Friends, some of you may be familiar with Radioactive, an LP released on the Big Sound label in 1978 by Roger C. Reale and Rue Morgue. Think Power Pop with an emphasis on the Power. Roger on bass/vocals and the fierce alchemy of Hilly Michaels on drums and G.E. Smith on guitar. The LP got ace reviews, releases in the UK and Japan, and that momentum brought Roger back to the studio to start in on a second second LP. Roger’s next batch of songs were stronger than his first, and the songs were matched with equally impressive guitar work by Mick Ronson (yep, THAT Mick Ronson) and the great Jimmy McAllister (Sparks, The Beckies, re-formed Left Banke). Momentum is a funny business though, and the album was never released.
Some years ago (does 2004 count as some years?) I started trying to make a CD reissue of Radioactive happen, not even realizing that there was an unreleased LP in the can. More than some years later I’m pretty excited to say that the tapes of Radioactive and the unreleased LP have been retrieved, baked and backed up. There’s a lot of work left to make it happen, but we’re hoping to find the right label to release and re-release to the world, perhaps by next year to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Radioactive’s original release.
Those of you already familiar with Radioactive know it’s a stone cold killer, and I guarantee that your jaws will drop when you hear what was left in the can. For those of you unfamiliar with Roger’s music, you’ve got a good thing coming.