2026 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1

*The Outlaws - Bring It Back Alive. Arista (CD) (1978). For whatever reason my review of their debut dropped out of the UMR. Fortunately I added it to RYM, so I'll include it at the bottom of this posting. I did sell that copy telling myself if I ever find their signature live album on CD in the wilds, that will suffice as my Outlaws collection. And here we are. All the tracks come from their first three albums excepting 7). Oh, and the opener which came straight from a Synergy album (how incongruous is that?). Even though I've never heard this album, I feel like I have anyway. Even the country tinged songs here break into some intense electric guitar jams. They can't help it. Or so appears. Of course the crowning achievement is the 20 minute version of 'Green Grass & High Tides'. Everyone says that. And so will I. The intensity is unreal. It's too bad they didn't incorporate this kind of jamming into more creative songs over their career. (6/20)

Pat Travers - Putting It Straight. 1977 Polydor (LP). Like many folks, I first became familiar with Pat Travers real time through his live 1979 album and subsequent studio release. Even though I was a hard rock guy back then, Travers never really crossed the threshold of obtaining much interest from me. I'd never heard any of his first four albums, so for a quarter, why not give this 3rd one a shot? Canada certainly had their share of hard guitar rockers in the late 70s with Moxy, Rush, and Frank Marino leading the charge. Travers seems to hedge his bet a little too much here. He doesn't really "go for it". The sound is fine, solid late 70s hard rock fare. But there's no extended jamming, or anything I'd consider high energy. It's kind of hard to discern who the target audience might be. There's some funk, boogie, jazz fusion, and classic rock interspersed throughout. Robin Trower might be the closest blueprint, but doesn't have his soul. Of course having James Dewar helps Trower with that. Interesting to note that future Iron Maiden legend Nicko McBrain is the drummer here. I'll check out any of his albums for a quarter, just not sure anything is going to stick. (4/28)

Blue Max - Limited Edition. 1977. Looks like this is my second go round with this title, though I recall nothing about my initial listen. From Nova Scotia, Blue Max has gained a reputation (via reissues no doubt) as a solid hard rock band in recent times. They are definitely of the no frills power trio variety, with an interesting speed picking style on the electric guitar. Early Rush and Moxy are good guideposts here, though not quite as audacious. The exception to this is the 8:42 epic 'March Of The Trolls' and, to a lesser extent, 'The New One'. They were just teenagers when they released this album, quite an accomplishment concerning time and place. Worth checking out for certain. (3/8)

Outlaws. 1975 Arista (LP). The ultimate get-wasted-bar-fight album, The Outlaws are the epitome of get-yer-guns out... and then we'll talk. As with many southern bands, they have a three guitar attack - that is mostly not utilized. But when they do jam, they jam. The album opens up very strong with three great tracks, including their signature hit 'There Goes Another Love Song'. From there, it's mostly country rock, until it concludes with their ten minute guitar hero statement of 'Green Grass & High Tides', which saves the album from the resell bin. The Outlaws are one of those bands where the songwriters are very different from each other, and there's not much cohesion between them. For my tastes, guitarist Hughie Thomasson is the thought-leader of The Outlaws. The other guys seem content to write simpler country music. In hearing this debut in full, it becomes clear that The Outlaws really are best enjoyed as a live act, where they can really let loose. (4/30/21)

* - Keeping for the collection

2025 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 2

Jerusalem - Dancing on the Head of the Serpent. 1988 Refuge (LP) (1987). Continuing on with the Christian hard rock albums I've found recently. Sweden's Jerusalem was on their 5th album with this super great title, and even better cover art. Based on both, I thought I was in for a heavy duty metal album. Unfortunately the music sticks to standard issue 80s hard rock. The album starts like fellow countrymen Europe on The Final Countdown with brash synthesizers, and the hard rocking guitars are of a similar pitch. Nothing too heavy and very family friendly. The lyrics are once again hardcore Christian with no middle ground. There's some decent guitar work, but overall this sounds like a very average 80s hard rock album. (9/11)

Joe Satriani - Not of This Earth. 1986 Relativity (LP). I don't have much history with Satriani, having only heard his 1988 EP and 1995 self-titled album, and both of those are recent listens. His next album, Surfing With the Alien, was his big breakthrough, and I do remember it getting quite a bit of radio airplay for an instrumental rock work. But I have yet to hear the album (the CD is here patiently awaiting its turn - though perhaps an LP will arrive ahead of that moment). When I bought this album as part of a larger collection at the flea market, I just presumed it to be another Joe Satriani album. I had no idea it was his debut. Well, that captured my attention more than usual. Satriani is certainly working hard here, mixing in various styles, while showing off his considerable chops. The rhythm section, however, is mailing it in. Whether that was by design so as to not get in the way of Satriani's guitar, or just the sound of the times when rhythms were more static, it remains a bad decision. I like the tone he achieves on B2, something I would have liked to have heard more. Certainly this is a respectable debut by an artist that today is legend, but few knew who he was back then. I'm going to move it out, but glad to have heard it on a focused listen. (9/4)

TKO - Let It Roll. 1979 Infinity (LP). TKO were a band from Seattle who managed to eke out three albums back in the day before showing up at various live festivals in more modern times. Bonehead hard edged AOR rock is the order of the day, much different than the metal band they were to become (no idea if they're any good). It seems the band has talent, but they decided not to use it. All the songs are generic begging-to-be-played-on-the-radio tracks that lack any kind of creativity. Throw nine pieces of wet mud against the wall hoping something would stick. They got slop instead. Weak entry. (9/4)

*The Daniel Band - On Rock. 1982 Lamb & Lion (LP). I recently brought in a pile of Christian hard rock and metal LPs from two different thrift shop buys, all in beautiful shape. Some of them sounded pretty good on a sample, so I'll start here (actually I started with Barnabas about a month ago, but didn't pen any notes). The Daniel Band are from Toronto, and their sound here is heavy duty hard rock with a touch of pomp prog. There's nothing 80s about it. They remind me of mid to late 70s Triumph quite a bit, including the vocalist. They even look the part with long hair, beards, and bigotes. The guitar soloing is very good here, recalling many a Midwest private press. The keyboards add that late 70s AOR touch that I'm fond of. Lyrically this is a strong Christian message album, so if you can't handle that, you'll need to steer clear. They're all in with no breaks. I think church would have been packed with youths on Sundays with music like this back in the day. But noooo, we got the pipe organ, choirs, and "we're not worthy" styled hymns. Lutherans, a stoic lot they are ("Dad, can we please go home now, the Cowboys are on at noon"). The Daniel Band are way more fun. I kept one of the Barnabas albums, and I'll keep this as a good representative of Christian hard rock. (9/4)

R.I.F.F.S. - Rockin' in Free Flying Spirit. 1998 private (CD). Based on the title and booklet I presumed I might be in for a Christian metal album. The first track delivered on that premise recalling Warlock and Doro Pesch. Vocalist Marisa Austen has a powerful and beautiful voice. But they toned down considerably on the second song. By the 3rd track it seems that RIFFS are a hard rock band with AOR sensibilities. FFAOR in hipster parlance. Plenty of keyboards too. It's a diverse album and the last track even has a couple of references to progressive rock. The band were from Denver, and that's where I found this obscure CD languishing in a thrift shop. (7/29)

Y & T - Open Fire. 1985 A&M (LP). Y and T on A and M. Sounds like a first grade classroom. And musically that's a good metaphor too. I remember when Y & T originally burst onto the radio scene with Earthshaker, which was their 3rd album and the first to drop their original moniker of Yesterday and Today. I seem to recall it being quite good but not enough to pluck down $7 of my hard earned high school dollars. I recently scooped up Open Fire at an estate sale, and since I have no familiarity at all with their songs, this will be one live album I'll check out beginning to end. Like with The Firm below, the album appears to appeal to the most basic of the hard rock audience. A perennial opening act who had way more talent to display but chose the easy party route instead. (7/20)

The Firm - Means Business. 1986 Atlantic (LP). I could have sworn I'd heard the first album and not this title. But according to my journal, it was six years ago that I last had this album in my possession. It's easy to see why I forgot about it. The Firm is Jimmy Page teaming up with Paul Rodgers and sounding mysteriously like... Bad Company. About as ordinary of a hard rock album as they come, if you could even call it "hard". Seems every band in the 80s were working hard to get MTV airplay at the expense of crafting some quality music. In other words, as the band suggests, just another day at the Office. Jimmy and Paul, label execs say we need more revenue, so go get it. (6/6)

* - Keeping for the collection

2025 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1

Rory Gallagher - Blueprint. 1973 Polydor (LP). After being pleasantly surprised by Gallagher's Against the Grain (see below), Blueprint is more of what I would expect from a blues rock guitarist. I didn't derive too much out of this title unfortunately. (Jun)

Morly Grey - The Only Truth. 2000 Akarma (LP) (1972). Collection revisit (May). When I first started collecting heavily in the late 80s, I began to receive catalogs with big-time rarities. Among the top tier of those was Morly Grey, an album going for more than three times my monthly apartment rent back then. Without knowing the future, I just presumed I would never get to hear an album like that. It was exactly at that time the bootleggers started to run wild, and albums like this were available to us paupers too. After a couple of bad experiences I avoided those boots like the plague, and The Only Truth remained an album I missed in my original deep diving experience. Many years later, the always checkered Akarma showed up with a supposed legal LP reissue. Complete with the poster! Oh why not I said - especially since I had access to obtain it at a wholesale price. That's Part 1 of this review - the collector background. For Part 2 I'll cover on the music. If one was to just hear this album as "all things being equal" then I think it would be easy to walk away unimpressed. But if you can immerse yourself in the regional culture of northeastern Ohio in the early 70s, then an album like Morly Grey opens up. And that painting and font / lettering could be the cover art for the entire early 70s American private press movement. Even with that immersion, Morly Grey isn't near as adventurous, as heavy, or as psychy as many of their counterparts of the day. The 17 minute title track looks impressive on paper, but when you realize much of it is a space rock version of 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home', then it loses its punch. Many of my peers love this record but I'm not feeling it. Never have. For Part 3 of this evaluation, I now need to consider the ownership. Were it an original copy, I would treasure it to the end. Because it would come with a story of how I obtained it. If that happens at some point in my future, that would still hold true. Perhaps I'll obtain the later issued Sundazed CD or LP on the cheap via my various digging and trades. But this version? Akarma was always good at packaging, I'll give them that. But do I have any nostalgia at all for this particular LP? Nope - wholesale online mail order buy. Probably bought it in between some corporate meetings. No magical listens either. Long way of saying that this LP is out the door. But there's still room for The Only Truth in the collection if opportunity affords itself. Not essential though.

Eternity. 1981 (online). One of those sought after private hard rock albums from the abyss that was the late 70s and early 80s. Reissued on LP in 2014 by Got Kinda Lost, a Guerssen sublabel, the album was released to a larger niche audience. Looking at the cover, I know if I found an original in the wilds my hands would be sweating. It's got the look. You'd think it might be a Christian metal album actually, though it's neither Christian nor metal. As for the music, it's surprisingly straightforward for the time. Many of these type of underground bands from this era would mix in some proggy ideas or let loose in the instrumental department. No such luck with Eternity. The hype sticker suggests it has a sound more from the early 70s. Naw, too dormant for that. The guitar solos are very good, the other guys are rather static including the vocals. It's tough to figure out the audience for such a record, even in its day. Far different than fellow southern Californian residents Alkana. Good hard rock for certain, leave it at that I guess. Sealed copies of the reissue are still available online for a good price if interested. (Apr)

Steve Vai - The Ultra Zone. 1999 Epic (CD). It's hard to walk away from CDs like this when they're mint and only 69 cents, even though that's about all it's worth. I like Steve Vai though I've yet to hear anything I wanted to keep, including his work with David Lee Roth. This is a typical eclectic brew of hard rock styles with Vai's adept soloing. Something like this would have been head turning in 1979, but 20 years later, there were many of these type of albums, including from Vai himself. Fans will love it, but I remain impressed yet bored. (Apr)

*Rory Gallagher - Against the Grain. 1975 Chrysalis (LP). I'm way late to the party when it comes to Rory Gallagher. One of those artists I've heard of almost since the beginning of my time listening to FM radio, and yet have never taken the time to hear one of his albums. My loss. I never find them either, despite Against the Grain not being an expensive record (and many others appear affordable as well). The easy description is Gallagher plays blues rock. But this is far more interesting than your standard 12 bar blues. And what a guitar tone he achieves. One can hear Foghat, Groundhogs, or Frank Marino here, though probably one or all were more influenced by Gallagher than the other way around.  I preferred Side 1 to the flip. 'Cross Me Off Your List' is a particular highlight. I need to hear more of his albums before formulating an opinion and creating a page. I'm sure at some point I will find them out in the wilds. (Apr)

AC/DC - The Razors Edge. 1990 ATCO (MC). A reasonable person might ask why I continue to listen and review AC/DC albums when I don't like any of them. A good question that I don't have a great answer to other than to say I'd like to document all of them and try to be as objective as possible. I have to admit the opening is quite intriguing, as Angus Young has quite the unique riff going. But once Brian Johnson begins singing with his sandpaper voice, it's back to the usual boogie hard rock complete with gang chorus'. RYM has this as their highest rated album after Back in Black including For Those About to Rock, which surprised me. I once found a sealed reissue LP of this album but there was no way I was going to break it figuring I wouldn't keep anyway. Easy guess. I can't imagine building a group page for AC/DC since I doubt I'll keep any of them. If I do, then I can consolidate all these journal entries. Otherwise it just looks like I'm bitter towards them. But I'm not, they're just outside of my enjoyment zone. (Mar)

Terry Reid. 1992 BGO (CD) (1969). Very much of its era English blues rock. Many compare to Led Zeppelin in their similar early blues rock phase, though I'm not hearing it myself, even though Reid was very much part of that circle. Some good fuzzy guitar offsets the mostly vocal tracks. The highlight for me is Pete Solley's (not Pete Shelley as is often cited) organ performance. 'Marking Time' is my favorite track by some measure, and the rest is decent, but rather mundane to my ears. Typically great BGO reissue with a full history. Also contains four bonus tracks from 1967 and 1968. On these Reid is performing a more Beatles styled Baroque psych pop, much different than the album proper. (Feb)

George Hatcher Band - Coming Home. 1982 The Goods (LP) (1980). This ended up being much more interesting than I thought it would be. I found a sealed copy a full year ago while Mrs. UMR and I were antiquing down south in Florence (Colorado). Put it in the sealed records box to eventually check out. I found the album on YouTube with little expectation. The publishing address is Charlotte, North Carolina, so I presumed country rock to be honest, especially considering his look on the cover. Nope - not that. Singer George Hatcher was born and raised in North Carolina, but relocated to England in the mid 70s and began to work with Curved Air members. So clearly he associated with next level musicians. He started his own group in England playing American styled southern rock. Eventually he moved back to Charlotte and built a new band under his name. The reviews out there are accurate when they say that Hatcher bears a strong resemblance to Bob Seger. And some of the music also recalls the Silver Bullet Band. But it's much more creative than that might imply. There's also some really strong synthesizer, clavinet, and dual guitar work here. The opening three tracks are best before beginning to devolve into typical boogie rock. But even on those songs there's usually a cool guitar break. B3 and the second half of B1 are also really good. After A3 I was thinking this was going to be a keeper, but overall just not enough meat on this bone to keep me full through the winter. Will take the profit instead. (Feb) 

Power - Electric Glitter Boogie. 2017 In The Red (LP) (2015). Got this sealed from a store in Denver for really cheap (Feb). Let's go to Bandcamp and see if this is something I want to keep. Power are an Australian band celebrating the hard charging boogie rock of their 70s ancestors, like early AC/DC and Rose Tattoo. With a dash of late 70s punk thrown in, especially considering the songwriting and vocal style. But the guitarist gets a lot of limelight, putting us back in the early 70s. I wish they were copping Buffalo instead, but this isn't bad at all. No need to keep though.

Cherry St. - Monroe. 1996 Perris (CD). Cherry St. were yet another 80s glam band out of Los Angeles. Way late to the party (so to speak), they had to borrow old cans of hairspray just to get a back row seat. By the time of Monroe, they went au natural and look like every other tattooed hard rock band trying to make a go of it. The music is straight up boogie hard rock like AC/DC and Krokus, and the lyrics are loaded with foul language. No bueno by any measure. Appears the band never got plugged in correctly, and are now a mere footnote in history. This version features three bonus tracks where they at least up the metal ante. Needed way more than that though to gain anyone's attention. (Jan)

Other hard rock albums heard but not reviewed: Edgar Winter - Roadwork (Mar); Trapeze - Hot Wire (Apr).

* - Keeping for the collection

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 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

The following came from a friend's garage sale. He had a pile of cassette tapes for a buck each, so I bought about 35 of them, many I kept as extras for the heck of it.

Alice Cooper - From the Inside. 1978 Warner Bros. (MC). Looks like I found this on LP back in 2019 and subsequently gave it 1 star, which is really bad. I don't even remember that. Hence I now keep these journals. Let's try it again. I don't hear it so awful this go round, but yea, it's not very good for certain. Mostly limp-wristed hard rock shilling for radio time. OK only a +1, moving it to a Gnosis 6. Woof. (Aug)

AC/DC - Highway to Hell. 1979 Atlantic (MC). As noted many times before, I'm no fan of AC/DC. For me, Highway to Hell has always been Exhibit A as to why. To this day I think the title track is abhorrent. But is the whole album so bad really? After taking a deep breath I went for a full listen. I can objectively say it's better than I remembered, +2 in fact. Which is still two points from any kind of collection consideration. But I moved it from way outside of my interest area to average for the style. (Aug)

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Texas Flood. 1983 Epic (MC). I purchased Vaughan's Couldn't Stand the Weather when it first came out, but that was all I knew about his work until recently. Texas Flood is his debut and is more conservative than the aforementioned Weather album. Straight up Texas Blues with only a hint of the psychedelic. (Aug)

Jimmy Page - Outrider. 1988 Geffen (MC). Much better than I would have expected. Page takes the Led Zeppelin sound to 1988. Perhaps more like The Firm. Not as multi-dimensional as Zeppelin's classics, but they were also losing their way by the end like everyone else. You really couldn't hope for much more than this. Solid hard blues rock, though I found the first side better. (Jul)

---end of sale

Kiss - Asylum. 1985 Mercury (LP). From a local record store's $1 bin (Jun). A high priced store that inexplicably will throw in more expensive albums in the buck bin because it might have a flaw. This one has a nasty looking scuff on Side 2. It's inaudible! I'll take the deal thank you. As for the music I found this one better than the previous Animalize. Better tones and songwriting. None of which plays to Kiss' strength. Average I guess.

The Hunt - Back on the Hunt. 1980 Visa (LP). From a large garage sale buy that I've mainly covered in the Jazz/Fusion or Funk journals (Jun). I really enjoy The Hunt's debut and I'd heard the second was a major drop off in quality. Is that true? Mixed bag but 6 of the 10 are solid hard rockers. A1,A2, A5, B3-B5 are more thoughtful than expected. The other four are pretty dreadful, though A3 is maybe just too long rather than bad. They should have stuck to originals as two of the three stinkers are cover tunes. I won't keep this one but better than I expected.

April Wine - Harder....Faster. 1979 Capitol (LP). From an antique mall (Jun). I seem to be gravitating towards Canadian hard rock / AOR of late. Solid entry and some really good tunes, and some throwaways. Some of these tracks were soundtracks to my freshman year of high school. Their cover of Crimson's Schizoid Man adds one more point. 

Roy Buchanan - Second Album. 1973 Polydor (LP). From What's Left (Jun). Solid instrumental blues rock. Doesn't amp up too much but there is a little of that.

Joe Satriani. 1995 Relativity (CD). From a Kansas City area thrift store back in Oct 2023 (Jun). Solid guitar fronted hard rock / blues / metal release. Satriani takes the kitchen sink model and tries his hand at various styles. Well played and he has a good melodic sense. Not something I need to keep however.

The Cult - Electric. 1987 Sire (LP). From the Springs record show (May). This album bugs me. I should embrace it. An obvious 80s band who went decidedly hard rock, a favorite style of mine. But it's a type of modern hard rock I don't appreciate. Too self-conscious and too cool for school. I struggle to get through it. I thought my rating of 8 was too low, but if anything, it may have been a bit high.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - I Love Rock n' Roll. 1981 The Boardwalk (LP). From the COS record show (May). The title song was one of many soundtracks of my high school years. Not a song I ever embraced I'll quickly assess. This is their debut after Jett left the Runaways. Much credit is heaped onto Jett for releasing a groundbreaking hard rock album, an unusual move for women at the time. From my perspective, I say whoop-de-doo. This is a decidedly masculine sounding album, and The Blackhearts are dudes anyway. One would think Heart would have far more credibility on that topic, and they brought a unique feminine touch, that which is completely missing here. I consider this album boring as heck. Every song sounds the same and is borderline 50's rock and roll revivalist. Not impressed. 

---collection revisits

Kai Kln - Vigoda. 1996 Rude Boys (1992) (CD). Sacramento, California based Kai Kln have much more of a Guns N' Roses thing going here on Vigoda than the pure hard rock delight of the debut Rythym of Stranger (sic). Though there's some carryover of the same energy and sound in places. Not a bad album at all, but definitely playing more to an established audience with set expectations rather than the pure retro 70s hard rock of earlier. (May)

2024 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Bow Wow - Hard Dog. 1981 SMS (LP). A couple of years ago I cataloged five different albums from a Japanese metal band called Anthem. I ended up selling them all - at a nice profit, but I was hoping to keep a few. I had the same opportunity with Bow Wow @$5 each. Probably I should have picked up more, but I sensed I was going to move them all straight to the sell bin. At least with Hard Dog that premise held true. This is already their 8th album, and I don't think I saw anything prior to their 6th, Telephone. After some research, I would be interested in hearing their 70s output. Whereas Anthem, who came a few years later, are most certainly heavy metal, Bow Wow are a hybrid of hard rock and metal. If you've read enough of my reviews, one thing you'll note is that my appreciation of American hard rock has much to do with the time and place aspect of it. Hard working blue collar clubs, where the patrons can let their hair down while drinking cheap beer and dancing with the ladies. I can always picture the dive bar the group is playing in while enjoying the music. I don't get that same vibe with Japanese groups - probably because I've never been there. And even if I had, the Japan of the 2000s wouldn't be the same as the 70s and 80s. But I bet there was a similar type scene, and it would have been exciting for fans at the time. But it's lost on me. Still it's a very good album, pretty safe and conservative all things considered. They sing in English - I think. From the RMRS (Apr).

*Pink Fairies - Never Never Land (1971). 2019 Polydor (The Polydor Years) (CD). I grabbed a cheap sealed copy of this 3xCD comp of all their albums plus bonus tracks and extensive liner notes. Pink Fairies debut demonstrates a varied album that contains both forward looking, contemporary, and retro styled sounds. I find the latter more to my taste with the melodic/loungey aura of 'War Girl' and the psychedelic jam of 'Uncle Harry's Last Freak-Out' being the highlights. As for their future outlook, add Pink Fairies to the list of groups that informed Motorhead with its punky straightforward hard rockin' music with gruff vocals. Took me a bit to get into this title, but I'm there now. (Mar)

*Pink Fairies - What a Bunch of Sweeties (1972). 2019 Polydor (The Polydor Years) (CD). Continuing my trek through the 3xCD set. This is Pink Fairies second album and it's even harder to get into than the debut. Much of this is because of the ridiculous sophomoric humor, a lot of it surrounding every 4th grader's favorite topic of the planet Uranus. Perhaps it still had some zing left in it by 1972 among young adults, hard to imagine though. The album doesn't really find its gear until track 4 'Marilyn', though they had to derail that with a drum solo (not too long fortunately). But there is one fantastic track here, side two's lengthy opener 'Walk Don't Run' is heavy psych at its best. B2 is also quite good. The CD offers an alternate recording of B1, making it that much better. Overall, perhaps not worthy of ownership on its own, but being part if this CD set will likely keep it around. (Mar)

*Pink Fairies - Kings of Oblivion (1973). 2019 Polydor (CD). Wrapping up the 3xCD set is Pink Fairies' final album from their original incarnation. This one goes for the throat early and never lets up. Lyrically they're all in for the glam scene though musically it's purely hard rock. There are no highs to be found like on the other two, but no dips either. A more consistent and respectable close to their original career. This 3 CD set is perfect for me considering where I land with the band. Liner notes and bonus tracks are good as well. Originals aren't necessary for me in this case. (Mar)

Haystacks Balboa. 1970 Polydor. I'd heard this album many years ago, but didn't feel like I'd digested it properly and didn't bother to rate it. So let's give it our full attention, shall we? Starts out fantastic with 'Spoiler', pretty much every thing you want in an early hard rock track: Heavy guitars and jamming Hammond. 'The Children of Heaven' is similar but has a weird vocal approach, like a modern metal singer actually. 'Bruce's Twist' has some bar n' roll, a style I took away on my first listen that had me frowning a bit. This leads to the nine minute 'Auburn Queen' which starts as a slow ballad and then gets all proggy like ELP with added guitar! Oh and doomy voice comes back too. So what have you concluded from side 1? Exactly, way too diverse. No solid identity. The album has many great moments but it doesn't hang together so well. Side 2 is similarly diverse throwing in some folk rock as well. (Nov 2023)

* - Keeping for the collection

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

2022 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic. 1975 Columbia (LP). I find Aerosmith - even in their classic era - very hit and miss. Their debut is essentially bar rock with one monster track (the ubiquitous 'Dream On'), while Draw the Line is a throwback early 70s blues rocker with a couple of interesting ideas. On the other hand Get Your Wings is a fantastic hard rock album, their best in my estimation. And Rocks is also very good, an album that is generally considered their pinnacle achievement by the overall listening populace. But what of Toys in the Attic, their most commercially successful album? It sits between the two I just listed above and features both of their most known hits 'Walk This Way' and 'Sweet Emotion'. Both of which I enjoy. So therefore this should be an easy keeper. Not so fast. The opening title track packs a nice punch and 'Round and Round' is a solid heavy track. The rest is boogie, blues, and bar rock. I remember hearing this album all the way through in the late 70s and early 80s, and it never moved the needle. 40 years later, it still doesn't. It's good and that's about it. Bye bye. (Dec)

Demon - The Unexpected Guest. 1982 Carrere (LP). The only Demon albums I know are the Saga-ish The Plague (very good) and the Pink Floyd-ish follow up (good). Since Demon are considered part of the NWOBHM movement, I just presumed that it came from their early albums. Nope! This, their second album, is muscled up hard rock. Which I do like, but I found this album pretty boring overall. Doesn't have the melodic sensibilities of their next album, and there isn't much proggy invention either. (Sep)

Alcatrazz - No Parole from Rock N' Roll. 1983 Rocshire (LP). I remember Alcatrazz well from my freshmen year of college. They were most famous for having Yngwie Malmsteen as their lead guitarist, and they featured former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet. This is a good hard rock album, as Malmsteen didn't noodle his way through it, and Bonnet is a great singer. I have too much of this kind of thing already, and there's not much nostalgia with Alcatrazz itself, so I'm letting it go. (Jun)

Atlee - Flying A Head. 1970 ABC/Dunhill (LP). More blues rock, and nothing really to distinguish it from the others. (Jun)

C.K. Strong. 1969 Epic (LP). C.K. Strong is the first album to feature future Penthouse Pet model Lynn Carey. It's blues rock all the way, no doubt influenced heavily by Janis Joplin. Except Ms. Carey is a hell of a lot more attractive. She went on to lead Mama Lion for two albums and I believe she still sings at jazz nightclubs to this day. Anyway, I'm not a Joplin fan (musically) and this didn't do that much for me either. (Jun)

Rose Tattoo - Scarred for Life. 1982 Mirage (LP). I had bought the predecessor to this album real time while still in high school. I forget the track now they played on the radio, but I quite liked it, so I plunked down real money for Assault & Battery. It turned out to be very disappointing, and that was the only track I liked on it. Essentially Rose Tattoo are AC/DC clones, trying to capitalize on their fellow Australian's success. I found this sealed at a local store (way cheap), not something you're likely to see at this late date. Rather than break the seal, I listened to the album on YouTube. Yea, same impression. It's AC/DC like hard boogie rock. Not for me, but if you're a fan, Rose Tattoo gives you good value. (Jun)

Billion Dollar Babies - Battle Axe. 1977 Polydor (LP). From that same store they also had a sealed copy of this album (even cheaper). Same thing, rather than break the seal, I checked it out on YouTube. Billion Dollar Babies is made up of former Alice Cooper Band members, hence the moniker. It's pretty much the same kind of hard rock / glam rock that Cooper was peddling at the same time. Pretty average on the whole, but not bad. (Jun)

Nazareth - Hair of the Dog. 1975 A&M (LP). There are two songs that I know from Nazareth, both played to death when I was young. And they both reside on this album. The title track ("son of a bitch...") and 'Love Hurts'. And they are fairly representative of the album present. I never liked either song, so I never pursued Nazareth after all these years, and that proved to be the right move. The dollar bin snagged another victim (except the resell factor...). Hair of the Dog is mostly non innovative hard rock with decent guitar from Manny Charlton combined with the distinctive voice of Don McCafferty. The latter coming awfully close to AC/DC's Bon Scott at times. To my ears, they're terrible. Love might hurt, but that's nothing compared to McCafferty. I was about to label the album as average, but the final 10 minute track 'Don't Judas Me' is really quite good, especially the guitar work, which borders space rock. Still not enough to keep though... (Mar)

*Aerosmith - Get Your Wings. 1984 Columbia (1974) (LP). Bar code reissue in shrink and barely touched. I've come across the debut a couple of times while "looking for inventory", but this is the first time for me to snag Get Your Wings. Commercially speaking, it's also their most obscure album considering the megahits of that debut through Draw the Line. This is the rough and tumble Aerosmith I enjoy, much more so than its predecessor. No nonsense greasy, dirty fingernails hard rock. Tyler's unique scratchy voice hollering over Perry and Whitford's jammin' guitars. I still get a charge out of their cover of 'Train Kept a Rollin', the album's best known cut. Keeping this one for sure. (Mar)

*Hex A.D. - Astro Tongue in the Electric Garden. 2020 Fresh Tea (LP). I wasn't sold at first on the 3rd album by this Norwegian band. The first track sounds like Candlemass and 'Astro Tongue' has all the trappings of a typical Stoner album. While those two genres are welcome here, it's not something I'm on the lookout for. I have plenty already and will likely trim some off the collection. Ah, but not so fast. Things get much more interesting on the proggy 'The Day the Sky Exploded', where keyboards and meter and thematic changes add a whole new dimension to their sound. The other two tracks on side one are pre and postludes. Fortunately all of Side 2 maintains the momentum, and there's even some Iron Maiden like riffing. The album sits at the border of hard rock and metal, with more than a nod to progressive rock. The difference maker is keyboardist Mags Johansen who brings a raft full of vintage keys, most notably mellotron and Hammond. The band's image is also mixed - the album cover demonstrating psychedelic prog, whereas the fonts and titles are Stoner all the way. The hype sticker is misleading as well, where it states this album is for fans of: Rush (huh?); Rainbow (que?); Iron Maiden (yes, but only Side 2); Opeth (well maybe, I know little about this band beyond Blackwater Park). In addition to the fine cover, there's a four page insert with band photos, lyrics, and album credits. (Mar)

*Radio Moscow - New Beginnings. 2017 Century Media (LP). San Diego's Radio Moscow is a band I'm familiar with but never heard until now. Strong heavy psych influenced hard rock would be the summary. High energy and great guitar work. There's a lot of this kind of music on the market, but Radio Moscow distinguishes themselves. Borderline Stoner, but avoids most of the genre trappings. Excellent offering. Packaging is quite extraordinary - comes with a full poster, lyric inner, company advert and, most importantly, a factory pressed CD. Very good value overall. (Feb)

*Piel de Pueblo - Rock de las Heridas. 2012 Beat Generation (Spain) (1972) (LP). As I mentioned about seven years ago (seems like yesterday), I had a plan to revisit many of these bluesy hard rock albums from Argentina. This is one of the good ones, with blistering guitar throughout. Nothing subtle about it. Nice reissue as well. (Feb)

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Pete Haycock - Guitar and Son. 1988 IRS No Speak (LP). 25 cents at Independent (Nov).I've been seeking out these No Speak instrumental albums for some time, but haven't found any, even though if I were to go the mail order route, I could buy them dirt cheap. I referenced this label's series in one of the Mathematicians' review some years ago. In the late 80s, many of the progressive rock contingent were pretty gung-ho about the series. And, as it turns out, Pete Haycock was the first to be released. Who is Pete Haycock you ask? He was the guitarist for the Climax Blues Band. In hearing this album for the first time, his guitar playing is quite good here. Just the right amount of hard rock, jazz fusion, and soulful playing. But the rest? Oh boy. Hardcore late 80s digital. The keyboard tones, the dull and canned drumming, the Kenny G styled sax (known here as Sax Phone), and the slick-as-a-butter-dish production. It's soooo 1988. Too bad. Something less professional would have lead to a much stronger release. 

Blackfoot - After the Reign. 1994 Wildcat (CD). Thrift shop find (Oct). One type of CD I look for at thrift shops is past-their-prime releases. Generally these are on small labels, and released without much fanfare. As such, the CDs have become collectible over time, especially with a fan base still intact. Many who might say "I didn't realize they kept going!" And they sell for a premium because inventory is legitimately scarce. I bought Strikes (1979) real time on LP, as the radio airplay track had a mean riff that I liked. But as with Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot were really a 3rd tier Southern Rock band, this time from Jacksonville, Florida. This late era CD is a real drag, and doesn't even possess that "one song". They really have nothing in the tank by this point. Unfortunately one of the worst albums I've heard all year.

West, Bruce & Laing - Live 'n' Kickin. 1974 Columbia / Windfall LP). From Independent (Oct). Well known Mountain / Cream combo. This album gives the listener exactly what it says on the tin - straight up hard rock, no chaser. Very good on the whole, though I have too much of this kind of thing already.

* - Keeping for the collection

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