Richard X. Heyman

by Chris WoodstraRichard X. Heyman is one of the sadly overlooked pop craftsmen of the '90s, but his albums are widely regarded in power pop circles as instant classics. Heyman began recording in the late '80s in the tradition of the studio nerd/one-man band, playing all instruments himself in his upper west side Manhattan apartment living room, named Brontasaurus, presumably after the classic song by the Move. He released the independent Actual Size EP in 1987 and followed with the full-length Living Room!! in 1988. Considerable word-of-mouth exposure led to the album being reissued by Cypress Records in 1990 in slightly modified form. He signed to Sire in 1990 and released one album for the label, the Andy Paley-produced Hey Man! in 1991. Poor sales led to him being dropped by the label, but he has continued recording (several albums' worth by his estimations) while shopping for the elusive new deal. Cornerstone was completed by 1996, but it wasn't released nationally until early 1998 by Permanent Press Records. In late 2000 Heyman issued Heyman, Hoosier & Herman, an EP featuring former Herman's Hermit Peter Noone on vocals for the title track and six outtakes from the Cornerstone sessions. Basic Glee arrived in 2002, followed by the Rightovers compilation a year later. Heyman reissued the Actual Size EP in 2007 with 14 previously unreleased tracks.