When I was finally of legal drinking age to go to the Stone Pony, I went as often as I could. For years I had wanted to go to see the bands. But back then , you had to be 21 to enter. None of this 18 to enter 21 to drink policy they have now. Of course I always went with the hopes of seeing Bruce Springsteen. I was lucky to catch him on a couple occasions, but I got to see and hear a lot of other good musicians too.
One of those musicians I saw many times was Glen Burtnick. He later dropped the "c" to become Glen Burtnik. Glen was a one time member of Cats on a Smooth Surface and La Bamba & the Hubcaps. He was a member of Beatlemania along with Marshall Crenshaw. His first album was titled Talking in Code. It included some very good songs, a few which became staples of his live shows. The sound was very overproduced and very 80's sounding. His second album was titled Heroes & Zeros and was was closer to the sound he had wanted to create, from what I had read. It had a slightly harder sound, but the songs all had strong melodies. It sounded, to me, what 80's Bon Jovi might have sounded like if they were a little less commercial.
I wound up seeing Glen several times at the Pony playing with Cats on a Smooth Surface as a guest. Almost every time they would perform Heard it on the Radio, which he co-wrote with Vinnie Daniele of Cats. This song was the first song on the second side of the Heroes & Zeros album.Glen was always there whenever there was a benefit concert, and still is. To this day he still puts on his annual Christmas Extravaganza where he performs with many of his friends and musicians he's worked with over the years.
When Heroes & Zeros came out, I had to get it. A local artist had a major release. Had to support the locals. Well I wound up loving the album and saw Glen virtually every time he played either the Pony, or Birch Hill, or Raritan Manor, or wherever. The song Follow You would reach #65 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. Glen would later have a side project called the Slaves of New Brunswick which released a CD. I will cover them later. Glen later replaced Tommy Shaw when Styx reunited. He co-wrote several songs on their Edge of the Century album, one of which reached #25 on the Billboard Top 100 (Love at First Sight). He co-wrote Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough with Patty Smyth. That song reached #2 on the Billboard Top 100.
I would see Glen a few times here and there, but never as much as the late 80's through the early 90's.
One of my favorite Glen shows was in support of Heroes & Zeros. He did a show at a local high school in Point Pleasant New Jersey called Point Boro High School. I went with a couple friends, some who had seen Glen before, some who had never heard him. One was studying for the bar and was originally not going to go. Her Father convinced her to go out one night and have some fun. She became an instant fan. Another was a good friend who I had seen Glen with several times at the Stone Pony. The other was a friend from college who was a Glen fan. She brought her boyfriend along. They both loved the show.
Here is the set list from that night.
Scattered
Walls Came Down
Heard it on the Radio
For Your Love/Spinning My Wheels
Love Goes On
Here Comes Sally
Stupid Boys
Talking in Code/Perfect World
Replace My Face
Little Red House
Follow You/Not Fade Away
Glad All Over/Birthday/Pump it Up
Talk That Talk
Slow Down
The Day That Your Ship Gets Thru
Abalene
We're Alright
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