Leighton Koizumi talks ‘Power Hits’

While his musical roots lie deep in the sandy soil of San Diego, Leighton Koizumi has spent recent decades thousands of miles up and to the right, rocking venues from Spain to Sweden (with side trips to China and other ports of call).

Now, the legendary frontman for The Morlocks and The Gravedigger V has crafted a double album in collaboration with Italy’s Tito and the Brainsuckers — and you don’t want to miss these 24 tracks of pure chewing satisfaction.

Due out August 13, Power Hits comprises covers from the Stooges, Love, Moving Sidewalks, Kinks, Eyes, Banshees and even Gordon Lightfoot.

Leighton kindly provided Che Undeground: The Blog insights into his history with lead Brainsucker Tito Macozzi and their creation of Power Hits.

In fact, Leighton credits Macozzi with a major role in his second act after a lengthy incarceration that fueled rumors of his death.

“Tito contacted me about 20 years ago after I had gotten out of prison in California and asked me if I would want to come over to Italy and do a month-long tour,” Leighton recalls. “At the time, I was living in LA and in a ‘transitional period,’ for lack of a better word.

“So that was really the start of me doing things in Europe. I did a few tours with his band as a backing band for me, which eventually morphed into the Morlocks getting established in Europe and more on an international level, including tours in China and the Eastern Bloc countries, to name a few.”

As for Power Hits, Leighton explains: “I recorded a album with Tito in Italy for the V2 label (Virgin) and also did about a month in the studio recording stuff in Pescara, Italy.

“So the new record is the best songs off the best tracks off the Virgin album (When the Night Falls) and then the stuff we recorded in Pescara eight years ago. Those recordings have never been released, and so you have the double album Power Hits.”

Check out Morlocks video from 1985 and 1986!

And how did he choose the covers on Power Hits? “Ohhh, I didn’t pick them,” Leighton says. “At that point, I was way past being excited to play more ’60s covers. …. I only picked the Gordon Lightfoot cover!”

Packaged as a gatefold double album, Power Hits will ship in a limited edition of 500 copies, including 100 discs pressed on marbled orange/black vinyl. The album was produced by Tito Macozzi and mastered by Mikey Young.

Pre-order your copy of Power Hits now!