Hey World

If you know someone who fancies himself/herself a major expert on 1970s arena rock but is unfamiliar with Roadmaster, it isn't surprising. None of the band's Mercury albums of the late '70s were big sellers, and it's safe to say that the vast majority of arena rock fans have never heard of Roadmaster. Recorded in Lake Geneva, WI, in early 1979, Hey, World mines the same slick, ultra-commercial arena rock/pop-rock waters as Styx. Some would argue that "My Eyes Have Been Opened," "Who Will Stand in Our Way," and other Styx-like tunes are exactly the type of innocuous, unchallenging fare that punk was rebelling against in the late '70s, but then there is no law stating that all rock has to be challenging and provocative. Rock can accommodate music that challenges and provokes as well as music that simply entertains, and Roadmaster clearly falls into the latter category. As far as commercial arena rock goes, this LP is neither a masterpiece nor a creative disaster; the material is competent, if unremarkable and formulaic. Roadmaster was hoping that Hey World would be its commercial breakthrough, but commercial success eluded the long-haired arena rockers. ~ Alex Henderson