Reviewers have said the following: The unusual thing about the buzz being created for Eddie And The Tide was the fact they were an independent act, in a sea of acts based in San Francisco who were on mainstream labels. The list is significant: Journey, Night Ranger, Y&T, Starship, Sammy Hagar, Huey Lewis And The News are just some names mentioned. "The local radio got excited about us and started playing us, which was rare for an independent act to get radio play next to Huey Lewis And The News and Journey etc" says Steve. "We got a good following built up by just working all the time, which led to us getting the award for Best Bay Area Club Band two years in a row at the Bay Area Music Awards. Huey Lewis and the News, and The Greg Kihn Band had won that award previously, so we were in good company."
Defining their sound, it's easy to hear other Frisco notables in there. Huey Lewis, Greg Kihn, and even further afield, the likes of Rick Springfield, The Police, Springsteen, Mellancamp who were all popular at the time. Trying to integrate personal preferences into the bands overall sound could've been a bit of a mission. "All those bands you mentioned we were into" agrees Steve. "I grew up influenced a lot by Todd Rundgren, and got to sing with him once on a Greg Kihn session. Our bass player George Diebold was heavily into Rhythm and Blues - that whole Stax/Memphis scene. Our lead guitarist Johnny Perri was into The Grateful Dead, while Scott was really into The Police, Aerosmith. Jeff 'Cazz' McCaslin our first keyboardist was a big Springsteen fan, so it all kind of merged together from there really."
As a long time follower of the band states, Eddie & The Tide were not just another band. "If you are from the San Francisco Bay area they were a part of your life" playing live virtually every weekend in the clubs around San Francisco. The roots of this band go back to 1979 when they started out as The Suburbs. In 1981 with lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist Steve "Eddie" Rice coming on board they changed their name to Eddie & The Tide. Much later, in 1985 they were picked up by Atco/Atlantic Records for which they recorded two classy AOR albums, 1985's "Go Out And Get It" with Eddie Money producing and the follow up "Looking For Adventure" two years later which included a track produced by Keith Olsen (Fleetwood Mac, Rick Springfield). The record however that sparked the interest by Atco was already released in 1984 on the independent Spin Records label. After a debut 6 song EP in 1983 entitled "Maybe I'll Get Lucky" and the single "Running Wild, Running Free" on hot rotation on AOR radio stations all over California, Eddie & The Tide entered the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkley, California with their manager and producer Bobby Corona in the fall of 1983 in order to record the tunes which would become their first full length album "I Do It For You".
Little did they know it would soon become one of the biggest selling independent records of the Westcoast and win a Bay Area Music Award for "Best Independent Record Of 1984". Like the following major releases "I Do It For You" offers ten powerful AOR anthems and heartfelt ballads which feel at home somewhere between Eddie Money and Bruce Springsteen at his AOR moments yet retaining the typical Eddie & The Tide - trademark sound. Just listen to tracks like the opening anthem "Running Wild Running Free", the smooth and catchy as hell "One In A Million" or the fine Hi-Tech AOR piece "Night Drive" and you know you're in for a treat! Especially For this exclusive first time CD-release by Target Records the ten album tracks were remastered by Alan Goldwater at Magic Sound, California and as a special bonus three bonus tracks from the album sessions were added. Enjoy!
There were really only a handful of AOR bands in the 80's that stayed intact as a band and continued playing and recording their music after having been dropped by a major record company. Eddie & The Tide were one of them. They quickly followed up their last Atlantic album "Looking For Adventure" with two independently released CD's in 1988 ("Dig Down Deep") and 1989 ("Stand Tall"). What's even more astonishing however is the fact that these albums hold the high standard of the major releases in every aspect. Filled with an array of timeless quality AOR tunes both albums were flawlessly produced by the band's friend and manager Bobby Corona in the world famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California (Journey's 2nd home in the 80's) and mixed by none other than the great Tom Size (Mr. Big).
"Stand Tall" even was nominated by "Music Independent Magazine" as Independent Rock Record Of The Year in 1990. As the original CD's are long out of print and were almost impossible to find even for the diehard collectors, Target Records is proud to present both "Stand Tall" and "Dig Down Deep" as a two on one CD which comes complete with the original artwork and specially written liner notes by long time follower Ken Drew and Steve "Eddie" Rice. Sit back and be prepared for a wild ride through a total of 18 fantastic tracks which will become cornerstones in the collection of AOR maniacs and fans of quality rock music in general. From the first chords of the raunchy opening rocker "Just Gotta Rock" along those unmistakeable Tide-anthems like "Days Go By" or "Stand Tall" to the pure AOR bliss of "She Lives For The Summer" or "Light Up The Night" there's not one single track here that fails to deliver the goods. Do yourself a favor and just follow the advice given by Steve "Eddie" Rice upon reflecting on these reissued albums: "What can I say, we had a blast! Turn it up and rock on!"