Great Metal Albums of 1981: Motley Crue- Too Fast for Love

Back in 1981, I thought I did a great job keeping up with all the music that was going around at the time, especially considering the fact that I was a bit hampered by serving in the military back then. However, the more I explore this year in music, not only have a drawn the conclusion that 1981 was a killer year for music, I feel slightly sick at my discovery of how many great albums that went past me unnoticed, including this debut album from Motley Crue.

I did hear the album in retrospect after hearing the great follow up to it and I did like it then but hearing it again after such a long lay off, I like it even more. There are some killer jams laid down on this one. The first five songs on this album really get things going here. All of them can be metal classics so I find myself asking “Why aren’t they?” Maybe I will find the answer as I continue the journey through the golden age of heavy metal. Actually, I should say the first six songs because “Piece of the Action” was quite a good belter as well. Again, I don’t take anything away from the rest of the album as they too are decent songs and the title track quite rightly can stand along side the first six. What I conclude was that in 1981, Motley Crue were definitely hungry and that hunger shown in the intensity of “Too Fast For Love.”

Another issue from listening to the album has also surfaced here. I now offer an official apology to Crue guitarist Mick Mars. See, I always had him written down as the worst guitarist in metal but now I withdraw that branding from Mick. Getting things in perspective, I am not going the other way and start comparing him with the likes of Van Halen, Nugent, Rhodes or even Iommi, but “Too Fast For Love,” proves to me that he’s not as bad as I first figured. Mick, if you’re reading this, my most humble apologies.

Track Listing:

1. Live Wire

2. Come and Dance

3. Public Enemy #1

4. Merry Go Round

5. Take Me to the Top

6. Piece of the Action

7. Starry Eyes

8. Too Fast for Love

9. On With the Sh0w

Motley Crue

Vince Neil- vocals

Nikki Sixx- bass

Mick Mars- guitars

Tommy Lee- drums

“Too Fast For Love” shows Motley Crue at a time when they were hungry and just wanted to create some good in your face heavy metal. As we will see further on down the line, something changed but we can leave that til another day. In the mean time, lets celebrate what has become for me, one of the biggest surprise albums from 1981.

Next post: The Plasmatics- Metal Priestess

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Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

 

 

Great Metal Albums of 1981: Ozzy Osbourne- Blizzard of Oz

“Heaven and Hell” proved for Black Sabbath that there was life after Ozzy, however, in 1981, Ozzy’s debut solo album “Blizzard of Oz” proved for him there was life after Sabbath. Since his departure from the band in 1978, the Oz had been battling with booze and drugs but he managed to clean himself up enough to put out an album that would forever be a major rock in the foundation of heavy metal. “Blizzard of Oz” changed the way many people, me too, at the time thought about hard rock music. It was in this year that I acknowledged heavy metal as its own genre of rock music and this album was one of the reasons why.

There is preciously very little about “Blizzard of Oz” that I could say that hasn’t been already said. The only thing I can do is to share how it has influenced me over the many years and I still worry if I will be able to do it justice. What I like most about it is the fact that Ozzy didn’t go out and recreate an album that sounded like his former band. His brand of metal here is totally unique but you still know that it is Ozzy at the mike. That comes through clearly with the opener “I Don’t Know,” a good opening song as any. It leads the listener onto to want to listen to the rest of the album while letting you know, (if this was 1981), that Ozzy was back. But there are so many great classic songs on the album that are still popular among metalheads today. “Suicide Solution,” “Mr Crowley” and the single “Crazy Train” will forever go down in the annals of metal history as classic all time great metal songs. Even the ballads “Goodbye to Romance” and the powerful “Mother Earth” play their part in making “Blizzard of Oz” the iconic album that is still is.

I don’t want to take anything away from the great Ozzy here because his vocals on here can’t be duplicated and prove his abilities. Still, what catapults this album from being good to being great is the guitar work from the late Randy Rhodes. He is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time and he definitely shows why on “Blizzard of Oz.” The solo on “Crazy Train” is one of my favourite and what he does on the other tracks is completely out of this world. So the math teacher in me concludes that Ozzy+ Randy = some memorable heavy metal.

Track Listing:

1. I Don’t Know

2. Crazy Train

3. Goodbye to Romance

4. Dee

5. Suicide Solution

6.Mr Crowely

7. No Bones Movies

8. Mother Earth

9. Steal Away (The Night)

Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne- vocals

Randy Rhodes- guitar

 Bob Daisley -bass

Lee Kerslake – drums

Don Airey- keyboards

A few months ago, I shared a petition that Ozzy should receive a knighthood for his services to music. I was informed that the petition has nearly reached its quota for signatures and may have fully done so since then. “Blizzard of Oz” is a rock solid reason why he should get a gong. To sign the petition, go to: https://www.causes.com/campaigns/39911-knight-ozzy-osbourne

Next post: April Wine- The Nature of the Beast

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London