Saturday, November 15, 2008

Fotomaker - Fotomaker - 1978


Fotomaker had a pretty impressive pedigree. Guitarist/vocalist Wally Bryson came from power pop gods the Raspberries, and bassist Gene Cornish and drummer Dino Danelli were founding members of the Rascals. The other two bandmembers, guitarist/vocalist Lex Marchesi and keyboardist/vocalist Frankie Vinci, were no slouches either, as the two of them were responsible for most of the songwriting and singing on the band's fine 1978 debut. The record is very much in the power pop vein with walls of guitars, Beatlesque vocal harmonies, and big hooks. Unsurprisingly, they sound very much like the Raspberries, lacking that band's grandeur but replacing it with an easygoing charm. Their classic song, "Where Have You Been All My Life," is easily a match for the Raspberries' best. It is the kind of song that guitars were invented for, and will be going around your head for hours after you hear it. The rest of the album can't match it but there are some fine songs, like "Can I Please Have Some More," the very Todd Rundgren-sounding "Two Can Make It Work," the power ballad "All These Years," and "Pain." There is a subtle soft rock undercurrent to many of the tunes that may put off rockers who prefer a harder edge, but it actually gives the record some texture. Fotomaker may not be the lost classic that one might hope for, but it is a fine pop record with a fair amount of power and some very fine songs. -AMG

If you like "Fotomaker" get it here!


Fotomaker - Fotomaker - 1978/rs
or
Fotomaker - Fotomaker - 1978/badongo

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Geat album. I think their second album, "Vis a Vis" was even better if only because Wally Bryson was more integrated into the band by that point. His song "Come Back" apparently was a left over from the Raspberries "Fresh" album, and is good enough to stand with the raspberries best.

Imposs1904 said...

is it just me that thinks that the album cover is a bit creepy?

What were they thinking?

Anonymous said...

hello friends.
your blog is great!
so cool to know that theyre are people out who really like music and care.

ive been looking for the first raspberries for ages now (only found the best of...)
can you guys please help?

knownote said...

Is this rip from vinyl or the wounded bird cd reissue?

Anonymous said...

I stared at this album cover for years when I worked in record stores, but never heard anything from it. Awesome pop band! Mucho arigatou for posting it!

Scooter Livingston said...

Can you repost the link? Thank you :)

Isabella Fanado said...

When it comes to bands with a solid background, like Fotomaker, it is always interesting to trace their musical history. However, they had a good basis for making their music interesting because the group was made up of members who were previously in popular bands such as the Raspberries and Rascals.

For example, let’s consider how discovering promotional treasures like MineBrick Promo Code touches upon new spheres. Hence, a promo code can be like Fotomaker’s walls of guitars and catchy hooks that make you enjoy your online experiences more than ever before. Thus one might compare it to finding the right harmony in a song – that perfect note which adds on to completeness.

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