Various Artists

CD:  Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP:  Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Cleveland’s rock scene during the ’70s was largely championed by Steve Popovich, a former Cleveland resident who ended up being the head of A&R at Epic.  In mid-1976, he left the corporate rock world and headed back home to Cleveland, where he set up Cleveland International Records, part record label, part management company, part marketing consulting group.  Throughout the ’70s, Cleveland International had a hand in some of the most unique records in rock.  Decades on, many of their projects remain legendary.

Cleveland Rocks is a 13-track collection (10-track on the LP) that brings together some of the best of the C/I catalog.  Among them is the aforementioned Hunter’s “Cleveland Rocks,” plus the Jersey bar-band grit of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, the blue-collar rock of Joe Grushecky and the Iron City Houserockers, and many other certified classics like Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Dick Wagner & Michael Kamen, Ellen Foley, and many other more obscure groups.