Quarterflash › Quarterflash

Released in late 1981, this album includes three charting singles; "Harden My Heart" - #3 pop hit and #1 album rock hit, "Find Another Fool" - #16 pop hit and #12 album rock hit and "Right Kind Of Love" - #56 pop hit. The Quarterflash album sold over two million copies and topped charts in many countries and landed in the #8 spot in 1982 here in the US. Marv (guitar and song writer for eight of the nine tracks) and Rindy Ross (lead vocal and alto saxophone) were both school teachers who gave up their teaching certificates for the music field. Marv and Rindy had some local success in the northwest with a band called "Seafood Mama". The band had cut a demo version of "Harden My Heart" which actually hit #1 on the local radio station in Portland. This caught the ears of producer John Boylan and he flew in to hear the band which played a mixture of polished rock, swing, country and folk. The band changed line-ups, focused on rock n roll and changed their name to Quarterflash, making this the first new project signed to Geffen Records. Quarterflash is one of the cleanest albums that I have ever heard. The solos are rightly placed and Rindy sings using many dynamic changes which offer the listener a solid forty minutes of pleasure. The album is also quite moody having several songs in b minor that dive deep into the demises of love affairs. "Valerie", an up-tempo ballad about a woman receiving advances at an art school is quite amusing. The jazz influenced "William's Avenue" is also a great addition to the package. Jack Charles, the lead guitarist, adds some changes to the direction of the LP with his melancholy "Critical Times". The album still sounds as good today as it did when I first heard it over twenty years ago. As a 28 year old teacher, I listen to most everything, but I still find refuge in the classics and Quarterflash will always be at the top of my list!