All of my Thin Lizzy listening experiences happened well into the 90’s, when the second hand vinyl market was cheap and rocking, with most of it priced less than $5.
And I was snapping it up.
“Johnny the Fox” came out in 1976 and the last Thin Lizzy album to have guitarist Brian Robertson featured as a full member of the band. Clashes over songs and personalities led to Robertson being sacked, reinstated, and later sacked again.
It was an album of convenience as “Jailbreak” came out at the start of the year and due to Phil Lynott’s illness with hepatitis, they couldn’t really tour behind it, so “Johnny The Fox” was created.
Thin Lizzy was Phil Lynott on bass guitar and vocals, Scott Gorham on lead and rhythm guitar, Brian Robertson on lead and rhythm guitar and Brian Downey on drums.
Johnny
The intro is just so simple and groovy, how can you not like it. I swear it gave birth to the New Wave bands that came out in the 80’s.
And the iconic phrasing and voice of Phil Lynott is unique, it makes you pay attention to the story he’s trying to tell.
The lead breaks are excellent.
And the drumming is so underrated. Its powerful and make sure you check out the fills.
Rocky
“He’s got all the tricks to pull the chicks”, is Lynott at his best.
The harmony solos are nice and delicate before the angry and sleazy pentatonic licks start to wail away.
Borderline
It’s like a bluesy country rock song. Check out the bass lines on this.
Don’t Believe A Word
I was hooked from the opening riff which Robertson re-interpreted after Lynott presented the song in a slow 12 bar blues format.
The faster upbeat, was based on a Downey shuffle. If you want to hear Lynott’s original bluesy version, it’s on Gary Moore’s “Back On The Streets”, released in 1978.
The actual lead break with the wah wah sounds like it’s getting strangled out of the guitar.
Robertson wasn’t happy when the song was only credited to Lynott.
Fool’s Gold
The major key vibe is something that Thin Lizzy used a lot and man, they made it rock hard.
Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed
Seriously what a great title for a funk blues rock tune. Phil Lynott was a fan of “The O’Jays” and their song “For the Love of Money.
Old Flame
It’s like a love rock song with a lot of harmony guitars.
Massacre
The best track on the album.
This could appear on an Iron Maiden album and not be out of place. It’s basically a metal cut.
The whole band is on fire. The drums are fast, jazz like, while the guitars and bass syncopate, to play some fast palm muted pentatonic grooves.
Sweet Marie
After the madness of “Massacre”, “Sweet Marie” is like “Love Boat” music, as you’re lying on a beach drinking Pina Colada’s. Vocally, John Sykes borrowed heaps from this song. In some sections, I believed I was listening to Sykes.
Boogie Woogie Dance
It’s got a musical feel similar to “Massacre” but with a stupid title. Then again, it goes with “Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed”.
But it wasn’t strong enough to be on the album.
It didn’t get any certifications in the North American markets. But what it did do was put the band on the road. And as long as they could stay healthy, they would make coin.
But they didn’t.
Robertson was fired during the tour, replaced by Gary Moore and back in the studio they went.
Finally, drummer Brian Downey is the unsung hero on this album, delivering so many different rhythms and feels.
P.S. For their second album in the year it’s still solid and some stellar cuts like “Massacre” and “Johnny”.
“The Hymn Of A Broken Man” came out in 2011 and in 2021, we get “Songs Of Loss And Seperation”.
The band for the album is Adam Dutkiewicz on vocals, guitar and bass, Jesse Leach on vocals and Dan Gluszak on drums.
The Burden Of Belief
It’s got a blues country groove, more like southern country rock.
Fall down to your knees / Wash me clean of all my grief
Mend You
Taking its cues from alternative metal.
I lost a lot of sleep with my restless mind
There is no rest, when you’re left alone with your thoughts especially when your relationship is breaking down or if a loved one is doing it tough with addictions or mental illness.
The riffs in the last 50 seconds. It’s wall breaking time.
Rescue
Its classic Killswitch Engage.
After the screaming verses, the anthemic Chorus smacks you in the face.
Dutkiewicz is a great riff meister, who showcases his talents with each album release.
The last 50 seconds, with the swelling sounds and backwards effects, is haunting and soothing at the same time. A paradox but it works.
Far From Heavenless
A simple arpeggio guitar riff starts the song off, with Leach singing about feeling far from heaven. And there is an ascending guitar line underneath it all, which makes it feel like we are rising.
The power in the next section, when Leach is singing “I’m not heavenless”. And the power house drumming from Gluszak hammers the message home.
Then the dynamic shifts again to subtle and serene arpeggios.
At 3.30 there is just a clean tone guitar riff that reminds me of “Living On The Edge” riff from Aerosmith.
Then listen to how the distorted guitars, bass and drums build it up, over the spoken sermon from Leach.
It’s gloom and doom, but inspirational as well.
Bleed Me
Atmospheric cut about looking for the medicine to bleed you and satisfy the demons.
Medusa
How good is the riff to kick off Medusa?
It’s so Iommi and Zakk Wylde like.
And this nod to classic metal gives way to syncopated verses, more in the vein of Meshuggah and TesseracT.
Currents
The intro riff is familiar. The vocal melody very Maynard like in the verses, as the rage explodes in the Chorus.
Lost in a Dream / Dark waves crash over me
This tension between dark and light, carries the song.
To Carry The Weight
The intro arpeggios and vocal melody could have come from Aaron Lewis and Staind. Maybe even Brent Smith and Shinedown. And I like it.
The song percolates in that sombre mood until it explodes and Jesse Leach delivers a worthy vocal performance.
The riff from 2.25. So melodic, yet heavy.
Cold
It starts off like a country tune. A simple acoustic guitar riff and vocal melody. It’s campfire material.
And from the 3 minute mark, it explodes. The melodies are hypnotic and the music inspirational.
Have I mentioned that Dutkiewicz is a great riff meister?
Forever
The closer. 6.30 minutes long.
All different musical roads lead to here. A combination of country, blues, metal and rock.
For those looking about positive messages, this isn’t the album for you. It’s melancholy lyrics and metal like riffage is music to make you crash your car. You can feel the sadness, a pain at the world, society and the various demons within the mind.
The album title is indicative of the theme. And having gone through loss recently this album is becoming my companion, riding shotgun with me.
The band changed. There was no one left except for Ronnie James Dio. 18 year old guitar wiz, Rowan Robertson was on guitars, Jens Johansson on keys, Teddy Cook on bass and Simon Wright on drums who left his AC/DC gig that he held from 1983 to 1989 to join.
Actually Robertson was only 17 when Dio announced to the world that he was the new guitarist in July 1989 after more than 5,000 guitarist submitted audition tapes.
“I saw an item in Kerrang! about Craig Goldie leaving Dio, so I knew they needed a guitarist. I sent in a tape just for the hell of it, you know, not expecting much, but figuring I had nothing to lose.
I was 16, learnt to play guitar in my bedroom by banging around to Bad Company records and the only stage experience I had was with a couple of pub bands that were going nowhere. I thought if I was lucky, maybe I’d get an audition”. Rowan Robertson
I was surprised to see that Jimmy Bain was out. But he was fired (along with Claude Schnell) in mid-1989 and Vinny Appice was let go two weeks before work began on the album.
The production team also changed a little bit, with Tony Platt in the producers and engineer’s chair along with Ronnie. Suddenly the sound became better thanks to Tony Platt’s engineering experience.
According to guitarist Rowan Robertson and mentioned on Wikipedia, two more songs were written and demoed for the album but left off at the decision of Wendy Dio: “Hell Wouldn’t Take Her” and “The River Between Us”. Maybe she felt the songs were too personal.
In 1990, MTV still ruled.
It was simple. You get a music video in mass rotation and watch the album go Platinum. And the Dio camp tried. They really tried.
The photos of the band had them with a bit of a tease and hairspray in their hair. They spent some decent money on a clip for “Wild One”.
And MTV still avoided Dio, who at 48 years of age was seen as a relic of the past with nothing new to offer. My Dad turned 46 that year and I saw him as old.
Also Dio’s lyrics of jesters, clowns, gypsies and rainbows had run its course for the TV station but not for the fans.
While I ignored the “Dream Evil” album when it came out in 1987, I purchased this one.
It was a tab of “Wild One” in the “Guitar School” magazine which got me interested. I was playing along to the song before I even heard it and the guitar solo was a highlight. And I was like, “man, this dude is of a similar age and he’s smoking on the guitar, I need to get practicing”.
Wild One
Written by Dio and Robertson, it’s a great fast song to kick off the album and announce the new guy in town.
That Pre-Chorus, reminds me so much of Savatage.
And the lead break starts off as a blues-a-metal-thon, almost jazz fusion like. Then it goes into the super-fast tapping section. Another great way to announce the new gun slinger .
Check out the head banging outro. How can you not like it?
Lyrically, it was another “stand your ground and be who you want to be” message, although done in a very Dio way full of riddles.
Born On The Sun
A mixture of “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” and “Holy Diver” but with Rowan Robertson providing a more EVH approach to decorating simple grooves.
Check out the drumming on this.
The song is credited to Dio, Robertson, Bain and Appice. It sounds like Appice wrote the drum parts but its Wright who plays em.
You can hide in a circle It’s a way to survive Be another number At least you’d be alive
Great lyrics. So much truth in the words.
Scared to be different or speak our minds because of the resistance and the blowback. Especially these days, with social media and how a point of view can blow up and suddenly we have trolls and haters all spamming our inboxes.
Hey Angel
Written by Dio and Robertson.
The majority of stories I read when Grunge came, was how the lyrics from the Seattle bands were more deeper and darker, focusing on depression and anxiety and rooted in real life. It’s like the Seattle artists were the only artists doing stuff like that. Sort of like how the heirs to Marvin Gaye believe he was so original that they sue everyone to oblivion.
Well, heavy metal and hard rock artists did have songs dealing with isolation, loneliness, depression, conformity and being in dark places after a relationship breakdown.
How do you feel right now? How does it feel to be alone?
My parents never asked me how I feel. These kind of emotions and questions are frowned upon when your ancestry comes from Eastern Europe.
I also grew up in life being told that angels are these all powerful beings that shine a bright light and can’t be hurt.
I suppose if you feel, you can get hurt. If you bleed, you can die. Or in the words of Schwarzenegger in “Predator”, “if it bleeds, we can kill it”.
The solo is excellent on this.
From just one album, Robertson was given a chance to do an instructional tape. His “Speed Picking” VHS tape is out there on the Net.
Between Two Hearts
Another song written by Dio and Robertson. It starts off with an acoustic arpeggio riff that reminds me of “Children Of The Sea”.
Then the slow groove kicks in, it’s almost like a blues dirge.
Check out the way Robertson plays the riffs in the second verse, combine palm muted arpeggios, diads and pedal tones.
Put on your party faces and come along Join in the big parade Here comes the camera Do you look as good as your sister Smile at the animals They should be the ones in the cages Turn the pages
A photo for Instagram before it was even invented.
Or a song about the paparazzi and the price of fame when we lived in a monoculture. These days, we live with many different sources informing us, and a person could be making millions from music and be walking the streets and shopping aisles with us and we wouldn’t even know.
Night Music
This one is written by Dio, Robertson and Bain.
So open up your arms Let the night time in Say the word and it begins
I love the night. I feel the most inspired then and there was nothing better than listening to music at night, reading the lyrics and singing out aloud, like the lyrics to this song, “Night music, you’re singer and I’m the song”.
Lock Up The Wolves
Another song written by Dio, Robertson and Bain.
The sound of a clock ticking. Its normal paced. Then it picks up in speed, almost frantic like. The music is ominous, giving the listener a feeling that time is running out. By the time the distorted guitars kick in, the ticking is relentlessly fast.
And the doom feel of the song reminds me of “Sign Of The Southern Cross”.
In the houses of the holy To the middle of the mystic sea At the cradle of the world
Its back to his fantasy places, about wolves, screaming for sanctuary and how there is no back door to heaven, just a front door to hell. I guess we’ll meet again.
Evil On Queen Street
Written by Dio, Robertson and Cook. It’s like a 12 bar blues dirge with another killer solo by Robertson.
Walk On Water
Written by Dio, Robertson and Johansson, it reminds me of “Stand Up And Shout” but while “Stand Up And Shout” screams rebellion, “Walk On Water” tells ya to not even try because you can’t “Walk On Water”.
The lead break is guitar hero worthy.
Twisted
A Dio, Robertson, Bain and Appice cut.
And when I told the truth They were sure it was a lie
What would you do if no one believes you?
When your truth is seen as a lie.
Why Are They Watching Me
A Dio and Robertson cut.
It’s confusing lyrically, about being ready to rock and someone watching.
My Eyes
A Dio, Robertson and Johansson cut.
I’ve seen it from heaven and hell I’ve seen it from the eyes of a stargazer
Great song titles to drop into a song.
Rock and roll eyes Tell rock and roll lies And rock and roll lies Never end
I guess what happens in rock and roll stays in rock and roll.
“I think obviously, my defining moment is the “Lock Up the Wolves” album, and I feel very fortunate for it. It was a good album…it captured excitement and I played really well on it.” Rowan Robertson
From memory it’s Robertson’s only album.
As soon as the album was released it was met with mixed reviews. Early sales were positive in the U.S and then the album spiralled down the charts as it disappeared altogether.
But it had longevity in the European markets as Dio’s brand was still big business there. So it was no surprise that the first leg of the tour was in Europe.
And Black Sabbath was a just a phone call away, and when that call came, the “Lock Up The Wolves” band was put on ice and never re-awakened after the Sabbath gig fell apart.
The album cover captured my attention immediately.
The “Red Star” was easily associated with the Communist governments of the time. Kids these days would have no idea, but in 1976, Eastern Europe and parts of South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central/South America were under Communist governments or military dictatorships. And these kind of governments like to control everything and everyone.
Coming into 2112, Rush was in a predicament. D
o they stay true to themselves and their art or do they give in to what the label wants?
In the Guitar Legends magazine focusing on Rush, Neal Peart said the following;
“Caress didn’t actually do any worse than the albums before it, at that point, all three had sold about 100,000 copies a piece in the U.S.
But if our record company hadn’t been in such turmoil I don’t think we would have been able to keep our recording contract.
By the end of that year we were unable to pay our crews salary or even our own. Things were dire and we were getting a lot of pressure.
Polygram had written us off before “2112” had come out. We’d seen their financial predictions for 1976 and we weren’t even on the list!”
In the same magazine, Alex Lifeson said the following;
“The Fountain Of Lamneth” on “Caress of Steel” was really our first fill concept song and “2112” was an extension of it.
That was a tough period for Rush because “Caress of Steel” didn’t do that well commercially, but we were really happy with it and wanted to develop that style.
Because there was so much negative feeling from the record company and our management was worried, we came back with full force with “2112”. There was a lot of passion and anger on that record. It was about one person standing up against everybody else”.
History shows that they made the right decision.
And for all the hate “Caress Of Steel” got from the label, it was the album that bridged the first era of Rush albums to “2112”.
The entire Side One is all “2112”. Which is broken up into 7 sections.
I. “Overture”
An instrumental that acts as a summary in which you get to hear all of the melodic pieces which appear on the song.
II. “The Temples of Syrinx”
A sombre melody with the words “And the meek shall inherit the Earth” is sung before the distorted guitars kick in for “The Temples of Syrinx”.
This is a future where individualism and creativity are outlawed and the population controlled by a cabal of malevolent Priests who reside in the Temples of Syrinx.
And the way copyright law is going, creativity can be outlawed as every single melody known to the human race has been used and corporations are doing their best to lock them up under ridiculous terms, like life of the creator plus 90 years after death. But they seem to forget that creativity is based on influences.
We’ve taken care of everything The words you read, the songs you sing The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
The schooling system is designed for conformity, a one size fits millions approach. The schools are factories for degrees later on. You can’t even get an Administration role in a Company without a Uni/College degree. And Masters Degrees are the biggest scams ever. A pure profit making product for the colleges.
III. “Discovery”
A classical acoustic guitar announces the arrival of “Discovery”, found inside a cave and the founder rediscovers the lost art of music.
I can’t wait to share this new wonder The people will all see its light Let them all make their own music The Priests praise my name on this night
Creativity and imagination is progress. Without it, we stagnate.
IV. “Presentation”
This is like Zeppelin Rush which tells the story of how the guitar is presented to the priest of the Temple of Syrinx, who then proceed to destroy it and banish the man who found it.
Listen to my music And hear what it can do There’s something here as strong as life I know that it will reach you
But the Priests didn’t want to know about his ancient relic. It was the downfall of The Elders. The emotion and escapism that comes from listening to music.
Just before the song finishes, they go into the “Temples of Syrinx” riff and Lifeson solo’s over it. Check it out, its guitar hero worthy.
V. “Oracle: The Dream”
A shimmering chorus guitar kicks off the song in which the man who found the guitar dreams of another world in which creativity and individualism is allowed and full of song and laughter.
VI. “Soliloquy”
We are back to the sounds of water running down, like how we heard in “Discovery”. But the lyrical theme is heavy. The man who was filled with joy at finding the guitar, is now in despair at living a life that’s cold and empty. So the only way for him to be with the world in his dream is for his life’s blood to spill over.
Make sure you check out Lifeson’s solo. So bluesy, full of bends and emotion. Brilliant.
VII. “Grand Finale”
Major key chords kick off the “Grand Finale”. And it’s up to the listener to decide what happened.
When I first heard the lines “Attention all planets of the Solar Federation, We have assumed control” I presumed that the “Solar Federation” put down some uprising and assumed control again.
Then I thought it meant that the “Solar Federation” was overthrown by someone and they are alerting all the planets that there is a new government in control.
“A Passage to Bangkok”
It kicks off Side 2.
A great riff to start a song about all the places in the world that grow the best weed. The track names a number of cities and countries, including Bogotá, Acapulco, Morocco, Bangkok and Kathmandu, Nepal.
I just finished watching “The Serpent” on Netflix and how the main character preyed on tourists who came to Bangkok and Kathmandu in the late 60s and 70’s to experience those weed highs, kidnapping them, robbing them and then killing them.
“The Twilight Zone”
I like the harmony guitars to kick off the song.
How good is the music in the section, when Lee sings, “you have entered the twilight zone”?
Use the key, unlock the door See what your fate might have in store…
I never watched “The Twilight Zone” on TV. I’ve read some short stories on it and in the 80’s a documentary was aired on Australian TV’s about strange phenomena and they called it “The Twilight Zone”.
“Lessons”
It’s Lifeson expressing his love for Led Zeppelin. It’s got hard rock distorted chords and clean tone strummed verses.
“Tears”
This is a great song.
How good are the verse riff arpeggios?
“Something for Nothing”
The acoustic guitar intro gets me interested. And the way Lee and Peart come in, they change the groove completely.
The song is about freewill and decision making, a topic I write about regularly on this blog when I’m putting my point of views out there on certain songs and the lyrical message.
You don’t get something for nothing You can’t have freedom for free
In the end “Freedom isn’t free”.
If you don’t believe me, why does it cost so much to live in a free country.
What you own is your own kingdom What you do is your own glory What you love is your own power What you live is your own story In your head is the answer Let it guide you along Let your heart be the anchor And the beat of your own song
The lyrics are prophetic. Rush didn’t wait for someone to tell them what to do. They did what they wanted to do and they wrote their own story. In the end, it was a backs against the wall album. If it bombed commercially, they would go down in flames. But it didn’t.
They stuck to their guns, did what was important to them and built a career from it.
3x Platinum in the U.S and 2x Platinum in Canada.
Press Play, relax and “Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation. We have assumed control.”
David Z, Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington passed away. Ivan Moody was in a dark place at the time.
So many people make money from artists, and some make way more than the artists. The vicious cycles that artists are on from labels and management is borderline negligence.
The show must go on but there is no show when there is no artist.
The Jungle Giants is a band that plays a form of pop rock with dance/techno elements. I’m not a huge fan but in 2017 they were an unsigned artists that racked up over 50 million streams on Spotify. Those stats are impressive and a lot more than artists who actually have label deals.
It’s hard work controlling your own destiny. But you have the freedom to decide what path to take.
And Album number 4 just came out.
When is inspiration/influence just that and when is inspiration/influence copying?
It is possible to borrow without “stealing”. When ideas appear in ones mind, quite often they are unconsciously inspired by a piece of music the artist has heard.
And it’s perfectly okay and very common to take an existing idea and turn it into something new.
According to manager Barry McKay, Steve Harris stole an idea. I don’t know how you can steal an idea, but hey it happens.
Streaming companies need to license music from the legacy players for a substantial fee and then pay royalties to these organizations when the songs are listened/viewed.
And these organizations like the labels and publishers keep the bulk of these payments and pay cents to the artists they represent.
Then they remain silent when Spotify gets sued for having music on their service.
But.
It was these organizations that approved Spotify to license their catalogues.
And I compared music streaming to Netflix who at that time had no problem growing its subscriber base and making profits, however it produces its own content, which earned it over 90 Emmy nominations.
And it’s monthly fees are identical to music subscription services, even though it costs a lot more to create a TV show or a movie than a song/album.
Corporations and Unions run this country. The Courts have been compromised by money. The mainstream media is all about half-truths and likes. No one reports with any substance or an opinion anymore as they had served whoever paid them the most.
Game Of Thrones was the most pirated show in the world, with Australia leading the way.
Why?
Unless we pay $300 plus for a PAY TV subscription, we couldn’t watch it.
Nine years later nothing much has changed. We’re still a mess. We can’t get our population vaccinated and we have a leader who just looks for the photo opportunity and has best friends who run QANON sites.
I’m an Amazon Prime Video subscriber and due to a deal they have with another PAY TV provider in this country, I couldn’t watch Bosch S7 on Amazon.
So I downloaded it.
Imagine that. I’m a paying legal subscriber and I couldn’t watch a show that the service created on their platform.
Why did guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Alex Skolnick, John Petrucci and Paul Gilbert rise above all the other shredders of the era that came on the scene between 1984 and 1994?
Guitarists like Tony MacAlpine, Greg Howe and Vinnie Moore are all great guitarists, however they are still relatively unknowns outside of their guitar instrumental niche market.
Someone like Vinnie Moore played with Alice Cooper and is holding down the fort with UFO. He’s been there since 2003, 18 years. Michael Schenker only did 11, his first stint between 1973 and 78 was only 5 years.
Perseverance is a massive skill. Especially when it comes to life as a musician in an internet era with information overload each day.
And success happens when you contemplate giving up.
Dream Theater almost called it a day, between 1988 and 1991, when months rolled by and no suitable singer appeared.
Quiet Riot during the Randy Rhoads years, couldn’t get a U.S deal. After Randy left to join Ozzy, Kevin Dubrow persevered under his own surname, only to resurrect the Quiet Riot brand after the death of Randy Rhoads and turn it into a Number 1 act.
George Lynch auditioned for Ozzy’s band on two occasions, losing out to Randy Rhoads once and then to Jake E. Lee. One of his earlier bands “The Boyz” had a showcase gig organised for Gene Simmons to attend. Van Halen opened the show and the rest is history. Gene even said to Lynch, to consider changing his name as he will never make it.
Ronnie James Dio spent 18 years paying his dues before finding success with Rainbow in 1976.
How many musicians starting out today, would put in 18 years of service to music?
Don’t chase trends because what is here today will be gone tomorrow.
Of course it’s more difficult going your own way, however that is the future. If you are successful you will get label interest and a deal that suits you, because without an artist, there is no profit from music for the labels.
But.
The major labels want radio hits so they find artists that are easy to sell and easily expendable.
“The Heat” with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy was one of the funniest movies I had seen that year.
I provided my thoughts on the Metallica “Death Magnetic” DVD which included footage on the making of the album. It came with the Coffin Edition of the album.
James Hetfield still rules. As much as the documentary tried to paint Lars as this hands on kind of guy, if James didn’t agree or say yes, the musical idea wouldn’t be part of the song. Bob Rock once said that the problem with “St Anger” was that the main songwriter wasn’t there mentally. You can see that he is back for “Death Magnetic”.
And they went on a two year victory lap touring behind the album. They released DVD’s from shows, for the French and Latin America markets. They released live EP’s for certain markets. In Australia we got the “Six Feet Down Under” EP’s part 1 and 2.
When that died down, they orchestrated the “Big 4” shows and the “Orion” festival. They played the summer festivals around the world.
Then they celebrated their 30 years anniversary with a week of shows in San Francisco. When that died down they released the “Beyond Magnetic” EP, which had 4 songs that didn’t make the final cut. Then they released “Quebec Magnetic” and at that point in time they were doing the “Through The Never”movie.
So did anyone remember the debacle of “Lulu”?
It was old news, history. It’s like it never existed.
What a difference two years make?
“The House of Gold and Bones” by Stone Sour was becoming a favorite so I posted my review here and a review of a song “The Uncanny Valley” here.
At the time I was reading about how artists deserve to be paid for their creations because they put their blood, sweat and tears into those works.
By know Vivian Campbell was an unhappy camper. From his point of view he was promised a larger piece of the pie and that wasn’t forthcoming. Plus he had an issue with the publishing. So it’s no surprise that this is the last album to include Vivian Campbell, who Dio fired midway through the tour, replacing him with Craig Goldy.
Released on August 13, 1985, almost a year after “The Last In Line”, it wasn’t just competing against all the other new releases from other artists, it was competing against the previous two Dio albums. It wasn’t a smart decision from Warner Bros.
The band for the album is the classic line up, known as Ronnie James Dio on lead vocals, Vivian Campbell on guitars, Jimmy Bain on bass, Claude Schnell on keyboards and Vinny Appice on drums.
The King Of Rock And Roll
How can you not like this song, fake crowd noise or not?
Campbell’s riffs are excellent to play, Dio’s melodies rock, Bain rumbles and Vinny Appice powers all over this.
Bad boy always on the cover gettin’ the story told
It could have been about anyone in the rock business. By 1985, a lot of bad boys graced the cover of magazines.
He’s got the midnight madness / he’s got a soul ’cause he’s the king of rock and roll / king of rock and roll
I used to keep my own book of rhymes before I realised that a rhyming dictionary existed. Well, Dio albums and most hard rock and metal albums provided plenty of source material.
Sacred Heart
The riff sounds epic on this and the keys from Schnell enhance it. But its Vinny Appice on the drums that turns this song into a powerhouse. The mix is perfect and I’m drawn to the groove of the drums.
Plus the lead break from Campbell is different from his earlier albums, better phrasing.
Oh running into nowhere turning like a wheel and a year becomes a day
Truth right there. Without a plan, the days just slip away.
Whenever you dream you’re holding the key it opens the door to let you be free yeah
Infinite possibilities when you let your imagination run wild. Why do you think mindfulness and meditation is so massive?
Another Lie
Its more blues rock but Campbell decorates a simple blues groove with pedal points and diads and suddenly it sounds like heavy metal.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Children
Does anything else think that “Shot In The Dark” from Ozzy sounds like this?
Anyway, it’s a melodic rock anthem with a killer Campbell lead break.
Rock ‘N’ Roll children alone again Rock ‘N’ Roll children without a friend but they got rock’n’roll
Damn right.
As much as rock and roll lyrics are about parties, most fans of the music spent a lot of time alone with it, and the music was a form of escapism.
Hungry For Heaven
The solo break from Campbell on this is excellent.
So just hold on You can make it happen for you Reach for the stars and you will fly
It’s the same message as in other songs. You are responsible for your success, so what are you waiting for.
Like The Beat Of A Heart
It’s an inferior re-write of “One Night In The City” but still a good listen, especially the outro riff and groove.
There’s a beast that lives inside you and it’s screaming to get out
Just Another Day
Its “King Of Rock And Roll” part 2, and I like it. The riffs are excellent, while Bain and Appice hammer out an energetic foundation.
The guitar arpeggios after the solo.
Fallen Angels
The blues rock riffs on this just don’t get the credit they deserve.
Remember that the evil will rule / it’s waiting outside / bringing’ pain / for you fallen angels
Shoot Shoot
An AC/DC style cut.
Yes you know the feeling all alone your back to the wall And all the doorways are starting to close in front of you
It’s more of the same that we are responsible for our own journey and that it all starts with us.
The high points on the album are definitely “Sacred Heart”, “King Of Rock And Roll”, “Rock N Roll Children” and “Hungry For Heaven”.
But like all Dio albums there is a little bit of everything in the other songs.
When I was growing up there’s like a half a dozen or 10 big giant great bands that are super groups you know. Now it’s like there are thousands of bands. Picking through everything is hard. It’s stressful trying to find all the right music you know. George Lynch
It’s a good time for an artist to get their product out and streaming has moved distribution further away from the labels. And it pissed em off because their power came from controlling the distribution. Then the millions started coming in from streaming and suddenly their powerful again. And all they did was moan and complain.
8 Years Ago (2013)
I was writing about my fandom of Tesseract, who just released the excellent “Altered State”.
And it reminded me of an Australian band called Karnivool.
Tesseract also liked Karnivool as they had a few of the Karnivool songs in the Spotify playlists they created to promote the album.
Trivium was also doing the usual PR interviews about their new upcoming album called “Vengeance Falls”, produced by David Draiman from Disturbed.
And from the interviews, the theme was, “Bigger Melodies, Bigger Hooks, Bigger Riffs.”
And in 2021, I can say that the album proved just that, giving us the concert favorite “Strife” with its Judas Priest “Sentinel” Intro.
And the lyrics from Dave Mustaine seemed prophetic to me during this period.
I was questioning why artists would spend a lot of time putting together 12 tracks just to sell them as a packages for $10. It’s an old business model. In 2021, that business model is 55 plus years old.
I can’t recall a lot of companies doing the exact same thing they did 55 years ago and surviving.
But it looks like the album won’t go away anytime soon.
And I think he’s done that. Every FFDP album has a certification. It’s because of the songs, which Bathory said, a song needs to be there for anything else to be added.
And I think my final douche post was written and I was asking the question if having Portnoy in your band is a good thing or a bad thing due to the many projects.
As James Hetfield once said that he is anti-side projects because it dilutes the quality of the main product.
And in the end it is quality that the people want.
I was trying to be a sociologist with the post, “The Old Rock Star Is Dead, It’s Time To Create A New Rock Star”,
You don’t want to be an artist that becomes who others want them to be. It’s okay to not be liked by everybody.
“I’d been caught between two fires for a long time. One was the inferno that I had built with my success and addictions. The other was the fire that burned for my family”
It’s how Chapter 33 called “out of control like a bushfire” started from the “Working Class Man” book.
“Two Fires” is his fourth studio album released in 1990 and his first United States release for Atlantic Records.
This was the last proper attempt to break Barnes to the U.S market, as previous label partnerships with Elektra and Geffen for the earlier records fell apart due to various reasons.
It was also the first step away from the AOR sounding “Freight Train Heart”. Most of the song writing credits this time are shared by the band and unknown writers instead of Desmond Child, Jonathan Cain and Diane Warren.
“Lay Down Your Guns”
The album gave Barnesy a chance to work with some great players like Brian Setzer from The Stray Cats who plays guitar on this.
A sinister crime noir “Peter Gunn” style riff kicks it off. The song is written by Jimmy Barnes and Rick Nowels.
Nowels was still in his early days of becoming a huge songwriter. His credits now include Adele, Lana Del Rey and many more. Just go to his Wikipedia page.
Lay down your guns and surrender
“Let’s Make It Last All Night”
Very Foreigner sounding, the Chorus is massive as you would expect from a song written by Barnes, Diane Warren and Desmond Child.
It was also a hit in Australia and it’s a staple of his live show.
Let’s make it last all night This could be the last time I make love to you
“Little Darling”
A Barnes composition with Setzer on guitar again bringing some rockabilly to a soul rock tune.
Well I get to your house Like the rest of the band But somehow these things don’t always turn out as planned You called me a cab and yeah I walked out that door
Barnesy talks about this event in his book. he thought he messed up his chance with his future wife.
“Love Is Enough”
It’s got a feel like “Every Breath You Take” in the verses, just more rockier.
“Hardline”
It’s a hard rock track and one of the best on the album.
Well it’s late at night something just ain’t right I can tell by the look in your eye You don’t say two words You got a stare that burns It’s gonna be a long long night
“One of a Kind”
Another rocker with hard rock lyrics.
Tight skirts, like a flirt She don’t stop till it starts to hurt She’s sweet, what a treat Got to get her into my back seat
Mmmm. Flirt with skirt with hurt and sweet with treat and backseat. Overused terms but I would not have it any other way.
“Sister Mercy”
Cause a woman’s got the power To take control of me Well she can wrap me round her finger And make a damn fool of me
The blues songs from the 1930s had lyrics like this. That’s how much staying power the blues medium had.
“When Your Love is Gone”
A great ballad. The sound is dated as it uses a lot of 80s sounding midis.
Well, I missed all the signs, never read between lines
And the Barnesy kids make an appearance in the outro.
“Between Two Fires”
A track written by Barnes and Holly Knight.
As you would expect, it’s anthemic and melodic rock.
The Intro and verses riff remind me of “Rocking In The Free World”. And the Chorus soars.
Caught between two fires Losing control since I first met you
“Fade to Black”
This is a great rock song. Forgotten behind the hits.
When day fades to black I won’t look back, of that I’m certain
When you just want to escape the rat race for the night.
I wanna get of this one way street Don’t want to be among the faceless
“Hold On”
It sounds like a track from “Out Of This World” by Europe. With a bit of Led Zeppelin thrown in.
Like most albums of the time, the labels held the power, so they made artists write and write and write.
Barnes wrote over 30 tracks for the album with a lot of em still unreleased and some as B-sides to the singles.
And the fans rallied behind him once again, sending the album to number 1 on two separate occasions and making it 6x Platinum.
And that elusive break through into the US market still remained elusive.
They are one of the rare bands from the 80’s who keep writing and recording new albums. Although the time spans between albums has become bigger over the last 15 years, it’s not because they are lazy, they are just on the road or in the air, touring and doing what they do.
And a pandemic put a halt to their touring plans in 2020. So when artists have time, they normally write and here we are in 2021, with new music.
They have been teasing this new music for about a fortnight, and a lot of internet sleuths started piecing together all the clues about “Belshazzar’s Feast” from a T-shirt that Bruce Dickinson was wearing in an interview he did on Sky News.
And like all things Maiden, I am sure we will get to know more about Belshazzar’s Feast, because that’s what Maiden does, they get people like me into researching and learning.
It’s written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson, with production by Kevin Shirley.
The country blues rock in the intro has me interested. It’s a new style into the Iron Maiden family.
The verse riff reminds me of “Stormbringer” from Deep Purple played with a bluesy swagger. Vocally Dickinson is still a powerhouse.
How good are those guitar harmonies after the first chorus?
The lead that comes at the 4.27 mark, I am pretty sure it’s Adrian Smith as it sounds like his style, is excellent.
I keep re-listening to this song just to keep hearing the lead break.
In the early 80s, Frank Hannon and Brian Wheat took a band name from a Y&T album and started playing UFO, Scorpions and Def Leppard covers. Jeff Keith, Troy Luccketta and Tommy Skeoch joined after and the band became known as City Kidd.
A three month residency at a U.S Army base would give them the opportunity to write songs and then play them live. Most of the songs written for the debut and some of the songs for “The Great Radio Controversy” were written during this period.
Jack Russell from “Great White” became a fan and he got Tom Zutaut to check em out, who then promised em a recording contract, but they had to wait until the end of 85, as he was moving from Elektra to Geffen.
They got a Q Prime deal but couldn’t get a producer to work with them. Rick Rubin, Max Norman and Bruce Fairbairn rejected them. Zutaut brought in Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero but their background was dance music and they did some time mixing rock albums. Hardly an ideal choice and they also tried to get out of the gig.
Mid 86, City Kidd changed their name to Tesla and “Mechanical Resonance” was released on November 24, 1986, by Geffen Records.
It’s on Spotify, but they took off “The Great Radio Controversy”. Why they removed it, I guess we’ll never know.
“EZ Come EZ Go”
The funky groove to kick it off hides the rocker the song really is.
The verses are very Def Leppard like (first two albums Lep), in the sense of dynamics (soft and loud), the pulse like bass/bass drum and vocal melodies. But the Chorus rocks hard, like AC/DC and Aerosmith hard.
Then the lead breaks show a guitar hero aspect to the band.
In essence, if this was the first song you heard and it didn’t move ya, then you need to check yourself for a pulse.
There comes a time when you’ve got to let things go as fast as they come Wait and see what tomorrow may bring you, get it all while you can
I know it sounds clichéd today, but to a kid growing up, it was eye opening.
Like a new creed, a new truth.
“Cumin’ Atcha Live”
Written by Hannon, Keith and Wheat. If feels like a band jamming in the style of Van Halen. Even one of the riffs you hear in the first 30 seconds comes from a Van Halen song. The whole solo section feels like an improv jam.
My favourite part is between the 3.18 to 3.53 mark in the leads.
“Gettin’ Better”
Written by Hannon and Keith. One of my favourites.
As soon as I heard the arpeggio intro I was racking my brain as to what song it reminds me of. The D to A to Bm chord progression reminds me of “Goodbye To Romance”. Tesla would use this chord progression again in the “Love Song” intro. Mark Tremonti was a fan, so it was no surprise to hear it in “One Last Breath”.
And when the distorted chords kick in, again I am reminded about something familiar. Maybe “Highway To Hell”.
I’m a hard workin’ man, doin’ all that I can, tryin’ to make ends meet Just a-makin’ my way through the jungle today, it’s gettin’ the best of me
But it’s only gettin’ better, and a change is gonna come my way
My Dad worked two jobs to survive in Australia. My mum never worked as she was tasked with raising the family and keeping the house running. And I’m thinking did it get better for him. He believes so, but my Mum doesn’t. And for me, both my wife and I are working jobs so we can survive in this country and go on some holidays. We don’t know anything different.
“2 Late 4 Love”
Written by the band again, the embryo to “Hang Tough” is right here in the Intro.
I can’t believe this fucked up world in which we’re livin’ in Still I do the best that I can Always got me on the lookout for a getaway Runnin’ hard, I’m a rock ‘n’ roll man
Work to live and don’t live to work. The world will always disappoint you, so just do your best to get bye.
“Rock Me to the Top”
It’s a Keith and Skeoch composition. One of my favourites. It just rocks and rolls its way through my brain. A totally different style.
Rock me, rock me (rock), rock me to the top, to the top, baby
How can you not sing-along to it?
“We’re No Good Together”
Written by Hannon, Keith and Luccketta and I’m a fan of its slow bluesy feel. Very Bad Company’sih and Led Zeppelin’ish. Aerosmith wrote a similar track on “Pump” called “What It Takes”.
And it picks up for the lead break and outro, like “Free Bird”, only shorter.
“Modern Day Cowboy”
It kicks off side 2. A Hannon, Keith and Skeoch composition.
When the verse arpeggios kick in, it’s like the “Kashmir” riff, as each note moves up chromatically.
Also check out the lead breaks on this.
Foreign lands With their terrorist demands Only cause the good to hurt
Like so many others we have grown up with terror in our lives. Some experience it closely and it’s on the news when it happens and the innocent are always the ones to suffer.
The U.S.A., the U.S.S.R. with their six-guns to the side I see the message written on the wall. Too much anger deep inside
This was a thing once upon a time. Communism versus democracy. It looks like the scars never really went away because it’s still a thing. And people thought that once the Berlin Wall fell down, democracy would rule. But the older ones from Eastern Europe like my grandfather, they knew that a new dictatorship, probably worse than the one before, was just a few years away from resurfacing.
Bang bang, I shoot ’em up Bang bang, blow you away It’s a showdown in the no man’s land for the cowboy of the modern day
It’s a showdown!
“Changes”
Another band composition. One of my favorite Tesla songs ever, as it moves from an emotive piano intro into a vibrato style riff.
Changes, time’s makin’ changes in my life Rearrangin’, can’t seem to stop the hands of time I remember, I was so young, I was much too young to see Now I’m older, growing older, and I see things differently
A commitment to self-development and self-learning makes me question a lot of things that I once held as truth. But it all takes time. As time moves forwards, so do the changes. We don’t have three channels anymore. We don’t have dial up internet.
“Little Suzi”
A Ph.D. cover, written by Jim Diamond and Tony Hymas.
The “Albatross” intro was written by Hannon. The original version of the song had synths and was electronic, but Tesla made it an acoustic country rock style cut. In other words they made it awesome.
“Love Me”
It’s day and I’m feelin’ high, what’s the chances for you and I
What kind of high was Jeff Keith on?
Written by Hannon, Keith and Wheat, I can hear UFO and Bad Company in this. I reckon CC DeVille was also listening closely as I can hear “Nothing But A Good Time” in this.
Also check out the lead break, just for the soul and blues rock licks.
“Cover Queen”
A Hannon and Keith composition.
The “Blackout” from Scorpions inspired intro gets me interested. The verses swagger like Aerosmith. And in the last minute of the song it’s pure EVH style jamming.
“Before My Eyes”
It’s a darker cut, almost Dio like, written by Hannon, Keith, Luccketta and Skeoch composition.
If you like Van Halen and Aerosmith, there is enough here to keep you interested. If you like 70’s British acts like Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Free, UFO, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple, there is enough here to keep you interested.
If you like the Sunset Strip sounds of Motley Crue, RATT, WASP, Quiet Riot and Ratt, there is enough to keep you interested. If you like acts like Y&T, Triumph, Sammy Hagar and Montrose, those sounds are also here. And if you like the sounds of European acts like Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Judas Priest, then they are also present.
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