FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS: s.t PROMO LP 1981 A.O.R. Check videos.

Description

Franke and the Knockouts was a short lived, early 1980s band formed in New Jersey, USA and fronted by singer/songwriter Franke Previte. Originally there were five members in the band. Franke and the Knockouts were signed by Jimmy Ienner of Millennium Records in 1981 and had three U.S. Top 40 singles and two Top 50 albums. Franke and the Knockouts’ biggest single, “Sweetheart,” was written by Previte and Guitarist Billy Elworthy and became a Top 10 hit in 1981, peaking at #10 in the U.S.
Previte told Songfacts: “The song sweetheart’ almost didn’t make the record. Jimmy thought it was a hit but a little to cute for a rock band. He was right.”
They also wrote and released the original versions of Eric Carmen’s 1987 hit single “Hungry Eyes”

as well as the song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” (both of which were featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing). Previte would later be an Academy Award winner. The band switched to MCA in 1984 and had several album releases but they disbanded in 1986. The groups other two Top 40 hits were “You’re My Girl” and “Without You (Not Another Lonely Night).”

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Franke & The Knockouts – Franke & The Knockouts
Label: Millennium
Catalog#: BXL1-7755
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock AOR

Tracklist
A1 Come Back 4:02
A2 Sweetheart 4:11
A3 Shes A Runner 4:07
A4 You’re My Girl 3:05
A5 One For All 3:11
B1 Tonight 3:46
B2 Running Into The Night 3:44
B3 Tell Me Why 3:47
B4 Annie Goes To Hollywood 4:09
B5 Don’t Stop 3:04

Bass – Leigh Fox
Drums – Claude LeHenaff
Guitar – Billy Elworthy
Keyboards – Blake Levinsohn
Vocals – Franke Previte

Collectable and shout after A.O.R PROMO LP on Millennium Rec., with inner. It later came out on RCA, due to huge demand. This is the band that spawned Tico Torres, the Bon Jovi drummer. This is about as definitive an AOR disc as you’ll ever find. Very good songs like “Sweetheart”, “You’re My Girl” and the rocking “Tonight” “One For All” and “Annie Goes Hollywood”. If someone wanted to define the sound “AOR”, this is about as close as I can think as a textbook example. Its entirely possible that Frankie and his Knockouts are one of the most unheralded acts in all of AOR history and this vinyl goes a long way towards making that case. The influence they had on countless artists is unbelievable, as just listening to this disc you will hear traces of so many AOR acts that followed in their wake. Franke Previte is blessed with a superb voice either when he rocks out or when laying on the velvet in a ballad. Their hit single sweetheart’ made a serious dent into the US Top 40. Other great songs included ‘You’re My Girl’, shes A Runner’ and the fantastic pomp of ‘One For All’. Side Two has some great moments as well, including ‘Tell Me Why’ and ‘Don’t Stop’