AMULET was formed in Evansville, Indiana during the autumn of 1978. The musicians were very focused on composing unique, original numbers. Writing and recording was the purpose and how to accomplish that was the first challenge. They decided to learn several sets of cover material and play nightclubs to earn the money with which to fund recording sessions. After making a few appearances playing "one nighters" to warm up and polish their sets, the band began playing at a small local establishment on a regular basis. Once word began to get around, the crowds of rock fans attending shows steadily grew. The band performed cover material from Robin Trower, Pat Travers, UFO, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Van Halen, and other great artists. While playing club gigs, the members never lost sight of why they were playing together. They diligently worked at writing and arranging their original music.
By mid 1979, the band began performing several original songs in its sets. The AMULET sound became more distinct and recognized as time went on. The original numbers soon became the most requested of all the music the band performed. The following of fans steadily grew. It seemed that there were in deed a lot of people who wanted to listen to rock! AMULET rocked them, loud, hard, and often! In about the autumn of 1979, the band began playing at the largest nightclub in the region. The crowds quickly became so large that the club owner restricted the band to playing only weeknight engagements. He cited the fact that "When you guys play here on Friday or Saturday nights, there are too many people! there are so many people that my waitresses can't even get around." Many times, AMULET drew record crowds, no matter what night of the week they played.
In the spring or 1980, after months and months of hard work, dedication, (and of course, fun), the band finally went into the studio and began to track it's original compositions. On a $3000 total budget, the band recorded, mastered, and pressed it's music on Vinyl LPs. Most everything on the record is - as was. There simply was not enough money to get it perfect. Except for a very few retakes, the songs were counted off and recorded as they happened. There were no "overdubs" on the record, so the listeners got the true three-piece sound the band produced during live shows.
The AMULET LP was released in the summer of 1980. The largest local rock radio station, KC103 (WHKC), began to play a cut off the album, "Just Like A Woman". Within a month, it became one of the most requested songs the station had and was placed on the station's "hot rotation" list. The LP was marketed in most all of the well-known record stores in the region. Within days, the first orders sold out and the stores were requesting more. The AMULET LP was proving to be a real success. Amulet kept filling the orders until the inventory of LPs was nearly depleted. The band contemplated pressing more records, but the decision was made not to do so. The band sent demos out to a few record companies in hopes of landing a recording contract. A few major record companies, including MCA Records and Warner Brothers Records, expressed interest in the band. But, there was not enough interest at the time to warrant any really serious negotiations.
In early 1981, KC103 decided to release "HOME COOKIN", a compilation LP showcasing several local and regional bands. The purpose was to release the sounds to the regional market, but also to attempt to get the area bands heard by the record companies. "Gemini," a popular cut from the AMULET LP, was included on the album.
Bass, Vocals – Paul Skelton
Drums, Vocals – John Becker (2)
Executive-Producer – Phil Baker (5)
Executive-Producer, Remastered By, Design Concept – Dennis Bergeron
Lead Guitar, Vocals, Liner Notes – Bob Becker (7)
Lead Vocals – Clif Hill
Lyrics By – B. Becker* (tracks: 8), C. Hill* (tracks: 1 to 7, 9)
Music By – B. Becker* (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9), C. Hill* (tracks: 3, 7), P. Skelton* (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 7)
Producer – Amulet (4)
Twelve-String Guitar – Clif Hill (tracks: 3)
