Still Dreamin' Wild: The Lost Recordings 1979-81 – Donnie & Joe Emerson

Some people have to wait for fame. Others have to wait even longer. Donnie and Joe Emerson can tell you a thing or two about it. As teenagers in Washington in the late seventies, the brothers dreamed of being heard. Their synths were sometimes half-baked and the eight-track recording equipment had its limitations, but the brothers worked in their in their studio on the farm at home.

The parents believed in their sons' musical dreams, took out a loan and invested $100,000. But their privately pressed record sank into oblivion, the family lost part of their farm, and where Joe turned to farming, Donnie pursued a solo career.

Three decades later, things picked up picked up again when record collector Jack Fleischer spotted a copy of the album "Dreamin 'Wild" in a second-hand store and was taken with the smiles, high hair and partnered overalls. His blogging about the album brought the brothers to the attention of cult musician Ariel Pink, who recorded his own version of the album highlight "Baby."

When Light In The Attic re-released the album after almost a lifetime, praise piled up from Pitchfork to the New York Times to Jimmy Fallon. But "Dreamin 'Wild" doesn't tell the whole story. In a relatively short span of time - two and a half years - the Emerson brothers recorded nearly 70 songs in their home studio on the farm. A dozen of them are collected here on "Still Dreamin 'Wild: The Lost Recordings 1979-81" and can be enjoyed here for the first time ever ever.

The mixture of FM Rock, Power Pop and New Wave showcases the full range of this constructive period over the course of twelve tracks - from the second song DONNIE ever recorded ("Everybody Knows It") to the tracks that soundtrack his move to LA. If the album's "Dreamin 'Wild" soundtracks the teenage years, "Still Dreamin' Wild" is the more expansive story of teenage dreams turning into aching desire and shows that "Dreamin 'Wild" was no exception and that Donnie's songwriting is as consistent as it is skilful.

Artist: Donnie & Joe Emerson

Label: Light In The Attic

Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition

Units: 1

Country: US

Released: 2014

Genre: Pop, Rock

Style: Power Pop, Psychedelic Rock