Great Metal Albums of 1984: Gary Moore- Victims of the Future

 

UK Album Cover

North American Album Cover

Gary Moore as a solo artist didn't enter my radar until 1986 when I went over to England. Before that and I am ashamed of my naivety at the time, I only knew Gary as the guitarist who used to be in Thin Lizzy. Fortunately, I got a full course in the music of Gary Moore when I did get there thanks to a friend who was a big fan. As a result I got to hear lots of his albums including this one, "Victims of the Future" and I can say that my education in this subject has been top notch. Thirty years on, I have to say a special thanks to Kieran Devlin for being my teacher.

My first impressions of "Victims of the Future" as with many Gary Moore albums, now as it was then, was "He can really play a guitar." His trademark solos permeate this album and now I am tempted to go into a rant as to how underrated he has been.  That might be true in North American terms but he has always been considered one of the greats here in Britain and of course his native Ireland. Just listen to "Shapes of Things" because that is in my opinion, his best guitar work on the album.

Many of the songs here are straight forward rock anthems. My personal favourite is "Teenage Idol" because that one comes out and hits me in the face the most. "Murder in the Skies" has a very cool guitar intro where he rips up the chords before the meat of the song comes pounding through. A look at history reveals that Gary wrote the song in protest of the Soviets shooting down Korean airline 007 in 1983. The same can be said for "The Devil in Her Heart" which is only on the US release. This is a good rocking song so I don't know why it's omitted from the UK version. "Law of the Jungle" is another exemplary rocker and the way it fades out makes it a great closer but he does go a little mellow with "Empty Rooms." You can call it a ballad but he lays down some good guitar work on it.

Not only does Gary shine on "Victims of the Future," he enlists some great musicians. Ian Paice of Deep Purple fame plays drums on half the tracks and Bob Daisley who played with Ozzy provides the bass work on two. Noddy Holder of Slade steps in to provide backing vocals on one song. The others who support may not be as recognized but they still do a magnificent job. Therefore, the album has all one needs to be great, good vocals, a steady rhythm section and of course, Gary's guitar solos.

Track Listing (UK)

1. Victims of the Future
2. Teenage Idol
3. Shapes of Things
4. Empty Rooms
5. Murder in the Skies
6. Hold Onto Love
7. All I Want
8. Law of the Jungle

Track Listing (US)

1. Victims of the Future
2. Teenage Idol
3. Devil in Her Heart
4. Empty Rooms
5. All I Want (cassette only)
6.  Shapes of Things
7. Murder in the Skies
8. Hold Onto Love
9. Law of the Jungle

Gary Moore

Gary Moore- guitars, vocals

Neil Murray- bass on tracks 1,3,7 & 8

Mo Foster- bass on tracks 4 & 6

Bob Daisley- bas on tracks 2 & 5

Ian Paice- drums on tracks 1,3,4 & 8

Bobby 'Prime Time' Chouinard- drums on tracks 2,5,6 & 7

Neil Carter- keyboards

Noddy Holder- backing vocals on "Shapes of Things"

So thirty-one years on, I have to say "thank you Kieran" for introducing me to Gary Moore and playing his albums for me, "Victims of the Future" included among them.

Next Post: Since I'm in a Gary Moore mood, it will be his 1984 live album, "We Want Moore."

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Grim Reaper- See You in Hell

 

Whenever the new wave of British heavy metal or NWOBHM is mentioned, it is usually Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon who spring to mind first. These great bands blazed a trail for metal bands from both sides of the Atlantic to follow. Leading the chase out of Great Britain was the heavy metal outfit, Grim Reaper. For me, the name alone made them worth giving them a listen and that turned out to be a very wise choice.

Coming from Droitwich which is in Worcestershire, England and only about 20 miles from Birmingham, there is no surprise in the Judas Priest influence with the band. However, lead singer Steve Grimmett has a vocal style that is somewhat like Iron Maiden although I can at times hear a little of Halford as well. Okay, I'm a wishy-washy bastard. Anyway, with this mighty infusion, it is little wonder that Grim Reaper sounds as good as they do and why I think their debut album, "See You in Hell" is cool.

The title track, which is the band's best known song leads the charge. Listening to it, it is no wonder why it's number 38 on VHS Most Awesome Bad Metal Songs Ever. It's definitely my all time favourite Grim Reaper song. However, the seven other songs on the album aren't far behind and make sure that it's not a one song album. All throughout the album are the bashing power chords and way out soloing of guitarist Nick Bowcott and the fore-mentioned vocals of Grimmett. All of which are supported by a more than capable rhythm section of Dave Wanklin and Lee Harris. This makes it difficult for me to pick out a standout song beyond the title track. They are all stomp on your face metal tunes that rock. The only possible exception is the slower, at times ballad like "The Show Must Go On." While quality wise, its as good but no better  than the other tracks, it does depart from the hammering chords of those songs and shows that Grim Reaper are versatile. Bowcott's guitar work is quite eerily outstanding on it. However, that only changes things up slightly before the closer blasts your ears to pieces.

Track Listing:

1. See You in Hell
2. Dead On Arrival
3. Liar
4. Wrath of the Ripper
5. Now or Never
6. Run For Your Life
7. The Show Must Go On
8. All Hell Let Loose

[caption id="attachment_4261" align="aligncenter" width="382"] Grim Reaper[/caption]

Steve Grimmett- vocals

Nick Bowcott- guitars

Dave Wanklin- bass

Lee Harris- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJgv-qBBT3Y

Grim Reaper's debut "See You in Hell" album led the charge for what many thought would be a second new wave of British heavy metal. Especially with Maiden and Priest coming out with albums the same year. In 1984, that was true and though things would go sour for this band a few years later, this is still an album to be proud of.

Next post: Gary Moore- Victims of the Future

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Black 'N' Blue

 

Back in 1984, I was still pretty much relying on commercial media to bring me news of new albums and bands. I have to admit that in the early part of the year, MTV was a reliable source although this would quickly change towards the end of 1984. However, as commercial media was becoming less reliable in heavy metal terms, word of mouth and scouring record stores' stock proved to be a God send. It was through the former method as to how I discovered the debut album from Black'n Blue.

If you have never heard the album before, you might react with a "This sounds very 80s" comment. True, I can see that, there is a definite 80s metal vibe here but I didn't care at all back then and I don't care now. The lyrics are definitely so but again, they make the songs fun. Take the second track, "School of Hard Rocks" where the lyrics go, "We're gonna rock your socks off." There are probably thousands of bands who have penned lyrics like this in the past three decades but for me, Black' n Blue were the first ones to do it in a way that I really liked.

Funny thing, not long after I listened to the album, their best known single of all time, "Hold Onto 18" did get played on MTV. Although that was possibly the only time I saw the video for the song. I might have caught it again another time but my memory is playing tricks on me. This song was a banner for those who were reaching that age in 1984, like my sister. I was 23 and had spent four years serving my country but even I could appreciate the sentiment of the lyrics. Besides, it is a very powerful song to begin with.

The three tracks  before "Hold Onto 18" are all of that 1980s metal sound, if you believe there is such a thing. However, the track after, "Wicked Bitch" kicks things up several gears. This is a great metal tune that could fit well into any decade with fantastic power chords and a blistering guitar solo. Following that is a good cover of The Sweet classic, "Action." They do metal it up quite well. That metal power continues through the remaining songs. All of them are kick ass power rockers.

Track Listing:

1. The Strong Will Rock
2. School of Hard Rocks
3. Autoblast
4. Hold Onto 18
5. Wicked Bitch
6. Action
7. Show Me the Night
8. One for the Money
9. I'm the King
10. The Chains Around Heaven

[caption id="attachment_4255" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Black'n Blue[/caption]

Jamie St James- lead and backing vocals

Tommy Thayer- guitar, backing vocals

Jeff 'Woop' Warner- guitar, backing vocals

Patrick Young- bass, backing vocals

Pete Holmes- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcHYzogQeNk

The great thing about 1984 was it helped to put bands I would have never heard of onto my radar. I guess I should be grateful for that. It's also good that one of those bands was Black'n Blue because their debut album is killer. While it does get a mention in "Rock and Roll Children," it isn't for another year in the story and in my life where they get more into the spotlight.

Next post: Grim Reaper- See You In Hell

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

Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1984: Slade- Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply

 

Throughout the later half of the 1970s, Slade had been trying to break into the American music market but with little success. Back then, I heard the name but nothing more. However, in 1983, Quiet Riot covered their 1973 hit "Cum On Feel the Noise." Once Americans realized that the song had been originally written and recorded by Slade, a curiosity about the band arose and people began to check them out. Honest, it was on my to do list but I didn't get around to it. That was until radio played the single, "My Oh My" from the 1984 "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply" and then MTV played the video for "Run Run Away" quite a lot. Therefore, I had no other choice than to investigate Slade. It would be this album first. That led me to listen to them more and is why I site them as an 'honourable mention' in my series of "Other Great Metal Influences."

The big question back in 1984 was should Slade be considered heavy metal? Of course, the trendies thought anything with a fuzzy guitar was heavy metal and some of the more self proclaimed hard core metalheads claimed the opposite citing the fact that Jim Lea wrote "Run Run Away" on his fiddle. Well that happens to be my favourite Slade song of all time and yes, there is definitely a folk influence in the song but for me, it still rocks. I love the crunching guitars at the beginning and the folk provides a cool twist. Amusing anecdote: For the first few weeks of hearing "Run Run Away," I thought the lyrics "See chameleon" were actually "See comedian." My ears were playing tricks on me.

"My Oh My" is another reason why I'm such a sucker for a good power ballad because that's exactly what it is. I could never explain why but the lyrics to it really got to me then and when I hear it now, I think about that. Folk influenced tunes and power ballads aside, the album blows apart any argument that Slade aren't capable of going total rock out. The best examples are the three tracks, "Slam the Hammer Down," "In the Doghouse," which has the best guitar solo on the album and the title track. All of these are really cool songs and stamp the argument that Slade can be considered heavy metal. Not that the other songs don't rock because they surely do. Except for "(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie," which is the other power ballad on the album. It's good and better what some bands are capable of but I prefer "My Oh My." Also the closer, "Ready to Explode," is cool with the car racing commentary and it rocks pretty well too. Unlike the shorter tracks, it's eight minutes long and you are not bored for one second of it. However, it's the three mentioned ones that are the big headbangers on this album.

Track Listing:

1. Run Run Away
2. My Oh My
3. High and Dry
4. Slam the Hammer Down
5. In the Doghouse
6. Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
7. Cheap'n Nasty Luv
8. Can't Tame a Hurricane
9. (And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie
10. Ready to Explode

[caption id="attachment_265" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Slade[/caption]

Noddy Holder- rhythm guitar, lead vocals

Dave Hill- lead guitar, backing vocals

Jim Lea- bass, keyboards, backing vocals, accompanying lead vocal on "Ready to Explode"

Don Powell- drums, percussion, gongs

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikMiQZF-mAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2F2otpxkro

Quiet Riot may have helped Slade get the recognition they so dearly deserved in America but it was the "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply" album that made everyone take notice that they were for real. They did start a tour in support of Ozzy in this year but Noddy Holder's marital problems and Jim Lea coming down with hepatitis killed the tour. Shame, because I would have loved to have seen them.

Next post: Black N Blue

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