The Neighborhood Threat - Listening Party #1

Diggin’ through the quarter record box at the local St. Vinnie’s I found an old out of print album that I’ve been searching for. Set Me Frehley’s solo album, “Out of Bondage.” To call this a masterpiece wouldn’t be saying enough. It’s rough and raw, hits all the right notes, and of course, sets you free.

For those who aren’t sure who Set Me is let me give you some background. He is not related to Paul “Ace” Frehley of KISS. No, Set Me was one of a trio of singers in the post-modern, post-punk, hair metal group called Black Hervé. He, along with band mates Q.C. Rockitt and Black Solid, cut a swath through the DIY rock scene of the late 80s. Armed with only a couple of tape decks, a cheap dictation microphone and a Realistic mixer, this trio from suburban Richmond, VA quite simply re-invented music.

Their detractors have always accused them of being “lame cover artists” or “those drunk Karaoke guys,” but to call them that would be a crime. The listener would obviously not be looking past the surface of their recordings. Sure, most of the time they did just sing right over top of their favorite songs, often imitating the inflexions of the original singers. But this was more than wannabe rockstar musings. Indeed, Black Hervé brought it to a whole new level, transforming the original meaning of the songs into something new and amazing.

For example, their triumphant version of KISS’s “Black Diamond” changes the simple ballad about lost girls turned prostitutes into a song about performance and singing itself, as each member of the group tries to out-sing or out-shout the other. By the end, their voices are so loud that the mix is completely distorted, resulting in a cacophony of sounds so transcendentally joyful that the listener oft times need to cleanup after hearing it. At least this writer does…

The band’s breakup was sudden and mysterious, and the trio’s post Hervé careers were varied. Most of you recall QC Rockitt famously singing a cover of Jerry Reed’s “Rainbow Ride” on the Rosie O’Donnell show, as well as his long stint as the center square on Hollywood Squares. Black Solid started a more traditional band, one that played real instruments and occasionally wrote original material before he faked his own death. For the most part, Set Me Frehley stayed out of the spotlight, made one album and then quietly retired. It is believed he now works at a golf course as an assistant groundskeeper.

Out of Bondage was an instant classic, although a lack of record company support doomed it to a life in the bargain bin. Six months after it’s initial release, Casablanca officially listed Out of Bondage, “Out of Print”. I was one of the lucky ones that bought it when it came out in 1992. Tragically, in a fit of manic comedy, I mistakenly broke it over my head at a house party a year later. I was so mad, I thought it was my old Billy Katt album… I hate thinking about that day…



From there the search was on for a replacement. Fifteen years later, here it is. And it still rocks. Playing it again a few things struck me. I forgot how short it is, the whole record clocks in at just over 16 minutes. Also, it sounds just like a Black Hervé album.

Casablanca Records and Tapes had hired Ted Templeton to produce the album. I read in an interview with Templeton, that he had wanted to ditch the old Hervé covers and get Set Me to write original songs. Although hesitant at first, Set Me did pour his heart out on one original song, the album’s opener, “Janet.” This is a moving tribute to actor Joyce DeWitt, and with it Set Me reveals a warm gentle side that isn’t on his Hervé work.

“Janet, you little sprite/ I miss you on Tuesday night/ Seeing you at the Regal Beagle/givin’ me thoughts that are illegal…

Then after that one day in the studio, Set Me disappeared. He was eventually tracked down and told that if he didn’t return to the studio he would have to pay back his advance. He showed up the next day with a cassette tape. He told Templeton that this was the album. And that he was done. These songs were tacked on after "Janet" and that was that.

After “Janet,” the album is filled with covers of Bon Jovi, Poison and KISS. These ‘covers” were in the Hervé style of him singing over the original tracks. His voice is real low on “Livin’ on a Prayer.” When asked about it, he shrugged and said, “Bon Jovi sang it great, I couldn’t compete with it…”

KISS’s Strutter is remade into a 30 second ad for ABC’s fall lineup. “Also, watch Barney Miller also on ABC with ABE VIGODAAAAAAAA!!!” Apparently, Set Me thought he had a career as a commercial jingle artist. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

Side two starts with an awesome version of “Love on the Rocks” and then the rest of the album is oddly filled with outtakes from the Hervé days. In fact the last few tracks don’t even have Set Me on them. What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said… it’s truly an amazing piece of work. And those out there that haven’t heard it, need to do what they can to rock it…

Sadly, this version of the album doesn’t have his rare cover of Tears for Fears’ Shout. A bootleg German re-issue of the album has that as a hidden track. It is truly stunning.