Mixing a sense of gothic with the pulsing beat of disco/hi-NRG, whilst being inspired by the likes of Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer, Sylvester, Divine, Grace Jones, Bobby Orlando and the studio 54 play hard/live hard ethics, DOA were a welcome change from the ‘being alternative isn’t about being pop’ attitude at that time. Music fads change and fashions swing parallel from retro to futuristic, from classic to modern and back again. But well written pop music remains its own entity, within its own sphere and containing its own point of relevance. It’s here that DOA’s music speaks for itself.

It was a strange state of affairs for many DOA fans back in the ‘80s, that they had to wait until the late ‘90s to actually hear what Pete’s speaking voice actually sounded like, as he was an ‘absentee pop star’ on many of the ‘80s talk shows. It was not Pete’s fault that they seemed too frightened of his image, too insecure about of his supposed views and unwilling to let him speak publicly. It seems quite childish now that record & TV companies really wanted to censor and sanitise a man wearing full black contact lenses, a leopard skin body suit and an eye patch! But DOA are not just about attitude and image. There’s a tender and sensitive side to the lyrics and an understanding that the visual side sometimes hindered the general public from fully embracing the talent and honesty. This is shown beautifully in the song “Isn’t It A Pity” (track 1), when Pete sings “I’m a kind of hybrid of a cartoon and a feature. Some have thought me lovely, others saw an ugly creature... I have found my image has obscured all that I am. But who said you can’t mix vinegar with jam?“

Coordinating and compiling ‘Rocket’ was indeed a labour of love for us, and it was particularly satisfying to decide what bands to approach and on what songs to give them. One of our objectives with this release was to shift the focus away from their biggest hit “You Spin Me Round“ (track 13) and to concentrate on the band as songwriters, by showcasing their other pop gems first. “Black Leather“ (tracks 2 &14) is a prime example of this, and is a seminal track in itself, dating from the pre-DOA days as Nightmare In Wax. It’s a song that today still sells for big money on the likes of ebay and record collector.

All the artists included here took hold of the DOA mantel with flair, passion and determination. So thank you for supporting us and Dead Or Alive with your purchase of ‘Rocket’. Sit back and enjoy all the hard work contained in these interpretations. This Tribute was twenty years in the making, but only months in the realization… so watch out, here we come!

Aidan Casserly, Lar Kiernan, Seán Barron & Warren Kiernan
Empire State Human