The “Golden Hits Of The 70s” 

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WALTER EGAN

“MAGNET AND STEEL “

(WALTER EGAN)

Columbia 10719

No. 8   August 26, 1978

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Walter Egan (b. July 12, 1948, Jamaica, NY) grew up in Forest Hills, New York, though he is usually

thought of as being a genuine Cal State soft-rocker.  In the early ’60s, Walt fronted the Malibooz, a surf

band.  Things were looking promising for Walt (guitar, bass, vocals), Dennis ”Ace” Lopez (bass), Chris

“Golden Rule” Murray (vocals), Tom “Sparkle Plenty” Scrap (drums), and John “Z” Zambetti (guitar,

vocals).  They played at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and issued “Goin’ to Malibu,” an impossible-to-

find single.

During the psychedelic era, Walt and his band became Sageworth.  With Annie McLoone as a co-lead

singer in the band, Sageworth edged toward country­ rock; Gram Parsons and EMMYLOU HARRIS even

record­ed some of Egan’s songs; notably “Hearts on Fire.”  Next up, Walt toured with Kaleidoscopes’ Chris

Darrow and formed Southpaw with Jules Shear and Stephen Hagen.  Reportedly, it was Emmylou who

encouraged Walt to give up the East Coast for those Golden State waves he had been singing about years

back.

Once situated in Los Angeles, Egan joined a group called the Wheels.  A scout for Columbia Records

caught their act, and singled out Walter for a solo recording contract.  Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie

Nicks were brought into support and co-produce Egan’s Fundamental Roll (1977} album, which yielded

“Only the Lucky” (#82, 1977).  Buckingham also pro­duced a second release, Not Shy (1978), from which

“Magnet and Steel” was culled.  The similarity of Egan’s sound to that of Fleetwood Mac, plus the presence

of Buckingham and Nicks on his recordings, led to Walter being unjustly pegged as a Fleetwood Mac clone.

Two more charts items–“Hot Summer Nights” (#55, 1978} and “Fool Moon Fire” (#46, 1983}–fol­lowed, as

did three more LPs.  Both Randy Meisner (“Hearts on Fire,” 1981) and Night (“Hot Summer Nights,” 1979)

had success with remakes of Egan songs.

In 1981, Walter combined the old and the new Mal­ibooz to cut some exciting surf sounds for Rhino

Records.  With boss sounds like “The Fluorescent Hearse,” “The Lonely Surfer,” and a remake by the orig­-

inal band of “Goin’ to Malibu,” Malibooz Rules is worth a look-see.  Wild Exhibitions, Walt’s 1983 album

was issued and passed over.