Great Metal Albums of 1988: Dokken- Beast From the East

After four successful studio albums, three of which went platinum, Dokken thought it was a good idea to put out a live album. “Beast From the East” was recorded during the band’s tour of Japan in 1988 before they went on the Monsters of Rock tour with the likes of Judas Priest and Van Halen.

What I like about the album is that although, the tour was in support of their previous studio album, “Back for the Attack,” there is a good, healthy mixture from all four albums. Only three songs from that album are on the live album but there is a good selection from the “Tooth ‘N’ Nail” and “Under Lock and Key” albums. There is even one from the first album, the title cut from “Breaking the Chains.” I love the mixture.

First, I’ll start with a nit pick. Having seen Dokken twice, both times during the “Under Lock and Key” tour, they opened with “Unchain the Night,” which they do here. When I saw them, I thought it was a good song to open with. However, it seems less balls grabbing on this album while the second track, “Tooth ‘N’ Nail,” does. Just a small point but I think these songs should have been switched around on the band’s play list.

While I won’t dissect each track, I will point out that at least according to the fan noise, two of the tracks from “Back For the Attack” get the most applause from the Japanese fans. I do think that “Dream Warriors” and “Kiss of Death” are played very well. In fact, I’ll put my head in the lion’s mouth and say that “Kiss of Death” sounds a lot better on this live album than the studio version. Speaking of that album, when I reviewed it not long ago, I declared the instrumental, “Mr. Scary,” to the the best song on that album. They play it live here and totally nail it! George is a beast on the guitar.

While you get some great live songs through the album, I really dig the live version of “Into the Fire,” the best is saved for last as all the songs are from Dokken’s first three albums. You get, “It’s Not Love,” Breaking the Chains,” my all time favourite Dokken song, “You Just Got Lucky,” and the great power ballad, “Alone Again,” which I love the alternative intro on and end with “In My Dreams.” If I had been at the show, I would have left the arena on a total high after that. The album ends with a studio cut, “Walk Away,” the video of which was performed on the Santa Monica Mountains in California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Man, the music along with the views must have been breath taking.

Track Listing:

1. Unchain the Night
2. Tooth ‘N’ Nail
3. Dream Warriors
4. Kiss of Death
5. When Heaven Comes Down
6. Into the Fire
7. Mr. Scary
8. Heaven Sent
9. It’s Not Love
10. Alone Again
11. You Just Got Lucky
12. Breaking the Chains
13. It’s Not Love
14. Walk Away

Dokken

Don Dokken- lead vocals

George Lynch- guitar

Jeff Pilson- bass, backing vocals

Mick Brown- drums, backing vocals

Maybe Dokken knew what we all knew about the “Back For the Attack” album, that it wasn’t as good as the first three albums, which was why only three songs from that album appear on “Beast From the East.” It was a good move on their part because the tracks from those albums, plus the fact that the three from the mentioned album are played very well, is why this is such a good live album.

Next post: Lita Ford- Lita

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

Two points: First, I am going on a client holiday at work so the next post won’t be for a week. Second, apologies to Destroyer of Harmony, I did not intentionally delete your comment on the Kingdom Come post. It’s my stupid mobile phone, I was trying to respond to it.

To give Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Rest in Peace Gary Rossington

Gary Rossington

Once again, my hopes were in vain. There hasn’t been any major rock deaths since the passing of Jeff Beck in January, so I was hoping that we might get a reprieve. Fat chance! Last night, the final original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, guitarist Gary Rossington, passed away aged 71. Gary had a super career, not only with Skynyrd but with the band Rossington/Collins in the early 1980s. He was a phenomenal guitarist and he along with fellow guitarist Allen Collins provided one of the greatest long time jams in “Freebird.” Lynyrd Skynyrd were also crucial in forming the genre known as Southern Rock. FFI: click the link.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64860924

This song was written after Gary hit a tree with his car.

Gary’s passing marks the end of an era. While, Lynyrd Skynyrd will probably continue on with Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke leading the way, all the original members are now playing together in a better place.

Rest in peace Gary, the Freebird will forever fly on!

Great Metal Albums of 1988: Armoured Saint- Saints Will Conquer

Like Riot, Armoured Saint was another great metal band from the 1980s who never got to the level of stardom they should have achieved. The major advantage Armoured Saint had over Riot in regards to my loyalty is that I’ve seen Armoured Saint live, twice. Although the first time I was too drunk to fully appreciate them. However, they totally kicked ass when I saw them at Bloodstock 2015 and their 1988 live album, “Saints Will Conquer,” reminds me of just how good this band is live.

“Saints Will Conquer” was recorded live in Cleveland in October of 1987. From the outset, the mentioned intensity comes through with the opener, “Raising Fear.” It does what any good concert opening song should do, it gets you on your feet and pumping your fist in the air. “Nervous Man” carries that intensity forward and takes it further. The guitar solo is absolutely mind blowing. Then comes the good full speed metal on “Chemical Euphoria.” Three songs in and I have come to the conclusion if they had played this exact set of songs, these days, I would have been reaching for an oxygen mask by now. Still, it’s too bad that I didn’t get to see it in 1988 as the then 27 year old me would have been able to keep up no problem.

I love the power chords which open the track, “Book of Blood.” While slower and clunkier, the power chords and vocals of John Bush and a cool bass line from Joey Vera make this probably the best song on the album. On things pertaining to John, he does show his skills as a frontman as he gets the crowd participating on “Can U Deliver.” Some might say that what he says to the crowd is somewhat predictable but he does it with flair. If I was in the audience, I would be trying to deliver, especially with that drum solo from Gonzo Sandoval near the end.

Speed metal goes full frenzy on “Long Before I Die.” Great guitar work from Dave Prichard adds a further dimension. Some cool speed riffs bring in “Madhouse” and in case anyone is wondering, it’s not a cover of the Anthrax classic. It’s its own speed metal bash. Closing out the album is the only studio recorded song, “No Reason to Live.” This was an unreleased song from the band’s 1983 demo and it’s probably the closest they ever came to a power ballad. The song is slower and more bluesy but the guitars are cool, John sings it with marvelous conviction and the rhythm section is spot on. So, what’s not to like?

The album has been criticized for not representing Armoured Saint’s early era well. Missing from the album is their famous “March of the Saint” from the debut album and their radio hit, “Isolation.” I’ll give 200 80smetalman points to anyone who knows a reason why these two tracks weren’t on the album. I know that the band nailed both of these when I saw them live so it doesn’t figure why they’re not here. If they were, it would have made a great album even greater.

Track Listing:

1. Raising Fear
2. Nervous Man
3. Chemical Euphoria
4. Book of Blood
5. Can U Deliver
6. Long Before I Die
7. Madhouse
8. No Reason to Live

Armoured Saint

John Bush- vocals

Dave Prichard- guitar

Joey Vera- bass

Gonzo Sandoval- drums

Phil Sandoval- guitar

You know what? I’m not going to get all bent up over what songs didn’t get on this great live album. “Saints Will Conquer” confirms how great Armoured Saint is live, no matter what songs they play.

Next post: Paul Di’Anno’s Battlezone- Warchild, The Best of

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

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Great Metal Albums of 1988: Helloween- Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II

When I posted about Helloween’s previous album, “Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I,” Keepsmealive, I’m not sure if it was Aaron or James, asked me if it was worth checking out Part II. I told him I would let him know when I got to the album on the tour of 1988. Well, now I can answer that question and confidently say that he should check out this album. With “Part II,” Helloween pretty much stick to the formula from their previous albums. The only difference might be that this particular album may border more on melodic metal while “Part I” was my introduction to power metal.

In keeping with Helloween tradition, the album opens with a short, just over a minute long instrumental before going into a melodic/power metal foray. “Eagle Fly Free” is a brilliant opening of what’s to come. As with all the album, Michael Kiske’s vocals are superb, he is definitely an underrated singer but you get some great power chords and a cool guitar solo. There’s even a short bass solo from Markus Grosskopf.

Power metal isn’t lost on “You Always Walk Alone” as there are power chords galore to keep you entertained. There is a very interesting musical interlude in the middle of the song, between the two guitar solos where light guitar notes accompany a bass line with cymbal drumming. It’s all quite good and that brings us right to the hidden gem of the album, “Rise and Fall.” This is one of those uplifting anthem type songs where Ingo Schwichtenburg brings in on his drums. The chorus is quite amusing and I like the faster tempo changes and of course, a blistering guitar solo trade off between Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath.

After the hidden gem comes the first single released from the album, “Dr. Stein.” This is a straight forward metal tune and I can hear why it was released as a single. It had me bobbing my head along with the beat and the anthem style chorus followed by some great power chords. The addition of keyboards gives it an extra hook. However, it’s the song three tracks down the line which is the best known song from the album, “I Want Out.” It’s one where it can be said that if you haven’t heard of this song, then you don’t know Helloween. Most people in and out of metal identify the band with that iconic song.

In between those two singles are the tracks, “We Got the Right” and “March of Times.” Both are great power metal anthems and “We Got the Right” shows the versatility of Michael Kiske’s vocals while “March of Times” is another hidden gem, with that guitar solo tradeoff. Now, remember what I said about not straying too far from the formula. Well, like “Part I,” “Part II” ends with an ten minute plus blinder of a song in the form of the title track. Youtube must have read my post on “Part I” because I got the entire thirteen minutes and fifty two seconds of full Helloween inspired metal glory. It’s a great way to end the album.

The CD version of “Part II” has a tenth track called “Save Us.” There is nothing wrong with the song, but it shouldn’t have been stuck on at the end because of what a great closer the title track is. Now, it’s said that Americans are always getting it wrong but in the case of the CD version here, they got it right as “Save Us” is the seventh track on the US version. I think it was better placed there.

Track Listing:

1. Invitation
2. Fly Eagle Free
3. You Always Walk Alone
4. Rise and Fall
5. Dr. Stein
6. We Got the Right
7. March of Times
8. I Want Out
9. Keeper of the Seven Keys
10. CD bonus track: Save Us

Michael Kiske- lead vocals

Kai Hansen- guitar, backing vocals

Michael Weikath- guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Markus Grosskopf- bass

Ingo Schwichtenburg- drums

Listening to “Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II” I am wondering which of the two parts is the better album. Therefore, I am going to have to listen to them in conjunction in order to decide. Oh, the things I have to do.

Next post: After being in Europe for 36 plus years, I am finally going to Paris to visit Jim Morrison’s grave. I will tell you all about it when I get back.

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?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: Guns N’ Roses- Live From the Jungle

I now know why I hadn’t heard of this live album from Guns N’ Roses for a long time. In 1988, it was only released in Japan. There seems to be a lot of controversy over the tittle of the album, mainly down to the Japanese writing. It is on account of an interpretation of the large red text on the album’s obi strip people have called it “Live From the Jungle.” To be honest, I only write that because it’s part of history so let’s get down to the EP itself.

Three of the six tracks were recorded live at the famous London Marquee Club. Since the performance took place in 1987, I am sure that my old buddy Dave Williams and Co was in the crowd. The first of the live tracks is the opening live performance of “It’s So Easy,” from the “Appetite for Destruction” album. It starts off with the famous English chant, “Here We Go” before the band comes on and gets down to business. To be honest, there is no problem in telling that the song was recorded live on account of the production. Still, it gets things going.

Second track, “Shadow of Your Love” is said to be recorded live but according the notes on Wikipedia, it was a faux live recording with crowd noises dubbed in. The production on this one is definitely better than the opener and I will go out on a limb a bit and say that this could have been a forerunner to the classic, “You Could Be Mine,” as it sounds similar. Axl’s vocals are clear, the band is tight and Slash nails a cool guitar solo. All in all, a great tune, it’s the hidden gem for sure.

“Move to the City” comes in with a nice blues swagger to it. This is one to get the blood pumping and I could say that it’s the best track on the album. No mention of where it’s recorded but the notes state that it’s the same version as on “Live?!*Like a Suicide” album. Following on is an early live version of a song which would be a huge hit for them a few years down the line, a cover of the Bob Dylan blockbuster, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Admittedly, the studio version is more polished than this live recording but I really dig this recording. At least on the live version, Axl’s singing “do-oh” isn’t so magnified. This was the second song recorded at the Marquee Club and this track alone makes me regret not being there that night.

Linking past with the present, when I listen to the final song recorded at the Marquee, Guns N’ Roses cover of AD/DC’s classic, “Whole Lotta Rosie,” I can see why Angus Young would choose Axl to sing for AC/DC on tour. Axl admits he’s no Bon Scott, (there is no other Bon Scott), but he does do the song justice. This is a very likeable cover of a cool song. The EP closes with the only studio recorded song, the famous “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Is there any need to say more about this closer? It’s still my favourite Guns N’ Roses song and I would probably just repeat what I wrote when I reviewed the “Appetite for Destruction” album.

Track Listing:

1. It’s So Easy
2. Shadow of Your Love
3. Move to the City
4. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
5. Whole Lotta Rosie
6. Sweet Child O’ Mine

Gun N’ Roses

W. Axl Rose- lead vocals

Slash- lead guitar

Izzy Stradlin- rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Duff ‘Rose’ McKagan- bass, backing vocals

Steven Adler- drums, percussion

It’s a shame that “Live From the Jungle” or whatever you want to call it was only released in Japan. Yes, I know you can get it now these days but if I had known about it back in 1988, I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.

Next post: Helloween- Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 2

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

To give Bruce Dickinson his well deserved knighthood, along with the postage stamps, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

In Case You Missed Them

Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that no one commented on my Iron Maiden stamps. Then again, I can understand because Cinderella’s “Long Cold Winter” album is good enough to distract from anything else. Anyway, here’s a couple of strips I bought the other day and I will buy the presentation pack.

David Williams: My Curry With Guns & Roses

So, after the gig had finished, we decided that we were going to find out where they were going, and crash whatever wild party that had been thrown in the honour of Axl and co, in whatever glamourous venue, probably in some amazing venue in the Wild West End! But how? Around the side of Hammy O we went, as near to the stage door as possible, to hang out with rock stars and find out our eventual destination. Various rock stars appeared, most lost in my memory, but the two conversations that still stick in my mind are when John Gerring asked John Sykes, ‘John, John, is Coverdale still in Whitesnake…???!!’ which was met with a rather bemused look, and the following exchange, between me and one of my absolute heroes. Me: Hello Pete Pete Way: Hello mate, I know you, you’re Swedish ain’tcha, with that pretty girlfriend. Me: No Pete, I’m Welsh Pete Way: Ah, right yeah. Got any heroin? Me: No Pete, I don’t do drugs Pete Way: Good man. Got any coke? Me: No Pete. Then his accomplice led him away to where Phil Mogg was standing and off they went away into the night, like the title of a UFO song…. But where the heck were G’n’R going??? Hang on, there they were getting on a coach. We sprinted for Kieran’s van and set off in hot pursuit. Through West London we went, keeping up with the coach despite the traffic lights getting in the way. Finally we caught up with the now parked up coach on Westbourne Grove, and it was voted that as I was the singer and the one with the mouth (lol) who goes to restaurants, that I should go and find them. Off I went and despite peering through the windows of every still open pub/bar/restaurant I could find, my search sadly drew a blank. Oh well, we’d still had an amazing night, we’d seen Faster Pussycat, (I’d even got Brent Muscat’s autograph), our mates The Quireboys (hooray!), and the all-conquering Guns’n’Roses, and then star spotted around the back of the legendary Hammy O. What more could you want from a night out? Kieran turned the ignition of his company van and we started the cross town journey back to the glamour of our East Ham home. But then, to our amazement, we saw Duff walking along the pavement by the side of the van! Down went the window and Duff was duly summoned, I still don’t know who was more surprised, him or us! He explained that he was looking for ‘a payphone to call Seattle…’ We immediately told him to get in the van, he did look at us suspiciously at first, but when he saw the way we were dressed, and we told him we’d not only been at the gig that night but also at the Marquee shows back in the summer, in he got, off we went, and a pay phone was found a few hundred yards up the road, so out he got and made his call home. We were now beside ourselves with excitement, your actual Duff, in the van, and we’d done him a favour! Surely we’d now be invited to the wild soiree that he’d escaped from. Duff got back in the van, thanked us all for our help and suggested that we should all, ‘come and have a ****ing drink with Guns and Roses!’. This was it, now what crazy rock and roll hot spot were we going to be invited into for an evening of (hopefully) free Jack Daniels and rock and roll goddesses? Much to our surprise he pointed out the Khyber Indian Restaurant, the Escort van was parked outside and, much to the shock/bemusement/horror of the respectable diners coming to the end of their meals, a line of leather jacketed, big haired rock and rollers followed him in and down the stairs at the back of the restaurant (the reason why I’d not seen them), where he was greeted by (I think) Alan Niven with the words, ‘Oh my God, what’s he done now….’. Not to worry, we were his new friends, so seats were found, beers and Chicken Kormas were ordered, and I sat there, caught my breath and looked around. So who was around the tables then? If I remember correctly, it was 35 years ago after all, it went, in clockwise fashion, me, Leigh, John, Slash (in a bootleg t-shirt he’d got outside the Odeon), Sally the Dancer, (who we knew from various gigs and nights out), maybe Alan Niven. Duff, Steven Adler, a girl called Nellie who looked like she could have been Slash’s sister, two German girls, Kieran, Carol and Martin. So who’s missing you’re asking? Just as we arrived at the restaurant, Izzy had to leave as he wasn’t feeling very well. He had indeed spent the whole gig looking extremely cool but sort of not moving very much, so not sure what had happened there. Axl was sitting away from the band further down the restaurant with, I think, Erin Everly herself. The two of them didn’t seem really interested in joining us as they appeared to be in deep conversation but I do recall him playing with a rather large ornate knife and also looking daggers at me when I proposed a toast to the band and their success. Never mind, what fun conversations we were all having, I wish I could remember them all; Duff asking me to translate into German his intentions to the two German girls, Steven Adler being very funny and charming and maybe Alan Niven being quite relieved that we were actually a well behaved group of reprobates that Duff had brought into the restaurant. All too soon at approximately 2am, it was time to leave the restaurant. Hugs, handshakes were exchanged and our demo tapes were given to the band and we got back into Kieran’s Escort van for the journey home to East Ham. What a night, as is often said, if only we’d had phones with cameras in those days! I’m lucky that I still go to gigs and meet all sorts of various famous and infamous musicians, but that night will always be one of the most special, heck, I’ve still the matches from the restaurant somewhere….

Dave, (second from right) how he looked back then when he was singer in the band Torque Show.

David’s favour Guns and Roses Song.

Thanks to Dave for sharing this great account. My only regret was that I couldn’t be there. I had to work that evening and had spent the day with my bride to be flat hunting.

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

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Rest in Peace DH Peligro

DH Peligro

I have just learned of the passing of Dead Kennedys drummer DH Peligro. Reports say that he died from a head trauma caused by a fall at home. He was 63, My thoughts go out to his family and the band, which he was a member of from 1981-6 and then 2001-8 and from 2009 to the present day. For me, the Dead Kennedys defined punk in America and put out some great albums in the 1980s which I have covered here. Join me in saying Rest in Peace DH.

FFI: https://www.metalsucks.net/2022/10/30/dead-kennedys-drummer-d-h-peligro-passes-away-at-63/

Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1988: Van Halen- OU812

When I heard Van Halen’s eighth studio album, “OU812,” the second album with Sammy Hagar on the vocals, I was greatly relieved that they were heading away from the keyboard influenced “5150.” Okay, I’ll be the first one to admit that it’s nowhere near as heavy as their first four albums but at least it was a step back in the right direction. My speculations as to why is that possibly Eddie realized he was much more proficient with the guitar and possibly he wasn’t so whipped by Valerie. Anyway, I enjoyed the album.

With that said, the first two tracks on the album had me wondering otherwise. Both are keyboards infused but the big difference is that on the second track, “When It’s Love,” Eddie does rip a guitar solo, something he didn’t do enough of on the previous album. Guitar solo aside, the rest of that song has a really catchy melody and Sammy’s vocals bring extra meat to the table. I can see why it was a top selling single, number 5 in the US and 28 in the UK. Another song which follows this format is “Feels So Good.” It has a 1980s synth pop intro but when it gets going it’s pretty good and a great guitar solo, ala Eddie, definitely helps.

Unlike “5150’s” half and half split between hard rocking and synth songs, “OU812” goes seven to three in favour of the hard rock. That starts right away with a blinder of a rock song, “A.F.U. (Naturally Wired.)” When I heard this one, I simply shouted out, “That’s more like it!” Then you get the slower but powerful, “Cabo Wabo.” The chords just pound away and the backing vocals, rhythm section and guitar licks are just superb. That’s when we come to the hidden gem of the album, “Source of Infection.” The reason why I like this track so much is that it reminds me quite a lot of my all time second favourite Van Halen song, “Hot For Teacher.” It has that vibe on it and even Eddie’s guitar solo is quite similar, so for me, what’s there not to like?

Maybe “Feels So Good” was placed where it was on the album as some sort of break in the action. It does allow the listener to catch their breath before being blown away by the remainder of the album. Leading off the bombardment is “Finish What You Started.” This song is different in a good way. The guitars have more of a Southern vibe to it. The next two tracks, however, are totally blow your eardrums type metal tunes. Now, the vinyl and cassette versions of “OU812” end with “Sucker in a Three Piece Suit,” and while that’s a great track, (I like how it takes a dig at the 80s yuppie culture), I think it was a mistake. Because on the CD and streaming version, it ends with the very bluesy “Apolitical Blues” and for me, that is the best song to close out this album! It just kicks ass, I love the backing piano and it does what any good album closing song should do, make you want to come back to the album again and again.

Track Listing:

1. Mine All Mine
2. When It’s Love
3. A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)
4. Cabo Wabo
5. Source of Infection
6. Feels So Good
7. Finish What You Started
8. Black and Blue
9. Sucker in a Three Piece Suit
10. Apolitical Blues

Van Halen

Sammy Hagar- lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Eddie Van Halen- lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Michael Anthony- bass, backing vocals

Alex Van Halen- drums, percussion

Like I said, “OU812” was a step in the right direction for Van Halen. The album offers less synth pop and definitely some more of the hard rock which made them famous in the first place. And for those who want to rubbish Sammy, I think his vocals are spot on here!

Next post: Next post: Aerosmith- Gems

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

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Donington 1988: Triumph and Tragedy

As per normal, through each year of the golden decade of heavy metal, (which is closer to the end than the beginning), I reflect on the triumphs and tragedies which occurred during that year. There have been great concert memories and artists whose lives were tragically shortened. In 1988, the triumph and tragedy occurred on the same day, at the Donington Festival.

You only need to look at the poster above as see that with the lineup, the day was going to be a complete triumph. Iron Maiden, KISS, David Lee Roth, Megadeth, Guns N Roses and Helloween made for what history will recall a great day for metal. Personally, I can’t speak for Helloween and Guns N Roses but I will get to that in a moment but the other four bands totally kicked ass!

Tragedy struck on the day during Guns N Roses’ set. A crowd collapse involving fifty people fifteen yards from the stage happened causing Guns N Roses to stop playing while concert security went in to attend to the injured. By the time they were fished out, two people, Alan Dick aged 18 and Landon Siggers, 20 were found laying down in four inches of mud. They were taken to hospital and pronounced dead. It was a tragic event which put a dark shadow on what was a glorious day for metal.

Of course, the metal hating newspaper, The Sun, spent more time focusing on the so called rowdy behaviour of the concert goers, making it out that somehow heavy metal caused the tragedy. Yes, it’s a load of BS.

On personal reflection, the reason I missed Helloween and Guns N Roses and half of Megadeth was because of a three hour plus traffic cue to get into the venue. It caused a lot of tension within the car although I can now see why my then wife would get a bit annoyed at me constantly saying, “I bet if it was a Madonna Festival, the roads wouldn’t have been so backed up.” The thing was the way metalheads were sometimes treated back in the 80s, it wouldn’t have been too far from the truth. Anyway, here are performances and a pre festival interview with Dave for you all to enjoy.

Next post: Scandals of 1988

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