Shoes Bazooka

Zion, Illinois’ Shoes comes in second only to Cheap Trick in embodying the sound and story of Illinois pop in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Helmed by brothers Jon and Jeff Murphy and schoolmate Gary Klebe, Zion’s favorite sons were more bedroom than barroom, focusing on nailing their technique, not the local barmaid. While their Elektra-issued Present Tense LP produced four MTV-ready singles and videos, it’s their pre-major label work that genre fans have clung onto hardest.

The sophomore album that never was: 1975’s power pop scorcher Bazooka was tracked at home not long after their debut, but was shelved due to a lack of funds. Never available on LP, Bazooka has been remastered from the original analog tapes and molded in 150 gram vinyl for your listening pleasure.