GTS-Time Stood Still

Avenue Of Allies
2012

This was album number two for GTS and what a difference from album number one to album number two! Yes, this is still nothing more then glorified AOR and, truthfully, nothing more then recycled AOR at that, but at least the song writing and playing seem greatly improved. While I had not intended to review "Time Stood Still" it was a last minute impulse as I attempt to clear out the promos that are clogging up my inbox. When we last saw GTS they were treading along doing their best to sound like Airrace. Here we find the band looking to adapt a style closer in nature to groups like Whitesnake or Bad English. That isn't to say they have completely forgotten the Airrace roots as they do a cover/remake of the Airrace track "Caught In The Game". With guest song writers on board like Mike Moran (Queen, Survivor, Ozzy Osbourne) and Bob Mitchell (House Of Lords, Fiona, Cheap Trick) the album comes across as slicker & smoother with ballads like "Fight To Survive" (co-written by Moran) and "I Remember" (co-written by Mitchell) sitting comfortably next to the "rock" numbers. Does it make this album a must-own for AOR fanatics? That is debatable. What is clear is that this was a step-forward for the band even if it was a hair light for 1996. 

GTS- Tracks From The Dustshelf

Avenue Of Allies
2012

 "Tracks From The Dustshelf" was the debut-album from GTS. It was originally released in 1995 (a bad year for me as I did something that would haunt me for the rest of my life, but I won't hole that against this album...or at least too much!). The band was formed by three fellow London musicians-Greg Hart (guitarist in Moritz and, a fave group of mine now, If Only), former YAYA vocalist Sam Blue and ex-Samson, White Spirit and Mrs Loud bassist, Toby Sadler. If your wondering, no this does not bear any resemblance to any of those bands as this sounds more like Tony's other previous band Airrace. Or the band FM. If you love AOR then you'll want to hear this one.The album was recorded in the UK during 1995 (again, that year ugh!), when the members each had "down time". The one thing of interest from the promo is this tidbit: "The album was, at the start, a batch of unused ideas from their previous bands, hence the title of the album, but they quickly found a spark to their writing, and the new songs came thick and fast". Be that as it may this still does sound like a dash of this and a dash of that of other bands especially what I've heard of Airrace. With it's ballads and pure AOR-style keyboards and guitars this one actually sounds more eighties in nature then anything else. It's sort of hard to believe that this album features two guys who were in Samson (drummer Charlie Mack came to the party as well) given how much it sounds like typical AOR. It is what it is and, as AOR, it's fairly solid. The one down side though is that the production sounds thin...paper then in fact. It just lacks any sort of punch. I am kind of at a loss as to why they didn't do a re-master job on this one so that it would really POP OUT! With a bit more BANG this would really be sweet music to my ears. As is it is a solid AOR album that is held back by it's flat production as well as the fact that it sounds a little too much like Airrace to me. Of course if your a Airrace fan is that a bad thing?