Harem Scarem?

[actordude]

So, being an AOR fan, sometimes bands slip past my radar (sucks getting old). Harem Scarem seems to be one of those. Anyone a fan? Any suggestions on where to start? Perhaps a greatest hits package? I know Justin or Brian must be a follower of these guys......
Drew ~

 

[mel_progson]

Try out Mood Swings from 1993 first. Their finest moment IMO.

 

[yoshi14]

Mood Swings and their Self Titled album are arguably their best work. Those are the two i find myself listening to the most, and I love Harem Scarem. Their style evolved slightly over the years, but those two albums are the best representation of the 80's AOR style

 

[Metal66]

huge Harem Scarem fan got into them late myself, right around Weight Of The World. Mood Sings is a good cd from their early stuff and Overload is IMO their best later cd. Pick up their dvds has well, really cool show from Firefest.

 

[Comic Book Dude]

I absolutely love Weight Of The World....rock solid band throughout their career. You might want to check out First Signal...it features Harem singer Harry Hess and sounds a lot like their earlier stuff.

 

[Fire breath]

My fave HS is Higher. Weight of the World is also very good. Their final album before they disbanded was very boring for me as was Human Nature before that as I recall. They always have a few great songs dotted here and there but they can't keep it for a full album's length in their latter days. I'd have a listen to the Harry Hess fronted Frontiers project First Signal though. It's better than any HS disk since a long time.

 

[5150]

I tried to like this band and bought Weight Of the World and Higher. But its just too pop and bland for my taste ... with the one exception of Overload. For this album they D tuned the guitars and added some real crunch to their songs ... similar to the last three Europe albums and the Scorpion's Unbreakable album. So the only CD I can recommend is Overload.

 

[Heavenly Call]

Weight of the World is an amazing disc. The guitar playing is amazing on all the CDs, even the later stuff. Everything that's been said up to now is pretty accurate. First Signal is definitely a MUST-Listen.

 

[Rezz]

I discovered them when Weight of the World was out and then went back through their whole discography. Their sound definitely evolves through their career. I would have to agree that Harem Scarem, Mood Swings, Weight of the World and Higher are the best discs. They also released a couple discs under the name Rubber, and the lead singer, Harry Hess, released a Harem Scarem-clone band called First Signal with Dennis Ward a year or two ago.

 

[DADRocks]

Overload & Human Nature. You can't go wrong with any of their stuff.

 

[Justin G]

Overload & Human Nature. You can't go wrong with any of their stuff.

That's about right. Even their lightest, poppiest stuff is still really good.

 

[Comic Book Dude]

I discovered them when Weight of the World was out and then went back through their whole discography. Their sound definitely evolves through their career. I would have to agree that Harem Scarem, Mood Swings, Weight of the World and Higher are the best discs. They also released a couple discs under the name Rubber, and the lead singer, Harry Hess, released a Harem Scarem-clone band called First Signal with Dennis Ward a year or two ago.

Yeah...the Rubber discs were recently re-released on Wounded Bird Records. They're a bit different, but you can't mistake the basic Harem Scarem sound. Also, Harry Hess released a solo disc (Just Another Day) on Frontiers about 10 years ago.

 

[Pelata]

Harem Scarem
Mood Swings
Believe
Weight Of The World
Higher
Overload
Human Nature

 

[Justin G]

Yeah...the Rubber discs were recently re-released on Wounded Bird Records. They're a bit different, but you can't mistake the basic Harem Scarem sound. Also, Harry Hess released a solo disc (Just Another Day) on Frontiers about 10 years ago.

I kind of hated that solo album. It was wimpy even by Frontiers standards.

 

[Pelata]

I kind of hated that solo album. It was wimply even by Frontiers standards.

It was Harry trying to be a pop singer. Many of those songs would have made MILLIONS if given to Pink or Kelly Clarkson...

 

[Justin G]

It was Harry trying to be a pop singer. Many of those songs would have made MILLIONS if given to Pink or Kelly Clarkson...

I felt that way about a lot of mid-period HS stuff. They could have been smash hit Matchbox 20 albums.

 

[actordude]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I just ordered Weight of the World and Mood Swings.....looking forward to them both.

 

[Azrael LenGraden]

Criminally underrated band, Mood Swings, their first release, Karma... all great CDs...their later CDs all have some good songs on them but not as complete as their first three in my opinion.

 

[edgeofthorns]

I agree with what's already been said, so I don't have much to add. I got into them after listening to Weight of the World...and that was by accident! IMO, you really can't go wrong with any of their releases, but the sound "updated" or became more modern as the band trudged on, much like Gotthard.

~Brian~

 

[Comic Book Dude]

I kind of hated that solo album. It was wimpy even by Frontiers standards.

Wimpy...yeah, but still well written....kinda like Harem Scarem "Unplugged". I guess I should also mention the Darren Smith Band, "Keep The Spirit Alive"...most of it sounds just like Harem, and it features the guitarist from Killer Dwarfs. Gotta love those Canadians sticking together!