Great Rock Albums of 1983: Robert Plant- Principle of Moments

 

Here is another example why I stopped trusting commercial radio or MTV for all of my music liaisons. In 1983, the two singles from Robert Plant's "The Principle of Moments" album, "In the Mood" and "Big Log" got a lot of airplay on MTV. If I were to judge this album just on those two songs, I would have thought that Robert Plant had completely abandoned his roots and was making mellow out, commercial songs. I know that even then, Robert wasn't comfortable when people like me said that his former band, Led Zeppelin, were one of the founding fathers of heavy metal but this album shows that he didn't totally abandon his beginnings.

"The Principle of Moments" is a long way from the heavy metal sounding delights of Led Zeppelin "II" or "IV." Nonetheless, it is still a good album with some rock delights for all. When I heard the introduction on the opening song, "Other Arms," I found myself checking the credits on the album because I was sure that Robert had gotten Jimmy Page to play oit. Obviously, I was dreaming but saying that, Robert Blunt does a magnificent job on the six string all throughout the entire album. Does he site Jimmy as an influence? Don't know but it might be worth checking out.

Maybe it's me mellowing in my old age, (I'll be halfway between 50 and 60 in three weeks), but listening to "In The Mood" again after all these years, I've decided it's not as bad as I thought back then. In fact, there's a pretty tidy guitar solo from Blunt which has me wondering how I missed something like that back in 1983. I'll blame the weed. Another really good standout track is "Wreckless Love" which is possibly the hardest rock tune on the album. However, other songs like "Messin' With the Mekon" and "Horizontal Departure" come fairly close. "Thru With the Two Step" is another interesting song on the album. It starts out like it's going to be a mellow one, more in the style of Led Zeppelin's later progressive years. Then it goes into a more hard blues sound with a killer guitar solo from Blunt. God, I have to check this guy out more.

The only stone left unturned is the vocals of Plant himself. They are as good as ever here. Sure, he doesn't scream like he did back in the 1970s but he still shows he has a decent range.

Track Listing:

1. Other Arms
2. In the Mood
3. Messin' with the Meckon
4. Wreckless Love
5. Thru With the Two Step
6. Horizontal Departure
7. Stranger Here... Than Over There
8. Big Log

 

Robert Plant

Robert Plant- vocals

Robbie Blunt- guitars

Paul Martinez- bass

Jezz Woodroffe- keyboards

Phil Collins- drums on tracks, 1-3, 5,6, 8

Barriemore Barlow- drums on tracks 4 and 7

John David and Ray Martinez- backing vocals

Unlike "In the Mood," my thoughts haven't changed much on "Big Log." Maybe it's that image conjured up from the video of Robert Plant swimming in the pool. But don't let that spoil your enjoyment of "The Principle of Moments" because it is a good album. Classic Robert Plant.

Next post: Jackson Browne- Lawyers in Love

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

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Big Country- The Crossing

 

It was the beginning of December in 1983 when MTV finally came into my household. That was because we were offered a really good deal on it, so my mother agreed to it but that's not important here. What I did discover almost straight away was that while many an act owed their success to MTV, that channel also had the potential to kill an act. In those first few weeks, just about every time we switched on the channel, the video for Big Country's first big hit, "In a Big Country" would be playing. It got played to the point that whenever it came on, either me or my sister and even my then 12 year old brother would crack the sarcastic comment, "Hey, never seen this one before." The irony is that when I first heard that song, I thought it was decent enough. I liked Big Country's Scottish Celtic-folk sound mixed in with a bit of hard rock. It was definitely something I would call new wave. Unfortunately, the over saturation of the song on MTV put me off and as a result, I never got to appreciate how good their debut album, "The Crossing" was.

Another ironic point about this album was that by chance, I saw the video for their second single, "Fields of Fire." I say by chance because unlike "In a Big Country" they hardly played it and that's a shame because I preferred "Fields of Fire" to the other one. It is a bit harder. Throughout "The Crossing," the folk-rock combination weaves its way in, out and around all the tracks. The first three or four tracks edge closer to the more progressive side. There are some very interesting musical arrangements here, especially with the song, "Chance." Things tend to sound a bit more harder after that, although the track "1000 Stars" does slightly remind of U2. Furthermore, I do like the acoustic folk sound on "The Storm." But "Harvest Home" is more hard rock for and that is followed by my favourite track, "Lost Patrol." Another song, I will add to my list of songs that would sound good metalized.

At first, I didn't know what to think about the closer, "Porrohman." But once I sat down and really listened to it, I found it to be one of those that absorbs you in and you have no choice but to just enjoy it to its end. A great song to end the album with. One more point I have to make is about the vocals of Stuart Adamson. What makes his vocals good is that they fit right in with the music and that does well here.

Track Listing:

1. In a Big Country
2. Inwards
3. Chance
4. 1000 Stars
5. The Storm
6. Harvest Home
7. Lost Patrol
8. Close Action
9. Fields of Fire
10. Porrohman

 

Stuart Adamson- vocals, guitar, piano, ebow

Bruce Watson- guitar, vocals, ebow, mandolin, sitar

Tony Butler- bass, vocals

Mark Brzezicki- drums, percussion,vocals

Did you know that some people actually consider Big Country to be one hit wonders. I don't. From what I heard from their later work, they seem to go a bit more harder. Still, they were never one hit wonders. That label kept people like me from hearing how good "The Crossing" actually was.

Next post: Robert Plant- The Principle of Moments

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

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Marillion- Script for a Jester's Tear

 

I had heard of Marillion in 1983 but didn't actually hear them until their 1985, "Misplaced Childhood" album made a major breakthrough in the US. Even then, it would be another two years before I listened to their back catalog, which included this, their debut album, "Script for a Jester's Tear." I have to thank my first wife for giving me this opportunity as it was her albums that help me appreciate their early work. Actually, Marillion was the first concert we saw together as husband and wife but that story is better for another day.

One of my on going rants here on 80smetalman is that the progressive rock of the 1970s descended into the synth pop of the 1980s. I still believe this but somebody forgot to tell Marillion this was the case. "Script for a Jester's Tear" proved that there was still some good progressive rock to be found in the 1980s. In fact, I will go as far as to say that legends from the decade before such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes, (I'll be visiting an album of theirs in the near future) would be glad that Marillion carried on the torch of progressive rock far into a decade where it wasn't as widely appreciated.

In the true spirit of progressive rock, the shortest track on the album is just a mere five minutes and twenty nine seconds, that track is "He Knows You Know." It's also why that song was released as a single. The next shortest track is over seven minutes long and the remaining ones are all more than eight. In each of those tracks, there is the great keyboard work of Mark Kelly in tandem with some impressive guitar playing from Steve Rothery. Those two elements are strongly supported by the rhythm section and the unmistakable voice of lead singer, Fish. They make all of those tracks ones where you just want to kick back and listen and just appreciate the musical efforts of the band. All good tracks but my personal favourite has to be "Garden Party," most likely for the acoustic guitar followed by hard rock intro. One other point is that at the time, the track "Chelsea Monday" was criticised for having nonsense lyrics. If they do, who cares? The music, especially Rothery's guitar solo more than compensates.

Track Listing:

1. Script for a Jester's Tear
2. He Knows You Know
3. The Web
4. Garden Party
5. Chelsea Monday
6. Forgotten Sons

 

Fish- vocals

Steve Rothery- guitar

Mark Kelly- keyboards

Pete Trewavas- bass

Mick Pointer- drums

I think what Marillion achieved in 1983 was to provide a common ground for trendies who were able to look beyond what synth pop was offering and metalheads like me who still appreciate a bit of melody. For those, Marillion's debut album has it all. The paradox is that while "Script for a Jester's Tear" was a huge success in the UK, it hardly made a dent in the US. Then again, I'll be visiting another UK band who in the same year, had an album that went multi- platinum in the US but only sold about 17 copies in the UK.

Next post: Big Country- The Crossing

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

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Night Ranger- Midnight Madness

 

An huge argument raged throughout the mid 1980s and for some, it still does today. It is even briefly debated in "Rock and Roll Children." Was Night Ranger heavy metal? Pure metalheads gave a resounding no because of the band's use of keyboards and softer, more commercial rock, especially in regards to the album following this one. However, this didn't stop the rest of the world from claiming they were. My opinion in this matter can be found in the title of this post. You probably noticed that I didn't call Night Ranger's "Midnight Madness" album a great metal album.

Listening to the second album from Night Ranger, it is quite easy to see why many of the less knowing would call it a metal album. Most of the first five songs do rock, although I still wouldn't call them metal. Even the ballad, "Sister Christian" ranks up there as a very good power ballad. It did influence some metal bands who wanted at least one on their album to write their ballads in this style.

My first experience of the album came in the form of "You Could Still Rock in America." Like the classic, "Don't Tell Me You Love," I thought this too was a Rick Springfield song at first. Another example of irony in my life, I first heard it after spending four weeks in London. My first musical experience there wasn't great. The people I was staying with were all top 40 dance junkies and they tried to insist that there was no place in London to find the hard rock I loved so much. After lamenting the first two weeks, I did discover a really cool rock pub in Croydon in South London and things got better after that. Then I went to my first Donington Festival so my I ended up enjoyingmy London stay. When I returned, I heard this song playing on the radio and thought, "Damn right, you can still rock in America." Saying that, I was glad that earlier reports about music in the UK were proved totally wrong.

Apart from "Sister Christian," the only really commercial oriented tracks are "When You Close Your Eyes," another hit single for the band and "Passion Play." The latter is a bit harder than the former but doesn't rock like the rest of the album. Tracks that really do rock, besides the opener, are "Touch of Madness" and "Chippin' Away." "Rumours in the Air" is pretty cool as well. But what makes this album rock, even the songs that don't rock as much is the guitar duo of Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson. One or the other or both in some cases, lay down some serious guitar heat in every song, except the acoustic closer. When people talk of guitar duos, the ones mentioned are Tipton/Downing, Smith/Murray or Gers/Murray (same band), Ojeda/French and the original guitar duo, Walsh/Felder. After hearing this album again after so many years, Watson/Gillis needs to be included among the others.

Track Listing:

1. You Can Still Rock in America
2. Rumours in the Air
3. Why Does Love Have to Change
4. Sister Christian
5. Touch of Madness
6. Passion Play
7. When You Close Your Eyes
8. Chippin' Away
9. Let  Him Run

Jack Blades- bass, lead vocals

Jeff Watson- guitars, keyboards

Brad Gillis- guitars

Alan 'Fitz' Fitzgerald- keyboards

Kelly Keagy- drums, lead vocals

True metalheads like me do not consider Night Ranger heavy metal. However, they did know how to rock as the album "Midnight Madness" clearly shows. In 1983, they did rock America.

Next post: Marillion- Script For a Jester's Tear

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