Maxus

Definitely, the one and only self-titled album of Maxus, the super legendary AOR / Westcoast group, must be one of the 100 AOR masterpiece albums. The music style of the group was compared with that of TOTO's then. Michael Landau, the best guitarist as well as Steve Lukather in early 1980's era, Robbie Buchanan, very popular session keyboard player and Jay Gruska as the lead vocalist had formed the super group.
Gruska wrote all nine songs on the album with Robbie Buchanan, the keyboard player of the group, Michael Omartian, the album producer, Paul Gordon and Lisa Dal Bello. Very strong melodies were arranged with the highest sense of sophistication. Gruska’s high tone vocals were amazingly passionate and nicely backed by Buchanan’s top quality keyboards and Landau’s excellent guitars. Perfect combination was there. The result was more sophistcated than Toto's and reached almost same level of highest quality as Jay Graydon and David Foster's Airplay's by Michael Omartian production. Hence, the album reissued CDs are welcomed as one of evergreen AOR albums over decades.

Release: 1981
Label: Warner Bros Records, USA (BSK-3634)

First Reissued CD Release: 25 September, 1998 (Warner Bros., Japan WPCR-2153)

Tracks:
1. The Higher You Rise
2. Nobody's Business
3. What You Give
4. Keep A Light On
5. Your Imagination
6. They Danced
7. Part Of You
8. Don't Try To Stop Me Now
9. Where Were You

Producer: Michael Omartian

Maxus:
Lead Vocals and Pianos: Jay Gruska
Painos, Synthesizers and Vocals: Robbie Buchanan
Bass and Vocals: Mark Leonard
Drums and Vocals: Doane Perry
Guitars: Michael Landau

- Musicians -
Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
Synthesizers and Percussion: Michael Omartian
Background Vocals: Bill Champlin, Tommy Funderburk, Jennifer Williams

#Maxus #JayGruska
#RobbieBuchanan #MichaelLandau