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\nFrench 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 \u201cTurning Time\u201d, originally released by THE EXILES in 1996.
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If the name doesn\u2019t 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.
\nConjuring up the spirit of Free and Led Zeppelin, but sonically landing somewhere between bluesy Hard Rock and the late-\u201980s Sunset Strip sound \u2013 you known, bands like Tangier, Tattoo Rodeo, Black Crowes, even Badlands and Great White \u2013 and with the help in the production by Neil Gerardo (Pat Benatar, Rick Derringer, John Waite), the band recorded \u201cTurning Time\u201d in the mid-Nineties. Guest musicians include drummers Myron Grombacher (Pat Benetar, Rick Derringer) and Greg D\u2019Angelo (White Lion, Cities) and keyboardist Richard Baker (Santana, Gino Vanelli), among others.
\nOriginally released in 1996 as \u2018Sean Manning & Paul Rafferty \u2013 The Exiles\u2019, this excellent Bad Reoutation remastered reissue now re-titled \u201dTHE EXILES \u2013 Turning Time [Bad Reputation 30th Anniversary Edition]\u201d includes 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks, uncovered by Manning and mixed down with Alex Gerst at Empire Sound in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n
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-\u201990s wasn\u2019t exactly kind to bands carrying the bluesy Hard Rock torch. If you weren\u2019t backed by a major label or enjoying MTV exposure, chances are your record disappeared before most fans even knew it existed.
\nAccording to the press sheet, The Exiles primarily worked the Southern California club circuit, so it\u2019s no surprise they remained something of a hidden treasure.
\nThankfully, Bad Reputation Records has given this album the second chance it always deserved.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cTurning Time\u201d landed in 1989 instead of 1996, I have no doubt it would\u2019ve fit comfortably alongside releases from Cinderella, Tangier, Tora Tora, or any number of blues-soaked Hard Rock bands dominating the scene at the time.
\nGive The Exiles a proper support slot on one of those tours, and I think they\u2019d have turned plenty of heads. Instead, they became another casualty of the musical shift that steamrolled so many great Hard Rock bands during the \u201990s.<\/p>\n
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.
\nFor 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.
\nStandout tunes include \u201cRainmaker,\u201d featuring Greg D\u2019Angelo behind the kit, along with \u201cWoman Let It Shine,\u201d \u201cFriend,\u201d and \u201cTravelling Blues.\u201d Each one captures the spirit of an era when Hard Rock was built on hooks, swagger, and heart instead of gimmicks.<\/p>\n
Standout tunes include \u201cRainmaker,\u201d featuring Greg D\u2019Angelo behind the kit, along with \u201cWoman Let It Shine,\u201d \u201cFriend,\u201d and \u201cTravelling Blues.\u201d Each one captures the spirit of an era when Hard Rock was built on hooks, swagger, and heart instead of gimmicks.<\/p>\n
If late \u201980s Hard Rock is your happy place, don\u2019t let this one slip by a second time. \u201cTurning Time\u201d is an easy recommendation and another impressive reissue from Bad Reputation Records.
\nHIGHLY RECOMMENDED<\/p>\n
‘Turning Time’ track list:<\/p>\n
01. Turning Time
\n02. Rainmaker
\n03. Soul Woman
\n04. Tearing Up A Storm
\n05. Ain’t No Fool
\n06. Travelling Blues
\n07. Friend
\n08. Feminine Side
\n09. Richmond Castle Walk
\n10. Woman Let It Shine
\n11. Mission Bell
\n12. Soul Has No Home
\n13. I’m The One
\n14. High Old Times
\n15. Carry You Home <\/p>\n
MP3<\/a> FLAC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nFrench 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 \u201cTurning Time\u201d, originally released by THE EXILES in 1996.
\n<\/p>\n