2024 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 3 - Complete

The Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack. 1982 Chrysalis (LP). From the Colorado Springs Record Show (Nov). I've enjoyed a nice reunion with MSG. Their debut is now locked deep into the collection, based on a strong nostalgic pull. The second album I was familiar with due to an old tape recording, and I enjoyed revisiting that as well. I did decide to part with it eventually only because it was largely a rewrite of the debut. Anything after that, though, will be new to me. And to Schenker's credit he did mix it up a bit on Assault Attack. Bringing hard rock veteran vocalist Graham Bonnet gave the sound a new tenor. The keyboards are in the background, but it's mostly organ which is curious. The production is solid, giving it a real oomph that hard rock as a genre calls for. The question remains - is it unique enough for collection space? No.

Uriah Heep - Abominog. 1982 Mercury (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). The album prior to Head First and similar sounding. Many apologists out there proclaiming Abominog was a return to form. Not really. It does still have some of that trusty and dusty organ, but also plenty of period synths and a strong try for MTV airplay. Good for its era, but not at the next level like Saga (as but one example) were at this stage. More tracks like A1 and B4 would have helped its legacy.

*Badger - One Live Badger. 1973 ATCO (LP). Collection revisit (Sep). The biggest challenge this album faces is that of expectation. Tony Kaye of Yes + Roger Dean gatefold cover will do that. But it's not a prog album, rather a good jamming hard rocker. Kaye's organ and mellotron contrast nicely against Brian Parrish's lead guitar. Even Peter Banks took a lot of Yes with him to Flash, but no such luck with Kaye. With five of the six tracks totaling between exactly seven and eight minutes, this allows the group to flesh out their jams without exhausting them. Not exactly a unique sound for the era, yet had this been an obscure UK or German band, the album would sell for hundreds today. The hidden star here is Parrish (real last name Morris), who had bounced around the Swingin' London scene throughout the 60s and early 70s. Badger would appear to have been his big break but it wasn't meant to be. He tried for solo stardom in the mid 70s and then basically disappeared for about 20 years. I'm sure there's a story there. 

Def Leppard - Adrenalize. 1992 Mercury (MC). Back to my buddy's garage sale here in town who had all the tapes for a buck (Sep). Admittedly I was a bit of an apologist for Pyromania, preferring nostalgia over quality. Adrenalize is two albums on from that and oh boy, is this bad. We're talking crawling around on the floor hoping to find a few pennies to ultimately buy a bottle of cheap whiskey. They want the middle 80s back so bad. That time was in the rearview mirror and so was this kind of tired pop music guised as hard rock. Pathetic.

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Classic rock / AOR Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

ZZ Top - Fandango! 1975 London (LP). I always grab ZZ Top when I see them for cheap, in this case two bucks at the RMRS (Apr). I hadn't heard this one since high school. The hype sticker on my in-shrink copy says "Side 1 Recorded LIVE" Well, hot dog! If that's all there is to hype, it's not going to be much I'm afraid. Side 1 is, in fact, Texas Boogie. Not so great. This is one of those weird albums where the two hits that came from it close the LP. It's the better side, as I also like B1. Still it's not anything I need to own. Fast seller at the next show.

Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill. 1980 MCA (1972) (LP). From a pure economic standpoint, this was my best recent find from the local antique mall (Feb). Finding Steely Dan albums is like finding money on the floor. So at $2, it was a good "market move." But I was sure to keep this, Steely Dan's debut. I don't know what it is about groups like Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan, but there's something that rubs me the wrong way about them. Can't put my finger on it, but my thoughts on Rumours would go well here. There's this nagging feeling I get - something I recall while working in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 90s and early 2000s. It goes like this: "We all agree that Steely Dan is one of the greatest 70s rock band ever, right?" Well, wait, uhhh, no not exactly. "So you don't like Steely Dan?". Well sure I do, they're good and all, but... This is followed by a look of disgust and bewilderment. I ruined the narrative. How could I? It's obvious I'm just being obstinate and a contrarian. Leave us be, you neanderthal. But, but, but. Well anyway, I can't seem to escape that feeling while hearing this album. I tried to escape into the "I like Yacht Rock" trope, but failed at that too. There are three iconic tracks on here, including the one song I will defend 'Do It Again'. Electric sitar and analog synthesizer solos do still count for something. The rest is fine, but is it so great really? I think if you graduated high school or college anytime in the 1970s, probably so. Those years for me were the 80s. So I don't get it. I'll make my profit. I can always hear these songs the next time I'm at the grocery store.

Uriah Heep - Head First. 1983 Mercury (LP). Kind of the same idea as Golden Earring, I'm curious what Uriah Heep was up to after 1974. I had owned Fallen Angel prior (1978) and thought it was very mediocre. I hear Head First better than that title, but it's clearly not in my wheelhouse either. Another wasted opportunity, Uriah Heep came from the same hard rock royalty as other early 70s bands, and thus was positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning metal movement. Or they could just pander for FM radio time. They chose that route, and were both artistic and commercial flops. They have a good sound here, but the songwriting is mostly mediocre. If the 2009 Sweden live album is a barometer (which I reported on a couple of years back), it would appear Uriah Heep rebounded nicely. Too late for critical acclaim and financial fortune, but good enough for the oldies hard rock / prog circuit. (Feb)

Uriah Heep - Equator. 1985 Columbia (LP). Got this along with Head First. Holy moly - this is bad! Having spent my high school and college years in the 80s, I tend to be sympathetic towards bands trying to make a career out of music. It was a different era where bands were often financially rewarded for "selling out" to the corporate driven labels consistently chasing hard for profits. Head First is a good example of a legendary underground band making a go for commercialism but falling short of the artistic line of quality. It's certainly listenable. But Equator is at another level. This is pathetic. We're at the desperation stage here (ed: I used a more graphic metaphor, and Google flagged it with a warning - jeez, it wasn't that bad). It's almost as if the band purposely decided to be terrible, thinking it was a winning strategy. No redeemable qualities here whatsoever. One of the worst albums I've heard in the last 10 years. (Feb)

Grand Prix - Samurai. 1983 Chrysalis (LP). I first heard about this album real time from Kerrang, and they described it as a hard rocking Styx. For those who prefer James Young's contributions to the band. 40+ years later, I'm hearing this album for the first time, recalling that sentiment. And I can't agree with it. JY added more grit to his compositions. At its best, there are some proggy moments that point to Saga or even Journey on Frontiers. But this is mostly panning for hits on the radio. I could see some of these making a splash in its era, but alas it was not meant to be. Band is British but they sound American to me. (Feb)

---collection revisits

Enbor – Katebegiak. 1994 Elkar (1980) (CD). Enbor are really more of a rock band than a “prog” band, but they have elements that allow for more explorations than a typical 4/4 rock outfit. The varied instrumentation, once again lead by flute, is what takes this album to the next level. Kind of like the more progressive minded AOR bands in the US during the late 70s, but taking in a good dose of Basque culture, not to mention language.

* - Keeping for the collection; x - Not in RYM

2023 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Thin Lizzy - Black Rose: A Rock Legend. 1979 Warner Bros. Part of that large hard rock buy a few months ago. I still a few left, and this is the last Thin Lizzy in the bunch. Pretty standard lightweight hard rock from the Liz. Other than Johnny the Fox, none of their albums that I've heard have raised to the excellent level. I've already kept the iconic Jailbreak and the unusually heavy Thunder and Lightning, which are at the same level as Black Rose for my tastes. According to RYM, Black Rose is considered their second most popular album, and I did recognize a couple of cuts from it. I did enjoy this more than Bad Reputation, but I'm going to let it slide. (Dec)

Moloch. 1969 Enterprise. This is the kind of album I hope to find in the wilds. There are at least three pressings and these kind of obscure American blues rock albums aren't very well known to most collectors, so the possibility is very real. But they are also the kind that are whipped beyond usefulness. Well obviously I haven't found one, so let's check it out online. Moloch were from Memphis and represent their regional blues tradition well. Definitely the right sounds. Good fuzzy guitar, Hammond organ, husky/scratchy vocals, even some phasing. Of course you can count on hearing more trad blues as well, plodding rhythms, harmonica, slide guitar, etc... holding back some of my enthusiasm. Highlights include A1, A2, A5, and B3. The reissues are of the dicey variety, and one hopes for better treatment at some point. Incidentally Moloch is an ancient deity associated with child sacrifice. A moniker better suited for the death / black metal scene I would submit (and has been many times over). If I do find one, I'll probably sell it. Good but inessential for my tastes. (Nov)

Thin Lizzy - Thunder and Lightning. 1983 Warner Bros. More from that collection I bought awhile back, as I catch up on Thin Lizzy albums (Aug). This title is considerably heavier than anything else I've heard by the band, and it's clear they wanted to be relevant in the heavy metal space. Opener packs a wallop and you can hear traces of Judas Priest and Motorhead (among others) throughout the LP. But Thin Lizzy is a hard rock band at heart, and a melodic one at that, so the majority of the album still falls within that genre. This was to be the final Thin Lizzy effort, and it would have been curious to see where they would have gone next. I suspect towards more poppy roads than continuing to amp it up, but we'll never know. Personally I don't remember Thin Lizzy being a player at all in the heavy metal brackets, but I clearly missed this album altogether.

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak. 1976 Mercury. By far and away, this is Thin Lizzy's most known album, containing their biggest hit 'The Boys are Back in Town' along with the title track. I find this to be a very good hard rock album, certainly better than the unfocused Bad Reputation, but trailing Johnny the Fox. (Aug)

*Quartz - Deleted. 1980 Jet (1977). Bizarre packaging that is nothing more than a folded paper bag and insert. This second press was meant to be sold very cheaply, and even today, the album remains reasonably affordable. For the music, this is my kind of all-over-the-place proggy hard rock. This is the kind of music that was getting onto cassettes in the early 80s. There's a lot of flute, heavy guitars, multiple theme changes, etc... Not an album with the best reputation but that's primarily due to it being tagged as NWOBHM and that Tony Iommi produced the record. It wasn't meant to be a metal album - certainly too early for the NWOBHM movement (Judas Priest's Sin After Sin was miles ahead of the pack). And we tend to forget that Iommi wasn't a metalhead either, especially in the late 70s as Sabbath was experimenting with similar sounds. So from a revisionist historical perspective, it doesn't fit the narrative. And in my world, that usually means it's great. Chalk it up to another make-it-up-as-you-go-along record. The best kind. (Jul)

*Budgie - If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules. 1976 A&M. Believe it or not, after all these years, this is the first time for me to own this album in any form or fashion. It was the only album by them I never took the time to buy. But I had heard it and it didn't convince me to own. By this point in their career, Budgie was attempting relevancy and didn't bring too much of their hard rock sound with them. But there's plenty of good music to be heard. There really wasn't any band like Budgie back in the day - they were quirky, sometimes progressive, oftentimes heavy. (Jul)

*Tin House. 1971 Epic. Florida based power trio that proves the hard rock genre doesn't need to be complicated to produce a classic in the space. Lay down hard on the fuzz pedal and give me some tough love. Similar to the Road album I reported on recently, though less Cream influenced I'd submit. (Jul)

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation. 1977 Mercury. As I've stated before, I'm surprisingly ignorant when it comes to Thin Lizzy, a band that I never pursued real time. I always thought they were lightweight compared to their hard rock peers. When I obtained Johnny the Fox, I realized that maybe I'd made a mistake in my judgement. Well... maybe not. Bad Reputation is exactly the kind of album I was trying to avoid in my youth. There are three great hard rockers here (A2, A3, B2) and the rest is various forms of commercial radio music. In reading reviews, I remain the minority. They have a cult-like following, and there's not much point in disagreeing. (Jul)

The Michael Schenker Group - MSG. 1981 Chrysalis (Germany). In keeping my promise, I made the effort to hear another MSG beyond the debut which I recently reported on. As I was listening to their sophomore effort, I realized that I knew this album pretty well. But I'm sure I never owned it. At first I thought it might be the album cover as the German edition (this) is different than the US release. But no, I never owned that either. What gives? Ah, now I remember. I used to record whole albums onto cassette from the radio on a "new album feature night". I was tempted to buy this back then, but it just didn't have enough "something" to extract precious dollars from my wallet at the time. In retrospect, MSG sounds like a rewrite of the debut, and there are some fine compositions here. It's a point less than that debut, though nostalgia may be driving my evaluation. (Jul)

*Black Sabbath - Never Say Die! 1978 Warner Bros. From the recent large buy (Jul). Never had this on LP before, just a very nice Japanese CD that I couldn't resist the offer I received a few years back. This one is a grower though. Side 2 is about as progressive as Sabbath ever got. I can see why dedicated fans don't care for it, but from my perspective it might be better than Technical Ecstasy at the very least.

Rymdstyrelsen - Lunar Mountains. 2020 Kommun 2 (CD). I'm a sucker for bands I can't pronounce or have any clue what they mean (in this case: Ministry of Space). Two notes in and its apparent that Rymdstyrelsen come from the stoner rock school. The production speaks volumes. The volume speaks volumes. It's more space rock oriented than that may imply, but nothing here made me sit up and pay attention. There are scores of albums like this today. If you're a huge fan of the genre, and can't get enough, then Lunar Mountains comes recommended. 15 years ago, that person might have been me. But no more - have to downsize here. (Jul)

Vic Vergat - Down to the Bone. 1981 Capitol. Would you believe this is the same guitarist that was behind Toad? Hard rock and boogie are name of the game here. Straightforward and dull. That cover suggests Vergat was Down to the Last Nickel. (Jun)

Hard as Nails - Cheap as Dirt. 1987 Blackjack. With the front cover of a buxom low cut tank top and the back cover of (way) cutoff shorts, it's safe to say Hard as Nails is making a play for the white trash southern rock sound. Musically that's exactly what this is. Hard to tell if they're mocking the South or paying homage to it. The material is average though. Obscure album. (Jun)

UFO - Obsession. 1978 Chrysalis. I'm always on the lookout for UFO in bargain bins, and this title popped up in one at the last Denver record show. I keep thinking I'm going to like these hard rock UFO albums more than I actually do. Not a lot of risk taking, and it's only Schenker's guitar soloing that does much for me. I'll keep trying though, as many have stated that Obsession was a let down at the time of release. Personally I wasn't into them real time, and it's beginning to make sense as to why. (May)

Uriah Heep - Wonderwall. 2006 BMG (Japan) (CD) (1974). Collection revisit (Apr). This is a fine example of a very good but nonessential album. It's straight up hard rock with excellent guitar and organ sounds. The problem is the songwriting. There's really nothing memorable here and the instrumentals are more perfunctory than innovative. Keep in mind I didn't keep The Magician's Birthday either, as they were beginning to run out of ideas during this period. As it stands, I own nothing past Sweet Freedom (itself likely to be under scrutiny), except for a live album from 2009 (that we reported on here a couple of years ago). However they have 28 studio albums (including a new one from 2023!) and 29 live ones, so I'll keep my eye out in the thrift bins and continue to listen to anything the band put out. 

Krokus - Hardware. 1981 Ariola (Germany). From JL (Apr). As promised / warned, I noted that I acquired the four early 80s Krokus albums from JL. Kept the first one as I suspected I would. Hardware ended up being a little bit better than I recall, but not my much. The German track listing is more interesting I think. The opener is the closer on the US version. I think it makes for a thoughtful and moody opening. They should have left it. A2 ('Easy Rocker') is the album's best track calling on their Scorpions side. Then it's AC/DC hell. And it's really bad AC/DC too. The only other track I think is worthy is 'Winning Man' which seems to be their next try at 'Fire' but not as dynamic. 'She's Got Everything' is the kind of track the Scorps would use as filler, but shines OK here. Overall, I'll go with a rating of Good. 

The Illusion - If It's So. 1970 Steed. Acquired from a store from down in Pueblo (Jan). One of the first albums here in the States to go for a pure hard rock sound while leaving any psych traces on the curb. A good representation if a bit tepid. There just not enough meat on the bone for me to keep this, but like many albums, that has more to do with me already owning many great titles in this space. Another anomaly is this is the kind of album that usually sells for big bucks. Small label distributed by Paramount. But supply far outstrips demand here. It's just not dynamic enough to gain any kind of cult following.

* - Keeping for the collection

Uriah Heep - Official Bootleg: Live At Sweden Rock Festival 2009. England

Uriah Heep are one of those bands that never stopped, continuing to release (what appears to be) quality music for 50 years and counting. We all know their heavy rock meets progressive sound of the early 70s. From there they started down the slippery slope of trying to "capture" the US market, a euphemism for pandering to the great FM god. Sometime during the 90's, Uriah Heep realized that their fan base was stuck in the early 70s, so why not cater to that? And off they went. At least that's what the reviews seem to indicate, because I haven't heard anything since their dreadful Fallen Angel (1978) album. And that was an anomaly as well, being the only album I've listened to past Wonderworld (1974). Based on this live album, it's apparent I should give some focus to the group's efforts of the last 30 years. Unlike Styx, this live recording sounds fresh and energetic. I was more reminded of my reaction to Birth Control's 2004 live album that I reported on a couple of years ago. The concert is taken mainly from their classic set, and includes 'Gypsy', 'Stealin', 'Easy Livin'', and the crowd participation piece 'Lady in Black'. The highlights for me were the two extended tracks from Look at Yourself, including a smoking version of the title track and the more progressive oriented 'July Morning'. And that leaves the two contemporary tracks, both taken from their current album at the time Wake the Sleeper. I found both of them were cut from the same cloth as their early 70s works, and they captured the sound of their youth quite well. Wasn't sure what to expect here, but this live album turned up aces. Further discovery is needed.

Ownership: CD: 2010 Ear Music (USA). Found at a thrift shop in 2021.

3/5/21; 12/10/21 (new entry)

2021 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Aerosmith - Draw the Line. 1977 Columbia (MC). Thrift shop find (Aug). Draw the Line was a much anticipated album in its day - sold like hotcakes early on - and then after most everyone had a chance to hear it - it was considered a major flop. Much ink has been spilled to explain that the band were on a steady diet of hookers and blow, that they were exhausted from non stop touring, they couldn't stand the sight of each other, and the record executives were relentless in their pursuit of profit. Therefore, Draw the Line was a muddled mess of stitched together ideas and no melodies to speak of. Essentially this was the end of Aerosmith until their remarkable comeback in the mid to late 80s (commercially speaking of course...). So everything I said above is likely to be true, and has been verified by everyone including the band. So what's interesting is to see modern reviewers kind of scratch their head and state - sounds good to me, very much like Aerosmith! They're not wrong, so why the disconnect? Because real time, Aerosmith were still completely living in the past. They hadn't modernized or changed their sound one iota. Even the Stones and the Who had moved on to new greener pastures. Aerosmith were just doing their blues and party rock thing, oblivious to the world around them. In retrospect, that's considered a good trait. Staying true to your roots and not chasing new trends to somehow remain relevant to a younger audience. It wasn't a carefully thought out decision, but the results are more or less the same. As with any Aerosmith album, they managed some good cuts, and some boring ones. They were never the greatest of songwriters to begin with. And there's plenty hear to savor: 'Kings and Queens' is one of their best tracks period; 'Critical Mass' and the title track are also fine. But some 45 years later, the bad rep lingers on. But over time, it will continue to even out.

Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' With Disaster. 1979 Epic (LP). 50 cents at Independent (Aug). They say you can't judge a book by its cover, and I counter that you usually can. But in this case, the cover has no bearing on the music whatsoever. What a waste of a Frazetta painting. And at the tender age of 14, I fell for it. I read about a band called Molly Hatchet (likely in Rolling Stone) with three guitars, and saw that cover, and bought the album sound unheard. I didn't like it all back then and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Times have changed, my horizons have broadened, so most assuredly I will view this album in a better light, right? Wrong. I like it even less now. I'm more than fine with a southern rock album, but this is really boogie rock. A couple of decent hard rockers, but the rest of this is whiskey swilling music. The cover implies epic metal. The music is closer to The Doobie Brothers or Bachman-Turner Overdrive. What a disappointment really. It wasn't that long ago I heard the debut, and enjoyed it. Hmmm.

*Dust. 1973 Kama Sutra (LP) (1971). Collection revisit (Aug). I've owned this album since 1991 and in those days, I was 100% prog focused, so this album was an anomaly pickup. And, as such, it sort of has languished in the collection for all these years. I'm pretty sure I tried to sell it in the mid 90s through my old Creativity and Chaos lists (for $5!), but there was no market back then. There is now, that's for sure. Music like this has transcended time. As I stated on the Montrose notes, it was pretty rare to find ballsy hard rock from the States during this era. But most groups still had a base in the blues, and that's exactly what Dust brings on their 1971 debut (this copy has a blue label, so it's a second press from two years later). For the most part it's just jammin' hard rock, with marginal tunes, bonehead sex-obsessed lyrics - and killer guitar solos. Perfect. There's one blues throwaway ('Goin' Easy') and couple of other softer pieces, though the latter are well done. And they even get a bit proggy on the near 10 minute 'On a Dry Camel'. Anyway, well known album for hard rock connoisseurs. Easy +1 listen here. 

*Uriah Heep - …Very 'eavy Very 'umble. 1970 Vertigo (Germany) (LP). Picked this up in a trade with a local collector (Jun). I'd been on the lookout for a Swirl version for some years, so it was a surprise to see it in a local friend's stash. Not exactly a commodity, as these old Vertigo's are hard to source, even the popular bands. Musically, most of you know this one. The blueprint for the Heep's sound can be found right here. Heavy organ and guitars with David Byron's excellent vocals. Some mellotron and acoustic guitar for the ballads. This version has the original 'Lucy Blues' which didn't make it onto the US release. It's the obligatory 1970 UK blues track, and is the weakest on the album IMO, so Mercury had the right idea by replacing it. This replaces the basic CD I have.

*Tony Joe White - ...Continued. 1969 Monument (LP). Same garage sale as below (May). It wasn't that long ago that I learned of the term swamp rock. It was applied to those Louisiana imposters Creedence Clearwater Revival. I just figured it was a regional term, because CCR isn't anything musically special in my world. Tony Joe White, now this guy is swamp rock. The record went on at 150 grams and came off at 300 - filled with moss and seaweed and mud. I had to wash up after hearing this album. A thick wedgy wah wah guitar, Hammond organ, pounding drums, and White's soulful vocals sounding like Elvis on Quaaludes is a new sound for me. The music is rooted in country blues - with a side of absinthe. It's heavy rock, but in its own way. And look at that guy, is he cool or what? This is the grimiest album in my collection. A must own, obviously.

*Tony Joe White - Tony Joe. 1970 Monument (LP) Garage sale find (May). A most creative man with no imagination for album titles (his next one is brilliantly called Tony Joe White). This album starts off as ...Continued ended. Right back into the mud we go. Overall the album does feel more self-conscious that White now seems to understand what his signature sound is all about. There's a bit of "gather round the campfire and let Uncle Tony Joe tell ya about a little lady down in New 'Awlins...". All the same, there's plenty of sludge to bathe in here, and it rates out about the same. What a great find, this Tony Joe White is.

Steppenwolf - For Ladies Only. 1971 Dunhill (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I know surprising little about Steppenwolf. Like everyone else, I really enjoy 'Born to Be Wild', arguably the genesis of heavy metal music. But mostly what I've heard is a straightforward rock band, with out of tune rough vocals, typical of its era. A lot of bar and boogie, and not a lot of invention. The late-era For Ladies Only LP fits that description - unfortunately. There are a few good moments here, just enough to take it to an average rating. I'll still pickup the others as I see them. As for the packaging, the less I say about the inner gatefold (and insert), the better. Jeez.

*Grand Funk Railroad - We're an American Band. 1973 Capitol. Yellow vinyl (LP). One of the odd albums out in the funk-soul estate sale (Apr). I guess the band does have funk in the name after all... I thought GFR had already jumped the shark by this point, as the title track is fairly ubiquitous here in the States, and somewhat annoying. But I was surprised to learn that I'd never heard anything else off this album. And it's mostly aces too. The addition of Hammond organ is exactly what the band needed at this point. There's no wild jams as in the past, but the songwriting has improved and there's some great instrumental guitar as well. Easy keeper.

AC/DC - Back in Black. 2003 Epic (CD). Same as below (Mar). If pressed to name my favorite album by AC/DC, it would likely be Back in Black (1980). Which isn't the same thing as stating I think it's great or anything. Just that it's probably their most accomplished. This is the album that introduces Brian Johnson as the lead singer replacing Bon Scott after his untimely death. Johnson sings in a similar manner to Scott, but he's better at it honestly. Back in Black has many hits that long time hard rockers will be familiar with. AC/DC are what they are. I don't think I'll ever find anything that's worth keeping for the collection, though I'll always keep an eye out for their LPs. As with Let There Be Rock, this is an excellent reissue released in a tri-fold digipak and informative liner notes.

AC/DC - Let There Be Rock. 2003 Epic (CD). Garage sale find (Mar). All these years later, and I still don't understand the allure of AC/DC. I don't think I ever will. When I was first getting into metal in 1979 and 1980, AC/DC were considered one of the landmark groups. Most of my peer group loved them. I have no idea why. In retrospect, AC/DC were very much a product of the Australian rock scene of the 70s. Boogie rock was the name of the game downunda, and AC/DC were a part of that movement. A bit more amped up - and certainly more energetic than most - but compared to a band like Buffalo (a group I wouldn't hear for another 20 years), AC/DC were fairly lightweight. Never could go for Bon Scott's vocals either. I find them annoying. It's been many a year since I sat still for a classic AC/DC album, and Let There Be Rock (1977) defines that status as well as any of their albums. Nothing moved the needle on this listen. I'd call it average hard rock at best. Excellent reissue BTW. Housed in a digipak with full liner notes. 

*The Five Americans - Ignert Woman / Scrooge. 1969 Abnak promo (SP). From the RT collection (Feb). I don't know anything about The Five Americans despite the fact they have a lot of recorded music. The A side is excellent hard rock with great guitar. Scrooge is a bit more groovy, with piano and sax. Still a pleasant period piece. Yellow vinyl. You'd think something like this would be rare, but it isn't. 

* - Keeping for the collection

2020 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Def Leppard - Love Bites / Billy's Got a Gun. 1987 Mercury (SP). Yet another surprise from RT. What's an early 60s folk collector doing with this? lol. Anyway - GOSH the A side sucks. It seems each band throughout the 80s was trying to top the other for pandering to a perceived feminine audience. Whatever, it's terrible. The flip is a live version of a track from Pyromania. No room for improv it would appear. Not a great song to begin with. Waste of 11 minutes overall. (Dec)

Aerosmith. 1973 Columbia (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). At this point, Aerosmith were nothing more than a harder rocking bar band. Two exceptions - 'Movin' Out' is an excellent hard rock number. And then of course there's 'Dream On'. Even though I've heard it precisely one million times, I still find myself captivated by it. Steven Tyler has never been better. And a good thing he gave it his all here. Hard to imagine Aerosmith going much further if it weren't for the blockbuster hit. 

The following came from a local record store, all at 50 cents a pop! (Nov)

Stone Fury - Let Them Talk. 1986 MCA (LP). This is the second album by Stone Fury, before firing up Kingdom Come. The first one was a pleasant surprise and I decided to keep it (and it has its own post here). I should really hate this - from the cover to the obvious synthesized mid 80s styled AOR sound. But these guys have a good command of hard rock, and the songs are pretty decent. Even the synthesizer work is good, a bit Berlinish at times! I'm not keeping this one, but it's better than you would think.

Witness. 1988 Arista (LP). An Atlanta based group, Witness were a bit better than the ones below. They featured a tough female vocalist and even featured some Hammond organ, which was highly unusual for the day. In the end though, all the songs tend to blur together. It's a +1 on Will and the Kill but the genre is about the same. Not worth holding onto.

Victory. 1985 CBS Associated (LP). German group who more or less emulated same era Accept and Krokus. Started out with a couple of decent riffs, but deteriorated quickly. Just like the aforementioned bands. Dearth of material.

Will and the Kill. 1988 MCA (LP). From Austin, Texas, Will and the Kill played the stereotypical American hard rock of the day. Not sure what the allure was in those days for this sound. Not creative, no guitar hooks, and not even good solos. Annoying vocals. 

Kings of the Sun. 1988 RCA (LP). Great name for a band! Should be some weighty stuff here. Bzzt! Australian group with no imagination, and decide to sound like Rose Tattoo and AC/DC. I'm not fond of this type of boogie hard rock. What a waste of a good moniker.

---end of sale

Longtran - Everydays a Weekend. 1984 private (EP). From a Denver area record store (Nov). Presumably Los Angeles based metal / AOR hybrid. A bit like Bon Jovi I suppose. They have a good sound for the time and certainly had a chance to make it based on the quality here. The vocals are a bit overwrought though. Outside of my interest area, but a curious listen. Spine says Everydays a Weekend, so I think the discography sites out there have it wrong.

Bon Jovi - 7800° Fahrenheit. 1985 Epic (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). What was it about the mid 80s that made these kind of albums popular? I hated them back then, and they've actually aged worse. Bon Jovi's debut was pretty decent actually (not enough to keep mind you...), but the well was already empty by this sophomore effort.

*Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself. 1971 Mercury (LP). From an LP buy in Monument (2019). Uriah Heep are the consummate hard rock band dabbling with progressive. To me, they exude cool. By 2020 standards that is. For those who have a copy of the Rolling Stone Record Guide under your pillow, then Uriah Heep represent everything they hate. History has been kind to these long time warriors. I said this in another Uriah Heep post, but it bears repeating: Seems every high school hard rock garage band of the late 70s used Uriah Heep as a blueprint. I never did own this on LP back in the day, the cheap CD being my introduction. LP wins. (Sep)

* - Keeping for the collection

Uriah Heep - Demons & Wizards. 1972 England

Even though Uriah Heep are relatively obscure here in the States (in the grand scheme of things), it's interesting to note how strong of an influence they were on the musicians here back in the day. When one looks at the American grass roots hard rock movement in the mid to late 70s, many of the private presses have early Uriah Heep stamped all over it. Especially Demons & Wizards. It's an album that captured the male mindset of the day.  While not as adventurous as Salisbury, one could argue that Demons & Wizards is the personification of the Uriah Heep sound. At least in my mind it is. 

Ownership: LP: 1972 Mercury (USA). The LP is a recent pickup at a local b&m for dirt cheap. Wonderful Roger Dean multi section uni-pak gatefold with lyrics inside the cover. This replaces the commodity CD that made up this entry.

9/11/20