Previously unreleased Roger C. Reale album featuring Mick Ronson sees light of day

Roger C. Reale onstage (Image credit: Robert K. DeRosa)

An album featuring legendary guitarist Mick Ronson is to see the light of day 40 years after it was recorded.

Reptiles In Motion was meant to be the second album by US band Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue, but was never released. It's now finally coming out as part of a package that also feature's Reale's first album, Radioactive. The Collection is released on October 18.

Radioactive was first issued in 1978 and featured Reale on bass and vocals alongside guitarists G.E. Smith (Daryl Hall & John Oates, Bob Dylan) and Jimmy McAllister (The Beckies, Mick Ronson Band, Sparks), plus drummer Hilly Michaels (Mick Ronson Band, Sparks, Ian Hunter).

Billboard described the album by saying, "If you liked The Sex Pistols and can remember Chuck Berry, Roger has something for you in the way of rock ‘n’ roll…"

Recording for the follow-up began at the beginning of 1979. “I brought Roger’s record over to Mick Ronson’s house,” says Michaels. “I sat him down and I put on Roger’s record, and Mick was just fixated. No calls, no 'Hey Mick,' he just put his hands up and was hypnotized by the first record. ‘F**king hell, Hilly, this is amazing! Can I play on the next one?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely, I’m sure you can!'"

“Mick locked in and it was lightning in a bottle a second time," adds Michaels. "Even better, even more thematic and powerful."

Completing The Collection are Close Inspection and a cover of Fontella Bass’s Rescue Me, which originally appeared on the UK release of Radioactive.

The Collection is available to pre-order now from Amazon and Bandcamp.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.