Great Metal Albums of 1989: Candlemass- Tales of Creation

It has been said by many a metal fan that “Tales of Creation” was the final offering in the trilogy of Candlemass’s greatest albums. I’ve already written great things about the other two alums, “Nightfall” and “Ancient Dreams” but I was even more excited about this one because “Tales of Creation” was responsible for my introduction to the band. Not the entire album, but back then, my sister, Dawn, was making me compilation tapes from all of her metal albums and the offering from this particular album was the track, “Dark Reflections.” That track was enough to get me to explore the album more and while in no way I would criticize my sister and there is nothing wrong with that track as it demonstrates the doom metal Candlemass was famous for, there are better tracks on the album.

Actually, the album really kicks into high gear in the middle of the album starting with the fourth track, “Under the Oak.” I call this particular track, “Doom metal with a bit of pep in it.” The lead guitar of Lars Johansen and rhythm guitar of Mats Bjorkman work in perfect guitar harmony here. The track sets up the best track on the album, “Tears,” but if you’re not careful, you may miss where the preceding track ends and this one begins. “Tears” is straight up doom metal but there are some interesting change ups but Messiah Marcolin handles those particularly well on the vocals. When that track ends, Lars shows that he can shred like his famous countryman on the instrumental, “Into the Unfathomed Tower.” Of course he gets great support from his rhythm section, so unlike his countryman, Lars doesn’t need to showboat.

While the middle of the album might be the strongest part, it doesn’t deteriorate after. Messiah proves he is capable of singing a ballad on “The Edge of Heaven,” if the song had continued in that direction. Well, maybe we could call this track a doom power ballad. It is slower paced but the guitars are powerful enough to knock your socks off. More doom metal comes on the next two tracks with “Somewhere in Nowhere” ending with a cool guitar solo. After the final of three brief narrations, the title track ends the album curing any hangover the listener might have.

Track Listing:

1. The Prophecy
2. Dark Reflections
3. Voices in the Wind
4. Under the Oak
5. Tears
6. Into the Unfathomed Tower
7. The Edge of Heaven
8. Somewhere in Nowhere
9. Through the Infinitive Halls of Death
10. Dawn
11. A Tale of Creation

Candlemass

Messiah Marcolin- vocals

Lars ‘Lasse’ Johansen- lead guitar

Mats ‘Mappe’ Bjorkman- rhythm guitar

Leif Edling- bass

Jan Lindh- drums

Narration provided by Jim Bachman and Jay Larsen

At the great risk of repeating myself, “Tales of Creation” proves that Candlemass carried the torch of doom metal which had been lit by Black Sabbath all those years earlier. You can’t get much more doomier than albums like this one.

Next post: Helix- Over 60 Minutes With

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition giving Bruce Dickinson his knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Extreme: Mutha (Don’t Want to Go to School Today)- The Full Song

I just realized that when I posted about Extreme’s debut album, the version of the hidden gem, “Mutha (Don’t Want to Go to School Today),” I put on the post was the shortened version of the song. As a result, you didn’t get to listen to Nuno’s minute and a half Eddie Van Halen riffs. Everyone should listen this version as it’s much better.

Another thing I forgot to mention that today is Mrs 80smetalman’s birthday so I hope you will join me in wishing her a happy one.

Great Metal Albums of 1989: Extreme

For those of us in the UK and probably some in the US, Extreme didn’t come to light until their biggest known hit, “More Than Words,” which comes on the following album. As a result, a lot of people missed out on their debut album and this is a big regret for me as I like the album.

Some critics described Extreme on this album as a band who was trying to shed their influences. Maybe so, but I tend to think that they might be wearing their influences as a badge of honour. Sure the tracks, “Wind Me Up” and the single “Kid Ego,” sound like 80s KISS but there’s nothing wrong with this. Especially as they are in no way KISS clones, they prove they are their own band, it’s just the KISS influence comes through on these tracks.

Backing up the argument that they are their own band Is the opening track, “Little Girls.” This is done with serious funk and it’s the type of opener which grabs you by the balls and says, “You’re going to listen to this album.” The other influence comes via Van Halen where guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, does his best Eddie Van Halen licks. The beginning on the hidden gem, “Mutha (Don’t Want To Go To School Today),” sounds like Nuno’s trying to play his own version of “Eruption,” at least to a degree. His guitar work goes on for the first minute and a half of the song before the rest of the band join. Another reason why it’s the hidden gem is because it’s about something we all felt as kids. How often did any of us not want to school? Then again, it’s a cool straight up metal tune and Nuno lays down another great guitar solo near the end.

One of his other attempts at being Eddie comes on “Smoke Signals” and the power ballad, “Rock a Bye Bye.” He just shreds away at the end of the song and it’s what makes the song for me. Jeez, another underrated guitarist to add to that ever-growing list of mine. On every issue except for Australia and New Zealand, “Rock a Bye Bye” is the closer and it makes a good one for the album. On the versions down under, you get “Play With Me” which would also feature on the “Bill and Ted” soundtrack and as closers go, it’s an okay one to end the album.

Track Listing:

1. Little Girls
2. Wind Me Up
3. Kid Ego
4. Watching, Waiting
5. Mutha (Don’t Want to Go to School Today)
6. Teacher’s Pet
7. Big Boy’s Don’t Cry
8. Smoke Signals
9. Flesh ‘n’ Blood
10. Rock a Bye Bye
11. Play With Me

Extreme

Gary Cherone- lead and backing vocals

Nuno Bettencourt- guitar, synthesizer, piano, backing vocals, percussion

Pat Badger- bass, backing vocals

Paul Geary- drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians:

The Lollipop Kids- backing vocals

Rapheal May- harmonica

What no Steve Lukather or Claude Schnell?

I have come to the same conclusion on Extreme’s debut album I have on the debuts of some of the other bands I’ve posted about, it’s a promising start. Yes, with the benefit of history, Extreme will make an amazing second album and I guaranf*ckintee it that I will write about that one in 1990. In the meantime, let’s all enjoy this cool debut.

Next post: Candlemass- Tales of Creation

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Metal Albums of 1989: Loudness- Soldier of Fortune

Thinking about my comment about Billy Squier being the best American artist not to have made it in Britain, Loudness gets the gong for best Japanese band to have cracked America but not Britain. In the UK, the big Japanese metal band was Vow Wow but that’s a story for another day. This is the only reason why Loudness’s 1989, “Soldier of Fortune,” passed me by in that year. It didn’t make any headway in Britain.

Before recording the album, lead singer, Minoru Nihara, left the band after the band’s manager suggested that Loudness would have more success in America if they had a real English speaking singer. Soap box alert: If I had known this back then, I wouldn’t have been happy because I have always liked Nihara as a singer and so what if he sang better in English than he spoke the language. He has always been one of my favourite vocalists. Soap box moment over.

With all that said, I did listen to “Soldier of Fortune” with an open mind. For me, the power and glam Loudness brought to their albums remained. Massayoshi Yamashita Munetaka Higuchi are a reliable, if not formidable rhythm section and Akira Takasaki shows the world that he’s still a shredder who should be taken seriously. As for the newly acquired American vocalist, Michael Vescera, to me he sounds very similar to his predecessor in vocal style. At times I thought that it was actually Nihara singing, so there are no earth shattering changes here.

In a nutshell, it seems that on “Soldier of Fortune,” Loudness were trying to recopy the formula which made their iconic “Thunder in the East” album so good. It starts with some powerful songs with the second track, “You Shook Me,” released as a single. The song was single material, too bad the public didn’t buy it but a good metal song. The track, “Danger of Love,” comes in with an acoustic intro before the power kicks in. The song sounds very Scorpions like, not a bad thing but you still know it’s Loudness.

Where things go a bit different is on the track, “25 Days of From Home.” This sounds more jazz infused and not something one would expect from a metal band. It’s like a ballad but it’s not. Still, it doesn’t seem out of place on the album. Maybe because Akira plays a blinder of a solo on it. However, it doesn’t take long to get back to the metal as the hidden gem, “Red Light Shooter,” comes in. Pure metal done the way Loudness does it best. For those who might be wondering, the song is about someone who jumps traffic lights and not to be confused with city districts given that name.

Loudness go almost speed metal on “Running for Cover,” as it’s done at a very fast pace dragging the melody with it. There are some cool guitar hooks in it. Then it slows down for the more ballad sounding, “Lost Without Your Love.” It is on this track that you know for sure it’s Michael singing and he does a good job but it’s the little progressive sounding guitar hook at the intro which really grabbed my attention. More power metal returns on “Faces in the Fire” and continues with “Long After Midnight.” I do like the guitar work on both songs and the harmonizing at the chorus of the latter. That brings us to the closer, the rip roaring “Demon Disease” and a good closer it does make.

Track Listing:

1. Soldier of Fortune
2. You Shook Me
3. Danger of Love
4. 25 Days From Home
5. Red Light Shooter
6. Running For Cover
7. Lost Without Your Love
8. Faces in the Fire
9. Long After Midnight
10. Demon Disease

Loudness

Michael Vescera- vocals

Akira Takasaki- guitar

Massayoshi Yamashita- bass

Munetaka Higuchi- drums

Additional Musician:

Claude Schell- keyboards

This is the second straight album Claude played on. Was he trying to be Steve Lukather?

No matter if you’re in the Vescera camp or the Nihara one, Loudness would fade into obscurity in America, although they would continue to rule in their homeland of Japan. However, this was down to other changes in the wind and not to the change in the singer, though I’m still a Minoru Nihara fan to the end.

Next post: Extreme

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson his knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Metal Albums of 1989: Doro- Force Majeure

Originally, “Force Majeure” was going to be a Warlock album but since Doro Pesch was the only original member left in the band and after some legal wrangling, she decided to use her own name and has done so ever since. Still, some call this album Warlock’s last album, which is a bit strange because Warlock were a German band and the musicians she uses here are all American, although former Dio keyboardist, Claude Schnell, although born in America, was raised in France. Anyway, enough of the history, now onto the album.

“Force Majeure” starts off with an interesting cover of the classic, “Whiter Shade of Pale.” The original and subsequent covers are more on the mellow side, Doro puts a bit of hard guitar into it and it sounds brilliant. I didn’t expect this song to sound so good metalized. However, that sets the stage for the rest of the album because you get one great metal tune after another. I mean you could substitute “World Gone Wild” with “Doro Gone Wild” and it would be the truth. She proves that she can shape her voice to fit any song and it helps that you get a blazing guitar solo from guitarist Jon Levin who is currently in Dokken.

For me, the two best tracks on the album are “Mission of Mercy” and “Angels With Dirty Faces.” On the former, Doro and her band are really tight with her vocals, a good rhythm section and some more great guitar work. The latter goes more back to Doro’s days with Warlock, which is not a bad thing at all. Man, I could go on for this entire post gushing about how great Doro’s voice is and the guitar work of Jon as both are present on the album but those talents are best highlighted on these two tracks.

While I never had any doubts as to Doro’s ability to sing a ballad, if anyone else needs proof, then the short but sweet “Beyond the Trees” silences anyone else’s doubts. One track I did know of because my sister sent it to me when she used to send me cuts from the different albums she had was “Hard Times.” Because my cassettes are stored up in my attic, I haven’t heard this in ages but it’s just as good as I remember.

Going back to Doro’s versatility, she goes near thrash on “I Am What I Am” and the power does not lessen with “Cry Wolf” and “Under the Gun.” The ballad like “River of Tears” would make a great closer if Doro hadn’t thrown in the brief “Bis aus Blut” in at the end. Still, it makes for a dynamite album.

Track Listing:

1. Whiter Shade of Pale
2. Save My Soul
3. World Gone Wild
4. Mission of Mercy
5. Angels With Dirty Faces
6. Beyond the Trees
7. Hard Times
8. Hellraiser
9. I Am What I Am
10. Cry Wolf
11. Under the Gun
12. River of Tears
13. Bis aus Blut (Till It Bleeds)

Doro Pesch

Doro Pesch- vocals

Jon Levin- guitar

Tommy Heindriksen- bass, backing vocals

Bobby Rondinelli- drums

Claude Schnell- keyboards

No need for anyone to say that for Doro, life after Warlock was grand. “Force Majeure” was the album which started it all off and she continues on to this day. I know, I’ve seen her twice at Bloodstock and both times she was phenomenal.

Next post: Loudness- Soldier of Fortune

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson his much deserved knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Metal Albums of 1989: Billy Squier- Hear & Now

I have a genuine excuse as to why Billy Squier’s “Hear & Now” passed me by in 1989. Like I’ve said in the past, Billy is the best American artists not to have cracked the UK. His single, “The Stroke,” made it into the fifties in the UK singles charts and he played the 1982 Reading Rock Festival but that was pretty much how far Billy got in the UK. So, this album came and went with few people in the UK even noticing.

Billy Squier’s fan base have called “Hear & Now” his best album since the highly acclaimed “Don’t Say No” and I have to agree. On this album, he went back to a more hard rock as opposed to his more synth oriented albums from the middle of the decade. That comes through straight away as the opening song blasts through the speakers and throws down the anchor for the rest of the album. That is followed by the hidden gem on the album, “Stronger.” Co-written with Desmond Child, the song is a huge party in melodic metal even if the intro does sound a little like Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best.” The chorus is extremely catchy.

The hit single from the album is “Don’t Say You Love Me.” This was Billy’s highest charting single since “Rock Me Tonight” and would be his last single to hit the Billboard 100. But we don’t really care about that do we. If there is one song which can totally take you back to the glory days of “Don’t Say No,” then it’s this track. It gets down hard, yet melodic, making it a great combination for a cool song. In addition, there is no embarrassing video for it.

“Don’t Let Me Up” is a power ballad and while this is nothing new, Billy has done ballads before, this one is particularly good. Maybe it’s because of the cool guitar solo. It’s not clear who shreds on the song. Is it Billy or journeyman shredder John McCurry? But whoever does it plays a blinder. He goes back to rocking out on “Tied Up.” This is a great rocker with some cool horns providing some really good support.

No, “(I Put) A Spell On You” is not a cover of the CCR classic. It has some cool opening riffs and a nice little guitar hook after the first verse. Vocals and hard riffs go hand in hand perfectly on this one. A rock swagger brings in “G.,O.D.” It’s not an anti-religion song but in the song, Billy is asking, “Where is God?” It’s all done to some of the most powerful chords on the album. It’s a real headbanger that ends with nice drum roll from Bobby.

“Mine Tonight” is the second hidden gem on the album. It lures you in as if it’s going to be a power ballad but then explodes with some mighty riffs turning it into a metal anthem. This is one if it was played live back in the 80s, you’d be inclined to sing along to while holding your cigarette lighters aloft. But if you really want a song where Billy goes way out, then “The Work Song” is the one. There is some great guitar work which is supported by a horn section. The whole thing coming together just sounds wicked. A proper ballad, “Your Love is My Life” makes the perfect closer to the album. This is one where everyone joins hands and sings along to the end.

Track Listing:

1. Rock Out/Punch Somebody
2. Stronger
3. Don’t Say You Love Me
4. Don’t Let Me Go
5. Tied Up
6. (I Put) A Spell On You
7. G.O.D.
8. Mine Tonight
9. The Work Song
10. Your Love is My Life

Billy Squier

Billy Squier- lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar

Bobby Chouinard- drums

Anton Figg- drums

John McCurry- guitar

Mark Clarke- bass

Alan St. John- keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals

Additional Musicians:

Mars Williams- saxophone

Eric Wessberg- mandolin

Rob Hardin- synthesizer

Geoffrey Diamond, Steven Scales- miscellaneous percussion

The Uptown Horns

Doug Lubahn, Curtis King, Tawatha Agee, Brenda White-King- backing vocals

One might have thought that five years after that embarrassing video for “Rock Me Tonight,” it would have been buried in the past. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case because as good as “Hear & Now” is, it didn’t hit the mainstream like it should have.

Next post: Doro Pesch- Force Majeure

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition for a knighthood for Bruce Dickinson, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Metal Albums of 1989: Red Hot Chili Peppers- Mother’s Milk

First an 80smetalman announcement: As a result of reading the background behind the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album, “Mother’s Milk,” after I finish the tour of 1990 and before I go further into the 90s, I am going to go back and post about albums I have missed out on the tour of the golden decade of heavy metal and before.

My introduction to RHCP came from a friend in London who raved about them. Then when I went to the 1990 Doningtion Festival, I was handed a free metal compilation tape which included the song, “Stone Cold Bush,” which appears on the album. Naturally, I followed the band through the next decade as a result of that experience but I remained ignorant of their earlier output before “Mother’s Milk.” That will be rectified as well as other albums I missed like the entire Graham Bonnet era of Rainbow. Somebody shoot me!

Getting on with the album, maybe in my case, “Mother’s Milk” was the best introduction of RHCP for me. The album highlights everything I loved about this band in the years after. They practically singlehandedly introduced the world to a new subgenre called funk metal. In each of the tracks, I hear the funk and I hear the metal. So, why not combine the two? It works absolutely well here. They even bring that to the two covers on the album, the cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” and the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Fire” and give both covers a unique spin.

They bring some humour on a couple of songs as well. I’m not sure how seriously I should take the track “Magic Johnson.” Was the band LA Lakers fans or were they trying to parody the basketball legend? Then again, does it really matter because it’s a fun song. The same can be said for the short but sharp, “Punk Rock Classic.” Were they making fun of punk rock? In any case, it is one to have a good slam dance to. Not a parody that I can hear but “Nobody Weird Like Me” is also way out there. I do like the guitar solo on it but the song is definitely weird, in a good way of course and if I hadn’t heard “Stone Cold Bush” all those years ago, it would have been my choice for hidden gem.

Three singles were released from the album, one was the Stevie Wonder cover and another was “Taste the Pain.” However, of the three, the one I like most is “Knock Me Down.” There is an appeal to be played on radio vibe to the song but there is an element of metal which flows through it that I really like. It depicts the negative stereotype towards rock stars and disavowing of drugs. That could be a result of the loss of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak from a heroin overdose before the album was recorded.

Going back to humour, I don’t think these days the RHCP or any band for that matter, would have gotten away with the track, “Sexy Mexican Maid.” But if you can put your mind in 80s mode, it is a good track. As for the hidden gem, the reason why it goes to “Stone Cold Bush” is not just because I first heard it back in 1990, but also I love how guitarist John Frusciante and bassist Flea come together on it.

Track Listing:

1. Good Time Boys
2. Higher Ground
3. Subway to Venus
4. Magic Johnson
5. Nobody Weird Like Me
6. Knock Me Down
7. Taste the Pain
8. Stone Cold Bush
9. Fire
10. Pretty Little Ditty
11. Punk Rock Classic
12. Sexy Mexican Maid
13. Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Anthony Kiedis- lead vocals except tracks 8 and 10

John Frusciante- guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocal track 6

Flea- bass, backing vocals, trumpet, co-lead vocals track 4

Chad Smith- drums, percussion, tambourine

Hillel Slovak- guitar, backing vocal track 9

Jack Irons- drums track 9

And no sign of Steve Lukather!

While the Red Hot Chili Peppers made albums prior to “Mother’s Milk,” I think it was the best introduction to the band for me. I will go back in time for the other albums.

Next post: Billy Squier- Hear and Now

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition for a knighthood for Bruce Dickinson, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Metal Albums of 1989: Shok Paris- Concrete Killers

When I posted about Shok Paris’s 1987 album, “Steel and Starlight,” I stated how much I was blown away by this album, I still am. Therefore, I was very much looking forward to listening to and writing about the follow up album, the 1989 “Concrete Killers” album. While I am not disappointed in the follow up album in any way, I have to say that “Concrete Killers” is not as spectacular as “Steel and Starlight.” However, it’s still a very good album nonetheless and has grown on me a great deal after subsequent listens.

Now, I don’t know if I should be mad at Youtube for this or not but on the Tubes of You, the title track, which is the actual closer comes in as the opener. With the pounding drumroll and guitar which brings it in before Vic Hix adds his vocals, this song absolutely screams opener! Someone made a boo boo there, especially as the next track, “The Heat and the Fire” feeds off of it so well. This same comes in with the third track. On the label and two internet sources, it is “In the Dark” which, on Youtube, feeds beautifully off the first two tracks. Instead, we get the power ballad, “Away too Long,” which in itself is a cool ballad. It’s just that with the Youtube version, I think it would have been better placed fourth. That would have been the right time for such a track on the album.

With the Youtube order being different from the actual order and having listened only to the Youtube order, my mind is set that it works better for the most part. Then again, the final seven songs on the album are pretty much inter-changeable. The only real note is on the Tube version, the opener and single, “The American Dream,” comes in at number seven but is the actual opener. As the title cut makes a better opener, the single could fit anywhere mid to lower down in the order. It is still a great song with all of the band coming together perfectly. I can say the same for the hidden gem, “Hold Out.” This track puts the melodic in melodic metal while at the same time being a thrusting metal song.

What does remain constant from the previous album and is not effected by the order of the songs is the musicianship of Shok Paris. Vic keeps his vocals in the zone and doesn’t try to go falsetto and he is better for it. The rhythm section is just as superb as well. Eric Marderwald lays down some great rhythm guitar backed up by more than solid playing from bassist Kel Berkshire. Danny Simmons has some great moments on the drums as well and plays just as well at any speed and of course, what makes the album good is the shredding of Ken Erb. Why isn’t this guy mentioned among the guitar greats? As for the closer, obviously, I don’t pick the title cut which is the actual closer on the album nor do I pick the one on Youtube, “Windows.” I think “On War With the World” would have been a better closer as it has that ‘let’s take the album out on a high’ vibe.

Track Listing:

1. The American Dream
2. The Heat of the Night
3. Away too Long
4. Hold Out
5. In the Dark
6. Get it Right
7. Find a Way Out
8. Memories
9. On War With the World
10. Windows
11. Concrete Killers

Shok Paris

Vic Hix- lead vocals

Ken Erb- lead guitar

Eric Marderwald- rhythm guitar

Kel Berkshire- bass

Danny Simmons- drums

In spite of my misgivings about the order of the tracks, “Concrete Killers” is still a really good album. Not quite as good as its predecessor but very good anyway. Unfortunately, the band would go by the wayside after this. They did put out a live album in 2004 and released a new album in 2020 which I must check out.

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Mother’s Milk

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition giving Bruce Dickinson his knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Great Rock Albums of 1989: Robin Beck- Trouble or Nothin’

Credit Damien with another save. Originally, I had pegged Robin Beck as a one hit wonder, best known for her single, “First Time,” which was also used in a Coke advert around the same time. It did hit number one in the UK. Thanks to Damien, I had my mandatory three listens to Robin’s album, “Trouble or Nothin,'” and it is worthy to be posted here.

This is not a complaint but I must point five out the first six songs on the album are all covers. Three of those covers are Bonnie Tyler songs and I am thinking of a “Bonnie vs. Robin” post in the future. Let me know your thoughts on that one. Then again, with “In a Crazy World Like This,” I could do a Robin vs. Pat post but I won’t. Pat Benatar’s version wins out. In any case, producer Desmond Child knew what he was doing when he produced “Trouble or “Nothin.'” The covers, actually just about all of the songs, are done in that 80s crossover rock fashion. The keyboards are there but they don’t totally drown out the guitar. It was the same 80s formula where the keyboards created enough melody to entice the so-called mainstream listener while the guitars are hard enough to hook in people like us. Plus, Desmond got some great guitarists to play on the album, just look at the credits below. There are some kick ass guitar solos on the album.

Since this is officially Robin’s album, I must comment on her vocals and they’re very good. Attempting to throw fuel on the fire, I’ll take Robin over Taylor Swift anytime. Actually, I take most lady rock and metal singers over Taylor and just about every pop singer you could name, but that’s me. Robin has the pipes for sure. Her range and versatility is most present in the first power ballad, “Hold Back the Night.” She sings tender at first but then hits the high notes later on in the song. It’s a candidate for hidden gem.

Actually, many of the other tracks could be candidates for hidden gem, it was pretty close. The second ballad, “Tears in the Rain,” comes close but Robin’s vocals were just a bit better on “Hold Back the Night.” Another close one was the Pat Benatar cover but I’m afraid I’ll have to go with “Sleeping With the Enemy.” A mind-blowing guitar hook brings the track in and it is the rockingest track on the album. It is the proof in the pudding that Robin Beck is a true rock singer.

Track Listing:

1. Hide Your Heart
2. Don’t Lose Any Sleep
3. If You Were a Woman and I Was a Man
4. Hold Back the Night
5. Save Up All Your Tears
6. In a Crazy World Like This
7. Tears in the Rain
8. A Heart for You
9. Sleeping With the Enemy
10. First Time

Robin Beck

Robin Beck- lead vocals

Guy Mann-Dude, John McCurry, Steve Lukather, Ira Siegel, Jeff Mironov- guitar

Hugh McDonald, Seth Glassman- bass

Bobby Chouinard, Gavin Spencer, Steve Ferrone- drums

Greg Mangiafico, Chuck Kentis, Robbie Kondor, David Garfield- keyboards

Alan St. John- organ

Brandon Fields- saxophone

Brad Parker, Guy Mann-Dude, Paul Stanley, Richard T. Bear- gang vocals on “Save Up All Your Tears”

It might have come from a coke ad but Robin did pretty well with “Trouble or Nothin.’ It’s a pretty decent rock album.

Next post: Shok Paris- Concrete Killers

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

To sign the petition giving Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson

Rowena and Eline’s Wedding

Here’s where I bore you all to death with my daughter Rowena’s wedding, which took place yesterday. It wasn’t a huge spectacle as the only ones in attendance were the two brides of course, both mothers, two friends and me. Eline’s father couldn’t make it due to work. Eline hails from the same country as bands like TNT, Gorgoroth, Dimmu Borgir and Leaves Eyes. Fifty 8osmetalman points if you can guess correctly. So, without any more prattling on, here’s many photos from that very special day.

Pre Wedding Photos

Eline on the left, Rowena on the right

Pre wedding Brunch

The brides with their mothers

More Pre-Wedding photos, from the local park

Eline with her mother, Mona

Proud father of the bride

Proud parents (my ex wife Elisabeth, we’re on good terms)

My big moment in the spotlight, giving my daughter away.

Me telling her Rowena it’s not too late to change her mind, just kidding

The Ceremony:

Signing the register

All of us with the newly married couple

After the wedding: There was no reception but we did go for a very nice meal in the evening.

The pagan custom of jumping over the broomstick but an umbrella had to suffice in this case.

I hope you all enjoyed the photos. It was a great day!

Next post: Robin Beck- Trouble or Nothin’