Saraya : Saraya / When the Blackbird Sings/Live

Saraya 

was an 

American

 Hard rock band, 

based in 

New Jersey

 and featuring

 singer 

Sandi Saraya, 

guitarist 

Tony "Bruno" Rey, 

keyboardist 

Gregg Munier, 

bassist 

Gary Taylor, 

and 

drummer

 Chuck Bonfante. 

The band is 

best known 

for their 

1989 song 

"Love Has Taken Its Toll".

History

In 1987, 

Sandi Saraya 

and 

keyboardist 

Gregg Munier 

began performing 

under the name 

Alsace Lorraine.

They eventually travelled to 

Los Angeles 

in search of stardom,

 changing their name to

 Saraya, 

because 

Sandi was the face

 of the band. 

After a short stint

 in Los Angeles,

 the band returned to

 New Jersey 

where Saraya 

and Munier

 spent the next year 

writing material 

for their debut album.

 Later in 1987, 

Saraya and Munier 

were joined by

 former 

Danger Danger

 guitarist

 Tony "Bruno" Rey, 

bassist 

Gary Taylor, 

and 

drummer

 Chuck Bonfante.

Saraya

 released their 

self-titled debut 

on PolyGram Records 

in 1989.

 Executives at 

PolyGram 

hoped to eventually

 develop

 Sandi Saraya 

into a sex symbol, 

making her the 

"Next Bon Jovi". 

Promoters wanted to 

establish 

Saraya 

as a good rock band 

and 

gradually establish 

Sandi's sex appeal 

as the band

received more exposure.

The debut album

 saw some success, 

spending 39 weeks 

on the Billboard 200, 

peaking at No. 79. 

Their first single, 

"Love Has Taken Its Toll" 

reached No. 64 

on the

 Billboard 100, 

on the week of

 August 12, 1989, 

and their follow up 

"Back to the Bullet" 

peaked at No. 63

 on the week of 

December 2. 

The ballad

 "Timeless Love", 

released by future

 EMI label 

SBK Records, 

was actually recorded 

as a 

Sandi Saraya 

solo project 

and she was

 accompanied by

 session musicians,

only that it was

 credited to her 

true band's name. 

Still,

 "Timeless Love" 

became their third

 and last single

 on the

 Hot 100, 

staying even lower 

at No. 85 

on the week of 

January 20, 1990. 

Produced and penned

 by Desmond Child,

 it was Saraya's 

only song written 

and recorded for a film, 

in that case

 the horror comedy 

Shocker. 

Child explained in 

November 1989 that, 

pressed to meet a deadline, 

he got the idea

 to wrap

 Sandi Saraya

 in huge chains

 so that she could

 give her all in singing

 her lines during the

 "Timeless Love" session,

 after explaining 

to her the background

 of the song, 

because her 

previous takes 

were unemotional 

and unsuccessful. 

She later asked to be 

chained during the overdubs.

After the first album, 

there were several

 line-up changes.

Barry Dunaway 

(formerly of Yngwie Malmsteen) 

replaced 

Gary Taylor 

on bass.

Munier recorded

 keyboards

and

 backing vocals 

on the

 second album, 

When the Blackbird Sings, 

but was unhappy 

with the direction 

of the music 

as it was more 

guitar driven. 

He later left 

the band

 and was

 replaced

 with guitarist 

John Roggio

(SARAYA)

TRACKLIST

Love Has Taken Its Toll

Healing Touch

Get U Ready

Gypsy Child

One Night Away

Alsace Lorraine

Runnin' Out of Time

Back To The Bullet

Fire To Burn

St Christopher's Medal

Drop The Bomb

Seducer

In The Shade Of The Sun

Chainsmokin'

Timeless Love

(When the Blackbird Sings)

TRACKLIST

Queen of Sheba

Bring Back the Light

Hitchin' a Ride

When You See Me Again

Tear Down the Wall

Seducer

When the Blackbird Sings

Lion's Den

In the Shade of the Sun

White Highway

New World

(LIVE BOTTOM LINE NY 1989)

TRACKLIST

Intro

One Night Away

Back To The Bullet

Healing Touch

Lion's Den

Get U Ready

Running Out Of Time

I'll Give You Money

Love Has Taken It's Toll

LINK