Great Metal Albums of 1982: Riot- Restless Breed

 

Having reread my post for the previous Riot album, "Fire Down Under," I realise that I did post a picture of RATT when I meant to post a picture of the band Riot. Therefore, I have come to the executive decision that I will no longer use google images when I post pictures of albums or bands. Instead, I will use the heavyharmonies.com site which actually takes getting its facts right seriously. Enough of that now, let's get to another great album from Riot that I should not have waited til the late 80s to listen to.

Again, after listening to the 1982 offering from Riot, "Restless Breed," I am again asking why this band didn't have more commercial success. As I listened to the album, I could hear songs that, in my mind, influenced some of the bands that came after and had more success. For instance, the track "C.I.A." sounds like something that WASP would have done and "When I Was Young" reminds me a little of Y & T. However, Riot was around long before either of these bands were so they drew influence from Riot. Saying that, I could hear a little Judas Priest influence in "When I was Young" as well. However, the rest of the album is straight ahead no frills heavy metal, the way heavy metal was supposed to be played.

"Hard Lovin' Man" may not be the greatest song in the world to open an album but it does the job in preparing the way for the rest of the album. It may have influenced WASP but "C.I.A." is still a brilliant song and the next one "Restless Breed" is even better. The middle of the order on the album is for me, the strongest. The songs "When I Was Young," "Loanshark" and "Loved by You" are the stand outs for me. The latter has one of those catchy choruses where you are still singing it long after the album has finished and you are three miles down the road in the car. They are just loveable rockers. And the best guitar solo goes to the next track, "Over to You." "Slow Down" is the token ballad on the album but it's not bad with some good guitar work on it. Things return to normal with the last two songs. "Dream Away" sounds like it might be another ballad but don't let the title fool you. It has that Southern rock boogie vibe to it and the closer, "Violent Crimes" ends things very nicely. All in all, "Restless Breed" by Riot is one I should have had on cassette blasting out of the car as I cruised down the road.

Track Listing:

1. Hard Lovin' Man
2. C.I.A.
3. Restless Breed
4. When I was Young
5. Loanshark
6. Loved By You
7. Over to You
8. Slow Down
9. Dream Away
10. Violent Crimes

[caption id="attachment_2870" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Riot (and this time it actually is them)[/caption]

Rhett Forester- vocals, harmonica

Mark Reale- guitar

Rick Ventura- guitar

Kip Leming- bass

Sandy Slavin- drums

Let me venture a theory on why Riot didn't get the notoriety they so richly deserved back in the day. I think that people were so caught up in the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) that possibly American metal bands got pushed to one side. Whatever, the case, Riot was a band who rocked and those who were fortunate to listen to them can vouch for it.

Next post: Y & T- Black Tiger

To buy Rock and Roll Children,

Great Metal Albums of 1982: UFO- Mechanix

 

Confession time, when I posted about UFO's "The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent" album nearly a year ago, I promised to listen to more of UFO. The fact is, I haven't done so, not as much as I would have liked to. My admitted lameoid excuse is the fact that 2015 is in serious danger of being the year 80smetalman disappears up his own asshole. Work, family and other commitments like my hobby I get paid for doing, (I referee American football here in the UK) have made even posting twice a week difficult, though not impossible. Excuses aside and to quote a famous saying from the marines, "Excuses are like assholes, everyone's got one and they all stink," I did listen to the 1982 UFO "Mechanix" and that might go someway into making up for not listening to UFO more.

Everything I said on their 1981 "The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent" can be echoed with the "Mechanix" album. This album is another reason why I should kick myself for not listening to more UFO, (maybe I was a monk in a previous life on account of all the self harm I'm threatening myself with here.) The album just flat out rocks. UFO are definitely one tight band and that comes through with every song. The opener, "The Writer" is a great one to grab you and make you listen to it. The second track, "Somethin' Else" provides the perfect bridge between the opener and the more softer, not too soft, third track, "Back Into My Life." However, it is the fourth track, "You'll Get Love" that really gets me going with that blistering guitar solo. Of all the solos on the album and there are many, this one stands out for me the most. Saying that, the solo on the next track, "Doing it all For You" isn't bad either.

What strikes me as I listened to the album is the similarity in vocals between Phil Mogg and Sammy Hagar. Maybe it's because I listened to a Sammy album last week but it just sounds like they sound alike, I don't know. Anyway, there are some real rockers that follow on from "Doing it all For You." Two really hard tracks in fact before things slow down a little with "Terri." I emphasise the little here but it is the closest they come to a ballad. However, things pick up again and go out very nicely with the two final tracks. So with an album as great as "Mechanix," I ask myself, "Why did I wait so long before listening to UFO?"

Track Listing:

1. The Writer
2. Somethin' Else
3. Back Into My Life
4. You'll Get Love
5. Doing It All For You
6. We Belong to the Night
7. Let it Rain
8. Terri
9. Feel It
10. Dreaming

[caption id="attachment_2420" align="aligncenter" width="189"] UFO[/caption]

Phil Mogg- vocals

Pete Way- bass

Paul Chapman- guitar

Neil Carter- guitar, keyboards, sax

Andy Parker- drums

This time, I will promise myself to not to wait until the next time I post a UFO album before I listen to these guys again. So far, the two albums I have listened to have been mind blowing and from what I heard, there is better to come.

Next post: Riot- Restless Breed

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

Great Metal Albums of 1982: Diamond Head- Borrowed Time

 

"Borrowed Time" by Diamond Head another album that passed me by in 1982 but then again, I had never heard of the band until a year later when I came to Britain and happened to see them at Donnington in 1983. While I thought they were okay, I still never got around to buying any of their albums. When I came to Britain to stay in 1986, it was only then I got to experience them because two of my new friends were heavily into them. In fact, one was nicknamed Diamond Head Andy because of his love for the band. Although the character based on him in "Rock and Roll Children" is called Diamond Head Martin. Even then, I can't say that I really listened to them. That is why, like a good number of the albums of 1982, I am only listening "Borrowed Time" for the first time before making this post.

What is my impression of Diamond Head? Well listening to "Borrowed Time," my first reaction is Led Zeppelin. It is very obvious that Diamond Head draw a major influence from the great Zep, not that I can blame them for that. Lead singer Sean Harris sounds quite a lot like Robert Plant on most of the tracks and guitarist Brian Tatler has a style very similar to Jimmy Page. The tracks which prove the point the most are "Borrowed Time" and "Don't You Ever Leave Me." However, there is a little of the Zeppelin influence in the other tracks too and that includes the closer, "Am I Evil" which any metalhead knows was covered by Metallica. But calling Diamond Head Led Zeppelin clones would be grossly unfair and inaccurate. Sure the Zep influence is definitely there but they aren't clones. Take "Am I Evil" for an example. There is some good power metal riffs in that song that I can see why one of the most famous thrash bands in the world would cover it. The same can be said for "Lightning to the Nations." That is another song where Diamond Head put their own stamp on it. Comparisons and contrasts aside, I found "Borrowed Time to be a great album to sit back and bang your head to and I have to give credit to Tatler as a guitarist, he can cook.

Track Listing:

1. In the Heat of the Night
2. To Heave from Hell
3. Call Me
4. Lightning to the Nations
5. Borrowed Time
6. Don't You Ever Leave Me
7. Am I Evil

[caption id="attachment_2861" align="aligncenter" width="236"]                          Diamond Head[/caption]

Sean Harris- vocals

Brian Tatler- guitars

Colin Kimberly- bass

Duncan Scott- drums

My trip through 1982 has been full of pleasant surprises for me. Because so many albums passed me by that year due to my military commitments, (though I can't use that excuse here), I have had the pleasurable experience of having to catch up on them. So far, every one of them has been a good experience but I have to say that Diamond Head's "Borrowed Time" has been the best surprise thus far.

Next post: UFO- Mechanix

To buy Rock And Roll Children,

Great Rock Albums of 1986: Sammy Hagar- Three Lock Box

 

By 1982, Sammy Hagar was attracting the attention of many people in the rock world, including mine. After several kick ass albums and some great songs on a couple of soundtracks, my curiosity was certainly aroused. It was this 1982 album "Three Lock Box," that allowed me to listen to the Red Rocker in his fully glory.

The opening title track ever most definitely sets the pace for the album straight away. His opening vocals, "Suckers walk, money talks, but it can't touch my three lock box," has been etched in my mind for all eternity. It's not just the lyrics though, that fuzzy blues rock guitar that kicks in a second later propels it through to the ionosphere. The song not only allows me to appreciate Hagar's vocal ability but I can also give him respect as a guitarist. Funny thing is that "Three Lock Box" isn't my all time favourite Hagar song, that's still to come.

"Three Lock Box," the album, doesn't depreciate as it goes further down the line with more songs. "Remote Love" has a good intro and I like it as a rock song but it's the very next song that wins my award for the album's best hidden gem. "Remember the Heroes" is a true rocker with a great rocking introduction and some fantastic guitar soloing in the middle. What a great song, maybe they should of released that one as a single but instead, the known single from the album is "Your Love is Driving Me Crazy." The song is what it is, great single material and I did like it when it came on the radio in the day. After the single, the album goes back to some more good Hagar sounding rock. He stretches out a bit with the next song, "In the Room." Maybe he was trying to sound more new wave here, I don't know. Saying that, I won't take anything away from it, I do like it. Things go more hard rock with the next track, "Rise of the Animal" and I can hear some good guitar tweaking in that one. It does go out with a cool guitar solo. That leads the album to the end with the four remaining tracks although I really dig the straight forward rocker, "Growing Up." It precedes the closest thing Sammy has to a ballad on the album, "With Never Give Up." That too was released as a single but it didn't do as well as "Your Love is Driving Me Crazy." Still, it's not a bad song and then there's the closer, "I Don't Need Love." Another cool rock song that at first listen had me asking myself, "Why is this the last song on the album?" Then I answered my own question when I heard how the guitars ended the song. In short, after hearing "Three Lock Box," I was converted to Sammy Hagar.

Track Listing

1. Three Lock Box
2. Remote Love
3. Remember the Heroes
4. Your Love is Driving Me Crazy
5. In the Room
6. Rise of the Animal
7. I Wouldn't Change a Thing
8. Growing Up
9. Never Give Up
10. I Don't Need Love
11. [caption id="attachment_1954" align="aligncenter" width="228"] Sammy Hagar[/caption]

    Sammy Hagar- vocals, guitar

12. Bill Church- bass

Gary Pihl- guitar

David Lauser- drums

Guest musicians

Jonathan Cain- keyboards on "Remember the Heroes"

Mike Reno- vocals on "Remember the Heroes"

Sammy Hagar not only made a believer out of me in 1982, he made one out of many people. "Three Lock Box" is the reason why. It is my favourite album of Sammy's and listening to it, reminds me why.

Next post: Diamond Head- Borrowed Time

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