Great Metal Albums of 1984: Helix- Walking the Razor's Edge

 

It's amazing the things that get stored in one's mind and come out when the mind needs them. Back in the 1980's, Helix were one of those bands I always wanted to explore more of but never got around to it. They first came to my attention in the summer of 1984 when I saw the video for the single from the "Walkin' the Razor's Edge" album, "Rock You." I made a mental note to buy this album but never did. I did try to look for it but it never made it to my part of South Jersey.

Like with some other metal bands in 1984, while many of them got played on MTV, you had to be in the right place at the right time to catch it. It was the same with White Wolf. Hell, I didn't even remember which song from this album I had seen the video for until I did a bit of research thanks to Wikipedia and Youtube. Seeing the video for "Rock You" jogged my memory and yes, I remember it now. Looking at it again, it was such a very 80s video but who cares, it's a good song.

But what about the rest of the album? Some of you might ask. Well, rest assured, let me say once and for all that "Walkin' the Razor's Edge" kicks total ass. True, there is a definite 80s vibe to the album and to Helix but no one can ever say that heavy metal is dated. However, I do find it difficult to pick a favourite on here, although I will take the first five songs over the final five, but not by much. "Young and Wreckless," "Animal House" and "When the Hammer Falls" are definitely the stand out tracks for me. "Feel the Fire" is also a good track that sounds like a Dokken tune. Again, I might prefer the first half of the album, I won't denounce the second half. "Give Me Good Lovin'" could have been a second single here. So record management, why wasn't it released as one? The ballad, "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want" was released as a single in Canada and it's a decent ballad. While the remaining songs don't totally grab me by the throat, they are good songs and do their job in making the album enjoyable.

What makes the album so good is the band themselves. Brian Vollmer might be trying to act like every other metal singer from the decade in the video but he has a good set of pipes. Brent Doerner and Paul Hackman wield their axes very well all throughout the album, fair dues to them. Doerner is the one who emerges from the water to play his guitar solo in the video but whichever guitarist lays down the solo on "When the Hammer Falls" gets the gong for best solo here. Daryl Gray and Greg Hinz provide a competent rhythm section rock for the rest to build on. As usual, a good band makes a good album.

Track Listing:

1. Rock You
2. Young and Restless
3. Animal House
4. Feel the Fire
5. When the Hammer Falls
6. Give Me Good Lovin'
7. My Kind of Rock
8. (Make Me Do) Anything You Want
9. Six Strings Nine Lives
10. You Keep Me Rockin'

[caption id="attachment_4334" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Helix and their friends[/caption]

Brian Vollmer- lead vocals

Brent 'The Doctor' Doerner- guitars, backing vocals

Paul Hackman- guitars, backing vocals

Daryl Gray- bass, backing vocals

George 'Fritz' Hinz- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_oBjinZQ7k

Was Helix Canada's best kept secret in the 1980s? Possibly but then Canadian bands seemed to get ignored more than their American and British counterparts. Hearing "Walkin' On the Razor's Edge" makes me wish I had Youtube back then. I would not have missed this cool album and waited over thirty years to finally get to listen to it.

Next post: Hellion

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Dio- The Last in Line

 

No further evidence to support the fact that 1984 was the year of heavy metal is needed beyond the fact that Dio had two songs from their second album, "The Last in Line" played on commercial radio. When I first heard the title track played on my local commercial station, I wasted no time in cranking up the volume and breaking out the air guitar. I was working at a parking lot at the time but it didn't matter one bit if I was the subject of people's attention. To hear such a song on the radio was completely mind blowing at the time.

The video to the track, "The Last in Line" was cool in my view but it did come in for a lot of criticism at the time. In the eyes of the religious fanatics, scenes of people getting tortured by Satan's minions was a major problem. Of course, if they bothered to watch the entire video, they would have seen that the protagonist in it does make his escape with the help of Ronnie himself. My conclusion was that it's a cool video for a great song.

"Mystery" the second single, didn't do quite as well but I love this song too and the video for it. The video is a more fantasy setting so no one gets tortured in it. After one showing of it on MTV, the vee-jay said "Mystery" was the closest thing to a ballad from Dio. Maybe so, it would be another twelve years before "Angry Machines" and the closer to it, which is a definite ballad. Still, I continue to love "Mystery."

Now, let me go to the four tracks which some people consider to be filler. I don't because I consider "Breathless," "I Speed at Night," "Evil Eyes" and "Eat Your Heart Out" to all be good tracks. Maybe the heavy breathing before "Breathless" is a little OTT but that intro and Ronnie's "No No No No No" more than cancels it out. Coming home from visiting my children the other night, I realise that I do speed at night. In some cases, I discovered that I was doing 80 on the motorway, so that song is very true. "Eat Your Heart Out" has a cool intro as well and I love how "Evil Eyes" ends. So, in my mind, these songs aren't filler.

As for the three songs I haven't mentioned, well, they are better than the four I just mentioned. "We Rock" would have been used to open their shows on tour for "The Last in Line" had they not had a better show opener from the "Holy Diver " album. "Stand Up and Shout" is one of the greatest show opening songs ever. But while it might not have opened the show, Dio still had the sense to play it on their next couple of tours. It is a cool song. "One Night in the City" is my hidden gem on the album. I have always loved Ronnie's ability to tell stories behind the great music and on this one, it's near perfect. The same can be said for the closer, "Egypt (The Chains are On.)" This too tells a great story behind what is some great music. I don't quite rate it as good as "One Night in the City" but it does make an excellent closer for the album.

Most people can attest to the great vocals of Ronnie James Dio and he does a superb job on "The Last in Line." However, the rest of the band needs their credit where due. Vivian Campbell lays down some brilliant guitar solos on here. Why some people call him overrated I'll never under stand. Jimmy Bain and Vinnie Appice remain the tight rhythm section on this albums as much as they were on the last one. Then there's the new addition on the album. It was here, keyboards player Claude Schnell joined the band and his contribution to the band is immense. All together, these five men work together and put out a fantastic album.

Track Listing:

1. We Rock
2. The Last in Line
3. Breathless
4. I Speed At Night
5. On Night in the City
6. Evil Eyes
7. Mystery
8. Eat Your Heart Out
9. Egypt (The Chains are On)

[caption id="attachment_4329" align="aligncenter" width="368"] Dio[/caption]

Ronnie James Dio- vocals

Vivian Campbell- guitar

Jimmy Bain- bass

Claude Schnell- keyboards

Vinnie Appice- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEV4Tov1GBM

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhKaCpm6pPE

 

The best concert I ever went to in my life happened on this tour. Dio, supported by Twisted Sister was a night I will take to my grave with me as one of the great highs. One of the main contributors to this ecstasy was the fact that it was "The Last in Line" album. Thinking back to when I wrote about this concert in "Rock and Roll Children," I didn't highlight just how magnificent a show it was.

Next Post: Helix- Walkin' the Razor's Edge

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Twisted Sister- Stay Hungry

 

With all the fuss about the upcoming Christmas holidays and reading about various opinions of the "Twisted Christmas" album and why Twisted Sister made such an album, I thought I'd treat everyone to their most defining album, "Stay Hungry." It was by and far the most successful Twisted Sister album of all time and it made, to quote Dee Snider, 1984 "the year of the Sister."

Let me take you back to the golden year and where it first started. The massive sales of the album were spring-boarded by the huge hit, "We're Not Gonna Take It" and the very amusing video for it, that got tons of airplay on MTV. I never minded the fact that during the summer of 1984, it seemed to be on every time I turned the station on. The video for said song featured actor Mark Metcalf, famous for playing Niedermeyer in the greatest party film of all time, "National Lampoon's Animal House." Metcalf plays an overbearing dictatorial father who shouts constantly at his rock loving son. The son gets his own back by propelling his father out windows after turning into Dee Snider. It was all very hilarious and only those without any sense of humour wouldn't enjoy it.

[caption id="attachment_1033" align="aligncenter" width="281"] A scene from the video, "We're Not Gonna Take It."[/caption]

"Stay Hungry" spawned two more singles, "I Wanna Rock" which did fairly well in the charts. The video carried on the zaniness of the Niedermeyer debacle. It too was a very funny video. The other single was the power ballad, "The Price," which didn't break the top forty, but who cares because it is definitely up in my top ten of power ballads.

Singles aside, the remaining seven songs are just as awesome. The closest track to filler is "Don't Let Me Down" but it's better than many songs on other albums which  aren't considered filler. While "The Beast" never got played the last two times I saw Twister Sister at Bloodstock, it did get played the two times I saw them on tour for this album. "Captain Howdy" is a cool song. The title track is one of the best album openers of all time and the closer "SMF" is also outstanding as a closer and build the foundations as to why this album is so great. To my knowledge, there isn't a sane soul in the metal world who doesn't like "Burn In Hell." Except for the first time because it hadn't been written yet, it got played all the other times I saw the band live. However, the one small disappointment whenever I saw them live  was that they never played the song I call the hidden gem, "Street Justice." I like everything about this song from the cool intro to the guitar solo to the serious lyrics. Maybe that's why I think I'm different to the rest of the world because I seem to be the only person who really likes it. I've read that they played the song in 2009 when they played the entire album live. I wish I could have been there.

Track Listing:

1. Stay Hungry
2. We're Not Gonna Take It
3. Burn In Hell
4. Horror Teria

a. Captain Howdy

b. Street Justice

5. I Wanna Rock

6. The Price

7. Don't Let Me Down

8. The Beast

9. SMF

Twisted Sister

Dee Snider- lead vocals

Eddie Ojeda- guitars, backing vocals

Jay Jay French- guitars, backing vocals

Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza- bass, backing growls

AJ Pero- drums, percussion

Three videos from this iconic album is my Christmas treat to all of you, enjoy. Whatever else happened in the band's history before or since, the obvious thing is that "Stay Hungry" made Twisted Sister in 1984. It was definitely the year of the Sister and I wonder sometimes if I didn't convey that point in Rock and Roll Children.

Next post: The 12 Days of Christmas, several versions

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Ratt- Out of the Cellar

 

Here's a scene from "Rock and Roll Children." One night, after unsuccessfully trying to get into bars, the four main characters decide to head to one of the group's houses. While driving with the radio on, some power chords come blasting through the car's speakers. Intently listening to whoever the mysterious artist is playing, these words coming ringing true.

"I knew right from the beginning

That you would end up winning,

I knew right from the start,

You'd put an arrow through my heart."

The big single "Round and Round" brought Ratt into the homes of many Americans in the summer of 1984, with it being constantly played on radio and MTV. I can't deny the fact that it is most likely my favourite Ratt song of all time although there are a couple of others that might come close. I can't explain why this song is so good, not just to metalheads but many non-metalheads liked it too. That's why it got to number 12 on the Billboard charts.

Like the big hit, one thing that many of the songs on Ratt's debut album, "Out of the Cellar" have catchy intros that make your ears perk up and pay attention. True, some of the songs trail off a bit and end not as exciting as they begin but there isn't a bad song on the album. Saying that, except for "Round and Round" the second half of the album is better than the first. It's probably why the said single was put third on the album. A kind of high point on a more level ground. Furthermore and this is me totally nit picking here, I would have swapped "She Wants Money" as the opener and "Wanted Man" would have been fifth. The latter is a good song, I just think the former would have made a better opener.

Having heard "Out of the Cellar" on vinyl, flipping to side two, one is greeted with a great side opener in "Lack of Communication." This song opens the doorway for the best to come. "Back For More" was the second single on the album and I liked it more than what the charts indicated. I think it only got to 27 but that never bothered me because it is a cool song. The acoustic intro makes a great change up to the album and I can't fault Warren DeMartini's guitar playing on it or on any song actually. However, after single number two comes the hidden gem on the album and the one to rival "Round and Round" for my affections. "The Morning After" is just a fantastic song. I love all the tempo changes in the guitars on it and how they kick in big time on the chorus. It's hard to describe in words but even thirty three years on, I still don't tire of this song. Shit, maybe I should call it number one.

The last two tracks are strong and solid ones. I sometimes wonder if "I'm Insane" applies to me. After all, I feel that way sometimes. "Scene of the Crime" isn't the greatest album closer in history but it is probably the best song to close the album, especially with the intro.

Track Listing:

1. Wanted Man
2. You're In Trouble
3. Round and Round
4. In Your Direction
5. She Wants Money
6. Lack of Communication
7. Back for More
8. The Morning After
9. I'm Insane
10. Scene of the Crime

[caption id="attachment_4305" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Ratt[/caption]

Stephen Pearcy- vocals

Warren De Martini- guitar, backing vocals

Robbin Crosby- guitar, backing vocals

Juan Crocier- bass, backing vocals

Bobby Blotzer- drums, percussion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXlDPA52BXc

When people talk of the metal explosion of 1984, Ratt always gets a mention. Though many would accuse them of being too much the same on later albums, there is no debate that "Out of the Cellar" album was something fresh, at least to me.

Next post: Twisted Sister- Stay Hungry

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Quiet Riot- Condition Critical

 

It is the opinion of many metalheads now and in 1984 that Quiet Riot's fourth album, "Condition Critical" was not as good as it's predecessor, "Metal Health." I am one of those and my opinion is the same now as it was back in said year. But, was the album as bad as some people believe? My answer has always been a resounding "NO!" True, it's not as good as the last one but I still like "Condition Critical."

Quiet Riot did try to follow the formula they laid down on the very successful "Metal Health" album and I'm not just talking about the Slade cover. "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" isn't as good as "Cum On Feel the Noize" but I never decided to head to the fridge whenever it was played on MTV. Unfortunately, some people didn't agree with me, especially readers of Hit Parader (Motley Crue magazine) because Kevin DuBrow referred to the mag as akin to toilet paper. The magazine and readers hit out in response by giving the album negative reviews. One letter to the magazine asked "If I shoot Slade, would Quiet Riot die too?" I am glad that nobody got shot.

I think that the main difference between "Metal Health" and "Condition Critical" was the fact that the singles released from the latter weren't the chart toppers the ones from the former were. Even I have to admit that "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health" are better than "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and "Party All Night." If one was to take the singles away, the rest of the songs on the album are fairly equal. "Stomp Your Hands and Clap Your Feet" is a good song to get you moving to it. It does have a catchy singalong vibe to it. "Winners Take All" is a very good power ballad. It is definitely high up on my list in that category.  Furthermore, "Scream and Shout," (my favourite track), "Red Alert" and "Bad Boy" are all cool tunes too. When you put it all together, it does make a rather good album.

If there is one item on the album consistent with all of the songs, which hooks me every time, it is the guitar work of Carlos Cavazo. For me, it is his guitar playing that makes the songs good and therefore makes the album. He lays down some great solos on all of the songs here, it's hard for me to pick which one he does his best on. But if you put a gun to my head, I guess I'd have to say "Red Alert." Still, I won't take anything away from the rest of the band.

Track Listing:

1. Sign of the  times
2. Mama Weer All Crazee Now
3. Party All Night
4. Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet
5. Winners Take All
6. Condition Critical
7. Scream and Shout
8. Red Alert
9. Bad Boys
10. (We Were) Born to Rock

[caption id="attachment_3552" align="aligncenter" width="379"] Quiet Riot[/caption]

Kevin DuBrow- vocals

Carlos Cavazo- guitars

Rudy Sarzo- bass

Frankie Banali- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyAg7usdIMA

Due to the lack of success, (Is 3 million copies sold a lack of success?) of "Condition Critical," Quiet Riot went from headlining arenas to headlining theatres. I was going to get tickets to see them at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia but when I went to buy the tickets, I was informed that the date of the concert had been changed to a day where I was working. I was bummed I couldn't go. That might be what sums things up for Quiet Riot in 1984 but I still enjoy this album.

Next post: RATT- Out of the Cellar

To get Rock and Roll Children, email me at:tobyshcin

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Judas Priest- Defenders of the Faith

 

If I thought I didn't do Great White justice when I wrote about theirs as the first concert to take place in "Rock and Roll Children," then I should grovel to Judas Priest begging their forgiveness. The Judas Priest/Great White concert that happens in the first few pages of the book is the one I knew least about. I couldn't go on account of work and only had patchy accounts of the concert from people I spoke to who went. This meant my account of that night was, as one critic put it, bare bones, if that. So, to Judas Priest and their hardcore fans, I'm sorry. Though I do make up for it when I write about their 1986 concert. One of my biggest critics, my sister, said I nailed that one.

While the first Judas Priest concert might have been lacking in substance, the album they were touring in support of, "Defenders of the Faith" did get a good number of listens from the characters in "Rock and Roll Children." I have always held this album in great esteem and will put my head in the lion's mouth and declare that it is Judas Priest's most underrated album, ever! Sales wise, it did not match the numbers of its mega fantastic predecessor, "Screaming for Vengeance," and I put it a half a mark below it but "Defenders of the Faith" is one fantastic album.

The first seven songs are the reason why the album is soooo good. One by one each of those songs launch into an all out assault on your ears with such ferocity, you can't help but to head bang away and jump up and down to it. Even when one song ends, the next one grabs you by the throat and makes you give your undivided attention to it. When I say the first seven songs, I mean all of those songs, not just the ones some might be more familiar with like "Freewheel Burning" and "Love Bites," who when the premier of the video for it was announced on MTV was called "a family affair." Of course there's also my favourite track from this album and my third all time favourite Priest song, "Some Heads are Gonna Roll." I just love that song. "Jawbreaker," "Rock Hard, Ride Free" and "The Sentinel" all can cause an unsuspecting listener to lose control of their bodily functions as well. Plus, there's the amusing "Eat Me Alive" which a year later would be rank on the PMRC's hit list as the third dirtiest song. All great!

This not to say that the last three songs are in any way not up to scratch, they are good songs but intensity levels do tail off after "Some Heads are Gonna Roll." Things go slower tempo with the remaining three songs but the pounding doesn't let up. It just takes on a different form, nor does it detract from this great album in any way.

Track Listing:

1. Freewheel Burning
2. Jawbreaker
3. Rock Hard, Ride Free
4. The Sentinel
5. Love Bites
6. Eat Me Alive
7. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
8. Night Comes Down
9. Heavy Duty
10. Defenders of the Faith

[caption id="attachment_1108" align="aligncenter" width="238"] Judas Priest[/caption]

Robert Halford- lead vocals

Glenn Tipton- guitar

KK Downing- guitar

Ian Hill- bass

Dave Holland- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C21PrOKRG8w

I've never really ranked Judas Priest albums before, except I knew that "Screaming for Vengeance" was my favourite. I have called "Defenders of the Faith" underrated but I am now declare it number two and not by much. It is a great under appreciated album.

Next post: Quiet Riot- Condition Critical

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

Great Metal Albums of 1984: Great White

 

Going back to the debut album by American metal band, Great White, after so many many years, I feel that I owe them a small apology. I did enjoy their debut quite a lot back in 1984, but it quickly got pushed aside when albums from more established bands came my way. Therefore, the album didn't get the respect from me it deserved. This was the main reason why they didn't get too much mention in "Rock and Roll Children." In fact, their main mention in the book was probably my first mistake when I wrote the book. In the story and in real life, Great White supported the mighty Judas Priest on tour. This was the first concert I write about in the book and the one I knew least about. I didn't go and could only glean bits and pieces from people who did. So it wasn't the best idea to have the first concert one I knew very little about.

Now onto the album. Like I said, I may have discarded this album too soon in favour of others because I now realize just how good it was. However, in order to fully appreciate it, one should mentally drift back to 1984. Back then, I found the tracks "Out of the Night" and "Bad Boys" to be typical of the time metal tunes. Both songs are done well but they are about being bad and things like sex and music. Listening today, I would not be surprised if anyone thought it was all done before with them. The same could be said for "Down On Your Knees." I wonder if they were influenced by AC/DC here but Mark Kendall hammers a cool guitar solo on it. It doesn't matter because I like them anyway and there are better songs between them. "Stick It" has a really cool opening metal riff and just kicks ass throughout, definitely my favourite song on the album.

Many people might not think so but I really like their cover of The Who's "Substitute." I think what I like about it the most is how they alter the lyrics to make it more metal.

"I can see your pants are made of leather"

and

"I can see right through your Satan crap." 

Great stuff and well played too. "Streetkiller" is a good, hard, in your face metal tune. "No Better Than Hell" starts in similar fashion but slows down into a more melodic rocker but the hard chords with the chorus still makes its mark. "Hold On" goes the other way. It's hard in the meat of the verses but goes more melodic for the chorus. Still, its a nice switch up. "Nightmares" starts with one of those tunes designed to help babies sleep before going into a metal frenzy. That's also what the song is about. Maybe I should start playing it every Halloween. That takes things to the closing song, "Dead End," which is definitely the best track to end the album on because everything that has gone on before all comes together perfectly here.

Track Listing:

1. Out of the Night
2. Stick It
3. Substitute
4. Bad Boys
5. Down On Your Knees
6. Streetkiller
7. No Better Than Hell
8. Hold On
9. Nightmares
10. Dead End

Jack Russell- lead and backing vocals

Mark Kendall- guitar, backing vocals

Lorne Black- bass, backing vocals

Gary Holland- drums, backing vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ7e9pL-v1U

Maybe if I listened to Great White's debut album more, EMI wouldn't have dropped the band due to its lack of success and the band wouldn't have opted for a more bluesy direction in later albums. Because from what is on here, they could play metal well.

Next post: I thought I'd best keep with the flow I started above so it will be, Judas Priest- Defenders of the Faith

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