It was around 1993 when Bob James handed his teenage son, Brendan, a black Sony cassette tape. On it, James had recorded himself playing and singing some original songs. The writing on the label said Dogs of Broad Street. Brendan loved it and would listen to it over and over.
“He was really proud of it, and I listened to it for years. It was cool to hear my dad sing,” the now 45-year-old Brendan says via Zoom, holding the very artifact in front of the camera.
Flash forward to 2010. Bob mentioned that he had some other music cassettes and asked his son—now a 30-year-old computer whiz and musician—if he could transfer them to digital files in the hopes of interesting either bands or film producers in using the songs. Brendan gave an enthusiastic yes.
What neither knew is that it would be the start of a 15-year project that would put father and son through the emotional wringer, with plenty of starts and stops, and even go past Bob’s death.
Now, in what he calls “a work in progress, a labor of love, a passion project, family therapy, a memoir”—and a resolution— is complete.
Brendan has collected 12 of his father’s songs and put them out on cassette (along with an accompanying 24-page zine of photos and memorabilia), called Keeping Love Alive. There’s even a retro TV commercial he produced for it that he worries looks “too authentic.” And he’s right.
But if the name of “Bob James” (and not the similarly-monikered successful jazz keyboardist) doesn’t exactly ring a bell, don’t worry. Herein lies a tale.
When asked to name the lead singer of the band Montrose, must Classic Rockers would utter “Sammy Hagar.” And indeed, the Red Rocker drives their best-known ‘70s songs including “Bad Motor Scooter,” “Rock Candy” and “Rock the Nation.”
But after Hagar left for a solo career (and eventually, Van Halen), the group led by guitarist Ronnie Montrose found a new vocalist in…Bob James.
James appeared on two studio albums; Warner Brothers Presents…Montrose! (1975) and Jump On It (1976). He toured with the group and opened for KISS, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Eagles, and The Rolling Stones. Montrose also occasionally headlined in smaller venues, most notably at San Francisco’s Winterland.
James left after personal and creative conflicts with Ronnie Montrose, then sang with short-lived groups including Swan, Magnet, Private Army, and U.S.S.A. He and Private Army bandmate Peter Comita co-wrote the tune “Reach Out,” which was covered by Cheap Trick and heard in the Heavy Metal film and soundtrack.
But his career never took off, and the late-‘80s found him working in a metal fabrication shop, though still playing with an ad hoc group called Elements. But he kept writing and recording.
But back to that initial project ask in 2010. And this is where things get hairy. Not possessing the techical skills that he does now, Brendan brought in a friend to help with the project as well as build his father a website. Then, things went south. Quickly.
“My dad was a stubborn guy, and he kind of got in the way. He wanted us to do it, but my dad didn’t like my friend’s timeline. My dad also had some trouble with alcohol, and late at night he would write emails. Some of them would be pretty fiery and rude, and then he sent my friend a really terrible one,” Brendan recalls. “I just felt embarrassed. And I confronted my dad.”
Relations then soured between father and son and the project was abandoned. Brendan went on with his own career, joining the alt rock band Grizfolk and touring and recording for five years.
After being promoted in the late ‘90s, Bob continued to work in metal and retired from his shop in 2018. He passed away three years later. Brendan was clearing out his father’s house when he came across a cache of even more music tapes.
Eventually and all together, Brendan would have access to a total of 150 of his father’s cassettes. Of those, about 40 or 50 had anything that Brendan could work to digitize. “Some of them were unusable. He didn’t have the best storage,” Brendan says.
Slowly, he began to pick the project up again, though he admits at times it was “intense” not just to hear his father’s voice again but reflect on their often-strained relationship. It got emotional.
“It was heavy. And there were a lot of moments when I saw my dad in a way I didn’t before, so there was healing,” Brendan says. “We couldn’t really connect in those last few years. But in going through that music, I felt an immense pride. I just wish we could have connected on some of this stuff, because now I have questions.”
Many of the dozen tracks on Keeping Love Alive, like “Sasha,” “Walk That Talks,” “Reach Out,” “Time Before,” “I’ll Never Get Over You” and the title track don’t sound like demos but finished songs. The bombastic singing, synths, and drum machines peg their creation in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. Still, one can easily hear it as material for Loverboy, Survivor, Night Ranger, or Cheap Trick.
“I still think that modern bands might be interested in recording these songs. And there’s such a hunger for retro, ‘80s stuff. I hope it gets out to the right people,” Brendan says, adding that it wasn’t until his late teens that he even became aware of his father’s rock star past, mostly through stories told by his mother.
“He never really talked about things like being in a car with Mick Jagger or having Aerosmith wanting to sing for him. His phrase was always ‘I’ll tell you about it later.’ But I’ve talked to some of his friends, and they’ve told me things. Though sometimes their memories are fuzzy!” he laughs.
Finally, as to why he put out the project on cassette rather than CD, LP, or streaming, Brendan says the format fits right into the whole vibe of Keeping Love Alive.
“All the music that I have from him is on tape, so that’s how I wanted the music to get out there,” he sums up. “It just feels right that way.”
For more information on Bob James and the cassette, visit KeepingLoveAlive.org
