Historical Events in Rock and Roll Children

Main objective behind writing “Rock and Roll Children” was to remind people, especially metalheads, of heavy metal history. At the time I began writing, there seemed to be a push by mainstream media to downplay the role heavy metal played in during its golden decade, the 1980s and that decade, contrary to what the media was pushing was not all Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Like it or not, heavy metal was a dominant force in the 1980s. True, it got little radio play and minimal play on MTV but the most successful bands sold millions of albums and played to packed out arenas. So, we can safely say that the 1980s was the golden age of heavy metal and I wrote “Rock and Roll Children” to bring home that point.

With all that said, the 80s for me was a busy decade and there were a lot of events, both music related and not, which took place in the time period in the book, 1984-7. That is the purpose of today’s post, to give you a history refresher of the events, (sorry, it’s the teacher in me) and by some weird hope, more of you will buy the book.

Non- Musical Events

U.S. Marines in Lebanon- In the story, Bob’s older brother, Mitch, served with the US Marines in their ‘peacekeeping’ mission in Lebanon. Although, he wasn’t there when the big tragedy happened in October 1983, some of his friends were. He is clearly effected by his experiences there, getting wounded when a grenade went off near him.

McDonald’s Mass Shooting- In the summer of 1984, a man went into a McDonald’s in California and shot and killed 22 people. Before he left, the shooter declared he was going to hunt humans. In “Rock and Roll Children,” the main characters joke that if they go to McDonald’s, they’re going to get shot.

Famine in Africa- I make reference to this in the book because it led to one of the greatest musical events of the decade, which I will mention more further down.

Ronald Reagan’s Re-election: This is briefly mentioned because Mitch is upset that the country re-elected the man who sent him to Lebanon where he was wounded.

Super Bowls XIX, XX and XXI- All three of these super bowls get mentioned.

The Bombing of Libya- When the US bombed Libya in 1986, there was concerns for the safety of Americans travelling in Europe. Jeff had been accepted to the University of London and while he wasn’t worried, some others were.

Reagan’s Contra War in Nicaragua- Bob becomes an anti- Contra Aid protester in light of events. He saw what Lebanon had done to his brother and this is what drives him here.

Arthur Fowler’s Imprisonment- When I got to England, I became engrossed in the very popular soap opera, “East Enders.” (Today it holds no interest for me.) In one episode, the character Arthur Fowler gets sent to prison for stealing money from a Christmas Club. A couple of nights later, I saw stickers at one underground station saying, “Free Arthur Fowler.”

Herald of Free Enterprise Disaster- In March, 1987, a British ferry called The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in Zeebrugge, Belgium, killing 193 crew and passengers. This was a huge tragedy. One month after the event, Jeff and his roommate, Henry, take a ferry to France and this does worry them a little.

Music Related Events

Concerts- Every concert which takes place in the story actually happened and at the time they actually occurred.

Vince Neil’s Accident- This rocked the heavy metal community hard and gave plenty of ammunition to the anti-metal establishment. In case anyone has been living on Jupiter, Vince was more than twice over the drink-drive limit and crashed his car, injuring two people and killing Hanoi Rocks drummer, Razzle. It had an effect on the major characters in the story as after that, they made sure that they didn’t overdo it if they had to drive.

Rick Allen’s Accident- Rick’s accident happened about three weeks after Vince’s. While Rick and his girlfriend survived, Rick lost his arm as a result of the accident and the entire heavy metal world held their breath as to whether he would play the drums ever again.

Aerosmith’s Bottle Incident- The actual event happened seven years before it gets mentioned in the book, therefore, it’s told retrospectively. The character Tammy was at the concert in Philadelphia in 1979 when some moron threw a bottle on stage hitting Steve Tyler. She gives her full account of the incident and alludes to why Aerosmith seemed to holding back their best efforts when they played Philadelphia in 1986.

Live Aid- This was the musical event of the 80s I mentioned earlier. The concert was put on to raise money to help those in famine stricken Africa. Two concerts took place simultaneously, one in London, the other in Philadelphia. In “Rock and Roll Children,” I focused more on the two metal acts which performed that day, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

Farm Aid- This was a concert to raise money to help American farmers who were losing their farms. The main takeaway from that concert was Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar playing together for the first time. The rest of the story is history.

Jesus Freaks at Concerts- I wrote a post about this. Starting in 1986, whenever people went to a metal concert in America, there were the Jesus freaks all there telling people they were going to hell for seeing that band. It was a great source of entertainment.

Religions War on Rock Music in 1986

Bon Jovi and Europe Being in the top 10 in the UK Charts- In November, 1986, Bon Jovi was at number nine in the UK charts with “Living on a Prayer” and Europe at number two with “The Final Countdown.” For many of us metalheads, it was a slap in the face to the mainstream music industry.

Prosecution of Jello Biafra- This made the news in England. Former Dead Kennedys singer, Jello Biafra, was prosecuted and fortunately acquitted on the charge of distributing pornographic material to minors on the DK album, “Frankenchrist.” While Jeff was reading about it on the train to the airport to return home, it gave him a wake up call about the society he was heading back to.

See, you do learn about history if you read “Rock and Roll Children.” One thing I was criticized for but make no apologies was how metalheads were discriminated against in the 1980s. Not that we let that stop us. Maybe I did over-pound the point but it was real. There were a lot of great and tragic events both musically and not throughout the 80s. I tried to bring history to life and maybe that was the problem, I wrote it too much like a history book.

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Next post: Mammoth

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Great Rock Albums of 1989: Marillion- Seasons End

Even a few Duranies back in 1989 knew that “Seasons End” was the first album made without former lead singer, Fish, who left the band in 1988, citing health problems as well as a falling out with guitarist, Steve Rothery. Enter new singer Steve Hogarth. I apologize in advance if anyone was expecting me to jump into a Fish vs. Steve Hogarth debate, I won’t. For me, there is no debate. Both singers have totally different styles and if there is any credit to be given, it should be to the rest of Marillion who have been able to fit their sound around both and make it sound so good.

With that said, I will make one observation. The opening track, “The King of Sunset Town,” is all the proof one needs that Steve was the right choice to replace Fish. His vocals fit around the music perfectly and when the song began, it simply sounded like business as usual. Steve Rothery playing mesmerizing guitar solos and Mark Kelly continues to work his magic on the keyboards backed by the rhythm section of Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosely. Yes, there was nothing to fear.

Here’s the fly in the ointment but it’s only a tiny fly. On the second track, “Easter,” when the vocals kick in after a light melodic acoustic guitar intro, I can’t help thinking that maybe Fish’s vocals would have fit this piece better. However, this is the only part of the album where I think that. In fact, I can reverse things on the third track, the harder rocking “The Uninvited Guest,” which is my vote for favourite track. I can’t imagine Fish singing this track as well as Steve does. Observation over!

As for the rest of the album, Steve’s vocals fit the songs very well. The alluring title track is a great example. His singing fits like a glove and of course, the rest of the band are at their best as always. I was particularly impressed with Pete’s bassline and there’s a fantastic guitar solo from the other Steve. It’s my second favourite song on the album.

Here’s an odd but true story. My introduction to the new album came by way of Marillion’s appearance on “Top of the Pops.” Obviously, the new singer was the first thing to grab my attention but the second was the song they were playing. When I heard, “Hooks In You,” I thought that after Fish, Marillion were going a bit more hard rock. That is, with the possible exception of “The Uninvited Guest,” the hardest song on the album but for the rest of it, Marillion keep to their progressive style which served them so well throughout the 1980s. A great example “Holloway Girl.” In any case, it was clear that Marillion weren’t going anywhere.

Track Listing:

1. The King of Sunset Town
2. Easter
3. The Uninvited Guest
4. Seasons End
5. Holloway Girl
6. Berlin
7. After Me
8. Hooks in You
9. The Space

Marillion

Steve Hogarth- vocals

Steve Rothery- guitar

Mark Kelly- keyboards

Pete Trewavas- bass

Ian Mosley- drums

Additional Musicians:

Phil Todd- saxophone on Berlin

Jean Pierre Rasle- pipes on Easter

Sorry, no Steve Lukather

One point I failed to mention, “Seasons End” was the first album in three not to have been a concept album. But who cares? Even with the changes, it is still a phenomenal album.

Next post: Stevie Nicks- The Other Side of the Mirror

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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 Albums of 1989: Texas- Southside

Here’s further evidence toward the notion that I was regressing back to the days of AM radio or at the very least, getting most of my music from “Top of the Pops” back in 1989. My experience of Scottish band Texas back then came from their hit, “I Don’t Want a Lover.” Even more damning in my case is that I forgot how good this song was. The term ‘pop rock’ gets thrown around quite a bit but with this song, Texas makes the term real. A few years earlier, I would have at least explored the debut album, “Southside,” and most likely would have bought this album.

What Texas do on the album is take country rock, pop rock and alternative rock and meld it together into something great. The main contributor to the meld is the vocals of Sharleen Spiteri. Her no nonsense singing style is spot on. She doesn’t go over the top with any of her vocals but keeps things in the zone. However, despite what some critics might have said, she doesn’t sound the same on each track. Proof is her efforts on the very bluesy sounding “Everyday Now.” It’s a track which one can really get absorbed into, one to sit back and weave your head side to side while listening.

Guitarist Ally McEarlaine will not be mentioned among the many guitar gods and that’s no disrespect to him. He doesn’t play too many blistering solos on the album but once you listen to his Ry Cooder sounding slide guitar work on the title track you will become a believer and give him the respect due. With that said, he does lay down an impressive solo on “Prayer for You” and he does an even more impressive one, on the hidden gem, “Thrill Has Gone.” Actually, it could be argued that it’s not hidden as it was released as a single but only hit #60 in the UK, although it did get to nineteen in New Zealand. I never noticed it so to me, it’s hidden.

Reading many of the music blogs out there, one thing I can thank all of you for is that now when I listen to an album, I keep more of an ear out for basslines. In this case, it’s very well that I do so because Johnny McElhone lays down some really good ones, especially on the first two tracks of the album. Again, like his bandmate, Ally, he doesn’t have to do anything flamboyant, he just puts down a strong line which anchors the rest of the band.

That brings me to the drummer, Stuart Kerr. Like the others in the band, he doesn’t do anything ultra fancy and like the others, he doesn’t need to. There are no Neil Peart like drum rolls on any of the tracks. Instead, he just provides a good solid beat throughout the album but there are some good drum fills, like on the hidden gem. The result is you get four really good musicians who came together to put out a really good album.

Track Listing:

1. I Don’t Want a Lover
2. Tell Me Why
3. Everyday Now
4. Southside
5. Prayer for You
6. Faith (only available on the CD)
7. Thrill Has Gone
8. Fight the Feeling
9. Fool For Love
10. One Choice
11. Future is Promises

Texas

Sharleen Spiteri- guitar, lead vocals

Stuart Kerr- backing vocals, drums

Ally McErlaine- guitar

Johnny McElhone- bass

Sometimes that thing called life really gets in the way of discovering good music. That’s my excuse for not paying as much attention to Texas back in 1989 as I should. “Southside” is a very good album.

Next post: Cher- Heart of Stone

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Great Rock Albums of 1989: Richard Marx- Repeat Offender

Sometimes, I wonder if I didn’t go near full circle in the way I got my music in 1989. As a teen back in the late 1970s, all I had was an AM radio, where the local stations would only play the top hits. To seek out any other music, I had to hit the record shops or word of mouth. In 1989, I was drifting away from the serious metal scene due to having a young family and most of my music information came from two TV sources, “Top of the Pops” or a weekly programme called “The Chart Show.” At least the latter would show the top ten metal tunes that week.

Where am I going with this? Well, that’s the backstory behind today’s post. My first experience of Richard Marx came from “Top of the Pops” through his number one single, “Right Here Waiting.” It is a nice ballad but it gave me the impression for many years that Richard only did ballads. Oh, another amusing true story behind that song. By 1990, I was a full fledged Mormon and I remember someone complaining that when the song was played at a young person’s dance, there was a complaint about the suggestive lyrics. Maybe it’s me, but I don’t hear any.

More credit to Damien here but it was he who told me that Richard could rock and it was a pleasant discovery when I reviewed Richard’s debut album. Soppy ballad aside, Mr. Marx rocks just as much on this second album, “Repeat Offender.” Opener, “Nothing You Can Do About It,” grabs you by both ears and lets you know that Richard is here to rock. It also helps that Steve Lukather, yes that one, lays down the guitar solo on it. The rocking carries on with the next track, “Satisfied.”

We get a power ballad on “Angelia” and like Tina Turner, Richard got a lot of good musicians to play on his album. Bruce Gaitsch of Chicago fame carries out the guitar duties on this track and several others and there’s a cool sax part as well. Still it sounds quite Europe. More rocking returns on “Too Late to Say Goodbye.” I only wish the guitars were turned up a little more.

Following the mentioned big hit, which the more I listen to it the more Bryan Adams it sounds, comes “Heart on the Line,” which is my choice for hidden gem. Richard, with Bruce’s help, put out a blinder of a rocker on this one and Bruce definitely shows his guitar chops. I could hear this song metallized even with the cool sax solo. Richard then turns in a funky jazz direction with “Real World.” With the horns and guitar solo, this song has oodles of swagger to go around. Good to hear Richard stretching out and having some fun.

While no more soppy ballads appear on the remainder of the tracks, Richard does venture a little into synth pop territory on “If You Don’t Want My Love.” It’s not a bad track but certainly not one of the better ones on the album. However, he does have some good fun on the straight forward rocker, “That Was Lulu.” There are nice little guitar and sax hooks on the song and I think it might be about a ‘bad girl’ so this is a fun song all around. Penultimate track, “Wait for the Sunrise” is a good melodic rocker which sounds like it might have been a decent closer. However, the actual closer, “Children of the Night,” is better suited for the task. Proceeds from the song went to a charity for runaway children. Anyway, it was the best way to end the album because it’s a very good closer.

Track Listing:

1. Nothin’ You Can Do About It
2. Satisfied
3. Angelia
4. It’s Too Late to Say Goodbye
5. Right Here Waiting
6. Heart on the Line
7. Real World
8. If You Don’t Want My Love
9. That Was Lulu
10. Wait for the Surprise
11. Children of the Night

Richard Marx

Richard Marx- lead and backing vocals

Like Tina Tuner’s album, there are just too many musicians who played on the album to name. So, I will just highlight some of the main ones.

Steve Lukather- guitar (track 1)

Bruce Graitsch- guitar (tracks 2,3,5,6 &8)

Randy Jackson- bass (tracks 2,6 &8)

Michael Baird- drums (tracks 1 and 2)

Fee Waybill, Kevin Cronin, Bobby Kimball- backing vocals

With “Repeat Offender,” Richard Marx was on top of the world in 1989 and it carried on to 1990 as “Right Here Waiting” would go number one in several countries, including the UK. I wish that I hadn’t simply assumed he was a ballad guy because he does rock.

Next post: Texas- Southside

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Great Rock Albums of 1988: All About Eve

Here’s a prime example of how a mishap on a mainstream channel can have a permanent negative effect on an artist. In 1988, British gothic rock band All About Eve appeared on the British television show, “Top of the Pops,” to perform their song, “Martha’s Harbour,” which was number seven in the charts at the time. As my British readers can confirm, most “live” performances on the show were mimed. All About Eve was introduced and the song started playing. However, the feed didn’t reach singer Julianne Regan and guitarist Tim Bricheno. As a result, the two sat there with Julianne looking more fidgety waiting for the song to start. Fortunately, the technical difficulty was sorted halfway through the song and Julianne and Tim were able to mime to the finish. Unfortunately, All About Eve will be more remembered for this technical blunder not of their doing as opposed to their great debut album.

The problem with this album is that it came out at the wrong time. If it had come out five years earlier, it would have been much more successful. All About Eve takes progressive rock in the form of Marillion with and adds elements of hippy rock and more dark alternative elements and makes their own sound, a sound which I really like. The opener, “Flowers in Our Hair,” has a hard edge to it but the next two tracks are more progressive before slipping in the haunting ballad which is “Martha’s Harbour.” I love an album which can’t be pigeonholed and this one is definitely that. The great thing is that in spite of all the different elements, the album flows very nicely.

In the case of my favourite track, “Every Angel,” they take all of these elements and put it all into one song. There’s a hippy sounding acoustic intro before Tim Bricheno’s guitar licks really gets cooking. With the rhythm section in tow, it all sets the stage for the vocals of Julianne. Haven’t having listened to this album for such a long time, I had forgotten what a great singer she is. Additionally, she and the band deliver on “Shelter From the Rain” which has a haunting melody backed up by more great playing. The bassline is clear and Tim cranks out a really nice guitar solo. This is definitely a hippy song for the 80s.

All About Eve completely nail down the sound on the remaining tracks. The dark, trippy, melodic tracks weave their magic all through the remainder of the songs. Even when Julianne is singing “Never promise anyone forever,” over and over again, it doesn’t get boring. Then the closer, “In the Meadow,” with the haunting vocals and guitar licks, stamps the final mark on what is a great album.

Track Listing:

1. Flowers in Our Hair
2. Gypsy Dance
3. In the Clouds
4. Martha’s Harbour
5. Every Angel
6. Shelter From the Rain
7. She Moves Through the Fair
8. Wild Hearted Woman
9. Never Promise (Everyone Forever)
10. What Kind of Fool
11. In the Meadow

All About Eve

Julianne Regan- vocals

Tim Bricheno- guitar

Andy Cousin- bass

Mark Price- drums

Additional Musicians:

Mick Brown- drums (I don’t think it’s the same Mick Brown of Dokken fame)

Greg Brimstone- drums

Simon Hinkler- keyboards

Wayne Hussey- backing vocals on “Shelter From the Rain”

Paul Samwell-Smith- drone, horns, piano on “Wild Hearted Woman,” recorder, strings

Ric Sanders- violin

Peter John Vettesse- keyboards

Like I said, if this album had come out five years earlier, I think it would have been huge. More people would have remembered it instead of a technical hiccup. Still, I wish I hadn’t forgotten what a great album this really is. All About Eve should have gone further.

Next post: Traveling Wilburys- Volume 1

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Great Rock Albums of 1988: Pat Benatar- Wide Awake in Dreamland

You know you’re becoming domesticated when you hear about a new album from a television chart show. My introduction to the legendary Pat Benatar’s 1988 album, “Wide Awake in Dreamland,” came as a result of the single, “All Fired Up,” being played on the British show, “Top of the Pops.” At the time, it was a breath of fresh air after all the Stock, Aiken and Waterman bubble gum pop that seemed to be on the programme every week. What was more is that when I heard “All Fired Up,” I was glad that Pat seemed to be returning to her harder rock roots after some of the more keyboard oriented albums of the mid 1980s.

First of all, this album isn’t a complete rocker in comparison to her first three albums but as I said, it was a step in that direction. “All Fired Up” is a good example, it didn’t displace any of my older favourites but it was a good rock song. What I have come to appreciate more in my advancing years is that the album changes things up quite a bit. Second track, “One Love” is a great example of this. It is more of a ballad and her vocals are superb as always but there are some interesting guitar hooks and some overall good musicianship on it.

Rock returns on “Let’s Stay Together” and I will say here what I’ve said on practically every Pat Benatar album I’ve posted about. Neil Giraldo is an awesome guitarist who deserves more respect for his talent. However, it’s the middle of the album which really gets going. Actually, the rocking starts in the second half of “Don’t Walk Away” as the first half is more of a ballad. “Too Long a Soldier,” “Cool Zero” and “Cerebral Man” are all powerful rockers. Let me backtrack one second, “Too Long a Soldier” isn’t a rocker in the traditional sense but the haunting guitar with Pat’s voice go well in delivering a powerful message and Neil does hammer out a cool guitar solo, therefore, it gets my vote for hidden gem. The other two mentioned tracks are definite rockers and take me back to Pat’s early days with her rocking vocals and Neil laying down some cool solos. For me, this is the best part of the album.

While not as hard rocking, the final three songs are indeed interesting. A very prominent bassline carries “Lift ’em All Up” and some cool guitar and keyboard hooks provide great support. Pat delivers a strong message in the anti- child abuse song, “Suffer the Little Children.” This is more a ballad but her message is clear. The closing title track takes the album out in rocking fashion.

Track Listing:

1. All Fired Up
2. One Love
3. Let’s Stay Together
4. Don’t Walk Away
5. Too Long a Soldier
6. Cool Zero
7. Cerebral Man
8. Lift’em On Up
9. Suffer the Little Children
10. Wide Awake in Dreamland

Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar- vocals

Neil Giraldo- guitar

Myron Grombacher- drums

Fernando Saunders- bass

Frank Linx- bass, backing vocals

Charles Giordano- keyboards

Kevin Savigar- keyboards

Bob Castro- percussion

Nick Gilder- backing vocals on “Don’t Walk Away” and “Cool Zero”

Carmen Twillie, Phyllis St. James, Maxine Water- backing vocals on “Lift ’em On Up”

While Pat Benatar never actually went anywhere, I thought it was great that she returned to her roots more with “Wide Awake in Dreamland.” This is a more developed and mature Pat Benatar in the musical sense but the album still rocks.

Next post: Robert Palmer- Heavy Nova

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Great Rock Albums of 1988: Tanita Tikarim- Ancient Heart

It was said in 1988 and I eluded to it in my post on Tracy Chapman, that Tracy opened up a path for female folk singers. I can’t say for sure it was the case but one such singer to come through in regard to it was British singer, Tanita Tikarim. Some people even called her a British Tracy Chapman but I think that was a little off the mark. Tanita had her own voice and style and you had to look deeper into her songs to glean the messages behind them. Still, that wasn’t a bad thing because I liked Tanita as much as I did Tracy.

Her debut 1988 album, “Ancient Heart,” brought forth four singles. The best known of these was “Good Tradition,” which went to number ten in the UK charts. While this screams, “pop single,” it’s easy to see why to see the song had such mass appeal. The blend of instruments and her upbeat tempo make the song cool.

The other singles weren’t as successful at least in the UK. “Twist in My Sobriety” only made it to #22 in the charts but it was most successful song for her internationally. Critics said the song was too depressing and the message behind it was unclear but I don’t agree. It might have been sung in a somber manner but but Tanita has the voice and style to pull it off. However, the other two singles, “Cathedral Song” and “World Outside My Window” failed to break the top forty. Now as you know by now, I don’t really care about things like that and I actually like “Cathedral Song.” It’s a straight forward folk song about two swimmers finding love in a summer setting. “World Outside My Window” is more pop oriented but it does lack the energy of “Good Tradition.”

You know by now, and I’m not alone in doing so, but I look beyond the hits on an album, always in search of the hidden gem. I’ll get to the gem in a second but the runner up is “I Love You,” which has some good soft rock. It’s a love song but at the same time not one. The predecessor, “Sighing Innocents,” is the hidden gem. When I hear it, I picture myself in a smoke filled cafe, yes, I know you can’t smoke in them these days, with Tanita on stage singing into the mike. Like “I Love You,” it is a great folk tune with a message.

She does change things up with “For All These Years.” A horn is heard in the background which gives it a more haunting edge. The song is about two lovers aged 17 and 16 who don’t know how to express that love. But if you want contradiction, the track “Poor Cow” is about a person not wanting to celebrate their birthday but it’s done in a upbeat manner. The guitar in “He Likes the Sun” is a throwback to 1970s progressive rock reminiscent of Blood, Sweat and Tears. Halfway through the song, things change and she rocks out a bit. The change works because one second you’re kicking back digging the vibe and then get abruptly woken up. The shock doesn’t last long but you definitely rmember it. It’s also runner up as hidden gem. “Valentine Heart” is an excellent piano ballad.

Being in the folk rock vein with social conscience, the metal hating UK newspaper, The Sun, came out against her. It’s music critic stated that Tanita sounded like a bullfrog when she sang. True, she does have a deeper voice and maybe she wouldn’t make a great metal singer but her voice fits her musical style very comfortably.

Track Listing:

1. Good Tradition
2. Cathedral Song
3. Sighing Innocents
4. I Love You
5. World Outside Your Window
6. For All These Years
7. Twist in My Sobriety
8. Poor Cow
9. He Likes the Sun
10. Valentine Heart
11. Preyed Upon

Tanita Tikarim

Tanita Tikarim- vocals, guitar

Additional Musicians:

Mark Isham- trumpet, flugelhorn

Paul Brady- mandolin

David Lindley- violin

Marc Ribot- guitar

Rod Argent- keyboards

Brendan Crocker- guitar

Pete Beachill- trombone

Mitch Dalton- guitar

Martin Ditcham- percussion

John Georgiadis- violin

Keith Harvey- cello

Noel Langley- trumpet

Malcolm Messiter- oboe

Helen O’Hara- violin

Brendan O’Reilly- violin

Phillip Todd- saxophone

Peter Van Hooke- drums

Clem Clempson- guitar

Mark Creswell- guitar

Ian Jewel- viola

Rory McFarlane- bass

Wow, that’s a lot of musicians! I’m surprised Steve Lukather didn’t play on the album.

While I won’t call Tanita Tikarim a British Tracy Chapman, she also helped breathed a bit of fresh air into a stale music industry back in 1988. Like Tracy, she proved that there could be a good alternative to metal or synth pop.

Next post: Michelle Shocked- Short, Sharp, Shocked

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Great Metal Albums of 1983: Def Leppard- Pyromania

Here’s the album that was said to have gone multi-platinum in the US while only selling 17 copies in the UK, “Pyromaina” by Def Leppard. At first, I might have been inclined to believe that. When I went to the UK for four weeks in the summer of 1983, many English people I spoke to could only say they had heard of the band and some couldn’t even say that. Furthermore, none of their singles made the Top 40 in the UK charts so wouldn’t have gotten a mention on Top of the Pops. However, thanks to a tiny bit of research, I do know that “Pyromania” did get to 18 in the UK album charts.

Lots of exposure on MTV helped get Def Leppard the notice they deserved from American audiences. The videos to the first two singles “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” were really cool. In fact, the latter retained the all time MTV Friday Night Video Fight Championship for well over a year. Does anyone remember the Friday Night Video Fights? That’s for another time I guess. Video aside, “Photograph” is my all time second Def Leppard song, (number one hadn’t appeared by this time.) It’s just a great song in so many ways: the power chords, the harmonizing at the chorus and the guitar solo making a great concoction of a killer tune.

While released as singles, “Foolin'” and “Too Late For Love” didn’t achieve the chart status as the other two but they are also brilliant songs. I was gutted when I saw Def Leppard in 1986 and they didn’t play “Foolin.'” Like the Iron Maiden album I reviewed in the last post, the rest of “Pyromania” isn’t filler. “Rock, Rock til You Drop” is as good an opener as any. I also have a very warm spot for “Die Hard the Hunter” and think it could have been released as a fifth single. Love the guitar solo on it. With all this, it is no wonder why many people on both sides of the Atlantic considered “Pyromania” the album of 1983.

In spite of all the success the album has enjoyed, Def Leppard did have some challenges while recording it. During the recording, the rest of the band decided they had enough of guitarist Pete Willis’s alcohol problems and fired him. While Willis recorded all the rhythm guitar tracks on the album, Phil Collen was brought in to replace him and he recorded all the solos on the songs Willis was supposed to. Listening to the efforts on this album, I have to ask if we should include the guitar duo of Clark and Collen along with the greats of Tipton and Downing, Hanneman and King, Watson and Gillis to name a few.

Track Listing:

1. Rock Rock Til You Drop
2. Photograph
3. Stagefright
4. Too Late for Love
5. Die Hard the Hunter
6. Foolin’
7. Rock of Ages
8. Comin’ Under Fire
9. Action! Not Words
10. Billy’s Got a Gun

Joe Elliot- lead vocals

Steve Clark- guitar

Phil Collen- guitar

Rick Savage- bass

Rick Allen- drums

Pete Willis- rhythm guitar

On amusing story I heard that when Def Leppard supported Billy Squier on tour in the States in 1983, many people left after Def Leppard’s set, leaving Billy Squier to play to a half empty arena. I’m not sure if this is true or not.  My sister saw them both, maybe she can shed some light on it. What I do know that “Pyromania” put Def Leppard on the world music stage in this year and rightly so.

Next post: Rainbow- Bent Out of Shape

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

 

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Bonnie Tyler- Faster Than the Speed of Night

When I first heard the big single, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” from Bonnie Tyler back in 1983, I thought it was okay. Nothing spectacular, just okay. On some occasions, back then when I was in a bar where a top 40 covers band was playing or just had the same on the juke box, it was a welcome break from all the Michael Jackson stuff. In any case, the song wasn’t enough to make me go out and buy her album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” Recently, however, someone suggested that I post about it, so being a fair minded person, I gave it a couple of listens and am ready to deliver my verdict.

To be very honest, I don’t think I missed much by not purchasing the album, still if I had, I wouldn’t have beaten myself up over making the same mistake as when I bought the Chris De Burgh album. The album starts out well enough with a decent cover of the CCR classic, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” Again, I say it’s a decent cover but it doesn’t make me want to put my CCR albums away and never listen to them again. I do have the title track to the album on a rock compilation CD. It doesn’t stand out from the other songs on that album but it does on Bonnie’s album of the same name. I like it more than her most well known hit, which I’ve already named.

The rest of the album is nothing is nothing spectacular. Like Credence, I still prefer Bryan Adams’s version of “Straight From the Heart.” The one thing I did pick up on and liked is that there are some good guitar sounds on this album. It redeems run of the mill tracks like “Goin’ Through the Motions” and “Tears.” Naturally, I had to look and see who the guitarist was and to my surprise, it was none other than Rick Derringer. That explained it all. It is Rick who manages to save what would have been a lackluster album.

Track Lsting:

1. Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
2. Faster Than the Speed of Night
3. Getting So Excited
4. Total Eclipse of the Heart
5. Its a Jungle Out There
6. Goin’ Through the Motions
7. Tears
8. Take Me Back
9. Straight From the Heart

Bonnie Tyler

So, there’s my verdict on Bonnie Tyler’s album “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” It’s not the first album I would pick up after listening to Anthrax and Slayer in conjunction in order to give a melodic balance to things. I never rated Bonnie Tyler as a brilliant singer. There are a few of her songs I liked but this album doesn’t convert me into a Tyler fan.

Next post: Quarterflash- Take Another Picture

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