Great Metal Albums of 1983: Motley Crue- Shout at the Devil

 

I believe I'm not the only one who thinks "Shout at the Devil" is Motley Crue's best album. It would be after that Motley Crue would be more into posing instead of the quality of their music. The band's image with that album was darker, to the point they would be accused of Satanism. Then again, I've always said that being accused of that was the mark of a metal band's success.

They first came to my attention courtesy of MTV where I saw the video for the album's first single, "Looks That Kill." You know the one where the band traps a bunch of scantly clad women in a steel fence only to be rescued by some Valkyrie type warrior. In 1983, I found that video to be cool but having watched it again recently, I just laugh at it. Furthermore, nowadays, I agree with anyone who says that video is sexist. Still, I do like the song, probably my favourite Crue song of all time.

Let me be blunt here, I have always thought that Motley Crue weren't the most talented musicians to get together and call themselves a band. However, on "Shout at the Devil," they definitely play to their strengths. There are some good songs on it too. True, beginnings like the way Motley Crue start the album off with "In the Beginning," which sounds like a sermon before crashing headlong into the title track seem more common these days but it was a good attention grabber. "Bastard" is a decent song and the instrumental "God Bless the Children of the Beast" convinces me that Mick Mars is not the worst guitarist in metal. Like Pat Benatar and Vow Wow and quite a few other bands, they have their own cover of the Beatles classic, "Helter Skelter." Probably the most, covered Beatles song in heavy metal. Other bands have produced better covers of it but Motley Crue's isn't bad.

Side two of "Shout at the Devil" isn't quite as good as the first side. The only real standout song is their second single, "Too Young to Fall in Love." However, what they do well is to stick to the basic formula of heavy metal and it works well for them. Then again, I do like some of the riffs on "Knock'em Dead Kid" and Mars's guitar solo on "Ten Seconds to Love" is rather cool. In reference to what said about four of the last five songs not standing out, they do keep the album ticking over to an interesting closer in "Danger."

Track Listing:

1. In the Beginning
2. Shout at the Devil
3. Looks That Kill
4. Bastard
5. God Bless the Children of the Beast
6. Helter Skelter
7. Red Hot
8. Too Young to Fall in Love
9. Knock'Em Dead Kid
10. Ten Seconds to Love
11. Danger

[caption id="attachment_2427" align="aligncenter" width="276"] Motley Crue[/caption]

Vince Neil- vocals

Mick Mars- guitars

Nikki Sixx- bass

Tommy Lee- drums

"Shout at the Devil," will always remain for me, Motley Crue's best album. However, it seem when they broke through with it, the abandoned some of the things that this album helped gain them that commercial success.

Next post: Dokken- Breaking the Chains

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

Great Metal Albums of 1983: Waysted- Vices

 

The US and Great Britain has always enjoyed an exchange of musical ideas, although Canada has also been included in this. This has been even more the case in regards to heavy metal where both countries have benefited from this metal exchange. When I came to Britain in 1986, I too participated in this exchange of metal. I brought American metal bands like the Stormtroopers of Death and Suicidal Tendencies and my British friends introduced me to bands like Waysted. The problem was that when I was introduced to Waysted, it was their 1986 album which was first played to me. As a result, I never got around to listening to Waysted's 1983 debut album, "Vices," until last week.

So, did I miss out on anything great from not listening to "Vices" for three decades? My honest opinion is that I don't feel that I missed out on any really mega fantastic album here because it doesn't quite reach that bar. On the other hand, if it had been played to me back in 1983, I would have bought it as it's a decent album.

I find that the opener, "Love Loaded," does the job of getting you to want to listen to the album more. However, it's the second song, "Women in Chains" that really gets things going. When a song repeats a line constantly, it can be either amusing, revitalizing or off putting. With "Women in Chains," it does the second. The next track, "Sleazy" is more a catchy straight forward rocker with some pretty decent guitar hooks in it. "Right From the Start" tries to be this trippy way out concept song but I wasn't too impressed. Fortunately things get back to more of a rock vibe with the next song, "Toy With the Passion." "Right From the Start" has a cool intro but goes a bit more power ballad afterwards. However, there's some good guitar work on it. "Hot Love" is a let's be sleazy tune done in a bluesy fashion. The song works and I do love the piano solo on it. The penultimate track, "All Belongs to You" is okay and the chorus is a bit catchy but nothing spectacular. Then things go out very interestingly with a metalized cover of the Jefferson Airplane classic, "Somebody to Love." Wow, what a way to close an album!

Track Listing:

1. Love Loaded
2. Women in Chains
3. Sleazy
4. Night of the Wolf
5. Toy With the Passion
6. Right From the Start
7. Hot Love
8. All Belongs to You
9. Somebody to Love

Waysted

Fin Muir- lead vocals

Ronnie Kayfield- lead guitar, backing vocals

Paul Raymond- rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards

Pete Way- bass

Frank Noon- drums

Note: This is the best photo of Waysted I could find. I don't know when this one was taken but that's why there are five musicians listed in the band and only four in the photo.

"Vices" charted 78 in the UK so I can see why it never reached the States in 1983. If it had gotten into the Import section at my local record store, I would have clocked it. Saying that, it's an album worth listening to because for Waysted, it is a promising start for better things to come.

Next Post: Motley Crue- Shout at the Devil

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

Great Metal Albums of 1983: Virgin Steele- Guardians of the Flame

 

Virgin Steele's 1982 debut album might have passed me by, (I blame being in the service at the time), but their second album, "Guardians of the Flame," didn't. I have a friend of my sister's to thank for that because she was a big Virgin Steele fan. It was this album that she played on cassette in her car one day and the rest was history.

What hooked me straight away is that my all time favourite Virgin Steele song is the opener on "Guardians of the Flame." "Don't Say Goodbye Tonight" is one of those with a fast catchy beat that hooks you immediately. One can't helped to headbang away to this tune. It is helped by the guitar work of Jack Starr, then the entire album is as well, and the rhythm section sounds the tightest on this song. What's best is that lead singer, David DeFeis doesn't try so much to be Joe Cool metal singer on it. His vocals are good enough but his attempts at high screams have always been off putting for me. He doesn't do that on "Don't Say Goodbye Tonight."

DeFeis does those things on the next two tracks but fortunately, Starr's guitar work cancels out the screams and makes those songs enjoyable. Maybe he gets the hint by track four because he doesn't scream on "The Redeemer" making it a strong, powerful track. I sense a little Black Sabbath influence here and done well. The song is seven minutes long but a lot of that is Jack laying down the jams, so it's a very enjoyable track.

Following a brief instrumental is the title cut. It begins like any other straight forward Virgin Steele metal tune but then in the middle, it goes totally progressive rock. I mean that when I listen to this part, I could be listening to Emerson, Lake and Palmer. However, it works with the second longest song on the album, just shy of seven minutes. You got to give them credit for having the balls to stretch out a bit here and credit where do for pulling it off. Again, Jack Starr has an influence on it too.

Things go back to more power metal after that with three really strong metal tracks. Then the album closes with the ballad like, "A Cry in the Night." Using a ballad as a closer is always risky but there is a great guitar solo towards the end that helps to take the song out in very good way and has me making mental notes to listen to it again.

Track Listing:

1. Don't Say Goodbye Tonight
2. Burn the Sun
3. Life of Crime
4. The Redeemer
5. Birth Through Fire
6. Guardians of the Flame
7. Metal City
8. Hell or High Water
9. Go All the Way
10. A Cry in the Night

[caption id="attachment_3729" align="aligncenter" width="308"] Virgin Steele[/caption]

David DeFies- vocals, keyboards

Jack Starr- guitar

Joe O'Reilly- bass

Joey Avazian- drums

I was impressed by the second album from Virgin Steele, "Guardians of the Flame" and I would seek out their later material. So what I ask myself is why I never got their debut album. If any of you can shed light on whether I've committed a travesty or had a lucky escape by not listening to it, I would be very grateful.

Next post: Waysted- Vices

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Great Metal Albums of 1983: Girlschool- Play Dirty

During the torrent of new wave of British heavy metal, (NWOBHM), Girlschool were somewhere in the middle. They weren't mentioned in the same breath as the giants of the time but they were better known than other bands like Diamond Head and Raven. True, their music didn't get the airplay it deserved but most metalheads in 1983 knew who they were. I was fortunate on one occasion in the year to catch one of the few times the title track from the album, "Play Dirty," got played on MTV.

"Play Dirty" marked a change in direction for Girlschool towards a more softer rock sound. Some would compare them to Def Leppard, really? However, the softer sound comes out with the first two tracks on the album. It is the first time, to my knowledge, that keyboards were ever used on a Girlschool album. Those tracks aren't bad but they aren't real headbangers either. Things do go much heavier with the third one, the title track. Even then, there are keyboards at the bridges on the song and though I have to admit, they compliment that part of the song well, it took me a couple of listens to get used to it. Besides, Kelly Johnson's guitar solo on said song makes counters any keyboards.

Track four, a cover of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy," marks a definite return to more traditional ground. I get the feeling that the band had a lot of fun recording this cover because it sounds good. Marc Bolan would have been proud. Even if he's not, "Play Dirty" goes even harder after that with "Breaking All the Rules." Now this song sounds like the Girlschool I knew and love. Keyboards are used again on "Burning in the Heat" but only as a scary movie type introduction. Something I give Ozzy credit for starting but done by many metal bands then and now. After this introduction comes more traditional Girlschool. For me, it's probably the best lesser known track on the album.

After wowing with those more harder songs, things go back to the sound of the opening tracks. Keyboards a plenty here for I get the feeling that on "Surrender" that they were trying for a Night Ranger or Journey type hit single. However, it wasn't released as one so this is a paradox that baffles me. It's still a cool song and Kelly nails another cool guitar solo. The keyboards die with that song because "Rock Me, Shock Me" is a true Girlschool anthem. They should have played that on the radio but that's the good thing about buying albums. You get to play the best songs from them that radio won't play to yourself. The closer is a good rocker and the title has me wondering. In Britain, knob is a slang term in the media so I wonder if they were attacking the media or at least some person in it.

Track Listing:

1. Going Under
2. High and Dry
3. Play Dirty
4. 20th Century Boy
5. Breaking All the Rules
6. Burning in the Heat
7. Surrender
8. Rock Me, Shock Me
9. Running for Cover
10. Breakout (Knob in the Media)

[caption id="attachment_2373" align="aligncenter" width="276"] Girlschool[/caption]

Kim McAuliffe- rhythm guitar, lead vocals tracks 3,5,7,8,9,10

Kelly Johnson- lead guitar, lead vocals tracks 1,2,4,6

Gil Weston- bass, backing vocals

Denise Dufort- drums

Additional backing vocals: Lemmy, Vicky Blue, Marc Haircut

Don Garbutt- keyboards

While I like the album, "Play Dirty" marked a downward turn in Girlschool's fortunes. Kim McAuliffe would leave shortly after the release and the US tour would never materialize. Shame, I would have loved to have seen them. That wouldn't come for another two years but still, even with the keyboards, "Play Dirty" is still a decent album.

Next post: Virgin Steele- Guardians of the Flame

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