THE EXILES – TURNING TIME 2026 Bad Reputation Reworked & Expanded 30th Anniversary Reissue
French label Bad Reputation Records continues to give Rock Candy Records a serious run for its money when it comes to uncovering forgotten Hard Rock gems. Their latest rescue mission is a reworked and reimagined edition of “Turning Time”, originally released by THE EXILES in 1996.
If the name doesn’t ring a bell, THE EXILES were formed by English guitarist Sean Manning, whose credits include stints with Hurricane and Quiet Riot offshoot, Little Women, and fellow Brit Paul Rafferty, the original vocalist for Bonham and later Joe Bonamassa guest vocalist.
Conjuring up the spirit of Free and Led Zeppelin, but sonically landing somewhere between bluesy Hard Rock and the late-’80s Sunset Strip sound – you known, bands like Tangier, Tattoo Rodeo, Black Crowes, even Badlands and Great White – and with the help in the production by Neil Gerardo (Pat Benatar, Rick Derringer, John Waite), the band recorded “Turning Time” in the mid-Nineties. Guest musicians include drummers Myron Grombacher (Pat Benetar, Rick Derringer) and Greg D’Angelo (White Lion, Cities) and keyboardist Richard Baker (Santana, Gino Vanelli), among others.
Originally released in 1996 as ‘Sean Manning & Paul Rafferty – The Exiles’, this excellent Bad Reoutation remastered reissue now re-titled ”THE EXILES – Turning Time [Bad Reputation 30th Anniversary Edition]” includes 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks, uncovered by Manning and mixed down with Alex Gerst at Empire Sound in Dallas, Texas.
The Exiles were mainstays on the Southern California music scene in the early 1990s writing and recording a wealth of material and performing at venues such as The Troubadour, Whisky a Go Go, FM Station, and Club Lingerie. The mid-’90s wasn’t exactly kind to bands carrying the bluesy Hard Rock torch. If you weren’t backed by a major label or enjoying MTV exposure, chances are your record disappeared before most fans even knew it existed.
According to the press sheet, The Exiles primarily worked the Southern California club circuit, so it’s no surprise they remained something of a hidden treasure.
Thankfully, Bad Reputation Records has given this album the second chance it always deserved.
This is the kind of Hard Rock that reminds us why we fell in love with the genre in the first place. It feels timeless. Had “Turning Time” landed in 1989 instead of 1996, I have no doubt it would’ve fit comfortably alongside releases from Cinderella, Tangier, Tora Tora, or any number of blues-soaked Hard Rock bands dominating the scene at the time.
Give The Exiles a proper support slot on one of those tours, and I think they’d have turned plenty of heads. Instead, they became another casualty of the musical shift that steamrolled so many great Hard Rock bands during the ’90s.
The good news is that labels like Bad Reputation Records refuse to let these records disappear into obscurity. They keep digging through the crates, giving longtime fans a chance to rediscover albums that deserved far better than they got the first time around.
For those of us who still believe melody, big riffs, soulful vocals, and a killer guitar solo never went out of style, releases like this are worth celebrating.
Standout tunes include “Rainmaker,” featuring Greg D’Angelo behind the kit, along with “Woman Let It Shine,” “Friend,” and “Travelling Blues.” Each one captures the spirit of an era when Hard Rock was built on hooks, swagger, and heart instead of gimmicks.
Standout tunes include “Rainmaker,” featuring Greg D’Angelo behind the kit, along with “Woman Let It Shine,” “Friend,” and “Travelling Blues.” Each one captures the spirit of an era when Hard Rock was built on hooks, swagger, and heart instead of gimmicks.
If late ’80s Hard Rock is your happy place, don’t let this one slip by a second time. “Turning Time” is an easy recommendation and another impressive reissue from Bad Reputation Records.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
‘Turning Time’ track list:
01. Turning Time
02. Rainmaker
03. Soul Woman
04. Tearing Up A Storm
05. Ain’t No Fool
06. Travelling Blues
07. Friend
08. Feminine Side
09. Richmond Castle Walk
10. Woman Let It Shine
11. Mission Bell
12. Soul Has No Home
13. I’m The One
14. High Old Times
15. Carry You Home
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