Ron(n) Goedert's only solo album is completely out of time. In looking at the album cover, one would presume it's from 1974. And musically you might expect glam rock - New York Dolls, Bowie, etc... And who is Ron Goedert anyway? Not exactly a household name. Well... he was the lead singer for White Witch, a relatively obscure band that had a reasonably good two album run. And White Witch is your best clue as to what you're going to hear. Except far more focused and streamlined.
To my ears, Breaking All the Rules sounds a lot like Diamond Reo's Dirty Diamonds album. Same kind of glammy background, but nothing of the sort. Just pure kickass hard rock. And the guitar tone Jerry Runyan gets is absolutely delicious. Not every one of the 11 tracks here is a winner, but most of them are. Final track 'Squidd' is the highlight for me. Goedert for his part sounds quite histrionic - recalling some of the Italian prog bands, but also predicting the heavy metal norm. I appreciate the uniqueness. For whatever reason this major label album is pretty much unknown - even among deep diving hard rock collectors. The few reviews I found talked about its New Wave elements. I have no idea where that comes from. There's absolutely nothing 80s about this album. There's not a modern synthesizer to be heard. The keyboards of choice are Hammond organ, Hohner Clavinet, and Moog. Those tools just scream 80s synth-pop don't they? Breaking All the Rules is down in the gutter, greasy hard rock. Just as the cover suggests. For my tastes, a superb and surprising find.
Ownership: LP: 1980 Polydor. Single sleeve. Recently found at an estate sale for $1. I seriously doubt many copies sold, though there are 4 pressings (just realized mine is not in Discogs - pressing plant 26 - so the photos you see here come from this copy as I needed to add the entry). It's not terribly expensive, but it's not one you usually see out in the wilds either. Check your local record store though. It's the kind if album that has slipped through the cracks. They'll probably have it priced at $5 or less, because they have no idea what it is. The album just received its first reissue from the French label Bad Reputation, so maybe its time has just arrived.
8/29/22 (new entry)
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