Les Raving Sounds

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Les Raving Sounds was a studio side project initiated by then Clocks guitarist Mike Metoff (a.k.a. Les Raving) and Mike Hudson. The name came from a French rockabilly record called "The Ravin' Sound".

Rotating members included Chas Smith on keyboards and tenor sax, Pete Haskin on alto sax, Eddie Kane and Charlie Ditto on bass, Linda Hudson and Nicky Knox on drums, and Laura West on backing vocals.

Two impromptu recording sessions in the basements at Cat City and the Music Emporium on E185th yielded several tracks, four of which were released in 1981 on a Terminal Records 7 inch. The second session ended when engineer Mike Crossen, noting the quantity of beer empties littering the studio, promptly threw the participants out. The song "Empty Bottles (Close the Door)" chronicles this incident. LRS performed live opening for the Clocks at the Warehouse in the Flats (pictured above).

An abbreviated line up with Chris Yarmock on vocals/sax also did a short set at a Polish hall along with Dr. Bloodmoney and the Easter Monkeys. In 1996, the song "Earth Boy Dream of Angel" appeared on the Cle Magazine compilation CD "Cleveland, So Much to Answer For".