LAKE

Country:
Germany
Genre:
Electronic, Rock
Style:
Synth-pop, Pop Rock ,AOR























LAKE I (1977)

Credits:
Producer - Detlef Petersen, except track 03 produced by Geoffrey Peacey , James Hopkins-Harrison

Tracklist :

01 On The Run
02 Sorry To Say
03 Time Bomb
04 Chasing Colours
05 Do I Love You
06 Key To The Rhyme
07 Jesus Came Down
08 Between The Lines

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40279053/lake_1977_192_kbs.rar.html

"This is the highly successful first album of Lake. The opener "On The Run" was a hit for the band, immediately catching the public interest. The album yielded a single hit, "Time Bomb", which eventually hit #13 in the US charts. This song was produced by Geoffrey Peacy and James Hopkins-Harrison. Detlef Petersen was responsible for the production of all other songs on this album."

"This album has to be considered a 70's gem although I don't remember it getting much if any radio play. I used to see this album in record stores and wonder what it sounded like. Then I was at a friend's who had it. After listening to it I decided to buy one for myself. "On the Run", "Timebomb", and "Chasing Colours" are my favorites but there isn't a bad song on here. It's probably a different kind of rock then most people are used to but that's what made rock great--all the variety that you could still classify as rock and roll. This album definitely stands out as one of the better rock albums of the 70's."

LAKE II (1978)

Credits:
Produced by Detlef Petersen and Lake

Tracklist :

01 Welcome To The West
02 See Them Glow
03 Letters Of Love
04 Red Lake
05 Love's The Jailor
06 Lost By The Wayside
07 Highway 216
08 Angel In Disguise
09 Scoobie Doobies

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40395716/ok__lake_ii_1978.rar.html

"The pressure for success raised tremendously after the success of the debut album, therefore different production locations for these recordings were booked : beside Hamburg, also Wales and Colorado. To "have to wait" two years for the next release was rather unusual at that time, especially for a German rock band. The album was again produced by Detlef Petersen, plus the entire band Lake."

"This German-American band is one of those "should have made it" bands. This is their 2nd out of four American releases and I think their best. Superb harmonies, flawless musicianship and a whole load of melody. Having a current album and cd collection that numbers over a thousand, I can without hesitation say that it's in my top 5. Five band members take part in their awesome harmonies. Sure it's got that late 70s sound but so many of the songs are timeless. "Love's The Jailor" is a painful ballad about the confusion and turmoil about being at a place in a relationship and in life that's not quite what was expected. I've yet to figure out who "See Them Glow" is about..but the story about a famous singer and his lover is a song not to be missed! Enjoy!"

"These guys were just under appreciated!!!!!! What a shame. So much good music that was never heard (Scotland's Deacon Blue was another way under appreciated band). Lake picks up with Lake 2 where they left off with their first album, and carries on with it in Ouch! (my personal favourite Lake album). I'm glad to see that their music has been make available on CD."

"Lake II continues in the same mode as the first eponomyous album and Paradise Island, their third. The nice thing about all three albums is that, although they have a distinctive sound thanks to the vocals of late singer James Hopkins-Harrison, their albums don't sound the same. Every song stands on its own. I wouldn't recommend anything after Paradise Island, though. These first three are definitive Lake, that's the reason that 14 of the 17 tracks from their greatest hits CD are from these three albums."


PARADISE ISLAND (1979)

Credits:
Produced by Detlef Petersen and Lake

Tracklist :

01 Into The Night
02 Glad To Be Here
03 Crystal Eyes
04 Paradise Way
05 Hopeless Love
06 One Way Song
07 Hard Road
08 The Final Curtain

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40141820/paradise_island_1979_192_kbs.rar.html

"I recall vividly how the eyes of the German music-scene were set on Lake in 1979 ... because of the fact that both first releases were excellent in manners of quality and have been very successful everybody was very anxious for the third release. The result was a brilliant piece of work, in comparison to international standards, but it was also obvious that the success wasn't as much as with the first two albums. But the album once again contains a lot of songs that are still classics to fans [like "Into The Night", "Glad To Be Here" and "The Final Curtain"]."

"With Paradise Island, Lake gave listeners no real surprises. Indeed, their style of music could almost be looked on as a brand name. You pretty much knew from the get-go that any Lake album would be composed of well-written, arranged, and performed pop/rock pieces that showed slight (and sometimes not so slight) signs of progressive rock tendencies. The funny thing is, though, that the albums never really sound the same -- they only sound like Lake albums. It is a shame these discs are so hard to come by. They are worth the effort, though, especially if music by bands like Supertramp is your thing". ~ Gary Hill, All Music Guide.

"Another great effort. Fine songs and soaring vocals. AOR at it's best."

OUCH! (1980)

Credits:
drums - Dieter Ahrendt
bass - Heiko Efferts keyboards - Frank Hieber
keyboards, guitars - Achim Oppermann
lead guitars - Alex Conti lead vocals - James Hopkins-Harrison

Lake: Producer /Geoffrey Peacey: Engineer/Detlef Petersen: Producer/Gero Von Gerlach: Engineer

Tracklist :

01 Celebrate
02 Come On Home
03 Listen To Me
04 Amigo
05 Jamaica High
06 Living For Today
07 Something Here
08 Hit Your Mama
09 Southern Nights

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/39510740/lakeouch_192_kbs.rar.html

"After three of the six band members had left and Lake had to be reformed this is album #4 and brought a completely reformed line up. Suprisingly the deep cut into the band's history didn't have a negative effect on the quality of Lake's music, and songs like "Celebrate", "Jamaica High" and "Living For Today" have shown. It's the first album with Achim Oppermann who later turned out to be Lake's major songwriter together with James Hopkins-Harrison. My personal tip : "Listen To Me" - the social critic announcement about the situation of north British coal mine workers"

"Lake's fourth release shows little change in the band's sound -- they are slightly mellower, but just as enjoyable. Highlights include the delicate "Amigo," the sunny "Jamaica High" and the quiet "Southern Nights."" ~ Gina Boldman, All Music Guide

"This was Lake's fourth American release and in my opinion is their best. Great melodies, great producton, great vocals and really nice guitar playing. I discovered Lake many years ago when I bought their first album with the picture of the cat in the sink. It was a pleasant surprise and I've been a fan ever since. Do yourself a favour and buy this album and discover what so many have missed and some of us have known for years...Lake is a very good band that never got their due. Although I hate comparisons because each band is good in their own rights... Think of Crosby, Stills, and Nash with a rockier edge and tighter instumentality"

"Im sure most people have not heard of Lake,which is a shame.This is a vastly underrated band from the late 70s that deserves to be rediscovered.They created great pop/rock songs that stay with you long after you have heard them.Ouch is there 4th album and it is a perfect representation of the group at their best.There isnt a bad song on it but 'Something Here' and 'Hit Your Mama' stand out.I truly belive that if they had been given more airplay back then they would have become much more well known.Please,take my word for it....buy this cd...you wont be disappointed."

"Lake is a very tight group,great vocals,unique gutair and keyboards!Ouch is them at there very best!"


HOT DAY (1981)

Credits:
Produced by Lake and Udo Arndt

Tracklist :

01 Sanford and Son
02. Escape
03 Everyone
04 Silicone Sally
05 Goodbye Alexander
06 The Sound of America
07 Cities on Fire
08 Band at the Top
09 We Can Try

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40108501/hot_day_81.rar.html

"Lake could not slow down : after more changes in line up "Hot Day" points out clearly the personal style of James Hopkins-Harrison, who had written most of the songs together with guitarist Achim Oppermann. The album was recorded in Berlin and co-produced by Udo Arndt. Ballad of the century : "We Can Try"."

ON THE RUN LIVE (1982)

CD 1

01 On The Run
02 Red Lake
03 Hopeless Love
04 The Final Curtain
05 See Them Glow
06 Black Friday
07 Betwenn The Lines
08 Jesus Came Down
09 Paradise Way

CD 2

01 Rocky Mountain Way
02 Glad To Be Here
03 Scoobie Doobies
04 Celebrate
05 Living For Today
06 Jamaica High
07 Key To The Rhyme
08 Chasing Colours

Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40409123/on_the_run_1.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/40394932/on_the_run_2.rar.html

"After a collaboration of six years with Lake and decreasing success the recording contract was obviously discontinued. CBS took the chance and released this double-live album, where all the great hits and songs come in live versions. These recordings were made in the years of 1979 and 1980 with contributions of the original, successful line up of the first three longplayers, as well as the reformed band including Achim Oppermann. It's very interesting to see and hear Lake's bow on Steely Dan with the cover version of "Black Friday"."

NO TIME FOR HEROES (1984)

Credits:
Produced by John Groves and Lake

Tracklist :

01 Continental Vagabond
02 Dreams In The Night
03 Tell Me Why
04 Heroes
05 Never Say Never
06 Instrumental No. 1
07 Johnny Don't Go
08 Lorraine
09 Scotsman
10 Lady Divine
11 Fight It Together

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40128255/no_time_for_heros_192_kbs.rar.html

"With their new recording company Polydor in the back Lake pursued a powerful comeback. At this point, the Lake sound became more European, using more dance rhythms and synthesized dance sounds. But many fans were dissatisfied about this and the album failed success with the sales. Nevertheless : there are outstanding compositions and high quality arrangements contained on this release, as "Continental Vagabond" and "Dreams In The Night" prove. My personal favorite : "Tell me Why" and "Scotsman", James' intimate and ironical Scotland hymn"
""dreams in the night" is my favorite lake´s song and one of the more perfect melodic pieces of the 80s,but the rest of the album is very normal"

"This was finally the true successor to the glittering first album, but almost noone noticed it. Slightly modernized in sound, Lake pulled catchy songs like rabbits out of a magician's hat. An underrated, though almost perfect effort."

"the long awaited 6th studio album from Lake more melodic/rock influenced songs Title track "heroes" is a great leap forward and a New line up for the band"











VOICES (1985)

Credits:
Produced by Achim Oppermann and James Hopkins-Harrison

Tracklist :

01 Alright (3:36)
02 More Than A Feeling (4:26)
03 Comedy Of Love (3:44)
04 Echo Of The Melody (4:27)
05 I Don't Wanna Lose You (3:44)
06 Nervous Breakdown (3:12)
07 Chase The Dragon (3:53)
08 Who Do You Love (4:46)
09 Love Is The Game (3:14)
10 Music's A Way Of Life (4:43)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40207083/voices_192_kbs.rar.html

"After "No Time For Heroes" had failed success the frustration within the lineup of Lake grew. The band was touring the north of Germany most of the time but the record sales didn't rise despite the high standards. The same is true with this album, "Voices". "Alright" and "More Than A Feeling" were once again songs with a great hit potential. The album was in fact more or less a duet effort of Achim Oppermann and James Hopkins-Harrison with additional session musicians, because both were responsible for the production and most of the songwriting"

"Gruesome 80's sound, combined with some gruesome and some quite good songs. Three stars, out of sheer sympathy for this meritorious German band"


SO WHAT (1986)

Credits:
Produced by James Hopkins-Harrison and Achim Oppermann

Tracklist :

01 In The Midnight
02 So What
03 My Emotions
04 Thick and Thin
05 Children Of War
06 Inside To Outside
07 Feel You In My Arms
08 Big Brother
09 Laura
10 Don't Play Around

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/40183985/so_what.rar.html

"Lake's last official release of new songs, similarly based on the creativity of Opperman and Hopkins-Harrison as the predecessor was. With "In The Midnight", the title song "So What" and "My Emotions" there were once again three potential hit songs included. "So What" also contains the song "Inside To Outside" which has been a major hit for former Kajagoogoo lead singer, Limahl. This circumstance shows that the quality of Lake's compositions [and especially Achim Oppermann's skills] at this late point was much better than people had expected it to be, considered the little success they received at the time."

"The last Lake album ranks in the same category as its predecessor. This wasn't unconstrained West Coast pop rock anymore, this was a desperate attempt to be modern and even danceable. The great vocalist James Hopkins-Harrison seemed to dislike it all and sang, as if he didn't want to do it anymore. It was time for Lake to disappear - and so they did."

Biography:
Lake was a German rock music band that formed in the early 1970s under the name Tornados, changing their name to Lake in 1973. They mostly covered material by other bands in their early years, but released three singles, Come Down/We're Gonna Rock, King Of The Rock'n Roll Party, and Sailor. In 1975 they were joined by lead singer James Hopkins-Harrison, who gave them their signature sound for the remainder of their recording career.
They achieved modest success in much of Europe from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, particularly in Germany where they were named artist of the year by the German Phono Academy in 1977. That same year, their self-titled debut album reached #22 in the US and the single Time Bomb reached #13, which would prove to be their greatest success in the US. They toured the US in the late 1970s as the opening act for various headline acts, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Oak Arkansas, and Neil Young. By the early 1980s, their albums were no longer as successful as their earlier efforts and the group somewhat disbanded about 1981. Hopkins-Harrison and keyboardist Achin Opperman reformed the band in 1984 to record three more albums but failed to achieve renewed success. In 1992, lead singer James Hopkins-Harrison died of a heroin overdose. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_(band))


ALBUMS

Lake 1976
Live 1977
Lake II 1978
Paradise Island 1979
Ouch! 1980
Hot Day 1981
Live – On The Run 1982
No Time For Heroes 1984
Voices 1985
In The Midnight 1986
So What 1986

More info:
http://www.lake-music.de/

http://www.lake-on-the-run.de/

http://lake_paradiseisland.tripod.com/html/en/biography.htm

http://www.rockdetector.com/artist,36128.sm

http://forum.cityboy.org/viewtopic.php?p=18123&sid=3b42b05004dbfdc296e65416119e4906