Bob James - Keeping Love Alive
Limited Edition Cassette

This album and limited edition cassette is a collection of previously unreleased music from Bob’s archives. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, Bob played in several bands - most notably a two album run with Montrose on Warner Brothers Records. Though he continued writing and recording into the early ‘90s, much of his solo work never saw an official release. Reach Out—featured in the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal—was recorded by Cheap Trick. A handful of South Bay artists also performed and recorded his songs, though none of those renditions ever gained widespread recognition or commercial success.

Keeping Love Alive is a curated selection of Bob’s demo recordings and sound bites, drawn from his extensive collection of cassette tapes. This was a project we started together over 15 years ago but never completed. Bob always believed some of his best work could find a home in film and TV or be reimagined and recorded by younger artists. For me, the music on these tapes holds a special kind of magic—a direct connection to my childhood. I was a young boy when he was making this music, and largely unaware of the depth and scope of his creative process until after he was gone. Sharing it now as a reimagined album brings a sense of closure and a good helping of pride. It feels good to have finally found a way to share his beautiful work from so many years ago.

Many of these recordings exist only on 40-year-old cassettes, a format not well known for longevity. The specifics of how, when, or where these tracks were recorded—and with whom—are mostly a mystery. The music itself feels like a transmission from another time with all of its imperfections and era-specific sounds.

I’m planning to produce a very limited run of cassettes, each accompanied by a booklet filled with photos and music memorabilia. If you’d like one of these unique pieces for yourself, hit the button below.

Hope you enjoy the music.

~ Brendan Willing James