The 1980 Listening Post - Tonio K. - Amerika

Tonio K. - Amerika

#30

1980 Housekeeping

Tonio K

Amerika

Genre: If you like Graham Parker…or John Cougar…or Mojo…or….The Tubes

4.75 out of 5

Highlights:

One Big (Happy) Family

Sons of the Revolution

Go Away

Girl Crazy

Oh, Tonio, where have you been hiding my whole life?? Like a New Wave Springsteen or maybe he’s more Willy Nile or Graham Parker. Doesn’t matter. I wish I knew about him years ago and that I had the gumption to go see him in concert cuz I bet that was one rip roaring show. 

Those guys got the press but, dammit, Tonio K had the goods, man.

Sometimes I can’t bring myself to write because just when I think I’ve got the perfect thing to say another great track takes over and I just wanna let the album wash over me. No notes. Nothing. That’s this record. “Girl Crazy” is the Mellencamp song, John wasn’t able to write when he was a cougar.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/amerika/1070986410

The 1986 Listening Post - Tonio K. - Romeo Unchained

Tonio K. - Romeo Unchained

#367/2047

1986 Housekeeping

Tonio K. 

Romeo Unchained

Genre: Rock…?

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

I Handle Snakes

You Will Go Free

I missed all the previous Tonio K records. So, I don’t know him but, listening to this…am I wrong? Does he sound like what you get when you take Bryan Adams writing style and layer it with a ton of keyboards and synths and electric drums?

That’s what I am hearing. 

And it’s a shame because the production…that so damned 80s production, really brings this down. Songs like “You Belong With Me” or “Impressed” could have been so nice without it, “Living Doll” might’ve been a spectacular little Power Pop gem were it not for the 80s production. 

The whole thing is redeemed at the end with the lovely “You Will Go Free” which makes me wonder…why couldn’t it all have sounded like this????

Oh, well. Nice to meet ya, Tonio. I’ll forget who you were in a few…oh…who? 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/romeo-unchained/1165977665