Late 1976-early 1981. Events moved with lightening speed. Things went slow... Both. At times Tommy Rock moved completely out of frame. (more war stories to come) For now, I want to pin-point The Songs. Ones that got written, the Ones that got demo-ed, the Masters, and the ones that got away...
note: This page will be On-going, as I search and find. Remember and Re-remember. All songs either written with Kim, OR: published and overseen by Kim during this period. That includes all the Tommy Rock solo songs and Rock- Pickus collaborations as staff writers for Rare Magnetism Music.
Only Fowley-Rock
"Dancing the Night Away" Waves. Bomp Records. 1978.
"Dreamrocker" Vampires From Outer Space. Bomp Records. 1979.
"Better To Love" (So Transparent) Tommy Knight. CBS. 1981.
"Cowtown People"
"Library of Fire"
"Sea of Blondes"
"In The Heat of the Night" (a Laurie Bell demo)
"Outside World" (from Vampires From Outer Space) Bomp Records. 1981.
Exploding Tenderness. (Live demo)
Fowley-Rock-Pickus
"Let's Fall in Love"
"Man To Man"
"High School" Vampires From Outer Space. Bomp. 1979.
"Disco Rollerskating" (Fowley-Rock-Pickus-Lopata)
"Modern Girls" Bomp-Line (Germany-1979)
"Children"
"Sunshine USA"
(with Randy Winburn) Orig. Vampires/Bomp. Re-issue: Yellow Pills: Prefill. The Numero Group. 2006
Tommy Rock solo songs
"Glasses" Kim title (home demo-still lost)
"Rodney Bingenheimer" (still looking)
"Fighter" (same)
"John, Paul, George and Ringo" Kim title. writer: T. Rock (guitar- piano/studio demo)
"Another Lonely Man" writer: T. Rock (studio demo with the Dreamers)
"Another Chance" writer: T. Rock (same)
"Almost Home" Tommy Knight/CBS 1981
"School Days" Tommy Knight/CBS 1981
"Is It Love?" Spark/Mystery Records 1978
"It's Later Than You Think" Spark/Mystery Records 1978
"Son of Sam" (Mastronardi-Rock)
"Somebody Else's Girl"
orig. from Vampires/re-issue: Yellow Pills: Prefill. Numero Group. 2006.
Rock-Pickus Songbook
Tommy Knight-1981-CBS Records Prod. Mark Wirtz
All I Do Is Dream
Same Old Blue
Broken Hearts
One Good Women
The Rhythm Skaters- TK RECORDS/1978
Ready For Skating
Queen of the Skating Machine
You Blow Me Away
I Can Love Again
So Good
Because He Loves You
Nobody Seems To Know
(Tommy Rock as The Dog Rangers-Vampires From Outer Space-Bomp 1979)
Corroded!
Oct. 1977. Warner Brothers Corroded Demo, (This is a tough one!) But first.... Kim and Joan Jett had just been on the Tom Snyder Show. Kim was flying 'high. "Get ready for Vegas, Tommy Rock!" I hardly knew the Man. "No drugs Man!" Drugs? Me? He'd gone through Too Much Drug Drama with Artists in the past, all Future Artists were Drug Free. We were Picked Up at McCarran Airport by a Dizzy Showgirl. She grabbed and held onto Kim. As They laughed and played, I thought one thing:
"Big Time!"
She kissed him for later, and dropped us off at the MGM, ironically near my current home.
Up in the Hotel, he introduced me to the man I wanted to meet. Charles Koppelman. Following the trades for years in New York, I had tried countless times to get an appointment with the team of Koppleman and Rubin. (Managers of Tim Hardin and The Loving Spoonful) for instance. Meeting much Resistance. And when Koppleman became Vice President of The Black Rock (CBS) I Faked Myself into His 22nd Story Office. (I told His Secretary I worked for Midsong) He Kicked Me Out, And now, I was finally playing LIVE for Him. I played him SCHOOL DAYS and ten more. He heard three hits. { Back then, it was HITS. Singles made You. AM CAR RADIO STUFF. No MTV.} I had Three, he wanted FIVE! He didn't commit. Nevertheless, Koppleman liked what he heard. So Kim held on...
Ps. Funny aside. (I mention this because of later ironies) Kim let Charles know I was drug free. "I could care less, I found Tim, in some Cheap Motel, the Man could, barely get up off his bed to play (his guitar) ....But the Songs were Amazing...! So I signed him."
So...Kim set up an appointment with Warner Brothers. (home of Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, etc.) Wow! Good News. We went into the Meeting Room and Everybody was there. Ted Templeman. Lenny Warankor. The Warner Legendary Gang of Art Dogs. And Kim was the Show! He leaped a round the A and R Execs...His hands flying, telling tales, talkin demographics, and dirty tales. He sang. His 3 chord Push -Talk. And then I sang my Introspective heart out! They wanted a demo and paid on the spot.
Bad News. My master copy of the Music Grinder Demo has Corroded. Why is this Such A Big Deal? It was an IN THE POCKET DAY. (Leon Russell had a copy of: Boy, just sing like that, That's the Ticket!) The version of School Days on my CBS album is a Magnificient Mark Wirtz Production, but the vocal to me is weak, and whimpy...Oh, well. I'm dying to Re-Hear the one I did with Kim....Anybody out there Got This Demo??? I'll pay you for it. $$$
Dr. Filth he keeps his world...inside of a leather cup... Desolation Row
