1030. Ozzy Osbourne / The Ultimate Sin. 1986. 5/5

By the time the mid-1980’s had rolled around, Ozzy Osbourne has already done just about everything there was to do in music. His storied past in outlandish behaviour was also well documented. Coming into 1986 he had three best-selling solo albums behind him and the music world at his feet. As with most of Ozzy’s albums during this decade (at least) there is the usual contention over who actually wrote the songs. At least here on The Ultimate Sin guitarist Jake E. Lee and oft-collaborator Bob Daisley have been given their dues. There’s little doubt that the pair of Lee and Daisley can write great songs. Apart from the great tracks on Bark at the Moon they write some cracking tunes here. The two videos released from the album show Ozzy in full 80’s regalia, in overblown sparkly coats and jewellery and that massively teased peroxided hair, but still singing up a storm no matter what the exterior was like.

The first side of the album I feel is underrated, and is often cited by those who aren’t as keen on the album as the reason why. I think it more than holds its own. It may not have any of the most revered Ozzy songs of his career on it, but neither are they the weakest. The self-titled opening track starts off with a thumping drum beat from Randy Castillo before the rhythmic bass and guitar riff kicks in. the tempo sticks to a solid beat, energised through the middle of the song by Jake’s solo. This moves straight into the guitar riffing beginning of “Secret Loser”, one of my favourite Ozzy tracks. The faster pace pulls you along in its wake, joining in as Ozzy serenades you with “Loser, I’m a secret loser!” The Lee solo is followed by a great piece in the middle of the song where Randy plays along on his toms with barely a ripple from the guitars while Ozzy sings over the top, only to crash back into the chorus through the guitar and bass riffing back in hard and heavy. Great stuff.
“Never Know Why” settles in the same tempo that most of the album resides in, with the heavy 2/4 beat on the drums allowing Ozzy to follow the tempo vocally over the top of the simple riff structure. It sounds simple enough and doesn’t require much effort, but is effective In that it allows the guitar solo to be hero of the song while the rhythm is prominent throughout. The anti-war song “Thank God for the Bomb” follows, and uses a similar technique in the middle of the song with the tom roll followed by the guitar solo, and is just as enjoyable. “Never” rounds out the first side of the album – and really, who was doing the titles of these songs? “Never Know Why” closely followed by “Never”? Isn’t that confusing?
The second half of the album is where the real money shots reside. It starts off with the excellent “Lightning Strikes” which is prefaced by a great entry guitar riff from Jake before Ozzy gives it all on vocals. This is a quintessential Ozzy song from the era, and anyone who has seen the video for it, with Ozzy in all his glory, will know it. The lyrics sum it all up as well, and that Jake solo in the middle is just fantastic. This is followed by what is arguably the best song on the album, “Killer of Giants”. The opening guitar, bass and keys sequence, followed by Ozzy’s perfect vocal for the lyrics, before crashing into the harder edge of the song itself, is one of the best moments in all of Ozzy’s solo material. The second anti-war song on the album also brings to notice the tension that was in the air around the world at this point in the decade.
“Fool Like You” and “Shot in the Dark” complete the album in style. “Fool Like You” was the perfect song for singing at fellow students back in high school when they questioned what you were doing and how you were going about it. One of the problems of being a heavy metal nerd, there were plenty of ‘cool’ people who wanted to have a go at you. I loved singing this song at them. Jake’s solo again is top shelf. “Shot in the Dark”, co-written by bass guitarist Phil Soussan, was the first single from the album and got regular airplay on music video programs. It is a great way to finish off the album.

The question could well then be asked – why do I love this album so much when others will find its simplicity to be boring and uninteresting? It’s a fair question, and the answer will reside on the fact that I grew up with the album from the time of its release. It was one that my friends and I lived off, and it speaks as much about my youth as it does about whether the songs on the album sound simplistic or awesomely technical. The three musicians in Jake E. Lee, Bob Daisley and Randy Castillo are just terrific here, and it is somewhat of a pity that they didn’t collaborate and play together more. Music speaks to different people in different ways. I still find this as enjoyable and entertaining as I did thirty years ago.

Best Songs: "The Ultimate Sin", "Secret Loser", "Lightning Strikes", "Killer of Giants", "Fool Like You", "Shot in the Dark"

Rating:  “If none of us believe in war, then can you tell me what the weapons are for?”   5/5

1029. Anthrax / Spreading the Disease. 1985. 5/5

The time period between the release of Anthrax’s debut album “Fistful of Metal” and the release of their second album was perhaps the busiest and most hectic time the band has ever endured. Despite the number of changes in band personnel that occurred prior to that debut album being recorded and released, there was just as much movement and tension in between the next album. Tensions between lead vocalist Neil Turbin and bass guitarist Dan Lilker eventually led to Turbin firing Lilker without even consulting the rest of the band. That’s a powerplay if ever you’ve heard of one, and as Pepper Brooks says in the movie Dodgeball, ‘it’s a bold strategy Cotton let’s see if it pays off for him’. The band then toured in support of the album, but it was becoming obvious that people’s opinion that the band respected was becoming a major player, and at the conclusion of the tour, it DIDN’T pay off for Turbin, who himself was also fired from the band. But not by himself, the band.
Anthrax had already hired, on drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian’s insistence, Charlie's nephew Frank Bello to replace Lilker on bass guitar, who had played with the band on that tour. Now however they had to go through the process of auditioning and hiring a new lead singer. Turbin was briefly replaced by singer Matt Fallon but this also didn’t work out, leaving the band in limbo.
During this time, the band was directed towards a singer by the name of Joey Belladonna, who taste in music did not align with the other members of the band, and yet his voice was compelling, and after playing a few gigs together towards the end of 1984 to assess how the combination would work, they found that it did indeed come together nicely, and Anthrax had their new lead singer. In order to introduce the new lineup to the fans, the band went into the studio and recorded an EP with a new song, called “Armed and Dangerous”, released in February of 1985, and the story on which you can find on Episode 20 of this podcast.
From here the band began to plan for their next album. Some material already existed from sessions with Turbin and Lilker, and more would be expanded as they entered the studio. In fact, those sessions went so well that at the conclusion of writing and recording the album, there was still spare days available that had been paid for at the studio. It was during this time that Benante, Ian and Lilker composed and recorded the album that became Stormtroopers of Death’s debut album “Speak English or Die”, which you can also check out on episode 114 of this podcast. So lots for you to go back and check out if you haven’t already done so! More importantly, the sessions had brought forth the sophomore album for Anthrax, one which would be a giant leap year step forward for the band with the release of the album titled “Spreading the Disease”.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that this album was only released in 1985, because it feels like it has been around for a lot longer than that. The tweaking to the band, with Joey Belladonna and Frankie Bello brought in to replace Neil Turbin and Danny Lilker respectively, acted to smooth out the rough edges of the thrash metal roots of the band and brought a whole dimension both musically and vocally to the group, without reneging on any of the aggression and power of the music. The result of this is blindingly obvious on this album, and that is even though Turbin and Lilker had a hand in the composition of a couple of the tracks prior to their departure. For some fans this is an obscure album, one that they know but without certainty. They know the tunes but not necessarily the song titles. It has its share of songs that have become classic Anthrax tracks through the years, but mostly contains songs that have not been played live since the heady days of the 1980’s and are known best by those that had the album on its release.
There are two songs on the album that were written by the original song writing team of the first album, that being Turbin, Lilker and Scott Ian, though they had minor upgrades from what was originally composed. They are “Armed and Dangerous” and “Gung-Ho”. Both are of the same intensity of the songs on “Fistful of Metal”, with the furiousness of the guitars and drums extending through the time pattern being kept. And both sound great on this album. The difference in the quality of the songs would come down to better production, but also the instrumentation being more studied and the vocals of Joey Belladonna rather than of Turbin, where Joey’s operatic-like range gives them a completely different sound to what they would have had with Turbin on vocals. “Armed and Dangerous” has the slower clear guitar beginning that works its way up in tempo and heavy feel, and while the instrumentation speeds up Joey’s vocals soar along to carry the song perfectly. In “Gung-Ho” we have a song that is not denying its roots, starting off on fire with guitar and drums, and simply not slowing down for anyone. In some ways it’s amazing that Joey can even keep up, because the pace that is set by Charlie, Frankie, Scott and Dan is exhilarating. It is a perfect counterpoint to the material of the previous album. This song has all of the same aspects, but is matured, better defined and supported by a great voice.
The base of the album is still rooted in the thrash metal elements that the band grew up with. From the start in “A.I.R.” the hard hitting drums drive the song along with Joey’s soaring vocals proving the defining improvement of the band from debut album to sophomore release. Scott Ian eventually wrote in his autobiography in 2014 that “A.I.R.” stood for “Adolescence in Red”, a byplay of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”. The faster pace back to the middle of the track is dictated by Charlie’s rhythmic drumming patterns, and the lift in tempo through the guitar solos to the end is fabulous. Then comes the amazing “Lone Justice”, one of the band’s most underrated tracks, kicking off with Frankie Bello’s brilliant bass riff opening with Charlie’s drum undercurrent, and then blazing into the song itself. With lyrics inspired by Stephen King’s “The Gunslinger”, the first book of his The Dark Tower series, Joey and the band take us on a monumental ride, and every part of it is fantastic. That great rhythm holds throughout the song, the guitars wail over the top and Joey delivers in spades, rising to the high pitched note to finish of the track in style. It’s a gem. One of the two best known songs of the album is the single “Madhouse”, which had a video filmed for the song but was largely ignored by most music video programs at the time. It remains one of the best known of Anthrax’s early catalogue, and is still a fun song to mosh around to. “S.S.C. / Stand or Fall” starts off with a very Dave Mustaine-ish Megadeth-like guitar riff before bursting out into a similar speed metal pace. The incorporation of Joey’s wonderful vocals alongside the support in the sing-along chorus from Scott and Frankie gives the song a great vibe. Dan Spitz on lead in this song is scintillating as the tempo reaches full crescendo by its conclusion. Another of the great underrated tracks on the album. “The Enemy” is at a more sedate pace for the most part of the song, a great mid-tempo that is dominated by the hard-hitting drums from Charlie, before the finale comes signalled by Joey’s scream. This a far more traditional heavy metal song, one that shows an ability of the band to reach into other areas of the metal realm and it still works a treat, and closes out the first side of the album with that perfect “Screams! In the night!” conclusion.
The second side of the album bursts to life with the track “Aftershock” that pummels away with the chanting back-ups from Scott and Frankie again, Charlie’s unrelenting drumming powering through the track and fierce guitar riffing throughout. Following the excellence that is still “Armed and Dangerous”, completely dominated by the vocal of Joey Belladonna, “Medusa” settles straight into the perfect rhythm from the start, and it too is brought to life by Joey’s amazing vocals throughout. Tat opening riff, and then Joey’s introductory burst, is still as amazing as it was on the day of the album’s release. Funnily enough, the highest note of the song, the word “Medusa!” in the chorus is taken on by Frankie Bello on backing vocals. “Medusa” remains as one of Anthrax’s best songs, producing the heavy emotional response that their best songs do. The album then concludes with “Gung-Ho!” and another wonderful vocal performance from Joey.
The most noticeable difference between this album and the following albums is that from this point there was a lot of forceful backing vocal chanting coming from Scott Ian and Frank Bello in future albums that isn’t as prevalent here at all. This is an album with songs that hold a typical pattern vocal wise. They appear here, but aren’t dominating the songs, they are supplementing the songs. This album focuses on Joey’s wonderful pipes, and why the hell wouldn’t it?

My introduction to Anthrax far later than it should have, which while it isn’t a lasting regret it is one that I occasionally think about when I am reminiscing on the past. Despite my introduction to the delights of the heavy metal genre through 1986 and 1987, Anthrax was one of those bands that did not come along until after that period of time. As it turned out, this was the album that acted as my entry point to the band, buying the cassette version of this album on a whim from Kiama Sight and Sound back in 1989, at a time that I had a few coins in my pocket and a desire to finally work out what this band Anthrax was all about after some years of seeing their albums but not having heard anything of them. The cover art was enough to have me curious as to what it may contain.
Those first few listens were enough to convince me that I had missed a trick by waiting this long. Everything about it was where I was happy to be, but it was the B side of the cassette, with “Aftershock”, “Armed and Dangerous”, “Gung-Ho” and the most majestic and amazing “Medusa” that dragged me in. I just couldn’t get enough of those four songs. The tempo, the moodiness, and the magnificence. It was just joyous. Though my memory isn’t perfect about those days, I do seem to remember listening to this side of the album, and then rewinding it to listen to it again a fair bit in the early days, before I finally gave in and allowed myself to also listen to the A side of the cassette, which of course I grew to love just as much in a very short space of time.
So lets fast forward to the present day, and once again the album returns to the stereo. The cassette version has long since died, and I own the CD, but in recent times I have picked up a 1985 pressing of the album on vinyl, and it is this that has graced the walls of the Metal Cavern with the volume turned up to somewhere near landing aeroplane levels. And I have loved every moment of it, which I know I say a bit on this podcast, but I really have. All the main players as outlined here still live up to the time when I first heard it. “Lone Justice” and “The Enemy” ride the waves, and the B side of the album still shines magnificently.
This is still an oft-forgotten gem amongst the Anthrax artillery. While the style of music that Anthrax produced continued to evolve over the coming albums, this is the one that perhaps best epitomises their thrash and speed metal roots while showcasing the great talent of all of the band members. Perhaps it isn’t considered in the same light as albums such as “Among the Living”, “State of Euphoria” and “Persistence of Time” but for me it is still a terrific album.

1028. Motörhead / Under Cöver. 2017. 4/5

With the demise of most of the band, and most importantly Lemmy himself, there was going to be few opportunities to cash in on the Motörhead name going forward. This collection of cover songs, collected from the past 25 years, is not something new. Most fans of the band will either already own these songs on other publications or will have heard them at some time. It is a chance to bring them all together in one album, though in this age of digital music and playlist most could have done it themselves if the mood had hit them. But enough of this negative stuff. It is a Motörhead album after all.

Even with this band, you would have to be hard pressed to believe that some of the songs that they perform here they could pull off in a manner that befits the original. Probably the best case in point is the first song on the disc, Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law”. There is no way Lemmy is going to match Rob in the vocal range. But what the band does, as it so often does, is make this into a quite serviceable hard rock song, with a slower but perfectly formed tempo, and the vocals dominating over the top. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but you can believe it is a simplified song done simply and well. The same applies with the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen”, where Mikkey Dee’s metronomic drumming takes centre stage, once again keeping a perfect tempo that Lemmy and Phil Campbell perfectly complement the song. It takes the furiously crazy original version and turns it into a perfectly good hard rock song with almost no effort whatsoever. Terrific. It’s a tougher gig taking on a David Bowie song, in a lot of ways but mostly vocally, but that doesn’t stop the trio taking on his “Heroes”. But the technique is used again, disposing of much of the 1970’s antiquity of the song and using the solid base of the Motörhead sound to recreate the song in their image. Okay, so maybe this doesn’t work as well as the first two songs, but this version does grow on you in time. That Lemmy and David passed away within two weeks of each other is perhaps the saddest part of all.
Rainbow’s “Starstruck” was recorded for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life, and features Saxon’s Biff Byford on lead vocals. This is a rollicking version of the original track, with Lemmy providing the back-up vocals during the chorus. Neither is an RJD on vocals but it is a fun version all the same. Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” comes from the March ör Die album, and has never been a favourite of mine. I don’t particularly like the song which makes it hard to like this version at all. Then come two Rolling Stones favourites, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Sympathy For the Devil”. Both are done faithfully to the original versions though with that Motörhead twang.
“Hellraiser” has always been a fan favourite. Co-written by Lemmy with Zakk Wylde and Ozzy Osbourne, both did versions on their respective albums, March ör Die and No More Tears. Motörhead’s version is both different enough and original enough to hold its own against Ozzy’s version, and was also on the Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. Both The Ramones cover of “Rockaway Beach” and the Twisted Sister cover “Shoot ‘Em Down” are serviceable without being anything but what they claim. The star attraction is the cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash”. What Motörhead did here with this cover was brilliant. They literally turned it into a Motörhead song, completed with Lemmy’s recognisable bass run and the changing of the lyrics in the final verse. It is a masterpiece and rivals the original version for magnificence. This is the one song every fan must hear if they haven’t because it truly defines who Motörhead is.

As with all albums that are full of cover versions of other bands’ songs, this is an interest piece, and your interest will wane over time. A week perhaps, or a month. Eventually you will want to go back to hearing the original versions of these songs, and this album will return to your collection and sit there for a very long time before it sees the light of day again. As a curiosity this is fine. As a long-term listener, it is not going to last in the end.

Rating:  “Never stop, never quit, we are Motörhead”.  4/5

1027. Lita Ford / Lita. 1988. 4/5

The 1980’s was where I grew up. It contained all of my teenage years and it was where I discovered heavy metal and the bands that became my lifeblood. It was a wonderful part of my growing up, enjoying finding new bands and new albums, and getting the most out of them. Of all of those bands and albums I discovered in that decade, it is difficult to pin down now, all those years later, what it was that attracted me to this album. There is every chance there were many factors, but surely only two are the real reasons. It was either the fact that Lita did a duet on this album with Ozzy Osbourne and I just had to hear what that was like… or more likely it was the music video for “Kiss Me Deadly” that drew in the hormones and sucked me into the abyss.

This was the first album I heard or owned of Lita Ford. I had vague knowledge of her time with The Runaways at the time, and that she had been mixed in with Joan Jett in those days. Everyone in the world knew Joan Jett from her “I Love Rock and Roll” hit a few years before, but Lita hadn’t had as much publicity in that time. Aside from the factors already mentioned, I had also read that Lita had collaborated in a failed project with Tony Iommi, so there were enough ties to the music I was listening to at the time to back up my purchasing of Lita. There was a fascination with hearing what a female guitar player and singer could produce, given that most of the music that I had been exposed to at that time was long haired male bands.
From the outset, the album settles into the genre that was making waves at the time, the hair metal sugar rock that was being proliferated by bands such as Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt and others. It would probably border on soft metal, but Lita’s guitar and vocals keep it above that, showing off a flair that keeps the energy high and the momentum flowing. There is the usual proliferation of soft metal ballads of course, but for the most part they are done in a way that makes them enjoyable more than cringe worthy. This all comes as a matter of taste of course. If you come into this album thinking it is going to be highbrow lyrically and bombastic musically then you are in the wrong frame of mind. If you come into it openly realising that you are getting a genre that is forever going to be stuck in its era then you are a much better chance of enjoying it.
Most of the songs here are still able to swing their thing. The groove of “Back to the Cave” still drags you in from the outset, while the Lemmy Kilminster-penned “Can’t Catch Me” might be repetitive lyrically but it has the higher velocity tempo that picks up the pace of the album nicely. “Kiss Me Deadly” is the song that for me is synonymous with Lita’s career. It is upbeat, fun and allows Lita to show the best of her wares, singing at high volume and giving us a taste of her guitar skills over the top of the probably-too-prevalent keyboards in the mix. “Falling In and Out of Love” is surprisingly catchy given its obvious motivation. I still surprise myself when I find myself singing along to the song. The second side starts with the hard drumming and emotive “Fatal Passion” which again sets the right tone. “Broken Dreams” sets the template for the band Vixen that appeared at this time. It could have come straight from their debut album.
On the other side, “Blueberry” feels far too melodramatic both musically and vocally to get behind. I understand the motivation behind it and like the fact that it tries to get darker but overall I think it holds up the album. So too “Under the Gun”, which drops the tempo back a couple of notches and goes for the serious side of the music. Again both these songs are ok but not on the top shelf of the album.
The final song is the duet with Lita and Ozzy Osbourne. “Close My Eyes Forever” is no doubt the crossover song that encouraged many to at least give this album a try. It is very much a power ballad, and both Lita and Ozzy combine well within the song, topped off by a good solo from Lita as well. The video, along with the one for “Kiss Me Deadly”, got heavy rotation on music video programs at the time and no doubt drove the sales of the album. I wonder how many of those that bought the album on the back of this song actually listened to the album more than half a dozen times?

I have no problem in admitting that most of the reasons I still like this album is because I bought it upon its release, and it reminds me of those times and all the good things that happened then. And yes, I had the poster of Lita on the wall of my bedroom. Having had a couple of days of this album on constant rotation, I still find it so easy to listen to, and I find that I enjoy it now more than I really expected to. While Lita’s other albums of those days are ok without being great, this one still has the hooks that the commercially-friendly writing and recording afforded it. The Osbourne touch, both managerially and musically, is a helpful asset. I still enjoy this as much as any hair metal album of the era, which is the key. If you don’t enjoy that era of music, then this isn’t for you.

Rating:  “Late for my job and the traffic is bad, had to borrow ten bucks from my old man”.   4/5

1026. Serious Black / Magic. 2017. 3/5

It is somewhat out of the ordinary in this day and age for a band to be releasing new albums in consecutive years. Probably not so much from new young bands, whose first album comes out based on material they have been gigging around for years, and suddenly they find they have a mountain of songs they want to get down and get out to the masses. That was the ‘old’ way which rarely seems to reproduce itself in the current music industry. Such then is the surprise about Serious Black’s output since their formation in 2014, ostensibly a combination of musicians from several backgrounds and bands coming together to do some new material. With Magic the band has released their third album in as many years.

There is nothing ground breaking here. They aren’t reinventing the wheel of the power metal genre in any way. But I do think it is fun. I have had this on fairly constant rotation for the past week since its release, and I haven’t tired of it, which has happened to countless other albums of bands I have picked up along the years in this same musical category. Granted, there are times when I think I am listening to the same song over and over again such can be the similarity of the song structure or keyboard riff of vocal properties involved. Like I said, this isn’t the stuff that is meant to create the Next Big Thing in music. But it is harmless enough, and everything fits together nicely. The rhythm section of the wonderful Alex Holzwarth on drums, Mario Lochert on bass and Jan Vacik on keyboards provide the solid base on which the songs are formed. Any album that Alex plays on is automatically better for his presence, the crispness and perfection of his drumming is always a highlight. The dual guitars of Bob Katsionis and Dominik Sebastian are given their freedom to both harmonise together and then have their place with various solo spots throughout the songs, all of which are impressive enough to keep the songs heading in the right direction. Urban Breed’s vocals emit all of the right moves without being extraordinary, but they suit the songs the way they have been written.
So what is it that makes this album what it is? I know it has been bagged in some quarters of the reviews I have read, with some of those people feeling it is either selling out of too childish or without any template to make it a serious album (no pun intended). I would certainly say that if you don’t have a penchant for power metal then you will have trouble finding anything in this release, because not only does it have this in spades, but it also hails back in some way to the hair metal designs of the 1980’s scene, with touches of Europe and Def Leppard and Dokken and other such bands throughout. It’s not an acquired taste as such, more of an album that if you have a certain range of influences you will be able to get the most out of it. Without that correct range of musical tastes it will probably not appeal to you at all.
For what it is worth, I like this album. Since the first time I played it, I enjoyed it. I can have it on in the background to whatever I am doing, and I enjoy having it on. And I think that is where both the beauty and the problem of the album lies. Those going into it looking for majesty and brilliance of the highest levels are listening to the wrong album. This isn’t what this is purporting to be. And I think it is the kind of album that you either like immediately or dismiss immediately, because if it doesn’t catch you on those first couple of listens you are going to cast it aside and go looking for the next album in line. For me, I enjoyed it immediately, for all of those power metal basics that you either love or hate. Apart from Alex’s drumming, the guitar riffs are good, the solos are generally excellent and Breed’s vocals do their job. At an hour in length it is probably a bit long, exacerbated by the similarity of the tracks, and perhaps a more 1980’s album length of 45 minutes would have been appropriate.

In the long run, if you are looking for the next power packed album along the lines of Gamma Ray or Helloween, then you won’t find that here. On the other hand, if you are looking for an album that keeps you entertained for an hour while you are driving the car or at work or in the garden, then this should fit the bill. You might move on to those other bands rather quickly after listening to this, but listening to this won’t be a disappointment if you accept it for what it is.

Rating:  “Tell me now, am I taking it too far?”  3/5