Steve Keller – Stand Up

Steve Keller
Stand Up
1986 Nomous Music
Cedarville, Ohio, USA

Steve Keller – Vocals, DX7, Emulator II, DX and DMX programming, guitar on “Don’t Die Alone,” background vocals
Steve Millikan – DX7, Emulator II, additional DX and DMX programming, background vocals
Rex Thomas – Rhythm guitars
Jon Harrington – GR 707 guitar synthesizer, all guitar solos, additional rhythm guitar
Randy Melson – Bass
Dane Clark – Drums, simmons

John Bolt – “The Amazing Simulator Conga” on “Celebrate His Love”
Craig Patty – Background vocals on “Stand Up” and “Simon Says”
Joseph Lamm – Background vocals on “Stand Up”
Mike Patty – Background vocals on “Simon Says”
Kitty, Angel, Candy (not their real names) – Background vocals on “Pretty Girls”

1. Breakaway
2. Celebrate His Love
3. Don’t Die Alone
4. Pretty Girls
5. Simon Says
6. Stand Up

This demo sounds about as 80s as the cover would suggest. But that is a good thing in my book, even though this tape does spend a lot of time in the pop realm. However, there is enough new wave and rock sensibility to keep it from being too pop cheesy (the good 80s cheese is still in effect). The first track is a keyboard-drive new wave number, followed by a world beat Miami Sound Machine-esque party number. The next two tracks get more and more rock-oriented – they could almost be a deep track from an 80s summer action movie. It’s dated, and often not my preferred style of music, but I love it.