RARE SEALED LP CATS IN BOOTS KICKED & KLAWED Vintage 1989 EMI Record Radio Promo

$

26

 CATS IN BOOTS Kicked & Klawed  Original Vintage LP SEALED In ORIGINAL CELLOPHANE
MINT  Radio Promotional Copy 1989 Original Vintage Vinyl EMI RECORDS  E1 91172
Description: I received this promotional copy of Cats In Boots -  Kicked & Klawed when I worked in radio. Never played it and as with many of my extra albums it has been stored away for over 30 years in a closet standing upright with hundreds of other unplayed LPs, so the record itself is mint, unplayed and still sealed.
Personnel: Joel Ellis         Vocals  Takashi "Jam" O'Hashi Guitar, Vocals Yasuhiro "Butch" Hatae Bass, Vocals Randy Meyers         Drums, Vocals
Track listing Side A 1 Shot Gun Sally 3:29 2 Nine Lives (Save Me) 3:47 3 Her Monkey 4:07 4 Whip It Out 4:15 5 Long, Long Way From Home 4:15 6 Coast To Coast 3:15
Side B 1 Every Sunrise 6:14 2 Evil Angel 3:30 3 Bad Boys Are Back 4:12 4 Judas Kiss 3:25 5 Heaven On A Heartbeat 3:50
About Cats In Boots:
Whilst the likes of Mötley Crüe, Ratt and White Lion would enjoy repeated success during the late 1980s, there were countless other hair metal groups that would be considered nothing more than one hit wonders. One such band was Cats in Boots, whose 1989 single Shotgun Sally received a modest amount of airplay on music channels. The origin of the band can be traced back to Japan in the early 1980s, when a heavy metal group formed in Tokyo called Seikima-II. In 1985 they decided to recruit a second guitarist and eventually hired Takashi O’Hashi, a native of Toyohashi City, Aichi, who had begun performing under the name Jail O’Hashi and would join the band shortly after they signed to Sony. After recording three albums with Seikima-II, O’Hashi set his sights on becoming a rock star and announced his decision to his bandmates. In 1987 he relocated from Japan to the United States with his friend and bass player Yasuhiro Hatae, with their intention of forming a new group and breaking into the mainstream.
Arriving in Hollywood, O’Hashi began searching for a talented and charismatic singer and soon approached Joel Ellis, who at the time had been performing with a Cleveland-based rock outfit called Merri Hoax. Having recently signed a contract with Atlantic, the band were eager to commence work on touring and recording but felt that the label were not supportive. O’Hashi asked Ellis if he was interested in forming a group and promised that they would have an audience in Japan. Having struggled to gain any exposure with Merri Hoax Ellis was easily tempted and, following the hiring of American drummer Randy Meeks, who had briefly toured with Black Oak Arkansas during the late 1970s, Cats in Boots was formed. True to his word, O’Hashi brought his new band over to Japan and was able to book a series of shows almost immediately. Their first first release came in May 1988; a seven-track EP appropriately titled Demonstration: East Meets West. The promise of their mini-album and the enthusiastic response from their performances in Japan soon brought Cats in Boots to the attention of a major label, EMI, who signed the group the following September.
Despite the language barrier between two Japanese and two American musicians, the writing for their full length debut album would go relatively smoothly, with nine of the eleven songs written solely by O’Hashi and Ellis. With the label having high hopes for their new clients, they brought in Tom Werman to handle the production. Werman, who hailed from Boston, Massachusetts, had worked with on several successful hair metal albums, most notably Girls, Girls, Girls by Mötley Crüe and Open Up and Say… Ahh! by Poison. Creative differences between Werman and the band over his handing of the sessions would lead to his eventual dismissal, with EMI bringing in Mark Opitz, who had worked with a variety of artists, from AC/DC to INXS, as well as overseeing the soundtracks to the hit movies Pretty in Pink and The Lost Boys. Recording would take place throughout April and May 1989, primarily at Amigo Studios, which was based on North Hollywood and had been purchased by Warner Bros. during the 1970s, although other locations used during the sessions were Ameraycan Studios (which had been built by Ray Parker, Jr. over a decade earlier as his private recording space), Summa Studios and Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana, Los Angeles.
Although Cats in Boots had yet to make a name for themselves in the United States and the label had few expectations for them, once the recording sessions were completed the tapes were handed over the George Marino of Sterling Sound in New York, who had made a name for himself throughout the 1970s and 1980s mastering albums from a diverse range of successful artists. The first single to be released would also become their most well known; Shotgun Sally received minor airplay on MTV, accompanied by an energetic video and lyrics that told of a young delinquent girl with an itchy trigger finger. The album, Kicked & Klawed, was released by EMI in late 1989 and featured re-workings of four songs originally featured on Demonstration: East Meets West. Perhaps not surprisingly, Cats in Boots would enjoy more success in Japan than in the United States, where the release of Kicked & Klawed was overshadowed by Faster Pussycat‘s Wake Me When It’s Over, L.A. Guns‘ Cocked & Loaded (produced, ironically, by Werman) and Skid Row‘s eponymous debut.
Following disputes with their record label over the direction of the group, with EMI wanting them to recycle their material, Cats in Boots disbanded soon after the touring for Kicked & Klawed came to an end. O’Hashi decided to work on a solo album entitled Neither Reality Nor Fiction, which featured a mixture of original material and covers of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Elvis Costello, while Ellis formed Heavy Bones, who recorded one album with guitarist-turned-producer Richie Zito. Cats in Boots finally reformed in 2003 for a tour of Japan, although Hatae would be the only member not to take part and the group had no intentions of returning to the studio to record an album.

Review of Kicked & Klawed from Metal Music Archives: Cats In Boots, a short-lived sleaze act which consisted of two different countries, American with Joel Ellis and Randy Meers, and Japanese with Yasuhiro Hatae and Takashi O'Hashi. Some might know Ellis from his days with Heavy Bones, one-time band with Frankie Banali, but this time, 'Kicked and Klawed' is a totally different beast. Lots of uptempo, energetic songs, wrapped with that dirty sleaze effect, and the band also has some monstrous riffs they should be proud of.
Shotgun Sally is full of firey hooks, a brilliant starter, this is one of their strongest tracks and probably legendary that many knew this band only by this one song. Nine Lives (Save Me) is very sleazy, the riffs are awesome, and this stayed as my other personal fave since I first heard them million years ago. 'Her Monkey' is as bluesy as Great White with fast tempo; Long, Long Way From Home is a great hard rock tune; Coast To Coast and Judas Kiss are as huge as the first two tracks; and 'Heaven On A Heartbeat' is the most metal track of the album.
But all in all, the weaker songs didn't prevent this album from being a bad-ass that people mostly forgot. With many superb songs all over the place, it's a best bargain you can have out there.
An Amazon Review -  5*s This album is absolutely the crown of everything good that the 80's rock bands aspired to in terms of energy and attitude. The first six songs- Shotgun Sally, Nine Lives, Her Monkey, Whip it Out, Long Way From Home and Coast to Coast- are top notch high tempo, face-ripping hard rock, dripping raw energy and sleaze despite the ultra polished production. The album's one "eh" point is next with the customary ballad Every Sunrise, a few steps above the typical vomit-inducing dreck of the day like Warrant's Heaven, but still little more than breathing room before picking up again with the funkier mid-tempo Evil Angel and Bad Boys are Back(great song despite the cringeworthy title), then sprinting to the finish with high speed closer Heaven on a Heartbeat. Is it deep? Of course not, it's 1989. But if you want to push the envelope beyond Poison and Warrant and the like, without going full-on metal, take a listen to this band....and don't blame me for the speeding ticket.
Condition:
Vinyl: Sealed / Mint    Album cover: Excellent + Promotional hole cut in corner.  
Terms - PLEASE READ

U.S. Bidders Only

Payment:
Payment via paypal. If in NYC area, may be picked up in person and paid with cash.

Winning bidder to pay within 48 hours.

Shipping:
Shipping will be $4.00. Vinyl will be securely packed and sent via media mail which includes tracking. Limiting post office visits so this will ship within 4 business days (usually 1-2 days).  Combined shipping is available. If you are bidding or will be bidding and should win more than one auction please do not pay until you receive a revised invoice. If you would like insurance added, please let us know before paying and we will adjust invoice. 

Please realize the USPS has been just terrible for the last two months. They have been BEYOND SLOW in delivering recently and it could take anywhere from a week to a month to get your package. I mail quickly, but have no control over how fast they deliver it to you. Please take that into account when leaving feedback about delivery time.

Sales Tax: 
If your state has one is collected by ebay and remitted to your state tax authority.  I don't make a penny off of this and am charged % of total sale by paypal. What a racket they have.

Returns:
No returns. We describe all items conservatively. In the rare event of a problem, let us know before contacting ebay or leaving feedback and we can work it out. 

Feedback:
After you receive your item and are satisfied, please leave positive feedback and we then will do the same. 

Questions:
Please ask any and all questions BEFORE bidding.