Ah, the lost album again. Guitarist Wayne Krantz laid down Music Room 1985 alone in a garage studio in the summer of 1985, handling all the compositional and instrumental duties himself. Its six tracks predate his first solo album by five years. As for the short length, what these days would likely be marketed as an EP, the label responded to this writer’s query this way, “in 1985 this was how music was made, not 55 mins of music meant for a CD shoved into musicians by record companies.” So much for the thought, it’s a fascinating 25 minutes of music, no matter how one cuts it.
These are the early footsteps, wading into the uncharted waters with little fear of undertow, rip tides or crashing waves. Krantz was bound to make his own singular, fearless statement from the outset, and began to build his following that few could put a finger on – part jazz, part pop, part rock, improvised unlike anyone else. There was not necessarily an album or product in mind either. “At the beginning of my career,” Krantz explains, “I had no connections to the record biz — which was the only way you could release things back in those days.” Not long after committing a final mix to tape, what is now Music Room 1985 was left behind — a victim of how the music industry then operated and Krantz’s own rapid trajectory as both a bandleader and in-demand sideman. Even Krantz himself didn’t manage to hang on to a copy. When reminded of the project in 2020, he reached back through his contacts, unearthing a safety copy in a now-obsolete media format. With much legwork, playback was achieved, and a high-resolution transfer was made.
A solo guitar album? Really it sounds more like a trio recording, complete with bass and drums (drum programming to be precise), courtesy of Krantz. Defined by taut rhythms and infectious melodies, the album is not about guitar histrionics, but more about the intensity and exhilaration of improvisation. And somehow, after all these years, inferior equipment, and the tape transfer, the guitar tone is immaculately clean. Overdubbing may be more commonplace now but even then; it was widely practiced. Dig deep and you’ll find the reference points of the time, be it Prince, George Benson, or Ronnie Laws but those reference points are strains are not easy to detect. To Krantz they were likely unconscious elements as he was as much his own artist then as he is now. “It wasn’t based on anything happening at the time,” Krantz says. “I was already on a contrary path and Music Room 1985 was my version of ‘alternative’: jazz/instrumental music that worked more like pop, melody-centric with verses, bridges, hooks and few solos.” “It held up,” he says. “The sounds on it aren’t very trendy, so it doesn’t sound too dated to be relevant. It’s fun to listen to: it still has the vitality, mojo, and integrity that initially made it sound good.”
So, here you have six selections without any remastering or mixing, sounding completely fresh and unique today, 36 years later. No one else plays like this; even now.
