On The Run On The Run

Tracks:

  1. Introduction (Hanmer) [3.00]
  2. If There Is Love (Hanmer/Groenewald) [6.15]
  3. The Critics (Hanmer/Groenewald) [3.27]
  4. Just Another Band (Hanmer/Groenewald) [4.31]
  5. Free And Easy (Hanmer/Groenewald) [4.17]
  6. It Ain't Fiction (Hawla) [3.40]
  7. Take It On The Run (Hanmer/Groenewald) [5.27]
  8. Running (Hanmer/Groenewald/Potterton) [3.58]
  9. Breaking Away (Hanmer/Groenewald/Walker) [4.44]
  10. Evil In Her Eyes (Hanmer/Groenewald) [4.25]
  11. Reprise (Hanmer) [4.47]

All the lyrics are here....

Musicians:

  • Peter Hanmer: Guitars, keyboards
  • Tony Groenewald: Vocals, bass
  • Judy Marshall: Vocals

Release information:

March 1999, OTE 1999

Recorded at Foxglove Sound Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa between May and November 1998.

Mastered at B# Studios, Johannesburg by John Paul de Stefani.

Sleeve design by Mark Raats at Pixstar.

Inside CD cover

Comments:

Despite the seemingly familiar song titles, these are all original compositions.

The CD starts with an instrumental and runs straight into "If there is love". (Traffic noise recorded in Sauer Street, Johannesburg at 08h00 in the morning.)
The album starts off in a great way with the song "If There Is Love". This is a very good AOR song with pure AOR-keys and a good chorus.
- Juha Harjula, Melodic.net, 1999
"The Critics" was the first song sung by Judy and was inspired by some of the bad write-ups that Boss was given in the press in 1980.

"Just another band" was about the fact that in clubs you could play cover songs to your audience and the dance floor would be full, but play one of your original songs and you would play it to an empty dance floor.

"Free and Easy" is about the crime and violence that we all have to live with.

"It ain't fiction" was written by an old school friend of mine in Cape Town (Jimmy Ray Hawla) and "Running" was written by Tony, Garth and I in Boss back in January 1981. The song was originally called "The Ripper", but nobody could remember the lyrics so Tony and I re-wrote them. The song is now about emigration and the "chicken run".

"Take it on the run" is about a band on the road.

"Breaking Away" was written back in 1980, but was re-written completely. The theme is once again about the tense times in which we live.

"Evil in her eyes" was written by Boss back in 1981, but was changed completely for the first album and changed again for the second album. This was the first song that Judy sang on in the studio.
There is one more track that is worth to mention and that is "Evil In Her Eyes". This is a very good track with nice guitars and a very good chorus with good background vocals.
- Juha Harjula, Melodic.net, 1999
"Reprise" was once again supposed to be an instrumental but Judy added raves from "Free and Easy" and it changed the whole feel.
-- Peter Hanmer, June 1999

Reviews:

SA Rock Digest
Brian Currin, 14 April 1999

This is a new-old album, by an old-new band.
Cryptic? You bet! But the music isn't, its just good Rock (with a capital R).

The album 'On The Run' released independently this year by Off The Edge, features the stunning guitar-work of Peter Hanmer, the solid bass and vocal talents of Tony Groenewald and the incredible voice of Judy Marshall.

The late 70's/early 80's rock scene worldwide was sadly overshadowed by Punk and Disco and Electropop at the time, but some great Overseas bands were around recording some great albums... Boston, Rainbow, Foreigner, Yes, Starship, Kansas, Styx, Heart, etc to name just a few.

The album 'On The Run' has been 16 years in the making (see Off The Edge, 1983) and the influences of those bands mentioned, shine through brightly. Peter's guitaring goes from Pink Floyd-style atmospherics to chugging Keith Richard or ZZ Top-type riffs to soaring epic guitar solos.

The lyrics are inciteful, challenging and important. From love songs to street children to running away from SA, the issues of life and living are tackled boldly.

Judy's vocals are a revelation. Her powerful rock voice soars and swoops and leaves you wanting more.

The band is unsigned, but the CD packaging is superb with all the lyrics included.

Rating: 4/5

This review was also published on Amuzine on-line music magazine. Read the Amuzine review here...

Strutter'zine
Gabor Kleinbloesem, Editor
November 1999, reprinted here with kind permission from Gabor

Finally I am able to review an AOR (Adult Orientated Rock) band out of South Africa. I know so little bands out of this country that I was already excited to hear from a new band. In the past we had CLOUT, TREVOR RABIN and of course STINGRAY, but that's about it as far as we know. Now the band OFF THE EDGE can be added to the small list of South African melodic rock/aor bands. The band consists of guitarist/keyboardist Peter Hanmer, vocalist/bassist Tony Groenewald and the beautiful female lead vocalist Judy Marshall.

The CD contains 11 tracks of which 5 feature the female lead vocals and male vocalist Tony sings the other 4. The remaining two tracks are instrumental. The sound and production of the CD is pretty good and the AOR/Melodic Rock of OFF THE EDGE is sounding pretty nice. Personally I prefer the lead vocals of Judy, but the male lead vocals of Tony aren't bad either. The CD takes off with "If there is love", a lovely semi AOR ballad with Tony on vocals.

Next track "The critics" is a nice melodic rocker with Judy on lead vocals. Tony can be heard again on "Just another band", a nice semi melodic rockballad. "Free and easy" is the softest song on the CD and is a bit acoustic westcoast typed song that has some JAIME KYLE/PATTY SMYTH kinda sound. "It ain't fiction" follows with Tony on vocals again. The song is an o.k. melodic rocker that reminds me of CONEY HATCH.

Following track "Take it on the run" (not the REO SPEEDWAGON song) features Judy on vocals and this song is a fine melodic rockballad. Tony sings "Running" and this is one of the rockiest songs on the album. "Running" is a nice early 80s typed melodic rocker that sounds like a cross between UFO and AXE.

The final two tracks are the best tracks of the whole album and they take the rating higher than I was attended to give them. These last two song are both sung by Judy, the female vocalist. She has a very good voice and it really shines through on these two wonderful AOR tracks. "Breaking away" is a very good semi AOR rocker that can be compared to old TONE NORUM, DANTE FOX, WITNESS… And "Evil in her eyes" is the best song of the whole album. This song is a classy 80s uptempo AOR rocker with a superb memorable chorus similar to mid 80s HEART.

OFF THE EDGE has released a good album that gets better towards the end. I would love to hear more female lead vocals on a future album and likewise more songs in the style of their last two songs which totally blew me away and are a must for the female fronted rockfan. Fans of JAIME KYLE will like these last two songs very much, but a listen to the rest of the album won't hurt because this is quality melodic rock from a country that hasn't brought us so many melodic rockbands.

Rating: 8/10

A Fan's Review
Kurt Shoemaker, a fan from Texas, November 1999

Peter Hanmer, guitar and keyboards, says that he, Tony Groenewald, and Judy Marshall made this album just for fun. Well, it worked, it's fun for me, too, as well as impressive. I'm reduced to terms like "fantastic" and "wonderful". The album flows seamlessly from "Introduction", the first track, to "Reprise", the last. If you enjoy guitar rock, this is the perfect album for you.

Judy's vocals are beautiful with feeling, and Tony's bass is right there, constantly meshing just right with the guitar (and he sings well and sincerely, too). He guides the song along with his bass, but never blocks the highway. The drummer, not credited and whether man or machine I know not, is perfectly simple, minimal, and rock-steady. Great stuff, full of rich, rich lead guitar playing by Peter. My favorite song is probably the most "commercial sounding" song: "Free and Easy", I feel an emotional response from this song. It probably has extra meaning for South Africans, but for this American and Texan, the message is plenty meaingful. But all of the album is great. Every time a song comes on, I think, "Oh, this is a great song." Then the next song begins, and I think, "Oh, this is a great song, too."

There are stand-out tunes here, but the album is so unified in flow that it is best to put it on, like the Radio Rats' Into the Night We Slide album (which is an entirely different album musically), and let it go on playing from great song to great song until Peter has left the building.

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