DANIEL WEST & MODERN MUSIC (USA) - 4:01 P.M. (7'' single, Present, 1981)

RATING: 7/10

I'd really wish to have more information to share with you guys and girls about Daniel West & Modern Music, you know. Such a rare gem, and one that really did set some pulses racing among NWOBHM collectors not so long ago, though now we know it's not a record anyone should really tag as part of the multiverse in question. But alas, fact is I know very little, and any info that can be provided by you people out there in the collecting-world wilderness will be greatly appreciated. I'll drop a few lines about this humble "4:01 P.M." c/w "Strategy's Fashion" 7'' anyway, hoping to be able to add significant info and personnel here sometime in the future. The music is quite nice, you know, so it's well worth the effort. 

There's no picture sleeve in sight, and very little info on the labels to help us in our quest, but I'm sure you'll be sensible to the fact that anyone naming their band as Daniel West & Modern Music are not really trying to pass themselves as a heavy metal outfit at all. Any purist NWOBHM collectors can skip the read and go straight to the next entry if you like, as it's definitely an artifact from the US, with no connections to the British scene (apart from the music contents, that is) after all. In fact, Present Records turns out to be a very small imprint from a fellow named Fela Johnson (yeah, pun intented), an L.A. resident who did release some vinyl in a synthwave/minimal vein in the early 1980's - a material that is quite well regarded by those who enjoy/collect this kind of music, incidentally. As good fella Fela is credited as producer for the Daniel West & Modern Music 7'', the connection is beyond doubt, and more than enough to keep this one away from the NWOBHM wants lists. But we still have the music, you know, and it's very decent music indeed, I tell you.

"4:01 P.M." showcases an excellent, though very simple, riffing coupled with punkish, kinda snotty vocals that bring the track closer to power pop territory - but not your usual good-time poppy punkish fare, that's for sure, as the guitar work sound remarkably heavy and commanding throughout. The bass sounds great too, loud and unrelenting, keeping the energy flowing with sheer commitment to the cause. It definitely sounds British, you know, and those more accostumed with borderline NWOBHM acts such as Baseline, Tutch and Sidewinder will catch my drift on that one. It's probably just coincidence, you know, but still it puzzles me how some young dudes from California managed to sound like working-class geezers from the East End of London... Whatever the story, and though there's nothing too complicated going on, the track as a whole is surprisingly quirky for such a simple structure, so it may take you a couple listens to get used to what the song has to offer. I love it really, and most open-minded metal fans out there will probably be hooked after giving this one a fair chance, as it kicks some serious ass, plain and simple. As for flipside "Strategy's Fashion", it's a more typical, mid-tempo hard rocking number, with a distinctive glam feeling in the guitar melodies and vocal delivery overall. Another simple, but very effective main riff carries the song along with very little effort, and (though it's fair to say it sounds like a more lively Pretty Boy Floyd or Mott the Hoople rather than anything truly metallic) anyone who enjoys the NWOBHM aesthetic will probably find very little to complaint around here. Well done really, and I would definitely love to add a physical copy of this 7'' to my collection, if it weren't for it costing half my monthly salary at least.

The label says it's a 1981 release, and there's no reason to doubt it really, as the entirety of the Present Records' catalog (two EPs from Fela Johnson, and that's it) are from roughly the same period. There's definitely more to this partnership than we know at present, as no other groups ever got their songs pressed by the label, and Fela Johnson seemed to opt for a one-man-army mentality when recording his stuff, with little (if any) accompaniment from fellow (here comes the pun again) musicians. Maybe it was a project from the man himself, using the Daniel West name as a soubriquet and with no support from a proper band? Or perhaps there is a real Daniel West after all, someone who Fela Johnson decided to tutor and/or produce as a friendly gesture? There is, in fact, a certain Daniel West still doing the rounds in Southern California with a vast number of rock, jazz and experimental projects to his credit, his more recent claim to fame being a duo named LoveyDove. It would be a bit of a stretch in terms of age (as, by my calculations, he would be like 13/14 years old by the time this "4:01 P.M." piece of wax came out), but he claims in his biography to be doing the club circuit with bands since he was 11 (and he himself also admits to be highly influenced by British rock music, mind you), so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he is our guy after all. Let's keep an eye on this one, hopeful for some interesting new developments in the not-too-distant future. 

Million thanks to Discogs for label scans!

Musicians unknown

01. 4:01 P.M. (D. West) 3:04
02. Strategy's Fashion (D.West) 2:41

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!