Great Rock Albums of 1979: Nantucket- Your Face or Mine

Here's another band from Jacksonville, not Jacksonville, Florida but Jacksonville, North Carolina. Having spent most of my military career there, it was a no brainer that I would be introduced to their finest, Nantucket. Like their kinsmen in Florida, Nantucket had their own Southern sound but the difference is that instead of the hard rock boogie sound of a Molly Hatchet or metal sound like Blackfoot, Nantucket's was more of a progressive sound with some great use of keyboards and saxophone while still keeping a hard rock feel to it. The result is something I have always liked.

That all brings around to their second album "Your Face or Mine." The album typifies the sound that made Nantucket so popular in the Southern states at the time. Songs like "Your Place or Mine" and "Just the Devil's Way" show their hard rock Southern roots while "California" tends to show their more progressive side. And of course the saxophone adds another uniqe touch. I have heard many a sax in rock music and I have to say that as far as saxophonists are concerned, Eddie Blair is one of the best. The title of the final song on the album asks the question, "Is it wrong to rock and roll?" Listening to this album, I have to give an emphatic "NO!"

Track Listing:

1. Gimme Your Love

2. I Live For Your Love

3. Hey Hey Blondie

4. California

5. Wide Awake

6. Don't Hang Up

7. Your Place or Mine

8. Just the Devil's Way

9. Is it Wrong to Rock And Roll

Nantucket

Tommy Redd- lead and rhythm guitars, spoon lead and backing vocals

Larry Uzzell- bass, lead and backing vocals

Mike Uzzell- keyboards, lead and backing vocals

Mike Downing- lead, rhythm, slide and 12 string guitars, backing vocals

Eddie Blair- saxophones, organ, piano, clavinet, backing vocals

Kenny Soule- drums, percussion, tympani, backing vocals

Refamiliarising myself with this cool album from Nantucket, I find myself asking the question I asked 30 year ago. Why weren't they more popular up North? My only conclusion was that a lot of people I knew in my native New Jersey still viewed bands from the South as redneck country singers. One friend admitted he had a bit of a culture shock when I played some Nantucket to him (Not sure if it was this album). For those into a good hard but progressive rock, especially those who like Jethro Tull, will like "Your Face or Mine" by Nantucket.

Next Post: The Outlaws- In the Eye of the Storm

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Blackfoot- Strikes

Naturally, after hearing "Flirtin' With Disaster" by Molly Hatchet, I wanted to further explore this phenomena known as Southern Rock. Eventually, I came into contact with this fine album compliments of Blackfoot. "Strikes" was the third album by Blackfoot but the first one I listened to and for me, it's their best.
This album takes the southern sound and just pounds the hell out of it with straight ahead power rock. The intro to the opening track, "Road Fever," speaks volumes as it lures you by being rather hard but melodic and then the power chords strike and you can't help to headband away to the rest. That is why that in 1980, "Road Fever" was one of my official travelling songs. The lyrics "Every time I am down and out and don't know what to do. I drop a lude and hit the road and play me a song or two" may have something to do with it as well.
The rest of the album follows suit. The second track, "I Got a Line On You" although a cover, is done with the classic Blackfoot touch. The same can be said with their cover of the Free classic, "Wishing Well." This doesn't take anything away from their originals. The harmonica in the "Train Train, Prelude" sticks in my mind over 30 years later. The actual song is a classic rocker in its own right. And all this ends with the final jam "Highway Song." I won't get into the debate that it rips off the legendary "Freebird" because for me, the song has me playing air guitar for the entire length of the ending guitar solos, five minutes plus.

Track Listing:

1. Road Fever

2. I Got a Line On You

3. Left Turn on a Red Light

4. Pay My Dues

5. Baby Blue

6. Wishing Well

7. Run and Hide

8. Train Train, Prelude

9. Train Train

10. Highway Song

Blackfoot

Rick Medlocke- lead vocals, guitar

Charlie Hargrett- guitar

Greg T Walker- bass, keyboards, vocals

Jakson Spires- drums, percussion, vocals

I can't help believing that along with Molly Hatchett, Blackfoot, especially with this album, went on to influence a lot of metal bands from the South. At the time, and quite a bit now, Blackfoot were what I would call metal. The hard sound of "Strikes" bears testimony to that.

Next post: Nantucket- Your Face or Mine

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

 

Great Movie Soundtracks- Bad Teacher



I happened to watch this film the other night and while the movie was okay, not something I would rush out and add to my DVD collection, there was something in it that grabbed my attention. It was the soundtrack! While I was watching it, I first heard the all time classic Judas Priest track "You Got Another Thing Comin." My first thought was this was a throw back to the 80s when a lot of films threw in a metal tune or two in the hopes that metalheads would buy their soundtrack. The 1985 film "Visionquest" is prime example of this. I mean where else would you find Madonna on the same record as Sammy Hagar, Journey and Dio?

Judas Priest

As the movie progressed, other songs began to catch my attention as well. There was "Still of the Night" by Whitesnake. When I heard that, I thought, "Okay, another metal tune to tempt me to buy the soundtrack" but then something happened that took me by surprise. In the background of one scene there was the song "Rainbow In the Dark" by Dio playing loud and proud. That wasn't the end of it, whoever put together the soundtrack went back into the archives and pulled out what is for me a gem of a Priest classic, "The Ripper." Take these songs and the final song at the end credits by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and you got yourself one hell of a compilation album!

 

Dio

I have tried both Amazon and Gemm and couldn't find the soundtrack on either. It just comes up with the DVD. Of course there are other issues like some non metal tracks from the likes of Hall And Oates. That's movie soundtracks for you. So, instead why not just listen to these great metal songs on their own and thank the film for putting them all together in one movie soundtrack.
Next post: Blackfoot- Strikes
To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London