Amongst my many shelves of dusty, alphabetically organized compact discs, nestled between The Wallflowers and The Waterboys (followed closely by my beloved collection of Watershed CD’s) lies a gem that I also treasure.  That gem is called Prize, by Wanderlust.  The record was released in 1995, being the debut on RCA Records from a band out of Philadelphia.  To this day it is a power-pop masterpiece.  Wanderlust came from nowhere and disappeared just as quickly, dropped from RCA before their sophomore effort could see the light of day.  They reappeared in 2012 and have a record released as recently as 2021.  I will get to those, but Prize is where I want to focus. 

The band was formed by Scot Sax.  He connected with the rest of the bands’ members in various ways, but most notably, he found lead guitar player Rob Bonfiglio after posting a newspaper ad that said “Looking for George Harrison or the next best thing.”  There’s no denying that the band reflects a strong Beatles influence, but there is something a bit harder in their sound, something edgier and a little less sticky sweet.  It is, for me, amongst the best of power- pop from its era.  The band gigged around the city but had no real prospects until one day when they went out looking for a good spot to take a band photo.  They found a brownstone that had a great set of steps in front and some gardens around the back, so they knocked on the door.  The woman who answered the door welcomed them, and also introduced them to her husband, who happened to own a recording studio.  He ended up helping the band make a demo.  Sadly, the bands’ friend Gus, who had taken the band photos that day at the brownstone, died suddenly not long after.  He did not live long enough to see the band signed by RCA, even though it was a mere four months later.

I admit not having listened to this record in quite some time up until recently.  Something in my mind reminded me of the record cover I always liked, and one of the songs, a micro-hit (if that’s a term) called “I Walked.”  So, I retrieved the dusty CD from the rack and was instantly intrigued, just as I had been some 38 years ago when I purchased it.  It’s a cut-out copy with the $5 price tag still slapped right on the front of it.  It’s probably one of the best $5 investments I have ever made.  The record has ten tracks.  A quick look in my digital music library shows that I have eight of the ten tracks downloaded, which tells me right away that it’s a strong effort.  After playing it on repeat for a few days, I can tell you that all ten tracks are certainly worth listening to.

Below you will find a link to a brief documentary, made by the band members themselves.  It contains the story of Wanderlust and includes some great footage of the band.  It is well worth 13 minutes of your time.  The documentary only covers the 1995-1998 era of the band’s history.  Read on after the videos for a bit of the recent history of Wanderlust.

   The Wanderlust Story

  Wanderlust – I Walked (audio only) / 1995

Following the time period covered by the documentary, the story of the band continues.  While it is less noteworthy, the band has delivered some strong material.  In 2012, Sax and Bonfiglio reunited and released an LP called Record Time, their first release in 17 years.  The first track, called “Lou Reed” is a good one, and overall it is a more than decent effort for sure.  As far as I know, the band again fell quiet until 2021, when All A View was released.  There are multiple bands using the name Wanderlust, so if you are seeking out this band, stick with the three records I have mentioned.  Give a listen to Lou Reed and Corduroy Moon, from 2012 and 2021, respectively.  It makes me wonder how good this band might have been, and how popular they might have become had they been retained and promoted by RCA, but theirs is a very common story as we all know.  Enjoy….. 

  Wanderlust – “Lou Reed” / 2012

  Wanderlust – “Corduroy Moon” / 2021

JCE, or John to his friends, was born in the Nation’s Capital and grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C.  He is 60 years old, he has a wife of 32 years, and a grown daughter.  His earliest musical memories are tied to a transistor radio with a single earphone that he carried everywhere listening to AM radio. At this point he still listens to a steady diet of punk, power pop, metal (Faster Pussycat=Yes, Megadeath=No), alt country and anything that has plenty of good guitar and drums.