Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1989: House of Lords

House of Lords has now made it onto my list of American artists who didn’t crack Britain. Yes, they appeared on the “Protect the Innocent” compilation album but after that, zero. However, when I researched the band and the album, I discovered that they had a rich discography that carried on until 2022! So they must have been somewhat known in the US.

The other surprise came when I watched the video for the single, “I Wanna Be Loved,” which appeared on the compilation. The camera seemed to home in on the keyboards player quite a bit. Now that I know who it is, I’m not surprised. Gregg Giuffria. In the mid 80s, he had is own band, which was named after him and originally this was supposed to have been another Giuffria album, but producer Gene Simmons, yes that Gene Simmons, persuaded him to go another way.

The intro on the opening track, “Pleasure Palace,” sounds as if it could have been a classic progressive rock song from out of the 1970s, ala Yes or Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Gregg definitely has skills on the keys. However, the track develops into a more 80s synth rock song, something you might hear from Survivor but it’s not bad. The track from “Protect the Innocent” is more a rocking track so any thoughts of the album disintegrating into a pop album is quickly erased.

House of Lords really show their worth on “Edge of Your Life.” This is a nicely done melodic rock track with everyone firing on all cylinders. It’s the first track where Larry Cordola is let off the leash and he bangs out a great guitar solo. My personal opinion, this one should have been released as a single. “Looking For Strange” sounds like it might be a little all over the place but the chaos has plenty of hard rock swagger with some cool piano chops from Gregg and nice drum fills from Ken Mary.

Was it a thing in 1989 for bands to have their power ballad at the mid point of the album? It was like that with Femme Fatale and the same happens here. “Love Don’t Lie” is a really tender ballad without being too soppy. James Christian really pours his heart and soul out with the vocals and the rest of the band support with piano, a hard drum beat and a good guitar solo. Well done boys.

“Slip of the Tongue” is the first true hard rock song. They really take things up more than a few paces and rock it out. Just a great metal tune and one Rick Nielsen helped write the song. Still, it has me banging my head at a rapid pace. But it’s the cool intro on “Hearts of the World” and what happens after which convinces me that House of Lords can be considered a metal band. This one too has me headbanging away and while it’s not as fast as “Slip of the Tongue,” the power of metal is there to be heard. This one and its predecessor can both be considered hidden gems.

More 70s sounding progressive keyboards bring in “Under Blue Skies” but this time, it goes into a more heavy metal vibe. Enjoyable but I think the repetition at the end goes on a little too long. Both of the final two tracks could have been closers on the album. Both have that lets end the album in the right way and everybody sing along to the chorus vibe. I don’t see anything wrong with two songs which could be considered closers ending an album on an absolute positive.

Track Listing:

1. Pleasure Palace
2. I Wanna Be Loved
3. Edge of Your Life
4. Looking for Strange
5. Love Don’t Lie
6. Slip of the Tongue
7. Heart of the Worlds
8. Under Blue Skies
9. Call My Name
10. Jealous Heart

House of Lords

Gregg Giuffria- keyboards

James Christian- lead vocals

Larry Cordola- guitar

Chuck Wright- bass

Ken Mary- drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Jeff Scott Soto- backing vocals

Well, I’m convinced, I don’t know about the rest of you. I will explore House of Lords further albums.

Next post: Lenny Kravitz- Let Love Rule

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Great Metal Albums of 1989: Mammoth

British band, Mammoth, first came to my attention via a compilation album which I’m going to cover in the very near future. The song represented on that album from this debut is “Fatman” and it was a good choice as for me, it’s the best song on the debut. It’s a good heads up rocker and I get the impression that the band are laughing at themselves with it, in a good way of course.

Of course, we got to ask about the rest of the album. If they were looking for Top of the Pops chart success, then the opener “All the Days” would be a prime candidate. It does open with a pop oriented intro but never gets too heavy for the delicate ears of the top 40 brigade. However, there is a cool guitar solo in the middle. Mac Baker is a decent guitarist.

Like with so many bands on their debut albums, some might say that Mammoth were trying to discover what they were. True, on the album songs go in a variety of directions but they mostly stay with the hard rock formula. “Can’t Take the Hurt” is another mid tempo rocker which also could have been released as a single. With the video, maybe it was as it’s the closest they come to a true ballad. The history behind the band is vague at best.

They prove they can rock on tracks like “Bet You Wish,” “Long Time Coming” and “30 Pieces of Silver.” These are good hard rocking tracks and “Bad Times” is a steady melodic one. However, they venture into more progressive metal territory on “Dark Star” and the closer, “Home From the Storm,” and they sound pretty good. I put forward the argument that Mammoth weren’t necessarily trying to find their sound as opposed to the belief that they just wanted to make music.

Track Listing:

1. All the Days
2. Fatman
3. Can’t Take the Hurt
4. 30 Pieces of Silver
5. Dark Star
6. Bet You Wish
7. Long Time Coming
8. Bad Times
9. Home From the Storm

Mammoth

Nicky Moore- vocals, keyboards

Mac Baker- guitar

John McCoy- bass, guitar, synth guitar

Vinnie Reed- drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Bernie Torme- guitar

Kenny Cox- guitar

Rob Fisher- keyboards

David Lloyd, Mark Williamson- backing vocals

Steve Sidelynk- percussion

Mammoth was one of those bands who came and went without getting much notice. According to sources, they wouldn’t release another record until 1997. Shame, because with this debut, they were certainly heading in the right direction.

Next post: Dream Theater- When Dream and Day Unite

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Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1989: The Cult- Sonic Temple

Whether or not it’s my weird brain but did you ever find an album really good but can’t explain why you like it so much? This has always been the case for me with The Cult’s album, “Sonic Temple.” It’s a brilliant album, make no mistake about that. The songs are just fantastic, some critics criticized the album for repeating the same formula song after song but hey, it works. I find myself bobbing along to the opener, “Sun King” and then doing the same on the next track with the single, “Fire Woman.” I really love the riffs on this one.

Another criticism hurled at the album is that they went from a defiant indie rock band to Warrant wannabees. Okay, there are some elements in songs which do point to hair metal but those are done in a way unique to The Cult. Maybe it’s because it seems to me that Billy Duffy is let loose more on the album to do what he does on the guitar. He nails some really good guitar solos, one on the mentioned opener and another on the power ballad, “Edie (Ciao Baby).”

A difficult task, although I’m not complaining because it meant I had to listen to the album more, was identifying the hidden gem. There were a couple of candidates. “American Horse” does bring the power and this song alone puts them in the heavy metal category with that blistering guitar solo and the mentioned power ballad was also a strong consideration. However, and it was a very very close call, the hidden gem goes to “Sweet Soul Sister.” This song has a bit of a Savatage feel at the beginning and that was what won it for me. In addition, it’s one of those metal anthem type songs where if played live, would have the audience clapping along with it.

While I prefer the first half of the album, the second half is by no means weak. “Soul Asylum” starts things off in a cool melodic metal way with some great power chords, though it does drag a little at over seven minutes long. “New York City” is also a strong power rocker which borders near thrash and when I first saw the track listing, I thought the penultimate track, “Soldier Blue,” was going to be a cover of the Buffy Saint-Marie classic. Trust me, it’s nothing like that! Instead, it’s another great metal sounding tune. Still, I wonder what a Cult cover of Buffy’s song would sound like.

Track Listing:

1. Sun King
2. Fire Woman
3. American Horse
4. Edie (Ciao Baby)
5. Sweet Soul Sister
6. Soul Asylum
7. New York City
8. Atomic Blues
9. Soldier Blue
10. Wake Up Time for Freedom

Ian Astbury- vocals, percussion

Billy Duffy- guitar

Jamie Stewart- bass, keyboards

Additional Musicians:

Mickey Curry- drums

Note: Eric Singer and Chris Taylor played drums on demo versions

Iggy Pop- backing vocals on “New York City”

John Webster- keyboards

Bob Buckley- string arrangement on “Edie (Ciao Baby)”

Said it before and I’ll keep on saying, “Who gives a stuff what the critics say?” “Sonic Temple” is a fine offering from The Cult.

Next post: Aerosmith- Pump

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Great Rock Albums of 1989: The Hooters- Zig Zag

“Zig Zag” from The Hooters seals the proof that they were to the UK what T’Pau was to the US, one hit wonders. T’Pau are only known in the US for their hit, “Heart and Soul.” When I posted about their 1989 album, “Rage,” I found it went undiscovered there. In the UK, The Hooters will forever known as one hit wonders for “Satellite.” What this meant for me in 1989 is that because I was living in the UK, the “Zig Zag” album passed me by. If I had been in the US at the time, I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat as they were the local band which made good. The Hooters are from my birth city of Philadelphia.

If there’s anything different about “Zig Zag” from their previous two albums, it is that the lyrics of the song take a more political theme. The opener, “Brother, Don’t You Walk Away,” speaks about the widespread homelessness in America, how were are all humans but fate has favoured some but not others. Musically, it’s what I came to expect from The Hooters. Some good combined new wave, melodic rock where Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman add some rather unusual instruments. The music does augment the message of the song.

The opener was released as a single but didn’t do anything commercially, the song that did was “500 Miles.” It has a strong reggae flavour to it and Rob and Eric harmonize their vocals together very well. Supporting them was the 60s rock trio of Peter, Paul and Mary and their backing vocals add a bit of somberness to it. The song itself is about someone who is far away from home but too embarrassed to go back. However, they throw in a very significant event from the time, the lone Chinese protester who stood in from of a tank in Tianenmen Square.

Some good melodic hard rock is found in the track, “You Never Know Who Your Friends Are.” This is a very upbeat track with some straightforward rock and it’s about friends who are backstabbers and sometimes people who you thought weren’t your friends actually are. When I heard the track, “Give the Music Back,” at first, I thought it was about how synth pop was destroying creativity in music or about the anti-music stance of the religious nuts. The song is actually about the closing down of the famous Record Plant Studios on New York. This studio was responsible for recording such great albums as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” Blondie’s “Parallel Lines,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” The Eagles “Hotel California.” Apparently, reading the history, the studio closed down in New York but moved to LA. The Hooters were one of the last ones to record at the New York studio and this song is a great tribute to it.

My hidden gem for the album doesn’t come to the absolute end with the closer, “Beat Up Guitar,” though I do love the swagger behind “Mr. Big Baboon.” The track is sort of self-biographical where they sing about their rise from the city of Philadelphia to where they got to then. It also pays tribute to their home city and Eric Bazilian plays his best guitar solo on the album here. As I listen to the album, the more I lament missing it the first time around.

Track Listing:

1. Brother, Don’t You Walk Away
2. Deliver Me
3. 500 Miles
4. You Never Know Who Your Friends Are
5. Heaven Laughs
6. Don’t Knock It Till You Try It
7. Give the Music Back
8. Always a Place
9. Mr. Big Baboon
10. Beat Up Guitar

The Hooters

Eric Bazilian- lead and backing vocals, lead guitar, various wind and stringed instruments

Rob Hyman- lead and backing vocals, keyboards

John Lilley- rhythm guitar

Frank Smith Jr.- bass, backing vocals

David Uosikkinen-drums

Additional Musicians:

Peter, Paul and Mary- backing vocals on track 3

Joel Dubay, Todd Haug- backing vocals on track 6

Rick Chertoff- trumpet on track 6

God, did I miss a treat back in 1989! I can possibly say the same if I had been in the US when T’Pau’s “Rage” album came out. Still, this was a great album from The Hooters.

Next post: Tom Petty- Full Moon Fever

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Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1989: Gun- Taking on the World

Scottish band, Gun, is proof that I didn’t pay enough attention to the music scene in 1989. As you know, I had other things to think about back in 1989, otherwise, I would have paid more attention to this band and their debut album, “Taking on the World.” I remember seeing them when they were on “Top of the Pops,” where they played the big single and album opener, “Better Days” and I now remember that I liked the song back then. Of course, now I get to appreciate the entire album.

If I had paid more attention to Gun back in the day, this album would have been posted later on in the tour of 1989 as they definitely obscure the boundary between hard rock and metal, as if it’s not obscured enough. The mentioned opener is a great melodic rock track and it is not a surprise to me that it cracked the UK top 40. However, the second track, “The Feeling Within,” starts with some cool metal sounding riffs and if the guitars continued in this vein, it would have been a metal scorcher! Still, it’s a great melodic metal tune with some great guitar work. I reckon it’s what U2 would have sounded like if they went heavy metal.

An even more metal sounding track is “Inside Out.” It opens with a cool guitar solo and carries on with a Black Veil Brides kind of vibe. Actually, as they were twenty years or so ahead, maybe BVB were influenced by Gun, stranger things have happened. I do love the guitar work and I would love to know which of the two guitarists lays down the guitar solo. Since it was released as a single, I won’t call it a hidden gem but it is one of the best songs on the album.

More good guitar riffs and a thumping bass line makes “Money (Everybody Loves Her.) This one has a very nice metal swagger to it as well as a blistering guitar solo and I love the backing vocals at the chorus. The title track marks the end of the first half of the album. Things slow down a little on this as it starts with an acoustic guitar and Mark Rankin shows versatility in his voice. This nice little ballad does the job perfectly and it was the final single released from the album. It did chart but failed to reach the top 40 but who really cares about that. It’s a nice little ditty.

The second half of the album kicks off with some more interesting guitar riff/bass line combo from “Shame On You.” There is a definite U2 influence on this one at least until the drumroll from livens things up. I do like the change up in Mark’s vocals and some more cool guitar hooks. Metal meets blues on “Can’t Get Any Lower.” I think this is meant to be a more melancholy song but the guitars in the back betray that feeling. Maybe it’s down to the title being a little too repetitive. The rhythm guitar is the thing to note here.

Track 8 reveals the hidden gem which is “Something to Believe In.” You get some interesting metal riffs with a depressing but very likeable vocal style and backing vocals. Penultimate track, “Girls in Love” sounds like Duran Duran going heavy metal. I can actually hear a Duranie vibe here but I still don’t hate it. Gun puts a hard rock spin on it which you cannot fail to like, the guitar solo helps. That brings us to the closer, “I’ll Be Waiting.” While it’s not a weak track in any sense, it does let you sit back and reflect on how great an album this is as it takes the album to its natural conclusion. A fine guitar solo finalizes the fact.

Track Listing:

1. Better Days
2. The Feeling Within
3. Inside Out
4. Money (Everybody Loves Her)
5. Taking On the World
6. Shame On You
7. Can’t Get Any Lower
8. Something to Believe In
9. Girls in Love
10. I’ll Be Waiting

Gun

Mark Rankin- vocals

Giuliano Gizzi- guitar

Baby Stafford- guitar

Dante Gizzi- bass

Scott Shields- drums

Additional Musicians:

Sharleen Spiteri- backing vocals (tracks 2 and 10)

Scott Fraser- bass (tracks 7 and 9)

Alan Thornton- backing vocals

David Aitken- guitar

Jim McDermott- drums

I know it’s very early in the tour of 1989 but I think I have found a candidate for best album which I should have taken more notice of. Congrats to Gun.

Next post: Michael Bolton- Soul Provider

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Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1988: Dogs D’Amour- In the Dynamite Jet Saloon

Readers have ask why I will be stopping my tour of rock and metal history after 1989 and there are several reasons for this. One of which was because by 1990, I was becoming more and more aloof musically. I blame that thing called life. However, as I reflect back to that time, that thing was already intruding upon my love for music as early 1988. With a new marriage and a baby on the way, it’s easy to see why. Of course, I had my then wife telling me that I needed to stop being a prat and grow up, which I did. Now, you might be asking what does the album, “In the Dynamite Jet Saloon” by English band, Dogs D’Amour have to with it? The answer is that this album is proof of my oncoming drift away from rock and metal. I never listened to this album until now and I only knew of their big single, “How Come It Never Rains?”

The album explodes another big misconception from that time. Back then, anything with a power chord from a guitar was immediately regards as being heavy metal and with the band’s image, Dogs D’Amour were cast into that pool. Here’s the thing, “ITDJS” is not metal, not by today’s definition for sure. If there is any category they should be put in is melodic hard rock, although the Heavy Harmonies site lists them as ‘sleaze rock.’ I can go with that sentiment.

What you get with this album, is ten, (thirteen if on CD), great melodic rock songs. The songs aren’t power chords galore but the guitar work from Jo Almeida lets you know that this is a rock album. Now Jo doesn’t blow you away with blistering solos but his solos do make the songs sound good. He does play some cool guitar hooks on “Gonna Get It Right.” Furthermore, the rhythm section of Steve James and Bam provide a great foundation on which to build the music on. They especially shine on the track, “Medicine Man.” Plus Steve has a nice little bass line on “Gonna Get It Right.” Lead singer, Tyla, is another reason why Dogs D’Amour can’t be called metal. He doesn’t hit the high notes like a Gillan or a Dickinson but he doesn’t need to.

Two other tracks, “I Don’t Want To Go” and “The Kid From Kensington,” were also released as singles. The thing is, while both are cool songs, it’s the deep cuts which really make this album so enjoyable. Guitar, bass and drums come together to make “Everything I Want,” the hidden gem and that’s after beating off some stiff competition from the already mentioned “Gonna Get it Right” and “Last Bandit.” I haver heard many rock albums which were very easy to listen to but Dogs D’Amour make “ITDJS” a very enjoyable listen.

Track Listing:

1. Debauchery
2. I Don’t Want to Go
3. How Come It Never Rains
4. Last Bandit
5. Medicine Man
6. Gonna Get It Right
7. Everything I Want
8. Heartbreak
9. Billy Two Rivers
10. Wait Until I’m Dead
11. Sometimes
12. The Kid From Kensington
13. The State I’m In

Note: Track 11-13 were only available on the CD version of the album.

Dogs D’Amour

Tyla- lead vocals

Jo ‘Dog’ Almeida- guitar

Steve James- bass

Bam- drums

Dogs D’Amour and the “In The Dynamite Jet Saloon” is a classic case of better late than never with me. I feel I should kick myself for missing out on this cool album when it came out the first time. Note: when I have posted the last album of 1989, I will still be sticking around.

Next post: Briar- Crown of Thorns

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Great Rock Albums of 1988: Rush- Hold Your Fire

My excuse of being in Britain at the time is why I am posting Rush’s 1987, “Hold Your Fire,” album for 1988. I didn’t hear about this album until 1988, although I might have heard about it sooner if I hadn’t lost touch with two UK friends who are big Rush fans. Oh, I see both of them on Facebook now and they will probably both put in their two penneth on this post.

Reading a little history, I am rather perplexed as to why some ‘critics’ said that synthesizers were overused. The two Rush albums previous to “Hold Your Fire” were more synth pop in my not so humble opinion. If anything, I think this album was made ten years too late. It would have been right at home among all the great progressive rock bands from the 1970s as I find this a great offering of some cool progressive rock. Okay, there aren’t the power chords of some of the more hard rock Rush albums but Alex’s guitar is plain to hear. He does some good riffs, take “Time Stand Still” for instance but the one thing which comes to my mind on “Time Stands Still” is Geddy Lee. We all know his singing and songwriting capabilities and many will praise his keyboards skills, I do. What only Rush fans realize is that Geddy plays bass and his skills on that instrument seemed to be forgotten. Not me, Geddy, nor any dedicated Rush fans but I do like his bass line on this track and on “Open Secrets.” Oh yes, I better mention that til Tuesday singer and bassist Aimee Mann lends her voice to the track and it works very well.

The entire album is one cool progressive rock jam. Even though the intro of the opener, “Force Ten,” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a metal album, the prog rock shines through and continues on. However, there is a standout track and that happens to be “Prime Mover.” The guitar on the intro is one of those which has me fist pumping the air. Hell, turn up the guitar and you have a great metal song. Again, Lee’s not talked about much bass playing is just as prominent on the song. Like so many Rush fans, I always knew he could lay down a cool bassline. Furthermore, the song has a catchy melody which sounds like typical Rush and Geddy unleashes his skills on the keyboards here. Now some of you are probably asking, “What about Neil?” Well, he does what he always does and pounds the skins very well. Though there are some interesting drum fills on “Prime Mover.”

If I had to pick a track which could be called ‘filler,’ it would have to be “Tai Shan.” It’s an attempt, Alex used that exact word in a 2012 interview with “Total Guitar” to experiment using classical Chinese music. He also called the song, ‘corny.’ I wouldn’t go that far and I don’t think it’s a bad song, it’s just not as good as the other nine. Speaking of Alex, I just wish he soloed more on the album, that’s all. His only solos come on “Mission,” “Turn the Page” and the closer, “High Water.” The solos are quite good but it’s Neil’s drumming that really shines through on “Mission.

Track Listing:

1. Force Ten
2. Time Stands Still
3. Open Secrets
4. Second Nature
5. Prime Mover
6. Lock and Key
7. Mission
8. Turn the Page
9. Tai Shan
10. High Water

Rush

Geddy Lee- lead vocals, bass, synthesizer

Alex Liefson- guitar

Neil Peart- drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Aimee Mann- accompanying lead vocals on “Time Stand Still,” backing vocals on “Tai Shan,” “Primer Mover” and “Open Secrets”

Andy Richards- additional keyboards, synthesizer programming

I am with those in the cult status who regard “Hold Your Fire” with great esteem. I much prefer this to their previous two albums but like I said at the beginning, it might have been more accepted if it had come out ten years earlier.

Next post: Van Halen- OU812

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Great Rock Albums of 1988: Traveling Wilburys- Vol. 1

It’s amazing what can happen! What started out as a B-side record turned into an album which went platinum worldwide. According to the story, George Harrison told Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne over dinner that he needed a track recording for his new album and asked Jeff and Roy to help out, to which they agreed. On the way, George stopped at Tom Petty’s house to pick up a guitar he had left there and ended up having Tom come along. He also asked Bob Dylan if they could use his garage to record in. Originally, Bob was just going to be a host but he joined and contributed songs as well and thus the Traveling Wilburys was born.

It was agreed that they would all use the surname and make up first names for their own personas. (See below.) The first song which came out of the collaboration was “Handle With Care,” which was a huge hit. At least everywhere but the USA, where it only got to #45. “Handle With Care” sets the tone for the rest of the album. Light, melodic folk rock songs which definitely puts the easy into easy listening. While there is a similarity in all of the songs, you can hear each Wilbury’s unique stamp in the them. “Dirty World” is definitely Bob Dylan while there is no mistaking Tom Petty on “Last Night” and you get classic Roy Orbison on “Not Alone Anymore.” However, each of the others back one another up with backing or accompanying vocals. The result is fantastic.

One question I asked at the time and I’m sure many others did was how could all of these rock giants make an album together without the clash of egos? I’m sure there might have been disagreements during the song writing and recording, after all, friends have them all of the time. But there is no sound of any of that when the music starts playing. Like I said earlier, they all seem to compliment each other on the songs.

Now for standout tracks. Of course you get the big singles, “Handle With Care” and the closer, “End of the Line,” which was also a single and George led. While I can’t say there’s a filler track on the album, I did pick out a hidden gem, which happens to be “Tweeter and the Monkey Man.” It’s exclusively sung by Bob and from what I glean for the lyrics, it’s about two drug dealers on the run. It’s a dark song and the heavy guitar adds to the darkness. So does the chorus as the rest of the Wilburys sing “And the walls came down all the way to hell.” It’s brilliantly done.

Track Listing:

1. Handle With Care
2. Dirty World
3. Rattled
4. Last Night
5. Not Alone Anymore
6. Congratulations
7. Heading for the Light
8. Margarita
9. Tweeter and the Monkey Man
10. End of the Line

Traveling Wilburys

Nelson Wilbury (George Harrison)- lead and backing vocals, guitars, slide guitar

Otis Wilbury (Jeff Lynne)- lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, drums and cowbell on “Handle With Care”

Charlie T. Wilbury Jr. (Tom Petty)- lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar

Lefty Wilbury (Roy Orbison)- lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar

Lucky Wilbury (Bob Dylan)- lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica

Additional Musicians:

Buster Sidebury (Jim Keltner)- drums, percussion

Jim Horn- saxophone

Ray Cooper- percussion

Ian Wallace- tom toms

Two months after the album’s release, tragedy struck when Roy passed away from a sudden heart attack. However, the album would go onto win many awards and achieve great things. As one critic put it: The Traveling Wilburys was the greatest commercial coup of the decade. It turns out the elders of rock could teach the younger upstarts a thing or two.

Next post: One Hit Wonders of 1988

If anyone’s interested, I’ve written another wrestling script which is available to buy and download. Go to https://promixedwrestling.com/ and look for “Eva vs. Loxleigh- Grudge Match.”

Action from Eva vs. Loxleigh

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Great Rock Albums of 1988: Survivor- Too Hot to Sleep

Sometimes I wonder if there is some sort of mathematical link between my liking an album and its chart success because I really like this album “Too Hot to Sleep” by Survivor. However, the album was not a successful album chart-wise. Survivor proved to me in 1984, with the “Vital Signs” album that they didn’t need the “Rocky” films to achieve success. It was further cemented with their previous album, “When Seconds Count.” So, I can’t figure for the life of me why this album did so poorly because I really like it or maybe that’s the reason.

“Too Hot to Sleep” borders on being heavy metal on some tracks. That was made clear on the opening track, “She’s a Star.” When I heard those power chords, I thought, “Wow, this is good!” Another point is the fact that Frankie Sullivan nails some really cool guitar solos on many songs, including the one already mentioned. Hell, looking at the video, he looks like he could be a metal guitarist. Actually all three members look pretty metal in that video. On the other hand, Survivor didn’t completely abandon the melodic rock formula which brought them fame. “Desperate Dreams” is living proof of that fact.

Like with their previous album, the title track is one that does it for me. It has that hauntingly cool acoustic guitar intro followed by the dependable vocals of Jimi Jamison and supported by keyboard work from Jim Peterik and of course a killer solo from Frank. He really goes mad at the end. The only thing needed was to turn up the guitars an octave or so higher.

“Didn’t Know It Was Love” stays in traditional Survivor territory. It reminds me of “High On You” from the “Vital Signs” album and I’m more than a little surprised that it didn’t make a dent in the singles charts. It’s a song meant for such things. Meanwhile, “Rhythm of the City” is a straightforward rocker with a great rhythm guitar riff. This song is definitely close to metal and out of all my blubbering about the guitar playing of Frankie, he’s at his best on this one. One way to describe this track is to think of “Burning Heart” from “Rocky IV” as a metal tune. No doubt, this one gets my vote for hidden gem. Talking about “Burning Heart,” “Here Comes Desire” is a song which is closer to that. It has a definite swagger to it, especially with Jim tinkling the ivories on it and a great guitar solo from Frankie.

The track that did have some chart success is the ballad “Across the Miles.” Jimi’s vocals are the key to this one although he is backed up well by the other two. “Tell Me I Am the One” is more in the 80s pop vein but the backing vocals are good and Frankie keeps it from becoming a total pop song. Things go more rock on “Can’t Give It Up.” The band is spot on with this one with some nice little guitar hooks and you get double the prizes, a good guitar solo and the song is taken out with some keyboard wizardry from Jim. The album goes out with authority with the almost power ballad like “Burning Bridges.” Was the title a metaphor of things to come? Who knows? But it does end the album well.

Historical facts I understand these days which I couldn’t fathom back then was Survivor replaced bassist Stephen Ellis and drummer Marc Droubay with studio musicians. On the tour for “When Seconds Count,” Stephen developed a stomach ulcer and was unable to play on many of the tour dates. Marc was becoming more disillusioned with the band’s shift to more pop and was eventually dismissed from the band. That’s the strange thing, I wouldn’t call “Too Hot to Sleep” a pop album, more melodic rock inching towards melodic hard rock.

Track Listing:

1. She’s a Star
2. Desperate Dreams
3. Too Hot to Sleep
4. Didn’t Know It Was Love
5. Rhythm of the City
6. Here Comes Desire
7. Across the Miles
8. Tell Me I’m the One
9. Can’t Give It Up
10. Burning Bridges

Survivor

Jimi Jamison- lead and backing vocals

Frankie Sullivan- guitar, backing vocals

Jim Peterik- keyboards

Additional Musicians:

Peter-John Vettesse- keyboards

Bill Syniar- bass

Mickey Curry- drums

Ian Lloyd- backing vocals

Tommy Shaw- backing vocals

Rory Dodd- additional lead vocals on “Across the Miles”

Survivor would take a hiatus after “Too Hot to Sleep” although Jimi Jamison would tour under the band’s name resulting in legal disputes. It’s a damn shame this album didn’t take off because this whole album has been a hidden gem for me.

Next post: Bonfire- Fireworks

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Great Metal Albums of 1987: Shok Paris- Steel and Starlight

The more I travel through the metal history of 1987, the more I feel the need to thank my sister Dawn for sending me samples of great bands I might have otherwise missed. Like with Warlock, four tracks from Shok Paris’s album, “Steel and Starlight” appeared on the same tape. The difference, however, is that while Doro had already achieved great things and continues to do so, when I listen to Shok Paris, my question is: Why didn’t this band go further? After all, there must be something about why I remember them so well since the cassette they are on is with the other ones in those ammo cans in my attic.

The famous ammo cans . I thought this would be a good excuse to put this picture in the post.

To be honest, I don’t think this compilation tape is in either of those cans but in another box I had tapes in but that’s not the point. The point is those four tracks on “Steel and Starlight” blew me away so much back then and finally listening to their full album, I can see why. While it wasn’t a term back in 1987, Shok Paris would be classed as melodic metal today. Were they pioneers? If they had been more successful internationally, then I would answer “yes.”

The opening two tracks were both from Dawn’s tape and both have cool intros before going into full metal. However, while I already knew those opening tracks were good, track three, “Tokyo Rose,” convinced me that this band is for real! Vic Hix’s lead vocals sometimes sound over the top but he manages to keep it within the boundaries and of course the shredding of Ken Erb is top notch. But what really sticks out for me in this song is the rhythm guitar work, fair dues to Eric Marderwald here.

Ken’s shredding comes in more with another non-tape track, “Rocked Outta Love.” Only here, Vic does put his big toe outside the boundary on this occasion, but it doesn’t detract from the song. After that, we go back to a song which was on the tape, “Castle Walls.” I don’t remember the long progressive intro being on the tape, I hope my sister didn’t cut it out because it is done very well. Ken playing a solo along with Eric on the acoustic guitar sets things up perfectly when the song goes full metal with some more great shredding. It’s also the first track where we get to appreciate the bass from Kel Berkshire.

Drummer Jan Roll checks in on “On Your Feet” with some cool drum rolls at the beginning. This is a definite straight forward metal song which is nicely done with some more drum rolls through the song. “Falling for You” is another straight ahead metal tune but it sounds like all five band members equally contribute on it. That brings me to the tracks which has stood out for me even after thirty-five years, “Exhibit A.” However, don’t ask me to explain why I like it so much. It could be the opening lyrics:

“Its four in the morning and I wait for my case

Today is the day, I got a date with the state

They’re screaming for blood, they’re sealing my fate

Don’t kiss me goodbye because it’s never too late.”

Maybe it’s the fact that Vic doesn’t try so hard to be Joe Cool Metal singer and his vocals are brilliant as they are. Then again, that was the case on the previous track. Possibly, it’s because the track picks up a little more speed than the others without losing the melody or is it down to the lyrics being about a defendant on trial? In any case, I just love the song! Okay, the top notch solo from Ken helps as well.

“Lost Queen” has been added to my list of songs about prostitutes which I will write a post about much further down the line. It’s slows down a bit and it’s definitely a good melodic metal track. But if I were to call any tracks filler, though I won’t, the last two tracks aren’t quite as good as the rest. They’re still good tracks, I wouldn’t leave either one off the album. It’s just they’re not as good. Saying that, the penultimate track has been growing on me.

Track Listing:

1. Go Down Fighting
2. Steel and Starlight
3. Tokyo Rose
4. Rocked Outta Love
5. Castle Walls
6. On Your Feet
7. Falling for You
8. Exhibit A
9. Lost Queen
10. Hot on Your Heels
11. Streets of Pleasure

Shok Paris

Vic Hix- vocals

Ken Erb- lead guitar

Eric Marderwald- rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Kel Berkshire- bass, backing vocals

Jan Roll- drums

Shok Paris is an excellent reason why we should have had the internet in 1987. While I will forever be grateful to my sister for sending me those tapes, I think if they had more exposure, they would have gone further than they did.

Next post: The Great Kat- Worship Me or Die

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

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