Production/musician credits (in
alphabetical order by artist): Part One

Randy Bachman,
Axe (RCA) -- 1970; guitar
Notes: guitar on "Pookie's Skuffle," "Take the Long Way
Home," "Noah," "Tin Lizzie," and "Tally's Tune"

Véronique Béliveau,
Cover Girl (Cache Ton Coeur) (A&M) -- 1985; guitar
Bonaroo, Bonaroo (Warner Bros.) -- 1975; guitar
After leaving the Doobie Brothers around 1973, drummer Mike
Hossack co-founded Bonaroo with Jerry Weems, Bill Cuomo,
Robert Lichtig, and Bobby Winkelman. Hossack doesn't totally
leave his roots behind; imagine the Doobies playing Beatles
pop and you'll get the idea of this project. This album is
clearly frontloaded, beginning with the instantly likeable
"Life's Sweet Song" and establishing a focused, power-popish
sound. Many of the songs feature a lot of acoustic strumming,
also giving them a mellow, early '70s AM pop feel. The album
loses its focus a bit during the second half, but it does
feature "Physical Fitness," a funky R&B song very suited to
Domenic's style. Troiano's riffing and soloing throughout
the track enhances it quite a bit. He also solos at the end
of "Melody Maker," a dramatic, Moody Blues-like ballad, helping
the song pick up steam before fading out. Not a terribly
distinctive album, but pleasant enough.
(Note: This is a review of the CD reissue of the original LP.
The CD shuffles the track listing, omits
"Don't Tread on Me," and adds a track called "Let's Go Down to
the River.")

Buddy Carlton and the Strato-tones, "Bring Your Love" (single)
(Hawk) -- 1965; songwriting
Notes: A-side written by Troiano

David Clayton-Thomas,
David Clayton-Thomas (RCA) -- 1973; guitar
Joe Cocker, Civilized Man (Capitol) -- 1984; guitar
The first half of this album was produced by Gary Katz. As a
result, it ends up sounding Steely Dan slick. Domenic plays
guitar on two of the Katz-produced tracks. The first, a cover
of the old Drifters tune "There Goes My Baby," may just be the
pinnacle of Dom's career as a session guitarist. It's a
classic song, sung by a classic vocalist, with a classic
Troiano solo. He isn't overshadowed by any other guitarists,
although Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro are credited with
"electric pencil guitar." It's anybody's guess what an electric
pencil guitar is.
Lukather and Troiano share guitar
duties on "Come On In." It's another great track, but Domenic
is pretty indistinguishable here. Also noteworthy of the
Katz tracks is a smooth cover of Squeeze's "Tempted." Stewart
Levine produced the second half, which is OK, depending on how
you feel about the fusion of Cocker's voice with slick '80s
pop. For Troiano fans, this one's worth finding just for the
tracks he plays on.

The Controllers, "I Gambled on Your Love and
Lost" (single) (Juana) -- 1981; songwriting
Notes: Song also recorded by
Ray, Goodman,
& Brown in 1982

James Cotton Blues Band,
Taking Care of Business
(Capitol) -- 1970; guitar
Notes: Guitar on "Goodbye My Lady" and "Can't Live Without
Love"; Matt Murphy also credited with guitar on the tracks

Dr. Music,
Circa '84 (World) -- 1984; guitar
Notes: Five-song mini LP featuring Doug Riley, Wayne St. John,
Terry Black, John Rutledge, Lou Pomanti, and others

Matt Dusk,
Two Shots (Decca) -- 2004; guitar
Notes: Guitar on "Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad" and
"Miracle"

Ebony, "We All Need Love" (single) (Quality) -- 1983; production
Notes: Lead vocals by Wayne St. John

Eye To Eye,
Shakespeare Stole My Baby (Warner
Bros.) -- 1983; guitar
Notes: Rhythm guitar on all tracks; solos by Larry
Carlton and Steve Lukather
The Front, Underworld (Duke Street) -- 1984; guitar
The Front consists of vocalists Tim Thorney, Joel Feeney, and
Paul Henderson backed by session players. This, their second
album, is a nice collection of classy '80s pop with nods to
Motown and Philly soul. Domenic is credited with guitar
on the album along with Garry Nichol. It begins with the
title track, which was a minor hit in Canada, I believe. It's
a brilliant song with a brisk, bouncy rhythm and a rich,
sophisticated melody. Just when you think it can't get any
better, your ears are greeted with an unmistakable Troiano
solo, and a damn good one. His playing is also front and
center during the break and end of "Treacherous." Although his
presence all but disappears during the second half of the
album, the quality of the material remains consistent. Another
noteworthy track is the serene "The Moon is a Stranger," which
is perfectly concise and beautiful all around. It features
Moe Koffman on flute.

David Gibson,
David Gibson (Black Market/A&M) -- 1991;
co-production, guitar, songwriting

David Gibson,
Rhythm Method (Black Market/A&M) -- 1996;
co-production, guitar, songwriting

The Good Brothers,
Person to Person (Solid Gold) -- 1982; guitar

Ronnie Hawkins,
Still Cruisin' (Hawk) -- 2002; guitar
Instructions, Instructions (Radio/Atlantic) -- 1982; guitar
Released on Radio Records in the US and on Quality in Canada.
Although this LP tanked, I like it. Clearly, these guys were
influenced by XTC and their album
Drums and Wires,
cranking out catchy new wave/power-pop while sometimes relying
too heavily on technology in their delivery. This might seem
strange to a typical Troiano fan: his fluid playing coupled
with stiff rhythms and synths bleeping and farting all over
the place. But the combination works, for the most part. A
lot of the weaker songs are more experimental and keyboard-driven
and, therefore, don't include a lot of guitar. Dave Beatty
is also credited with guitar on this album, but most of the
lead playing sounds like the work of Domenic. The strongest
cut here is "Don't Say Love," a completely successful pairing
of a classic melody with a new wave approach, which contains
a simple arrangement, wistful lyrics, and some splendid
guitar breaks. Other high points include the energetic rockers
"The Extra" and "Wicked Heart," the latter ending with a
fiery Troiano solo. The creepy intro of "Ha Ha Ha" sounds
strangely like the beginning of "Death on Two Legs," a
Queen tune from
A Night at the Opera. It eventually
gives way to a bouncy melody with an Andy Partridge-like vocal
delivery. The album falls apart a bit near the end, although
"OK" is an effective closer, and the cryptic "Cleek" contains
one of the LP's more memorable lyrics: "Nuts and bolts/screw
you."

Shawne Jackson, "Come Back Boy" (single) (El Mocambo
Records) -- 1980; production, guitar, songwriting
Notes: B-side is "Can't Stop Thinkin' about
Ya;" both tracks written by Troiano and Jackson

Shawne Jackson, "Just As Bad As You" (single) (Playboy
Records) -- 1974; co-production, guitar, songwriting
Notes: Co-produced by Troiano and Keith Olsen; B-side is "He
May Be Your Man," written by Troiano and Jackson

Shawne Jackson,
Shawne Jackson (RCA) -- 1976;
production, guitar, songwriting

Johansen,
Walkin' a Fine Line (Coach House) -- 1988;
guitar
Notes: Lead guitar on "Put Down the Guns" and rhythm on
"Killer on the Rampage"; Domenic is also featured on the
LP cover illustration
Continue to Part
Two
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