01 - Route 66
02 - Power Glide Slide
03 - Friday On My Mind
04 - (Sitting In The Middle Of) Madness
05 - Mr. Security
06 - Tin Soldier
07 - Head Held High
08 - Ma Ma Ma Belle
Creatively, Earth Quake had its ups and downs in the late 1970s. There were times when the obscure Northern California rockers sounded inspired, and other times when they seemed unfocused and confused. Consisting of live performances from 1975, Earth Quake's first album, Rocking the World, finds the quintet sounding like a neighborhood bar band. Think of a raw, hard-rocking bar band from 1975 -- one that was into Grand Funk Railroad, Bad Company, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, among others -- and you'll get an idea where Earth Quake is coming from on covers of Bobby Troup's "Route 66," the Electric Light Orchestra's "Ma Ma Ma Belle," the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind," and the Small Faces' "Tin Soldier" as well as original material like "Mr. Security" and "(Sitting in the Middle of) Madness." Bar bands, of course, can either go through the motions or really get into what they're doing; on this album, Earth Quake sounds like a bar band that is inspired rather than bored. Rocking the World isn't mind-blowing, but it's competent and generally fun. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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Biography
Earth Quake started in 1976, under the leadership of singer/guitarist Greg Kihn. He started the group while working at Beserkley Records, the label which would sign the group soon after it started. Other members included Steve Wright (bass), Robbie Dunbar (lead guitar), and Larry Lunch (drums). They played the San Francisco area and often toured with other Beserkley bands due to the communal attitude the label took. The group eventually broke up in 1980, leaving Kihn to go on with minor success three years later with "Jeopardy." ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
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Review for a later compilation:
Sittin' in the Middle of Madness is a decent 20-track collection that rounds up the cream of '70s rockers Earth Quake's crop of releases for Beserkley. The disc features songs from the four albums they released between 1975-1978 as well as some songs from singles. At their best, Earth Quake sounded like a supercharged power pop group with cascading harmonies and ringing guitars. Tunes like "Hit the Floor" and "Don't Wanna Go Back" are right up there with Shoes or the Rubinoos for pure catchiness. Where the band falters is when they try to rock. Tracks like "Savin' My Love," with its terrible and overly long guitar solos, and their incredibly overblown take on Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Kicks" are weak and uncomfortably close to Spinal Tap territory. Also, the harder the band tries, the more frequently singer John Doukas pushes his voice into a strained croak that sounds like a bad Brian Johnston impersonation. Add to this the band's seeming over-reliance on cover versions -- one-third of the record is covers. Which would be fine if the band was a great covers band, but while the choices of songs are interesting -- like Hot Chocolate's "Emma," the Small Faces' "Tin Soldier," and the Velvet Underground's "Head Held High" -- the band's performances are less than inspired. They really don't bring anything new to any of the songs they tackle. Better to stick to the sweet power pop sound they seemed to be able to tap into from time to time. As this disc shows, Earth Quake were hardly an essential band, but if you are willing to ignore the half of the disc that is not too exciting, there are some good songs here for power pop aficionados. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
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