673. Sweet Savage / Caught in the Middle - Teaser [Single]. 1983. 4/5

Such is the scarcity of being able to drag up original material from Sweet Savage, given that the original incantation of the band was unable to break into the recording market, it has only been in very recent times that I have been able to track down a copy of this, their second single. More is the pity, because not only is it terrific, it brought with it some very enjoyable surprises.

Take "Straight Through the Heart". It starts off with a sensational riff, a riff that really gets you going straight away. The thing I knew instantly was that the riff had been written by lead guitarist Vivian Campbell. How did I know this? Well, if you listen to Dio's first album Holy Diver, released not too long after this single by Sweet Savage, and play a song called "Caught in the Middle", then you will be amazed that, yes... it is the same riff. Far from being disappointed, I think it's great. The song itself is completely different apart from that opening riff, and it kicks along terrifically. New lead singer Robert Casserly lends his lead vocals to both these tracks, and he shines, showing off a more pure vocal than Ray Haller, who did vocals on the first single. The B side to this single is "Teaser", and perhaps lends itself closer to a Def Leppard-type sound than earlier songs had, but it too is a good rocking song.

Campbell left the band apparently only a couple of weeks after recording this has been completed, and the band soon folded without him. Although they were revived in the 1990's, it is a shame that they were unable to make it work it this time period, given the strength of the material they had, which this single showcases nicely.