''Screaming Targets'' is the fourth
studio album by Australian
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
band
Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons
Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri (aka "Jo Jo Zep"). The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had severa ...
. The album was the band's first via
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival M ...
. Released in July 1979, the album peaked at number 13 on the Australian
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
, becoming the band's first top twenty album. The album was released with a limited edition bonus record featuring songs recorded live at Sentimental Bloke Hotel, Bombay Rock, Melbourne, April 1979.
The US release, detailed below, differed slightly from the original Australian issue, and did not appear until 1980.
Critical reception
"The songs and the melodies" of the album reminded critics of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine the works of
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They have recor ...
and they expressed the thought that future possible success of Jo Jo Zep's depend on their willingness to continue to follow this style.
Track listing (Original Australian version)
Bonus live LP with original Australian issue:
Track listing (Revised US version)
The US version, issued in 1980, dropped "You Made a Fool Out of Me" and added a newly-recorded studio version of "So Young".
Personnel
;Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons
*Joe Camilleri — vocals, saxophone, guitar
*Jeff Burstin - guitar
*Tony Faehse - guitar, backing vocals
*John Power - bass, vocals
*Gary Young - drums
Charts
References
1979 albums
Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons albums
Mushroom Records albums
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