Stepaside: Straitjacket

One of the most popular Irish outfits of the ’70s and early ’80s (and named after the Dublin suburb), Stepaside skillfully combined various American styles, including West Coast country rock, power-pop and straight-up rock. They also embraced the emerging, “new wave” sound of the time.
Fronted by Paul Ashford (who sadly passed away in 2011), they scored several radio hits including the ballad, ‘Always Loved You’, ‘The Last Resort’, a song about taking the bus to Bray, and a version of Bob Seger’s ‘Get Out of Denver’ (re-imagined as ‘Get Out Of Dublin’). Gathered here are a collection of rare, previously unreleased, and more recently recorded material. It’s a mixed bag but there is plenty to enjoy, including a spoken-word version of ‘The Last Resort’ featuring Ronnie Drew, the rare single version of ‘Yellow Chair’ from 1981 and one of their live staples, ‘Good Morning Little School Girl’.
Other highlights include the melodic pop ballad, ‘Fear Of Flying’, a smouldering rocker, ‘Zelda’, and an updated re-make of Paul Ashford’s solo hit, ‘One In Every Town’ recorded in 2007.