Royal Court of China

This Nashville, Tennessee, USA quartet were formed in 1984 by Joe Blanton (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris Mekow (drums), Robert Logue (bass) and Oscar Rice (guitar), taking their name from a reference to the highest form of Chinese opium, which had originally been the name chosen by Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers for the band that became the Firm. Impressive local gigging and the self-financed Off The Beat ‘n' Path EP led to a contract with A&M Records, but with Logue and Rice's penchant for a folkier sound, the album tended more towards R.E.M. in style than the hard rock directio...