The Leopards

Showcasing the talents of Dennis Pash and Kevin Sanders and apparently initially a studio entity, The Leopards are simply a lost treasure. 1977's 'Kansas City Slickers' (rleased on their own Moon label, and sounding surprisingly good for a collection that was recorded in the basement of Dennis Pash's boyhood home), found the pair managing to nail Ray Davies and company's magical mid-1960s sound without coming off like mindless clones. 

 

After the release of The Leopards' debut the band relocated to Los Angeles, but couldn't make a go of it, subsequently returning to their native Kansas City. A second shot at L.A. proved equally unsuccessful. In the early-1980s front man Dennis Pash finally moved to L.A. full time where he put together a new Leopard's line-up, recording a series of demos while trying to interest a record label in his wares. Unfortunately in an era of new wave and disco madness, interest in Pash's English inspired power pop was non-existent. Luckily Pash's persistence paid off. Having sent Los Angeles DJ Rodney Bingenheimer copy after copy of a 12 track demo tape they'd recorded, Bingenheimer took an interest in the song "Psychedelic Boy". The resulting airplay caught the attention of the Greg Shaw's Voxx label which promptly released the song as a single. 

 
Encouraged by the single's local success Voxx agreed to finance 1987's 'Magic Still Exists'. Coming a decade after the band's debut, the self-produced LP was every bit as good as the debut. Exemplified by Pash-penned long-standing Kinks fetish remained firmly in place, though this time around he tempered it with a selection of out-and-out rockers and equally enjoyable Paisley underground/new wave influenced numbers. Fun through and through you had to shake your head and wonder why this wasn't a mammoth commercial hit for the band. [SOURCE: BAD CAT RECORDS]