Anonymous: Inside The Shadow 1976 + J. Rider: No Longer Anonymous 1979 + 10 (1990)

 

Anonymous was an American psychedelic / folk rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana. They changed line-up slightly in 1977, becoming J.Rider.

Anonymous formed primarily from members of Madison Zane, a cover band featuring previous Sir Winston And The Commons members Joe Stout and Ron Matelic, along with bassist Glenn Weaver and vocalist Marsha Rollings. Matelic and John Medvescek had been childhood friends before playing together in Sir Winston, and Matelic had performed with Rollings at small get-togethers in the later Sir Winston days.
                 

The informal group of musicians jammed together on Sunday afternoons, developing material primarily

written by Matelic, until recording a set of songs at Jim Spencer's studio The Music Factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1976. A few hundred copies were pressed up as Anonymous - Inside The Shadow, with the name "Anonymous" being chosen by Matelic due to the group's unofficial nature. The band played no gigs under the moniker, but they later played some original material at some local venues after becoming J. Rider.
                                             

After the 1976 release of “Inside the Shadow”, the group decided to change their name to J Rider (after

the second cut on the Anonymous LP) and pursued a similar rich vein of impeccable songwriting, but this time adding more hard rock to the mix, resulting in a fantastic sounding album that sadly went unreleased at the time. The excellent reissue label OR Records first unearthed the tapes and put out a small edition of LPs in 1996, and we are now there's this new and deluxe edition of this gem, complete with new sleeve art.
                             

“Kiss Of Your Soul” and “Pike River” get our vote for two of the greatest songs ever written, and “One

Sided Lover”, “High Roller” and “Sunday‘s Hero” each offer a heavier spin on the group’s Television-like interplay and compositional prowess. This record is highly recommended for everyone who enjoyed “Inside the Shadow”, and it also happens to come with an entire unreleased album of songs recorded by the group’s visionary songwriter Ron Matelic! That’s right, ten bonus tracks of previously unheard songs recorded in the 1990s, featuring most of the members of Anonymous; a lost LP, if you like, and a fascinating complement to the Anonymous and J Rider albums.

It's psychedelic Baby Magazine (Interview) HERE

        

ANONYMOUS - INSIDE THE SHADOW 1976

                      

Anonymous formed primarily from the ashes of the '60s garage/psych band Sir Winston & The

Commons, which released only two (both killer) period singles. After the demise of Sir Winston, the members worked playing locally and jamming with other musicians from Indianapolis, honing their craft and further developing their sound. After some years, guitarist Ron Matelic had coined a number of originals and gathered a group who mastered their performances well enough to craft Matelic's vision into an album of completely novel material.
                        
Guitarist Ron Matelic was the main creative force behind the band.

                
Travelling to Wisconsin, the (then-nameless) band birthed Inside The Shadow in

friend Jim Spencer's studio, supposedly recording the entire album in one session and doing the mix a few weeks later. Tapes were sent off to a small Milwaukee manufacturing facility which produced a few hundred copies to distribute between friends as a keepsake of the band's time together. The album was credited to "Anonymous," as Matelic was afraid of coining a name which would induce prejudice about the band's sound.
                  

Anonymous – Inside The Shadow
Label: Machu Picchu, Ltd. – PICCHU 1
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 2013
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                         

01. Who's Been Foolin'?   3:22
Written-By – G. Weaver, R. Matelic
02. J. Rider   4:33
Written-By – R. Matelic
03. Up To You   3:25
Written-By – R. Matelic
04. Shadow Lay   6:05
Written-By – R. Matelic
05. Pick Up And Run   5:06
Written-By – R. Matelic
06. We Got More   5:19
Written-By – B. Bray, R. Matelic
07. Sweet Lilac   4:30
Written-By – B. Bray, R. Matelic
08. Baby Come Risin'   8:26
Written-By – R. Matelic

LINE - UP

Marsha Rollings - Vocals
Glenn Weaver - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass  
Ron Matelic - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar [12 Strings] 
John Medvescek - Percussion  
Becky Bray - Songwriter  

NOTES

                  

Originally released in 1976 in an edition of 300 copies.
Recorded at The Music Factory, Milwaukee, WI.
Restored to its original glory for the first time since its initial release, this is the definitive INSIDE THE SHADOW!

Flac Size: 274 MB

J. RIDER - NO LONGER ANONYMOUS 1979 + 10 1990s

                             

You would be pretty surprised if you had to take a time test on this band with two names. Inside the Shadow (1977) sounds like a long lost San Francisco hippie band, while the follow up No Longer

Anonymous (1979) goes in a slightly more commercial country folk rock style, but really just as enjoyable (maybe more) then the first record. A little bland at times, but overall a nice thing. After the 1976 release of Anonymous' INSIDE THE SHADOW, the group decided to change their name to J Rider (after the second cut on the Anonymous LP) and pursued a similar rich vein of impeccable songwriting, but this time adding more Hard Rock to the mix, resulting in a fantastic sounding album that sadly went unreleased at the time.
                    

The excellent reissue label OR Records first unearthed the tapes and put out a small edition of LPs in 1996, and we are now very happy to present you with a new and deluxe edition of this gem, complete

with new sleeve art. This record is highly recommended for everyone who enjoyed INSIDE THE SHADOW and it also happens to come with an entire unreleased album of songs recorded by the group's visionary songwriter Ron Matelic! That's right, ten bonus tracks of previously unheard songs recorded in the 1990s, featuring most of the members of Anonymous; a lost LP, if you like, and a fascinating complement to the Anonymous and J Rider albums. No Longer Anonymous, recorded in 1977 & 1978, officially licensed by the group, remastered and restored by Warren Defever.
                    

This is a really nice, retro album that includes the two best musicians (Ron Matelic and John Medvescek) from a band called "Sir Winston and the Commons",THE BEST Indianapolis "garage

band" of the 60's. The lead guitar and drums are very good. The lyrics are outstanding, too. Hopefully you're read the reviews on (and/or purchased) the group's first album, now reissued, "Inside The Shadow" (under their original name Anonymous), and are now checking out this great album. The sound is very good overall--no original sources are given. Included is their second album (tracks 1-6) and another ten tracks from later years. This is another originally privately pressed album that, like their first album, few people ever heard.
                    

But this too is a small classic of it's time. The band consists of Ron Matelic-guitars/vocals (who also

wrote all the lyrics), John Medvescek-drums, Greg Reynolds-bass/vocals, Justin Garriott-guitars/vocals, and Marsha Ervin (Rollings)-vocals. The ten extra tracks are by basically the same band. This album benefits with better production values without losing that great sound and feel of the first album. The guitars are a bit heavier here ("Kiss Of Your Soul"), and "Pike River", with a great Ervin vocal. But the real kicker is that this "album" is really made up of demos--but you'd never know it.

J. Rider – No Longer Anonymous + 10
Label: Machu Picchu, Ltd. – PICCHU 4
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition, Special Edition 2015
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock
Style: Classic Rock, Hard Rock

TRACKS

              

01. One Sided Lover
02. Kiss Of Your Soul
03. We Got More
04. High Roller
05. Pike River
06. Sunday's Hero
07. Blue Moon Delight
08. Carry Me Over
09. Quartet + 1
10. Silent Sunrise
11. Renegade Heart
12. It Isn't Any Trouble
13. Look Out Any Window
14. Love On
15. Moon Horizon
16. M-Day Dream

NOTES

Second, 1977 release from classic hard rock band Anonymous. CD reissue by Machu Picchu with 10 bonus tracks recorded in the 90s. Digi-pak version.

Flac Size: 443 MB