Great Rock Albums of 1983: Stray Cats- Built for Speed

 

Internet didn't exist back in 1983 and that is going to be my excuse for posting an album that came out in the middle of 1982 in 1983. A quick historical point here, it was the early 1980s when computer technology was becoming accessible to the common masses. I did do an introductory course in computers during my first semester at college in the Autumn of this year but that's not important here. What is was the fact that back then, I had to rely on record stores, radio, word of mouth and a late night television show called "Video Rock" to learn about new music. Our house didn't even get MTV until the December of this year! It was the mentioned television show where I first learned about the Stray Cats in the summer of 1983.

It was their 1950s look and sound that first got my attention. At a time where everyone was trying to be different, the Stray Cats actually were. While I wasn't very impressed with the first single I heard, "Stray Cats Strut," I did like the second one that reached my ears, "Rock This Town." Even though, like most people, I got the impression they were in love with the fifties, I thought they were at least trying to be original at the time. Besides, with "Rock This Town," they proved to me they were good musicians. Brian Setzer was a competent guitarist, (no Van Halen or Nugent but competent) and Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker work very well together as a rhythm section, a point I will certainly expand on when I get to 1985.

The Stray Cats' album "Built For Speed," pretty much sounds like the two songs I've already mentioned. They are firmly locked in the 1950s rockabilly sound reminiscent of Eddie Cochran or Bill Haley and the Comets, not a bad thing. Each song, with the exception of the slower "Lonely Summer Nights" possesses a catchy sound that draws you in. It might not get you to start fist pumping and banging your head but I did find myself wanting to snap my fingers along with them, which is saying something for someone with no natural rhythm. Apart from "Rock This Town," the other songs which stand out for me are "Little Miss Prissy," "Rumble in Brighton" and "Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie." All contain a strong dose of the elements that turned my ear to the Stray Cats in the first place. Not only was it something different at the time, what was different was done very well.

Track Listing:

1. Rock This Town
2. Built for Speed
3. Rev It Up & Go
4. Stray Cats Strut
5. Little Miss Prissy
6. Rumble in Brighton
7. Runaway Boys
8. Lonely Summer Nights
9. Double Talkin' Baby
10. You Don't Believe Me
11. Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie
12. Baby Blue Eyes

[caption id="attachment_3222" align="aligncenter" width="326"] Stray Cats[/caption]

Brian Setzer- vocals, guitar

Slim Jim Phantom- drums, percussion, vocals

Lee Rocker- double bass, bass, vocals

Outside of this album, I have little experience of the Stray Cats. For me, their 1950s persona would only last for the one album. Their next album would pretty much escape my notice and in the years following, it would be their post break up projects that I would be more into. Saying all this, however, doesn't stop "Built For Speed" from being a pretty good album.

Next post: Michael Stanley Band- You Can't Fight Fashion

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Great Rock Albums of 1983: Huey Lewis and the News- Sports

 

Huey Lewis and the News were another band I inwardly debated about featuring here. Most metalheads consider this band to be pop or top 40 and in some cases I would tend to agree. However, as my mind drifts back to 1983, I remember that I didn't hate them. My first experience of them came late that summer when I saw their video for the first single from the "Sports" album, "Heart and Soul." Okay, the song didn't have me fist pumping away to it but I did like the hard guitar part during the chorus. My verdict then was that "Heart and Soul" was a decent enough song and Huey Lewis and the News weren't all that bad. That was my attitude towards them, even after the release of the more successful single, "I Want a New Drug," for the next few months. Then, in February 1984, I happened to see them open for 38 Special. Now, I won't say that I became a die hard News fan that night but they definitely won my respect.

"Sports" was the making of the band. It produced several singles in addition to the two I already mentioned. "The Heart of Rock and Roll" is one of those fun filled songs that is an okay listen provided you don't take it too seriously. I have been in the situation and know others who have been in the situation described in the single, "If This is It." In fact, I think most of us have been left dangling by a boy/girl friend whom one is not sure if they want to stay in or get out of the relationship with you. Still, they make it seem okay with this light hearted song. Of all the singles though, my favourite happens to be "Walking on a Thin Line." Even though I never saw actual combat while in the marines, I still think the song speaks directly to me.

"Don't you know me I'm the boy next door.

The one you found so easy to ignore."

When they played this song, Huey Lewis asked if there were any vets in the audience. I think I was the only one who screamed "Yes!" I got some looks from people around me but that was Regan youth for you.

Besides the hits, I found "Bad is Bad" to be a good bluesy type song and the intro to "Finally Found a Home" leads the listener to believe that this song is going to be a scorching rocker. It's still not bad even though it does go more pop as it progresses. Both these songs, as well as, "You Crack Me Up," confirm to me that The News were actually a good band of talented musicians and I think they certainly had the potential to completely rock out.

Track Listing:

1. The Heart of Rock and Roll
2. Heart and Soul
3. Bad is Bad
4. I Want a New Drug
5. Walking on a Thin Line
6. Finally Found a Home
7. If This is It
8. You Crack Me Up
9. Honky Tonk Blues

[caption id="attachment_3216" align="aligncenter" width="317"] Huey Lewis and the News[/caption]

Huey Lewis- lead vocals, harmonica

Mario Cipallina- bass

Johnny Colla- guitar, saxophone, backing vocals

Bill Gibson- drums, percussion, backing vocals

Chris Hayes- lead guitar, backing vocals

Sean Hopper- keyboards, backing vocals

Say what you like about Huey Lewis and the News. Maybe they were a bit too pop but listening to the "Sports" album, I'm not really bothered. They proved to be a good tight band who could probably excel at playing any type of music.

Next post: Stray Cats- Built For Speed

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

Great Metal Albums of 1983: Killer Dwarfs

 

I stated that sometime during the tour of 1983, I would make a revelation. My original plan was to wait a little further down the line before I made this revelation but recent posts on another blog has made it impossible for me to hold it in any longer. So now, I am going to reveal my favourite Canadian band of all time. Yep, you guessed it, it's the Killer Dwarfs, who released their debut, self titled album in 1983.

It was the name alone that first got my attention. While browsing around my local record shop, I happened to pick up a compilation album, which I will visit in 1984, and the third track in was the single "Heavy Mental Breakdown" by the Killer Dwarfs. Being a Dungeons and Dragons player,  the name gave me a tickle and that, along with some of the other great tracks I did know, was enough for me to buy the album. A couple of listens to the song on the compilation album was enough for me to send a cheque to Attic Records in Canada and buy their debut album. Unlike Chris DeBurgh, it was the best record buying decision I ever made and I've been a huge Killer Dwarfs fan ever since. My best experience was seeing them open for Iron Maiden at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1988.

Let's talk about the debut album. I'll be the first to say that future albums were better and more polished than this one but that doesn't stop this album from being a killer, yes pun intended. The opener, "Are You Ready," sucks you in from the first notes and the second track, "Can't Lose" does a great job in keeping your attention. Both songs are good rockers with catchy rhythms. Things go along very nicely through the next to tracks to the mentioned single to close out side one and leaving you very curious to hear what side two is going to sound like. Well, the second side doesn't disappoint and I found it better than side one. All five songs stand out very well all the way down to a very good power ballad of a closer. That was why when I read about Russ Dwarf's recent acoustic recordings of some of the classic Killer Dwarfs songs, I questioned why "Fire in Your Eyes" wasn't included among them. While the song on this album has some great electric power chords, I still think it would sound great unplugged.

Now let's talk about my favourite track on this album. If I were ever to write my auto-biography or there were to be a film made about my life, I would call it or insist it be called, "Outlaw of a Modern Man." Besides the fact that I think that title applies to me at least a little bit, I found the title to be very amusing. At least the band and I have a similar sense of humour. The song itself is just a great power rocker. Only barely more than three minutes long, it packs a lot of dynamite into that short time. In spite of all the accusations of being pop metal, this song shows that the Killer Dwarfs can rock! But I knew that when I bought this album.

Track Listing:

1. Are You Ready
2. Can't Lose
3. Drifter
4. Prisoner
5. Heavy Mental Breakdown
6. Read Between the Lines
7. Gotta Lose to Win
8. Outlaw of a Modern Man
9. Time to Move On
10. Fire in Your Eyes

 

[caption id="attachment_3211" align="aligncenter" width="200"] This is the only photo I could get of the first line up.[/caption]

Russ 'Dwarf' Graham- vocals

Bryce 'Dwarf' Trewin- guitar

Ange 'Dwarf' Fodero- bass

Darrell 'Dwarf' Millar- drums

Unfortunately, after their debut album, the Killer Dwarfs would nearly fade into obscurity. Both members of the string section would leave and the band would part ties with its record label. However, they would be back and better than ever but that story is best left for the appropriate time. The other unfortunate thing is that on account of all this, their debut album would be pretty much forgotten. I would be one of the ones who wouldn't because it was the first album that made me a die hard Killer Dwarfs fan.

Next post: Huey Lewis and the News- Sports

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Great Rock Albums of 1983: ZZ Top- Eliminator

 

I wasn't completely accurate when I said that Molly Hatchet's "No Guts No Glory" album was the first vinyl record I bought after leaving the marines. In fact, I was only telling half the truth because I bought the record through a mail order record club but not only did I buy Molly Hatchet, I had also bought "Eliminator" by ZZ Top and they came in the same package. I won't lose any sleep over it though, after all I had two great albums from 1983 to listen one right after the other, which I did.

For many people, ZZ Top's "Eliminator" album epitomized 1983. It was one of those albums that brought people of different musical tastes together. Johnny-come-lately trendies liked it because ZZ Top sounded a little different and back then, anything to mainstream enthusiasts that sounded different was branded new wave. However, for harder rockers like me as well as those who had been listening to them for years, it was the fact that ZZ Top managed to do so well without compromising their musical style, well not too much anyway. They retained their Texas-bad boy-boogie-blues style rock that had endeared them to listeners such as myself. Believe me, unlike some artists about this time, "Eliminator" has never had me pining for their earlier classics like "Tres Hombres" or "El Loco." It's great as it stands.

The main reason why I like is that Billy Gibbons just basically rips through the entire album with his guitar solos. Pick any song on this album and guaranteed, I will be rocking away to his solo on it. But while Billy is sensational, you must give credit to the Dusty Hill and Frank Beard who must be one of the tightest rhythm sections in music. Another plus for "Eliminator" is the songs are so upbeat without being mushy. Most of the songs are topics we can all identify with. Yes, every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man. It's just too bad I didn't take those words to heart back then and more than the average man, I am definitely a sucker for a nice pair of legs. We've all eaten TV dinners at one time in our lives. Oh, I do like that song because ZZ Top proved that they could add keyboards and still sound great. Then I think everybody gets the innuendo with "I Got the Six." I could say that the song was about a dice game but I don't think anyone would believe me somehow. One more thing, I think that "Got Me Under Pressure" is a very underrated song with some amusing lyrics.

"She don't like other women, she likes whips and chains.
She likes cocaine and filppin' out with great Danes.
She's about all I can handle, it's too much for my brain."

[caption id="attachment_3206" align="aligncenter" width="251"] The famous ZZ Top Eliminator car[/caption]

Another first for me with this album was that it was the first one where I was influenced by video. Videos for the songs "Gimme All Your Lovin,'" "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" all featured the famous eliminator car, (see above) and those three lovely ladies. Now, I'll be the first one to say that ZZ Top didn't need such things for this album to succeed because the music is that good but on the other hand, who am I to complain?

[caption id="attachment_3207" align="aligncenter" width="362"] Remember these ladies from the ZZ Top videos?[/caption]

Track Listing:

1. Gimme All Your Lovin'
2. Got Me Under Pressure
3. Sharp Dressed Man
4. I Need You Tonight
5. I Got the Six
6. Legs
7. Thug
8. TV Dinners
9. Dirty Dog
10. If Only I Could Flag Her Down
11. Bad Girl

[caption id="attachment_1585" align="aligncenter" width="251"] ZZ Top[/caption]

Billy Gibbons- guitar, vocals

Dusty Hill- bass, keyboards, vocals

Frank Beard- drums, percussion

"Eliminator" by ZZ Top brings back fond memories of 1983 for me. It was a great album and on a personal note, it was a great one to return to civilian life to. It's an album in the ZZ Top style that happened to gain loads of commercial success. Well done!

Next post: A Revelation That Might Interest Some Readers!

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Great Rock Albums of 1983: Joan Armatrading- The Key

 

In Laina Dawes's book, "What Are You Doing Here?," which is about a black woman's liberation through heavy metal and the prejudice she experienced as a female metalhead of African origin, she mentions great black female rock singers like Joyce 'Baby Jean' Kennedy from Mother's Finest and Skin from Skunk Anansie, both of whom have made a big impact on the rock scene. However, I don't remember, though I could be wrong, any mention of another great lady who belongs with the two already mentioned, Joan Armatrading. Note to self: find and reread that book. The two Joan Armatrading albums I've listened to, the 1981 album "Me Myself I" and her 1983, "The Key," are both great rocking albums. Therefore, I am forced to think that Joan doesn't get the musical respect she deserves.

Way back in 1983 during my final weeks in the marines, Joan's single from the album, "I Love it When You Call Me Names," got a good amount of airplay. I love the hard rocking edge to the song and the lyrics just cracked me up. This song appears to be about a sado- masochistic couple who get off on abusing each other. The lyrics, "He loves it when she beats his brains in" are sufficient evidence to the fact and there's a cool guitar solo at the end. That song continues to amuse me to this day and I'm a little surprised that no thrash band has covered it.

While it may not have the amusing lyrics like the single, the rest of "The Key" is a really cool album. There are the straight forward rockers like "Drop the Pilot," "Tell Tale" and "What Do Boys Dream." Then there's the power ballad, "Everybody Gotta Know" and while "Foolish Pride" incorporates horns, it is still a decent song that will dent anyone's belief that horns can't be used in a rock tune. Joan does show her versatility with the reggae sounding title track. This is a good bouncy song that has you repeating the chorus, "I found the key to your heart," for several minutes after the song's conclusion, a fine album by a fine singer.

Track Listing:

1. I Love it When You Call Me Names
2. Foolish Pride
3. Drop the Pilot
4. The Key
5. Everybody Gotta Know
6. Tell Tale
7. What Do Boys Dream
8. The Game of Love
9. The Dealer
10. Bad Habits
11. I Love My Baby

[caption id="attachment_2057" align="aligncenter" width="273"] Joan Armatrading[/caption]

Joan Armatrading- lead vocals, guitars, piano

Adrian Belew- guitar

Daryl Stuermer- guitar

Gary Sanford- guitar

Tony Levin- bass

Larry Fast- synthesizer

Stewart Copeland- drums

Jerry Marotta- drums

Julian Diggle- percussion

Mel Collins- saxophone

Annie Whitehead- trombone

Guy Barker- trumpet

Dean Klavatt- piano

Jeremy Meek- bass vocal

I never realised it before but there are some great musicians who play on "The Key." One reason why this album is so good. However, this takes nothing away from Joan and her great vocal ability and song writing skills. She is certainly a power force in rock.

Next post: ZZ Top- Eliminator

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

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Journey- Frontiers

 

Many a person, myself included, after hearing the "Frontiers" album by Journey back in 1983, came to the conclusion that they had gone too commercial with the album. Some of those same people further argued that the descent down that slippery slope actually started with their previous album, "Escape" two years prior and that "Frontiers" was just a natural progression down that slope. While I won't rack my brain nor strain my typing fingers worrying when Journey went too commercial, I do know that when I heard this album, it didn't make me forget about all about their earlier harder albums.

With all of the above said, "Frontiers" doesn't suck. Sure it's a come down and I wouldn't debate anyone who said it was a sell out (though I wouldn't debate anyone who said it wasn't either) but it's not a bad album at all. I think what Journey tried to do was to be more modern but trying to keep their more hard rock following. Many of the songs on the album have the potential to be real rockers and Neil Schon hammers out some cool guitar solos on them but where there might be a hard guitar, it is masked by the keyboards. The opener and first single, "Separate Ways" bears testimony to that fact. I mean if they had just let the hard guitar alone and had the keyboards play a more supportive role, I would have head banged away to it big time instead of just shrugging my shoulders and saying, "it's okay," when I heard it. The next three tracks follow in this mode. The potential for a good hard rock song is there with them but the keyboards drown them out and while none of those songs are in any way bad, I just don't feel they live up to their potential. Of those four, "Chain Reaction" is my favourite.

It wouldn't be a Journey album if there wasn't at least one power ballad on it and "Faithfully" fits the bill perfectly. As far as Journey material goes, that song is as good or better than any of their other power ballads, save "Open Arms" but that has sentimental meaning for me. It is post ballad that the album begins to get interesting. "Edge of the Blade" is the first true rocker on the album for me. With that song, I finally start head banging away and Schon's solo is just killer. The next track, "Troubled Child" is more in line with the first four songs but the difference is I think that song was meant to be more of a progressive/hard rock song. It does sound good and it leads to the last three songs taking the album out on a more harder sounding note. In fact, "Back Talk" might sound good metalized and "Rubicon" is a hard enough closer to almost cancel out my feelings about the first four songs.

Track Listing:

1. Separate Ways
2. Send Her My Love
3. Chain Reaction
4. After the Fall
5. Faithfully
6. Edge of the Blade
7. Troubled Child
8. Back Talk
9. Frontiers
10. Rubicon

[caption id="attachment_947" align="aligncenter" width="302"] Journey[/caption]

Steve Perry- vocals

Neil Schon- guitar, vocals

Jonathan Cain- keyboards, vocals

Ross Valory- bass, vocals

Steve Smith- drums, percussion, vocals

Now I sense that some of you are flexing your fingers ready to respond about how commercially successful the "Frontiers" album was. I grant that and I have to give Journey total credit. For all my bitching about them being too commercial, they can still pull off a decent album with it. Nevertheless, I still have this craving to pop on "Wheel in the Sky" and crank it.

Next post: Joan Armatrading- The Key

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

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Modern English- After the Snow

 

Originally, my plan was to post the "After the Snow" album from British post punk, new wave band, Modern English, after the album from INXS. My reason was because back in 1983, I would often confuse the two bands. Worse, I would further confuse INXS's single "Don't Change" with the big single from this Modern English album, "I Melt With You." Both bands sound very similar and it is possible that Modern English could have had a song on the "Rock Star" soundtrack.

I have come to the conclusion that one reason why Modern English never got the success they may have deserved was down to my beef with the 1980s. Too many people wanted to put their music into categories or genres. "After the Snow" offers a mixed bag of musical styles that makes categorizing them difficult. Track two, "Life in the Gladhouse," is a more progressive rock song while the very next track, "Face of Wood," might be a candidate for the "Rock Star" soundtrack. However, the track that makes my point is the one after that, "Dawn Chorus." This song sounds like Jim Morrison came back from the dead and joined The Cult. The guitar intro at the beginning of the song definitely sound like the named band, whose albums I will be visiting a little more down the line and the vocal style could almost be Jim. Saying all that though, I really like the song as I do all of the ones on the album.

Some critic of the "After the Snow" album claims that the single "I Melt With You" is not indicative of the rest of the album. Well it certainly does stand out from the other songs but I think it goes well with the album. It provides a different turn and keeps you from getting to familiar with the album. I like the fact that you don't know what to expect with each song and if you listen to it without stressing out over what category it should be put in, then the album becomes that much more enjoyable.

Track Listing:

1. Someone's Calling
2. Life in the Gladhouse
3. Face of Wood
4. Dawn Chorus
5. I Melt With You
6. After the Snow
7. Carry Me Down
8. Tables Turning

[caption id="attachment_3190" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Modern English[/caption]

Robbie Grey- vocals

Gary McDowell- guitars

Stephen Walker- keyboards

Michael Conroy- bass, violin

Richard Brown- drums, percussion

"After the Snow" by Modern English goes against the 1980s belief that you had to put a band into a category in order to appreciate. Their mixed bag of hard rock, post punk, new wave and progressive rock all goes well on this album. Listen to it with that in mind and you'll definitely enjoy the album.

Next post: Journey- Frontiers

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