard To Find An Easy Way
09. No Sense In Falling (Previously Unreleased Version)
10. No Fire Without You
11. Far Cry From Love
12. One Night Away
13. Ayla (Previously Unreleased)
14. Outta Site
15. Eye For Love
Disc 2 – Person To Person – Live, Alt Mixes and Brett Walker Demos
01. Hard To Find An Easy Way (91-93 Demo)
02. More Than a Memory (91-93 Demo)
03. Never Be The Same (91-93 Demo)
04. No Sense In Falling (91-93 Demo)
05. Undercover Love (Slower Version) (Previously Unreleased)
06. Never Be The Same (Alt Mix/Brett Vocal) (Previously Unreleased)
07. No Sense In Falling (Extended)
08. Waiting For Love (Original Demo)
09. Lecia (Mixed For TV Inst) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Undercover Love (Live)
11. Waiting For Love (Live)
12. Burning In The 3rd Degree (Live)
MRC032 – BRETT WALKER – Highlights From The Last Parade
Disc 1 – Highlights:
01. Still A Dream Away (Demo Version)
02. Branded
03. Bad Time For Goodbye (Alt Mix)
04. Crossroads Motel (91-93 Demo)
05. Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
06. After The Tears Have Gone
07. American Dreamer (Rock Version)
08. A Little Too Late
09. Fools Paradise
10. Catchin’ On
11. Heaven Stops The Rain
12. Always A Place
13. Everything I Want To Do (Piano Ballad Version)
14. Don’t Turn Out The Lights (Guitar Mix)
15. On The Train Again
16. Higher Ground (Revision)
17. Last Parade
Disc 2 – Spotlights (All Previously Unreleased on CD):
01. Midnight Angel (Early Demo)
02. Quicksand (Early Alt Mix)
03. No Reasons Of The Heart (Alt Mix)
04. Living On The Moon (Remix)
05. It’s A Good Thing (First Mix)
06. Didn’t Mean To Say Goodbye (91-93 Demo)
07. Give A Little Love (91-93 Demo)
08. Don’t Mean Much (Demo)
09. A Far Cry From Love (Slower)
10. I Could Be Wrong (Alt Version)
11. Rain Dance (Alt Mix)
12. Hard Dark Music (Inst)
13. It Looks A Lot Like Rain (Inst)
14. Don’t Come Back Crying
15. Solo Piano (Freeform 2)
16. Last Parade (Early Demo)
MRR is running very low on some Limited Edition titles, so now might be the last chance to grab one of the following before they are sold out for good.
BRETT WALKER – “Last Parade” 6CD Box Set w/Bonus Tracks – 27 LEFT
CANNONBALLZ – “8Ballz2Many” Limited Edition Ecobook Digipack Version – 25 LEFT
SHOTGUN SYMPHONY – “The Last Symphony” 4CD Set w/Longbox Slipcase – 25 LEFT
TONY MITCHELL – “Beggars Gold” 2CD Special Edition w/Slipcase – 40 LEFT
New artists are what will sustain and grow this scene. It is essential to develop and expose new talent and despite the challenges of doing such, MelodicRock Records continues to bring the best undiscovered artists to the ever hungry fans of all things melodic.
One of Pittsburgh’s most gifted singer/guitarists will make his mark with this debut. Please make room in your music collections for BRYAN COLE and his sensational debut album ‘Sands Of Time’.
SPECIAL SALE PRICE - $12 (including airmail shipping)
Melodic rock fans have been in need of an album just like this – the classic sound of bands like Giant, Bad English, Survivor and both Pride Of Lions and Brett Walker – the latter two artists both included in the material that comprises Sands Of Time.
Bryan Cole - "I have to say that I took a lot of time and care in recording my debut album ‘Sands Of Time’ and I knew I would go through the same process in finding the right label home for my music. I'm proud and honored to be a part of the MRR family and all the talented acts on their roster. Andrew McNeice and Melodic Rock Records, truly cares about their artists and I'm humbled and honored that they gave me a chance to make MY music and give me the extraordinary opportunities that the label offersSands of Time is truly the first album project that is so honest, so pure and so Me! Every musical and vocal influence from my earliest memory, through my adult life is shown ever so clearly in this record and I'm so proud of it!"
The whole idea for the record came from Bryan recording a demo of the classic Brett Walker/Carl Dixon song ‘More Than a Memory.’ The feedback was unanimous, with Bryan receiving very positive and encouraging responses.
“I knew I was on to something very special. I began searching and writing material with the hopes of finding enough great songs to record a EP or full length album. During the course of this grueling process, I had experienced many personal and life changing experiences. The loss of several loved ones had brought me to my lowest point emotionally and I felt I couldn't go on being creative and making music. Out of the blue, I received a message from an old friend in Nashville, TN that heard my demo and had an idea of the perfect person to hook me up with.”
That person would be none other than Jim Peterik from Survivor. Bryan grew up listening to Survivor, Journey and many other classic AOR/Melodic Rock groups of the late 70's and 80's, so working with Jim was a dream come true. Jim Peterik contributed four amazing songs to the project that followers of Jim will recognize quickly.
Bryan continued to look for more songs that fit his style and lyrically had the right substance that he was looking for. Songwriters Joie Scott, Larry King and Steven McClintock, graciously lent their writing talents to the project. Bryan decided to record a second great Brett Walker song and to complete the album, and together with his long time writing partner DJ Gleason the duo wrote two songs to round out the album.
In conclusion, Bryan elaborates on the album recording process: “In addition to all of the great songwriters, I wanted to bring in the right group of musicians to help in the recording process. My first pick was former Giant bassist Mike Brignardello. I've been a Giant fan from their first record and they have always been a major influence on my music. I contacted Mike through a mutual friend and he jumped at the chance to be a part of the record.
To sum things up... Sands Of Time is a true inside look of who I really am. The musical and vocal influences that helped to mold me into the artist I am today and who I will continue to learn from. The happiness and sadness, as well as the struggles. They are all grains of sand that make me who I am.....the beginning.”
One of my favourite albums of the 90s is the classic AOR of a record called Nevertheless. The timeless production from David Prater and a voice that defined soulful AOR – Brett Walker.
As it turned out, Brett was one hell of a nice guy too. As I followed his career from that classic solo album, I had the chance to interview him several times and as time went on, got to know him very well. He was one of the good guys as they say.
Then came the heartbreaking news of his sudden passing in 2013. Gone way too soon and with so much music still to give.
Brett was a prolific writer and was always recording and demoing new material. Much of which remained stored on various DATs in his home studio.
With the co-operation of Brett’s wife Sheron, I am very pleased to say that MelodicRock Records will embark on a mission to pay tribute to Brett by presenting an anthology of his unreleased work, which will include demos and outtakes for some of his iconic songs as well as an extensive collection of previously unheard material, reflecting the classic Brett Walker sound.
And yes, the Person 2 Person tracks are amongst the nearly 30 DAT tapes that make up Brett’s work.
I am honoured to be able to work on this and promise that this will be the best possible way of paying tribute to the late Brett Walker, while giving his fans something of substance to remember him by.
Progress updates will be posted over the coming months and a release is planned for later in 2017.
BRYAN COLE has been receiving some outstanding reviews d fan feedback for his debut album Sands Of Time.
There a sample below. But before you read those, please download and keep his exclusive new Christmas song from Bryan as a thank you for all the great feedback to date.
And if you haven’t already, grab a copy of the album right now!
'Sands of Time' Reviews:
“Bryan is one of the brightest new artists to hit the melodic rock scene and this debut record from him will confirm that to anyone who takes the time to listen to it, which, if you are fan of this genre, you owe it to yourself to do so. It is a stellar piece of work. Huge vocals, huge melodies and huge hooks. It is everything that AOR should be. Not since I first heard Hitchcock and Scherer have I been this excited about a new artist for this style of melodic rock.
This is, hands down, a must have for fans of artists like the above mentioned, fans of AOR and fans of clean, clear vocal melodic rock. Absolutely superb without any filler anywhere to be found. Five stars all the way!”
“To summarize Melodic Records have created nothing short of a melodic masterpiece with ‘Sands Of Time’ the big hooks, the big choruses, the great riffs there is something for everyone and even a little more. If you are lucky enough to find Bryan Cole’s ‘Sands Of Time’ in your Christmas stocking this year then your loved one really does love you, as this is a gift that will just keep giving you joy all year every year. Rating 10 ~ http://werockwebzine.co.uk/bryan-cole-sands-of-time-review
“….played with great skill, the Bryan voice is perfect for the kind proposed. To this is added that the new songs are really high bill and cover proposals are nevertheless of considerable caliber general!
Ultimately an album that anyone who loves Melodic Rock should listen to this in 2016.” www.melodicrock.it
“'Sands Of Time' is a strong first-up effort from Bryan, and I'm kinda astounded the melodic rock world generally, has not heard of this guy before now. With a collection of eleven tunes tailor-made for fans of our favourite sub-genre of rock, I'm thinking this CD sits right up there as one of the best releases from MRR this year. We can hope that Bryan progresses onward from this debut, because he definitely needs to have a brace of albums under his belt to show off his undeniable talent. One of the better pure melodic hard rock albums of 2016.” http://gdm.glorydazemusic.com/articles.php?article_id=6414
“It seems that the label Melodic Rock is determined to compete with the major releases of the seals that usually monopolize the market with the most melodic pitches. After releasing the incredible album of Mecca now it offers another disc that should not be overlooked if you're a big fan of albums such as Dion has published Bayman, B. Walker Satin or why not.”
New artists are what will sustain and grow this scene. It is essential to develop and expose new talent and despite the challenges of doing such, MelodicRock Records continues to bring the best undiscovered artists to the ever hungry fans of all things melodic.
One of Pittsburgh’s most gifted singer/guitarists will make his mark with this debut. Please make room in your music collections for BRYAN COLE and his sensational debut album ‘Sands Of Time’.
BRETT WALKER Cover by Bryan Cole from the debut album 'Sands Of Time' New artists are what will sustain and grow this scene. It is essential to develop and expose new talent and despite the challenges of doing such, MelodicRock Records continues to bring the best undiscovered artists to the ever hungry fans of all things melodic. On November 25, one of Pittsburg’s most gifted singer/guitarists will make his mark. Please make room in your music collections for BRYAN COLE and his sensational debut album ‘Sands Of Time’. Melodic rock fans have been in need of an album just like this – the classic sound of bands like Giant, Bad English, Survivor and both Pride Of Lions and Brett Walker – the latter two artists both included in the material that comprises Sands Of Time.
New artists are what will sustain and grow this scene. It is essential to develop and expose new talent and despite the challenges of doing such, MelodicRock Records continues to bring the best undiscovered artists to the ever hungry fans of all things melodic.
On November 25, one of Pittsburgh’s most gifted singer/guitarists will make his mark. Please make room in your music collections for BRYAN COLE and his sensational debut album ‘Sands Of Time’.
Melodic rock fans have been in need of an album just like this – the classic sound of bands like Giant, Bad English, Survivor and both Pride Of Lions and Brett Walker – the latter two artists both included in the material that comprises Sands Of Time.
Bryan Cole - "I have to say that I took a lot of time and care in recording my debut album ‘Sands Of Time’ and I knew I would go through the same process in finding the right label home for my music. I'm proud and honored to be a part of the MRR family and all the talented acts on their roster. Andrew McNeice and Melodic Rock Records, truly cares about their artists and I'm humbled and honored that they gave me a chance to make MY music and give me the extraordinary opportunities that the label offersSands of Time is truly the first album project that is so honest, so pure and so Me! Every musical and vocal influence from my earliest memory, through my adult life is shown ever so clearly in this record and I'm so proud of it!"
The whole idea for the record came from Bryan recording a demo of the classic Brett Walker/Carl Dixon song ‘More Than a Memory.’ The feedback was unanimous, with Bryan receiving very positive and encouraging responses.
“I knew I was on to something very special. I began searching and writing material with the hopes of finding enough great songs to record a EP or full length album. During the course of this grueling process, I had experienced many personal and life changing experiences. The loss of several loved ones had brought me to my lowest point emotionally and I felt I couldn't go on being creative and making music. Out of the blue, I received a message from an old friend in Nashville, TN that heard my demo and had an idea of the perfect person to hook me up with.”
That person would be none other than Jim Peterik from Survivor. Bryan grew up listening to Survivor, Journey and many other classic AOR/Melodic Rock groups of the late 70's and 80's, so working with Jim was a dream come true. Jim Peterik contributed four amazing songs to the project that followers of Jim will recognize quickly.
Bryan continued to look for more songs that fit his style and lyrically had the right substance that he was looking for. Songwriters Joie Scott, Larry King and Steven McClintock, graciously lent their writing talents to the project. Bryan decided to record a second great Brett Walker song and to complete the album, and together with his long time writing partner DJ Gleason the duo wrote two songs to round out the album.
In conclusion, Bryan elaborates on the album recording process: “In addition to all of the great songwriters, I wanted to bring in the right group of musicians to help in the recording process. My first pick was former Giant bassist Mike Brignardello. I've been a Giant fan from their first record and they have always been a major influence on my music. I contacted Mike through a mutual friend and he jumped at the chance to be a part of the record.
The recording took approximately one whole year, with recording all of the tracks in my home studio in Pittsburgh, PA and Mike Brignardello recording his tracks in Nashville. I then appointed my longtime friend and mix engineer Doug Kasper, to mix the record at Tonic Recording Studios in Pittsburgh. Throughout this process, I began friendly conversations online with various industry folks including Andrew McNeice of MelodicRock Records. I had expressed interest in finding the right label home upon completion of the record. I just had a great feeling that MRR, was going to be the right fit. I was right! After submitting some rough mixes, I was offered a record deal with MelodicRock Records!
The label appointed Nello Dell'Omo to do the artwork and design and JK Northrup for final mastering. Both are absolutely brilliant! I'm honored to have worked with them.
To sum things up... Sands Of Time is a true inside look of who I really am. The musical and vocal influences that helped to mold me into the artist I am today and who I will continue to learn from. The happiness and sadness, as well as the struggles. They are all grains of sand that make me who I am.....the beginning.”
‘Sands Of Time’ track listing:
01. Burning With A Reason (J.Peterik, J.Van Zant)
02. Hard To Find An Easy Way (B.Walker)
03. When Love Breaks (S.Mcclintock)
04. What Kind Of Fool (J.Peterik)
05. Turn To Me (J.Peterik)
06. I’ll Be There For You (B.Cole, D.Gleeson)
07. We Lost The Fire (B.Cole, D.Gleeson)
08. More Than A Memory (B.Walker, C.Dixon)
09. Is It Really Love (S.Mcclintock)
10. Courage To Love (J.Peterik)
11. Nothing Matters (J.Scott, L.King)
It’s time to take a look into ‘Sands Of Time’ with the lead track ‘We Lost The Fire’, one of Bryan’s original tunes, showing his guitar and vocal skills off perfectly.
The album is released November 25 via MRR.
Bio:
Born in a middle class suburb of Pittsburgh, PA, Bryan began his love of music at age five. At age seven, he performed his first show in front of Ten-Thousand people! He has not stopped since....
His early influence of great vocalists became evident, when he received his first Journey record "Infinity" and began focusing on groups like Journey, Survivor, Foreigner and Boston, to name a few. In addition, he was introduced to R&B, Blues and Country music. He loved and respected all genres of music.
Bryan fronted many local and regional bands before landing his first record deal. He performed with many top grossing acts including Ted Nugent, Quiet Riot, Eddie Money, Charlie Daniels Band, Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), Kip Winger and many others.
Bryan has also devoted his career to many charities including The Paralyzed Veterans, The Veterans Wheelchair Games, The Animal Rescue League, The Mario Lemeuix Foundation, The Obediah/Cole Foundation, Fallen Officers and Music Cares.
His style of Melodic Rock, is strongly evident in his debut album "Sands Of Time" that has just been completed and set for worldwide release on Melodic Rock Records. Sands Of Time features eleven fantastic songs. Four of those songs written by Jim Peterik: the founding member of the rock group Survivor.
Bryan Cole is also a seasoned Record Producer and Mixing Engineer. He enjoys helping both aspiring and established artists achieve their fullest potential.
