Description
DISTANCE: Under The One Sky Promo LP
Category: AOR
Year: 1989
Label: Reprise Records Promo
Personnel:
1) Bernard Edwards: bass, backing vocals [with Dalbello, Distance, Sister Morphine]
2) Jeff Bova: keyboards, backing vocals [with 15 different bands…Arc Angel, Bad Company, Michael Bolton, Jude Cole, Distance, Fury (AOR), Alan Gorrie, Corey Hart, Marilyn Martin, Meat Loaf (3 albums), Pandora Box, David Lee Roth, Stevie Salas, Stevie Salas Colorcode, Billy Squier, Bonnie Tyler]
3) Eddie Martinez: guitar, backing vocals [with Meat Loaf, Pandora Box, David Lee Roth, Billy Squier, Bonnie Tyler, Foreigner]
4) Tony Thompson: drums [with Crown of Thorns (2 albums) and with Liz Larin]
5) Robert Hart: lead vocals [Bad Company (2 albums: “”Company of Strangers””, “”Stories Told and Untold””), with Bucket and Co. with Diesel, with Rage of Angels (UK) and 2 solo albums]
Tracks
1. No Way Out 5:16
2. Leave It Up to You 4:41
3. Speech of Angels 4:28
4. As You Turn Away 4:20
5. Give It Up 3:56
6. Under the One Sky 5:11
7. Rescue Me 4:27
8. Looking Over Your Shoulder 4:18
9. Everytime I Stand Up 4:50
10. Softly Speak 5:19
11. Stand Up 4:44
12. I Hear You 5:09
Total Running Time: 56:39
Class oozes out of every guitar string, drum stick and keyboard ivory these boys put together. In hindsight, Distance is a bit of super group really. Primarily the band came together in New York, where Jeff Bova is a near legendary session keyboardist, Eddie Martinez is held in the same league for guitar sessions, Bernard had his hour in the sun with Chic (ie ‘Le Freak’), while Tony Thompson had played with Robert Palmer in Power Station. Englishman Robert Hart, a man whose voice is steeped in the same tradition as Paul Rodgers, Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale, though with a softer slant, rounded out the band. So with this rather eclectic mix of talent, what do we get? We get well produced AOR with hi-tech and funk overtones and a brash drum sound. Similar to Power Station and the Dan Reed Network but very melodic and dynamic. 12 songs on offer and it very hard to pick out a bad song here. They are all so strong. A great mix of instrumentation, particularly Bova unique keyboard stylings mixed with Martinez overdriven guitar sound. If I had to choose it would be the raucous peech Of Angels’, similarly ‘Rescue Me’ and ‘Everytime I Stand Up’. The two ballads ‘As You Turn Away’ and the momentous oftly Speak’ literally speak volumes for Distance class on the slower songs. Bernard Edwards who played bass and produced this album passed away in April 1997 while on tour in Japan, while Robert Hart has recently moved on to UK band The Snakes as their new lead singer after a stint with Bad Company.
Well produced AOR with hi-tech and funk overtones and a brash drum sound. Similar to Power Station and the Dan Reed Network but very melodic and dynamic. 12 songs on offer and it very hard to pick out a bad song here. They are all so strong. A great mix of instrumentation, particularly Bova unique keyboard stylings mixed with Martinez overdriven guitar sound.
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i love that band…. I’ve discovered theme after watching ”burglar” movie in 86, they made 2 songs for the soundtrack (great ones). Robert voice is amazing, check out his solo projects.Best tracks are Looking Over Your Shoulder and Every-time I Stand Up. AT THE TOP OF MY LIST
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The song “”As you turn away”” is a masterpiece. I would buy this only for that one.
Great a.o.r. to be found here. Good uptempo songs. Some gems like No way out, Leave it up to you, Give it up and Under the one sky.
“”Speech of angels””&””As you turn away””. Happy happy ever after!!!!!
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This is an absolute steal! It a nice solid slice of Lite AOR but some of the tracks are blistering No Way Out, Rescue Me. Uptempo rockers mix well with some smoooooth ballads and poppy workouts. Every time I Stand Up reminded me of Go West,I checked who (co)wrote it, sure enough it was one of the Go West guys. I’d never part with this, it a classic!
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Robert Hart has a great voice. This is a really solid disc that i find enjoyable & like it more with each spin. Also, check out Robert Hart when he was in Bad Company – “”Company Of Strangers””. I saw them on tour with Robert on vocals & thought like most people…no Paul Rodgers…how good can it be? Well, he delivered!!! Rock On Robert!!!
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I got my first spin today while writing. It quite interesting tracks of ‘light AOR’ but I would rather define them as synthi-based rock.
Songs like No way and Speech of angels worth the purchase for this release.Fantastic post-poppish/hi-tech aor well played and sung by Robert Hart in a fantastic way. I can t sell albums like this one even if this kind of music is not my fave in these last periods.
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Great AOR with Hi-Tech moments, estilo rapidamente 2 nombres a la cabeza Tim Feehan muy al estilo de este Gran solista, recomendado para AOReros de gustos tranquilos?? hey Pepe yo lo diria mejor asi “”Recomendado para los que saben de CALIDAD”” cortes buf Everytime I Stand Up(mi Favorita), Speech of Angels, As You Turn Away, Softly Speak(los 4 mejores cortes), Looking Over Your Shoulder, No Way Out con esa cantidad de buenisimos cortes ya no se puede ni dudar Recomendado 9/10.
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Listening to my old original tape(bought it on that format when it came out)once again and well,what can i say…this is more delicious than eating a 4 cheese pizza …Robert Hart is such a wonderful singer(remember he later joined Bad Company after this project)and the rest of the guys are just awesome musicians…the whole album is packed with brilliant songs,my personal fave is “”Speech Of Angels”” and followed by “”Leave It Up To You””,””As You Turn Away””(killer ballad),””Give It Up””,””Every time I Stand Up””,””Softly Speak””(nice ballad)& “”I Hear You””…recommended album…93/100”
DISTANCE ‘Under The One Sky’ Reprise Records (1989)
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The Distance were a natural successor to the Powerstation who featured legendary producer Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson and replacing Robert Palmer was Robert Hart. Musically this has some great funk rock numbers such as ‘Give It Up’, neat AOR rock like ‘Speech Of Angels’ but it is the ballads that really make this album special. ‘As You Turn Away’ with Robert Hart’s impassioned vocal and Eddie Martinez’s stunning guitar solo – superb stuff! The title track again highlights Hart’s emotive vocals with a sexy funk vibe rumbling under the music. Damn shame another album never materialized.
Where are they now?
Vocalist Robert Hart joined Bad Company for a couple of albums in the mid/late 90’s, along with releasing a very good solo album. More recently he has joined the Jones Gang featuring ex-Faces drummer Kenny Jones and is back in Bad Company again! Sadly Tony Thomson (who drummed for Led Zeppelin at Live Aid) and Bernard Edwards are no longer with us. Eddie Martinez has released some jazz influenced solo albums and more session work and Jeff Bova has appeared on albums by Tina Arena, Billy Joel, Dave Lee Roth and Celine Dion!
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