WBAB Homegrown Album
Encyclopedia
WBAB Homegrown Album is the first compilation album recorded for WBAB-FM in Babylon, New York
. The album was manufactured in 1981 at PRI Record Pressing in Wyandanch, New York
. It was designed to commemorate some of the station's best local acts and performances culled from the station's "Homegrown Hour" program, a show dedicated to promoting bands based on, or somehow tied to Long Island, New York.
The album contains songs by The Good Rats
, Twisted Sister
, and Zebra
, among others, and was partially attributed to the success of these bands. The recording of Zebra
's first hit "Who's Behind the Door?," is an earlier version not found on their own 1983 debut album. It also contains songs written by some of the station's disc jockeys, as well as an extended version of the station's jingle. One of the more interesting tracks was Random Speed's "Radio Active Baby Food", a novelty song partially inspired by the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, and the Long Island Lighting Company
's controversially proposed Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
.
One year later, the station released a second album called "Son of Homegrown," which was pressed on red vinyl. A third album from 1984 was known as "WBAB Homegrown '84:" a.k.a. "Homegrown: The Next Generation," some copies including a WBAB Homegrown picture disc. Neither this album, nor the next two were ever re-released on CD
.
Side Two
's "Mr. Crowley
" by The Osmonds
, "Love Is All Around" (The Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
), by Judas Priest
, a cover of The Doors
song "Roadhouse Blues
" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Jeremy Bendover" by Emerson
, Lake
& Curley, "Can't You See the Freebird, Jessica?" by The Marshall Skynyrd Band(evidently a duet between members of the Marshall Tucker Band
and Lynyrd Skynyrd
), and an untitled Medley that was supposedly recorded live at Hammerheads in 1980 by The Beatles
.
Babylon (village), New York
Babylon is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 12,615 at the 2000 census.Its official name is The Incorporated Village of Babylon...
. The album was manufactured in 1981 at PRI Record Pressing in Wyandanch, New York
Wyandanch, New York
Wyandanch is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 10,546 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. It was designed to commemorate some of the station's best local acts and performances culled from the station's "Homegrown Hour" program, a show dedicated to promoting bands based on, or somehow tied to Long Island, New York.
The album contains songs by The Good Rats
The Good Rats
The Good Rats are a rock band from Long Island, New York. Their music mixes elements of rock with blues and pop. Although they have had some success both nationally and internationally, it's on their native Long Island that they have always been best known....
, Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
, and Zebra
Zebra (band)
Zebra is a hard rock band founded in 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It features Randy Jackson , Felix Hanemann and Guy Gelso . Their mainstream debut on Atlantic Records was in 1983 with their eponymous album, highlighted by the singles "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door"...
, among others, and was partially attributed to the success of these bands. The recording of Zebra
Zebra (band)
Zebra is a hard rock band founded in 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It features Randy Jackson , Felix Hanemann and Guy Gelso . Their mainstream debut on Atlantic Records was in 1983 with their eponymous album, highlighted by the singles "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door"...
's first hit "Who's Behind the Door?," is an earlier version not found on their own 1983 debut album. It also contains songs written by some of the station's disc jockeys, as well as an extended version of the station's jingle. One of the more interesting tracks was Random Speed's "Radio Active Baby Food", a novelty song partially inspired by the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, and the Long Island Lighting Company
Long Island Lighting Company
The Long Island Lighting Company, or LILCO [ "lil-co" ], was an electrical power company and natural gas utility for the communities of Long Island, New York, serving 2.7 million people in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties....
's controversially proposed Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
The Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was a completed General Electric nuclear boiling water reactor located adjacent to the Wading River in East Shoreham, New York...
.
One year later, the station released a second album called "Son of Homegrown," which was pressed on red vinyl. A third album from 1984 was known as "WBAB Homegrown '84:" a.k.a. "Homegrown: The Next Generation," some copies including a WBAB Homegrown picture disc. Neither this album, nor the next two were ever re-released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
Tracks
Side One- Glad to Have You Back (Beethoven) - Good Rats
- Dream Away - Thrills
- Action/Fraction - The Lines
- Bad Boys of Rock 'n Roll - Twisted SisterTwisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
- Suicide - Swift Kick
- Barbed Wire - Fanatics
Side Two
- Who's Behind the Door? - ZebraZebra (band)Zebra is a hard rock band founded in 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It features Randy Jackson , Felix Hanemann and Guy Gelso . Their mainstream debut on Atlantic Records was in 1983 with their eponymous album, highlighted by the singles "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door"...
- Undercover Lover - Broken Arrow
- Landslide - Llama
- Love on a Shelf - Stanton Anderson Band
- Radio Active Baby Food - Random Speed
- The WBAB Bong Island Blues - Marc Coppola & Al Vertucci
- Show the World You Love Rock 'n Roll - Joe Costanzo
Failed tracks
Besides Long Island-based musicians, the album also boasted a failed attempt to gain an unorthodox series of tracks. Apparently, they consisted of a cover of Ozzy OsbourneOzzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
's "Mr. Crowley
Mr. Crowley
"Mr Crowley" is a 1980 heavy metal song performed by Ozzy Osbourne, released on the album Blizzard of Ozz, Osbourne's first solo effort following his firing from Black Sabbath. It peaked at number 46 on the United Kingdom charts. Musicians playing on the song are guitarist Randy Rhoads, bass...
" by The Osmonds
The Osmonds
The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career—a career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers...
, "Love Is All Around" (The Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
), by Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, a cover of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
song "Roadhouse Blues
Roadhouse Blues
"Roadhouse Blues" is a blues-rock song written and recorded by the American rock band The Doors. The song, which appeared on the B-side of "You Make Me Real", was first released as a single from the album Morrison Hotel in March 1970 and peaked at #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Jeremy Bendover" by Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
, Lake
Greg Lake
Gregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...
& Curley, "Can't You See the Freebird, Jessica?" by The Marshall Skynyrd Band(evidently a duet between members of the Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
and Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
), and an untitled Medley that was supposedly recorded live at Hammerheads in 1980 by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.