- Joey Stec -- vocals, guitar, keyboards (1975)

  backing musicians:

- Art Delguidico -- lead guitar (1975)

- Jim Gordon -- drums (1975)

- Bobby Keys -- sax (1975)

- Joe Lala -- percussion (1975)

- John Neuso -- lead guitar (1975)

- Carl Radle -- bass (1975)

- Pigpen Sanvig -- keyboards (1975)

- The Dependables (Joey Stec)

- Lee Mallory and Joey Stec

- The Millennium (Joey Stec)

Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Joey Stec

Company: Playboy

Catalog: PB 412

Year: 1975

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: original inner sleeve; 4 inch split along top right hand seam

Available: SOLD 

GEMM catalog ID: SOLD 4388

Price: SOLD $20.00

Cost: $66.00

Joey Stec's one of those journeyman musicians who's got a surprisingly impressive resume, though few folks would recognize his name.  Today he's probably best known as a member of the short-lived The Millennium (along with the late Curt Boettcher and Gary Usher), though his career includes a wide variety of successes as a sessions player, touring musician (The Blues Magoos), songwriter, and record label owner (he formed Sonic Past Music in 2000). 

Outside of a small group of power pop fanatics, few folks know that Stec released an excellent if long forgotten pop-oriented LP.  Produced by Jimmy Miller and released by Playboy's short-lived mid-1970s foray into music, 1975's cleverly-titled "Joey Stec" showcased Stec's commercial voice on a tasty mixture of  top-40 styled pop and lightweight rock.  Exemplified by material such as 'Do You Know', 'Happier (Than I've Ever Been Before)' and 'Easy To Love' the album was full of bright melodies and catchy harmonies.  I hate drawing comparisons to other groups, but anyone who liked Badfinger or The Raspberries would find this set a blast.  In fact the only disappointments here were a needless 'poppy' cover of The Temptation's 'I Wish It Would Rain' and 'Back Again' where a bobby Keyes sax solo all but drown Stec's vocals out.  Personal favorites included the atypically stark 'No Knowing' (which sounded like an "On the Beach" era  Neil Young outtake, though Stec's voice was 100 times better than Young's) and the irritatingly catchy 'Even Angels (Have Been Known To Fall)'.  The album also sported one of the year's most impressive lists of sessions players.  Maybe not the lost masterpiece some sales lists would have you believe, but quite solid and enjoyable.  

There are actually two versions of the LP.  They sport the same catalog number and the same track listing.  As far as I can tell the only difference is the cover art.  Here's the alternative (and more common) cover:

"Joey Stec" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Do You Know   (Joey Stec - Warner Schwebki) - 3:25

2.) Happier (Than I've Ever Been Before)    (J.W. Wayne) - 3:42

3.) I Wish It Would Rain   (Norman Whitefield - Barrett Strong) - 3:01

4.) No Knowing   (Joey Stec) - 3:40

5.) Give My Love To You  (Joey Stec) - 3:26

(side 2)
1.) Easy To Love   (J.W. Wayne) - 3:00

2.) Back Again  (Joey Stec - Albert Morris) - 2:53

3.) Standing Here Alone  (Joey Stec) - 3:29

4.) Then  (Joey Stec - Art Delguidico) - 2:33 

5.) Even Angels (Have Been Known To Fall)  (Joey Stec) - 3:02

Stec has a myspace site on:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=

48835699

And here's the link to Sonic Past Music:

http://www.sonicpastmusic.com/