The Loveless - A Tale Of Gin And Salvation - 1995

The Loveless were John Schubert on drums, Jonathan Daniel on bass, John Ceparano on guitars, and Shane on vocals. Everyone except Ceparano were the surviving ‘veterans’ of ‘80s pop-rock band Candy (who scored a minor hit with their 1985 Mercury power pop album Whatever Happened To Fun), and ‘90s pop-metal act Electric Angels (who released one self titled record on Atlantic towards the end of the hard rock era). Both bands had fallen victim to unfortunate timing, and also the fickle nature of major record labels. Both were largely ignored by the music buying public, despite the songwriting talent of Daniel shining through on songs like “Whatever Happened To Fun” and “True Love and Other Fairytales” to name but two.

But Jonathan Daniel wasn’t about to give up his musical career because of a record label. In a move that mirrored the punk spirit and ethos of bands that influenced him as a teenager, the demise of Electric Angels convinced the bassist to gather together Schubert and Shane and enlist the help of New York musician John Ceparano to join him in a band free from the creative shackles of a major label that wasn’t supportive, and the result of long nights and spare time weekends spent independently in the studio was astonishing.

A Tale of Gin and Salvation was released in 1995, and everything about it reeks of quality—the film noir concept artwork, the sharp suits and ultra-cool look of the band, the witty, acerbic lyrics and cast-iron melodies, and also the shift in emphasis from raw, intelligent hard rock to a slick, polished, and sophisticated power pop sound that provided the perfect vehicle for the songwriting brilliance of Jonathan Daniel. Utilising resources such as the fledgling Internet for marketing, and a home studio for recording, it was a low-budget do-it-yourself production that sounded fabulous, and was packaged just the way the band wanted it. More importantly, it was exactly the type of record that a major label exec wouldn’t know what to do with. -Andrew Ellis "Pop Matters"

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