Perhaps no label this holiday season has offered such a bonanza of box sets as Cherry Red.  Yesterday, we looked at Evelyn "Champagne" King's The RCA Albums 1977-1985.  Today, we're turning the spotlight onto Graham Bonnet's Solo Albums 1974-1982!

Cherry Red's Hear No Evil (HNE) imprint has long been a home for archival releases from singer Graham Bonnet of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Alcatrazz, and The Michael Schenker Group.  Now, HNE has brought together Bonnet's first four solo albums, the "lost" 1974 set intended to be his debut but ultimately unheard until 2016, and the rarities collection Reel to Real on a new 5-CD box, The Solo Albums 1974-1982.

Before stepping into the role vacated by Ronnie James Dio in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, the big-voiced vocalist had cut a number of records in a pop/R&B, rather than a hard rock, vein.  Bonnet had experienced some success with his early band The Marbles when the group's recording of The Bee Gees' "Only One Woman" made the U.K. top five.  After The Marbles broke up, he recorded solo singles for RCA before publisher Dick James' label DJM signed him to record his first long-player, Back Row in the Stalls.  To bring Bonnet's original songs to life, Kaplan Kaye was engaged to produce.  He also played percussion on the album.  Bonnet handled guitar (joined by Chris Gray) and bass, and Barry De Souza took on drums.  Though Mike Moran played most of the keyboards, virtuoso Rick Wakeman of Yes guested on one track as did Philip Goodhand-Tait.

As Bonnet was recording Back Row in the Stalls, however, Dick James was pursuing his cinema dreams.  James produced the musical comedy film Three for All which stared Bonnet's then-wife Adrienne Posta and featured the singer in a small role.  Five tracks from the Back Row sessions were siphoned for the soundtrack album of Three for All, credited not to Bonnet but to the fictional band he fronted in the movie, Billy Beethoven.   A subsequent single under Bonnet's own name plucked two more tracks form the sessions, but neither the film nor soundtrack album nor single performed well.  Bonnet and James ultimately parted ways.  HNE first issued the complete Back Row in the Stalls in 2016, derived from a cassette copy of the mixed album retained by producer Kaye.  In the years since, the original master tape has been located, and so this presentation is the album's first appearance as sourced from that tape.  The bonus tracks from the 2016 edition have all been carried over: Bonnet's his four RCA non-LP tracks and both sides of a single by Adrienne Posta including a rendition of Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody's "Express Yourself."  An alternate version of "She May Not Be Much to Look At (But She's Certainly Got a Heart)" has been added, as well.

Bonnet took a different approach for his next album.  With producer and multi-instrumentalist Pip Williams, he assembled an eclectic batch of covers on which he could make his mark.  They were joined by musicians including Mike Garson and Micky Moody, and recording commenced before Bonnet was actually signed to a label.  The material was strong enough that it attracted one: Ringo Starr's Ring O' Records, distributed by Polydor.  The self-titled Graham Bonnet was preceded by the 45 RPM release of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" b/w "Heroes on My Picture Wall," but the single didn't make much commercial traction in the United Kingdom.  Yet the single took off in Australia, and propelled the subsequent album to a Gold certification there.  The album arrived on Ring O' Records in September 1977, featuring a number of eclectic covers including the Dylan track: Carole King and Gerry Goffin's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," Daryl Hall and John Oates' underrated Whole Oats track "Goodnight and Goodmorning," Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone," John Kongos' "Sunday 16," and the traditional "Rock Island Line" among them.  The material wasn't hard rock, but Bonnet's muscular delivery added edge and attitude to these R&B and pop melodies.  All seven bonus tracks from HNE's previous reissue have been held onto including demo versions of Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and Phil Spector's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and Jimmy Webb's "Do What You Gotta Do."

Graham Bonnet didn't sell well in the U.K., and Ringo's imprint soon folded.  But Bonnet persisted, remaining at the label's successor, Mercury.  He reteamed with Pip Williams and John Eden for 1978's No Bad Habits.  The LP, featuring a dapper Bonnet on the cover, boasted another Dylan cover ("I'll Be Your Baby Tonight") and another three songs by John Kongos, but it also brought Bonnet full circle with its inclusion of a Bee Gees song.  The disco-flavored "Warm Ride" was written by The Bee Gees but not released by the group until 2007.  Instead, the song was introduced to listeners in versions by Rare Earth and youngest Gibb brother Andy - and Graham Bonnet.  "Warm Ride" didn't make much of an impression in the U.K., but the recording went to No. 1 in Australia.  No Bad Habits has been expanded with five bonus tracks from the last reissue including two extended versions of "Warm Ride," two non-LP B-sides, and the single edit of "Only You Can Lift Me."

Soon after No Bad Habits, Bonnet was enlisted into Blackmore's Rainbow.  It turns out Blackmore had been a fan of The Marbles' "Only One Woman," and at the same time, Rainbow's bassist Roger Glover had been enjoying Bonnet's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."  Bonnet was invited to join Rainbow, where he would leave the pop and R&B of these albums behind.  He resumed his solo career in 1981 with Line-Up, reflecting the new audience he'd picked up along the way.  The album reunited the singer with engineer John Eden who had worked on both Graham Bonnet and No Bad Habits; this time, Eden would take the producer's chair.  The album was spurred on by the success of the single "Night Games."  The big AOR power ballad written by Ed Hamilton was perfect for the era with its blend of hard rock and radio-friendly pop.  Bonnet's full-throated lead vocal was accompanied by the stellar musicianship of Deep Purple's Jon Lord on keyboards, Rainbow and Whitesnake's Cozy Powell on drums, Gary Twigg on bass, and Micky Moody, also of Whitesnake, on guitar. Co-producer Francis Rossi of Status Quo gave the track an added flavor by playing electric sitar.  Released in March 1981, "Night Games" made it to No. 6 on the U.K. Pop chart, backed with "Out on the Water."  Plans were then set in motion for an entire album to be released on the Vertigo label.  Unfortunately, Francis Rossi's commitments to Status Quo kept him from producing, and so Eden took over.

Rainbow had transformed Russ Ballard's "Since You Been Gone" into a hit with Bonnet on lead vocals; the English singer-songwriter-producer with credits ranging from Argent to America was tapped for two tracks on Line-Up, "S.O.S." (on which he also played guitar) and the Argent/Three Dog Night hit "Liar."  Ballard was also responsible for urging Bonnet to record the inspired cover of Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector's Ronettes classic "Be My Baby," done in a heavy style that nonetheless respects the original's Wall of Sound production.  Other covers came from the pens of Chuck Berry ("Anthony Boy") and The Kinks' Ray Davies ("Set Me Free").  Both sides of the single were, of course, included on the LP.

The cover of Line-Up was adorned with images of the singer as if emerging from a rainbow...or a Rainbow.  Though Bonnet's emotive vocals and the searing guitars were in the hard-rock camp, appearances of brass, piano and lush vocal harmonies all kept the album outside of a "pure" rock or AOR sound.  It performed commendably in the U.K. on the strength of "Night Games," reaching No. 62.  (Follow-up single "Liar" peaked at No. 51.  "That's the Way That It Is" was released as the third and final 45.)  Like HNE's standalone reissue, this edition adds four bonus tracks: the non-LP singles "Don't Tell Me to Go" and "Bad Days are Gone," as well as the single versions of "Night Games" and "Out on the Water."

Despite the success of Line-Up, Bonnet didn't record another solo album until 1991.  Here Comes the Night, produced by Ray Fenwick, makes its debut in this box as part of HNE's reissue series.  It was a return to the artist's roots as a covers collection including a remake of "Only One Woman."  The title was a revival of Them's Bert Berns-penned garage classic, and the album was filled out with covers of others songs that appeared to have personal meaning for Bonnet including Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," Ray Davies' "I Go to Sleep," James Brown's "I Go Crazy," and Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Something About You."  Bonnet's sound had always been infused with soul, and Here Comes the Night gave him the opportunity to showcase those colors of his voice.  Four instrumental demos complete the disc here.

The box set concludes with a sonically-upgraded highlights edition of the 2018 rarities collection Reel to Real: The Archives 1987-1992.  Whereas the original collection had three CDs (one of studio recordings and two of live concerts), this version jettisons the live shows but adds seven studio tracks to the original dozen.  The first three cuts were recorded in 1987 by Bonnet, Danny Johnson, and Jan Uvena of Alcatrazz, along with Jay Davis (who had provided guest vocals on that band's 1986 third and final album, Dangerous Games) as a way to reactivate the dormant band.  Though the material (including the heavy "Reel to Real") was shopped around, no label was interested.  Today, the original songs reveal the foursome's sharp grasp of then-contemporary AOR and arena rock.  The next six tracks were cut in Australia, where Bonnet had relocated with his then-wife.  While down under, he began fronting a Led Zeppelin tribute band known as the Zep Boys, and it was that group which he took into the studio for a session that yielded both new songs and modernized covers of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" and Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep-Mountain High."  In any style, Bonnet's powerful and versatile voice remained at the forefront.  The remaining tracks are a grab-bag of rarities.  "My Kingdom Come" and Russ Ballard's "Mirror Lies" were released in 2015 on an EP; the demo here of "Dead Man Walking" would be reworked for the singer's 2016 album The Book; "Glass Mountain" and "Red Rum" were demoed for the metal group Tomorrow's Outlook.  All of the tracks have been remastered in 2020.

The clamshell box has each album in a mini-paper sleeve with the original front cover and modified back cover artwork.  The 16-page booklet is simple; it unfortunately contains no liner notes but has credits for each album.  Graham Bonnet remains a bona fide if underrated rock star with a strong, distinctive voice; this set is a fine encapsulation of his various musical personas over the years.

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Graham Bonnet, Solo Albums 1974-1992 (Cherry Red/Hear No Evil HNEBOX140, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Back Row in the Stalls (HNE/Cherry Red HNECD067, 2016)

1. Here Comes the Rain
2. What's This 'Ere Then
3. Private Eye
4. Ghost Writer in My Eye
5. Saturday's Over
6. Back Row in the Stalls
7. She May Not Be Much to Look At (But She's Certainly Got a Heart)
8. Ade's Song
9. Mamma Mine
10. Relaxae
11. She May Not Be Much to Look At (But She's Certainly Got a Heart)
12. Don't Drink the Water
13. Dreams (Out in the Forest)
14. We're Free
15. Whisper in the Night (RCA single 2230, 1973)
16. Rare Specimen (RCA single 2230, 1973)
17. Trying to Say Goodbye (RCA single 2380, 1973)
18. Castles in the Air (RCA single 2380, 1973)
19. Dog Song - Adrienne Posta (DJM single DJS 286, 1974)
20. Express Yourself - Adrienne Posta (DJM single DJS 286, 1974)
21. Message to Trevor

CD 2: Graham Bonnet (Ring O'Records 2320, 103, 1977)

1. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
2. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
3. Tired of Being Alone
4. Wino Song
5. It Ain't Easy
6. Goodnight and Goodmorning
7. Danny
8. Sunday 16
9. Rock Island Line
10. Soul Seeker
11. Heroes on My Picture Wall (Ring O'Records single 2017, 105, 1977)
12. Goodnight and Goodmorning (Single Edit) (Ring O'Records 2017, 110, 1977)
13. I Who Am I (previously unreleased)
14. The Loving Touch - Graham Bonnet and Victy Silva (first issued on HNE/Cherry Red HNECD068D, 2016)
15. Do What You Gotta Do (Demo) (first issued on HNE/Cherry Red HNECD068D, 2016)
16. It Ain't Easy (Demo) (first issued on HNE/Cherry Red HNECD068D, 2016)
17. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (Demo) (first issued on HNE/Cherry Red HNECD068D, 2016)

CD 3: No Bad Habits (Mercury 6304,503, 1978)

1. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
2. Won't You Join Me
3. Warm Ride
4. Is There a Way to Sing the Blues
5. Can't Complain
6. Givin' Up My Worryin'
7. Pyramid
8. Only You Can Lift Me
9. Stand Still Stella
10. High School Angel
11. Cold Lady
12. 10/12 Observation (Ring O'Records single 2017, 114, 1978)
13. Only You Can Lift Me (Single Edit) (Ring O'Records single 2017, 114, 1978)
14. Such a Shame (Mercury single 6001,115, 1978)
15. Warm Ride (12-Inch Long Disco Version) (Ring O'Records POSP 002, 1978)
16. Warm Ride (12-Inch Long Version) (Ring O'Records POSP 002, 1978)

CD 4: Line-Up (Vertigo 6302 151, 1981)

1. Night Games
2. S.
3. I'm a Lover
4. Be My Baby
5. That's the Way That It Is
6. Liar
7. Anthony Boy
8. Dirty Hand
9. Out on the Water
10. Don't Stand in the Open
11. Set Me Free
12. Don't Tell Me to Go (Vertigo single VER 4-B, 1981)
13. Bad Days Are Gone (Vertigo single VER 2-B, 1981)
14. Night Games (Single Edit) (Vertigo single VER 1-A, 1981)
15. Out on the Water (Single Edit) (Vertigo single VER 1-B, 1981)

CD 5: Here Comes the Night (President PCOM 1114, 1991)

1. Something About You
2. Here Comes the Night
3. Long Time Gone
4. Only One Woman
5. Please Call Me
6. A Change Is Gonna Come
7. I'll Go Crazy
8. I Go to Sleep
9. Look Don't Touch
10. Eyes of a Child
11. Don't
12. What She Says, You Hear It Means
13. Gone in a Minute (previously unreleased instrumental demo)
14. A Hole in My Soul (previously unreleased instrumental demo)
15. Please Call Me (previously unreleased instrumental demo)
16. Greenwich Meantime (previously unreleased instrumental demo)

CD 6: Reel to Real: The Archives - Expanded & Remastered Edition (released as part of HNE/Cherry Red HNEBOX104, 2018)

1. Tonite I Fly
2. Reel to Real
3. The Dancer
4. Whiplash
5. Long Time Gone
6. Summer in the City
7. River Deep - Mountain High
8. Midnight Crossing
9. Rider
10. Double Cross My Heart
11. Hearts Under Fire
12. You Are Your Money
13. Dead Man Walking
14. Glass Mountain
15. Red Rum
16. My Kingdom Come
17. Mirror Lies
18. Unleash the Beast
19. Hippie Heart, Gypsy Soul

Tracks 1-3 recorded Los Angeles, 1987
Tracks 4-9 recorded in Adelaide, South Australia, 1989
Tracks 12-13 demos for eZoo
Tracks 14-15 demos for Tomorrow's Outlook
Tracks 16-17 from The Graham Bonnet Band EP, 2015
Track 18 from Rough Rockers single
Track 19 from Wishing Well single, 2016