Live At Rockpalast 1978
MIG, 2025
9/10
Listen Live At Rockpalast 1978
The San Franciso rockers Earth Quake already had several albums under their belt when this set in Hamburg, Germany took place, where their ‘50s and ‘60s sensibilities are in fine form for the 8 tunes.
The warm spirit of “Lovin’ Cup” opens with a howl from frontman John Doukas before power and melody enter, and “Hit The Floor” follows with Robbie Dunbar’s guitar acrobatics that suit the dense yet harmonic climate.
Deeper into the evening, the hard hitting and anthemic “Street Fever” allows for Steve Nelson’s furious drums to shine in the thumping delivery, while “Mr. Security” spotlights Stan Miller’s precise bass amid Doukas’ stunning vocal performance which invites singing-along.
Some of the longer songs reside at the end. “Friday On My Mind”, Earth Quake’s hit single, comes with a bouncy energy that you could dance to, and “Trainride” exits the festivities with Gary Phillips’ guitar adding much to the rowdy yet harmonic finish.
Earth Quake would put out a couple more albums in the late ‘70s, before breaking up in the early ‘80s. Dunbar is the only original member still alive. Though the band never saw mainstream success, they sure did put out a lot of great music, and this set is further proof that they were among the best in the area of power-pop during their time.
Travels well with: The Rubinoos- Live At Rockpalast 1978; The Kinks- Muswell Hillbillies/Everybody’s In Show-Biz- Everybody’s A Star