I love it when you find a great album in the 99-cent bins at used record stores. I mean, yeah, like, a million people probably owned this album by Nick Gilder (formerly of the Canadian band, Sweeney Todd). It has his huge number-one hit “Hot Child in the City” on it. So your grandma probably even owns this one.

When I started to play the album yesterday, it sounded like someone had accidentally placed a Patty Smyth album in the wrong sleeve. This guy has one rockin’ androgynous vocal style. You can really here it on the album opener, “Got to Get Out.”

Then there’s the rhythm section, which kicks the songs around and roughs ‘em up laying down the perfect foundation for the lick-tastic guitar playing of James McCulloch (also formerly of Sweeney Todd). Just listen to the propulsive “Here Comes the Night” (which was the second Top 20 single from this album).

The song “Rockaway” was nearly ruined forever by lame techno producer Armnand Van Helden’s oversampling in a lame song called “When the Lights Go Down.” Hopefully, upon hearing the original, you’ll agree it didn’t deserve what Armand tried to do to it.

I totally would have paid more, if I’d known this album was so tight! But 99 cents is the perfect way to “discover” Nick’s sophmore album.

Sample, of course, can be found at my blog, here.