1331. Ratcat / Tingles [EP]. 1990. 4.5/5

One of the anomalies of the band Ratcat was that they were formed in 1985 in Sydney, and had two releases prior to the EP we are going to discuss today. The fact that so many people are of the belief that the band began with this EP probably goes to prove how unknown they generally were before its release, and then how big they became in Australia after its release.
Formed by Simon Day on lead guitar and lead vocals and Victor Levi on bass guitar, who had both been members of the popular garage band Danger Mouse in the early 1980’s, they also recruited Andrew Polin on drums to complete their lineup. Ratcat built-up a strong live following initially by focusing on playing the venues of the Sydney skate-punk scene, alongside bigger and well-known Sydney underground bands such as Massappeal, The Hellmenn, The Hard-ons and Happy Hate Me Nots. On the back of this the band signed to Waterfront Records, and released a self-titled EP in December 1987 that contained their best live songs at the time.
This was followed in July 1989 with their debut album titled ”This Nightmare”. Levi had moved on by this point in time, replaced on bass guitar by John McAteer. By that time the line-up was Day, John McAteer on bass guitar and Andrew Polin on drums. Music critics were favourable to the release, suggesting that the witty and effervescent songs were catchy and representative of the era, emboldening it as a solid first album. Amr Zaid replaced McAteer on bass guitar and backing vocals, and in February 1990 Ratcat supported English group Buzzcocks and fellow Australian band Falling Joys, before deciding to leave Waterfront Records and signing with the rooArt label, distributed by PolyGram.
For their first release with their new label, Ratcat again decided on releasing an EP, gathering together new material to showcase their growing stylistic changes as the band reached the start of the new decade. It was to become their true breakthrough, the EP that put them well and truly on the Australian music map and more importantly on the Australian music charts, with the collection of quirky rock songs that they named “Tingles”.

There is every chance that I would never have listened to the band Ratcat, nor to this EP in particular, if not for two non-coinciding events that occurred in my life in January of 1991. One of those events was having been asked to form a band with four of my very good friends of the time back in 1989, a band that (somehow) was still together by the time we reached the beginning of 1991. Two members in particular, along with other mutual friends, had become slightly obsessed over this EP and played it often. So I was aware of it, even more so when we decided to record a demo tape to take around to the local pubs and clubs to try and drum up some gigs, and the first song that the other three members of the band insisted we do was “That Ain’t Bad”. Over the next 12 months we added three of the songs off this EP into our gigs. Pretty sure I got outvoted there. The other event was that I started dated the sister of one of my best mates, and it was at this time that I discovered that she had this EP and played it often and spoke about it often. Perhaps it worked in my favour that I did indeed know this EP at that time. 35 years later and we do still occasionally listen to it together.
It’s catchy. Having listened to it a lot at the time it was released (not by my choice at any time) a lot of it grew on me. Four of the six songs, as you will have heard, are ones I can still run with today. And there is a lot of nostalgia tied up in listening to this EP now, because of those significant goings-on at the time it was released. Our band was beginning to look to play our first gigs, and I began dating the girl I eventually married. They are great memories that these songs bring back to me.
Helen’s vinyl copy of this album was lost in the flood of 2001, but I did eventually get around to replacing it with a CD copy many years later, again for nostalgia’s sake, and it is that copy I have listened to again this week. And it is those same old memories as described here that it brings back to me. The EP eventually made #1 on the Australian singles charts, and finished 1991 as the second biggest single in Australia, behind Bryan Adamas and “Everything I Do, I Do For You”.
So no, Ratcat has never been MY band. They are a band that I somewhat had forced upon me. This EP is still fun enough to listen to, but I really don’t think I ever would have listened to them without those incidents being prevalent on its release. But then, why did I feel the need to buy the EP on CD to replace our lost copy? Maybe I know less about my own feelings here than usual.

1330. Various Artists / New Wave of British Heavy Metal: '70 Revisited. 1990. 5/5

The period of music in the UK that came between the years of 1979 and 1981 that drew the moniker of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal has become an historical curiosity the longer the years drift by. It has always been an interesting term, one that, much like the term ‘heavy metal’ itself, has been bent to suit people’s purposes. Labelling Bon Jovi a heavy metal band appears absolutely ludicrous here in 2025, but in 1986 it was a loosely thrown around term. The same could be said for a number of bands who found themselves referred to as bands that were a part of this movement. Arguments will always ensue about the status of bands crowned under this banner, perhaps even more so as we reach the point – surely not too far away – where none of those bands will be active on the world stage. Despite this, there is no doubt that it was an influential time in the history of music, let alone heavy metal music. Though the bands involved raeched varying degrees of success, the music created and the bands formed on the wave of this period is not only fascinating and enjoyable to listen to, it had become a major influence on the next wave of bands from around the world, who used their love of this music and formed it into their own sound as they began their own journeys.
The creation of this double album to celebrate that period of music history has its formation late in the 1980’s decade, by two men with equal fascination in its material – music journalist Geoff Barton, who had interviewed many of the bands and reviewed most of the albums of those bands that appeared here at the time this was all occurring, and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, whose love of the music provided the basis of his bands musical inspiration as they began their own journey.
Geoff Barton tells the story that it all started at the end of 1988 in Camdem Town in England, where he and Lars Ulrich were in the offices of Kerrang! Magazine, deciding what photos and layout would go into the upcoming “And Justice for All” tour programme for the beginning of that tour. At one point of this process, Barton said “Do you realise that next year sees the tenth anniversary of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal?” According to his account in the liner notes for this album, Barton says: “Lars’ eyes blaze into life like WW2 searchlights scouring the skies for lurking Heinkel’s. Lars’ desperate fascination with the tour programme might have diminished… but another darker obsession had taken root in his fatalistically fertile braincells". "Really?” he says, “That whole musical movement influenced me so much. We gotta do something to commemorate it. We gotta do something like… an album!”
Lars, for his part in the same liner notes, said the idea was to initially do a book, with Barton offering his journalistic skills and views on the artists, while the mug punters point of view would come from himself. Eventually, he says, they both came to the opinion that reading about it might be okay, but it was about the music, and if it is about the music, then one would need to HEAR it!
The result of this was this magnificent double CD collection of 29 artists and 30 tracks from the era of 1979-1981. An album that became required listening for those of us who wanted to know where our current heroes had gained their own love of the music, and more than that, it became a resource from which some of us could mine for new bands to check out and track down, and hopefully discover the same love that these two had found.

It would be a longwinded and perhaps fruitful exercise if I was to give you all a detailed description of each band and their contribution to this album on this podcast episode. And if I thought you would all enjoy listening to me carry on for an extra hour than usual, I would probably do it. Instead, I will offer you the shortest possible representation of what is on offer here.
Lars not only chose all of the bands that appear here along with the song choices, but he also made the track list order, and I have to say that he has done an amazing job. What is even better is that many of the songs here are rare versions, that appeared only on singles or even B-sides of singles, or on performances of the BBC Friday Rock Show. Trying to find these versions of these tracks now is very very difficult, which does help to make this album even more of a collector's item.
The opening salvo is fantastic. Diamond Head’s “It’s Electric” cannons out of the speakers in all of that band’s early glory, and you can hear why Lars chose to lead off the collection with one of his favourites. This is followed by the original single version of “Eye of the Storm” by Sweet Savage, featuring the very young yet brilliant guitar of Vivian Campbell. I love this song, and all of the early Sweet Savage singles and demos. Vivian’s departure to Dio must have been a tough one to swallow. Saxon’s “Motorcycle Man” is also a great version of the song, extolling all of the enthusiasm of the band at the time this came out.
The White Spirit track “Cheetah” is next, which only appeared as a B-side to the band’s first single release “Backs to the Grind”, which is more the pity because it is a great uptempo track with all of the Deep Purple comparisons you would like to use, the vocals are Gillan-esque and the play off between organ and guitars here is great to listen to. It is hard to believe they only produced their debut album before splitting (guitarist Jannick Gers – yes, that Jannick Gers – left to join Ian Gillan’s band the following year), though a 2022 second album using old recordings was produced. “Don’t Need Your Money” by Raven is another beauty, representative of the sound they produced for their debut album. This version is the band’s debut single, and gives a great vision of all of their best traits from the outset. “White Lightning” by Paralex is from the B-side of their EP of the same name, and is a very catchy song with the twin guitars combining nicely with the solid tempo and great vocals. How did this band not get anywhere? All of the ingredients are right here on this song. It seems like a no brainer. Another band that may have missed the trick. Def Leppard’s “Getcha Rocks Off” is perhaps the best song to have chosen of the band from this era, despite their vehement disapproval of bieng classed as anything to do with heavy metal. Weapon’s “Set the Stage Alight” does exactly that, flying along with the same speed that Sweet Savage had shown, has great riffs and solos and the bass and drums rhythm is superb. This is drawn from their 1981 demo, which unfortunately did not bring about a record contract.
This album was the first time I heard Samson with Bruce Dickinson on vocals, and “Vice Versa” is the track, something completely and utterly different from what I had heard of him in Iron Maiden. It’s still a mystery today in a way that this was the song Lars chose, but who am I to judge over the NWOBHM expert? Lars plunders an album that splits three bands and their work for Hollow Ground’s “Fight with the Devil”, another excellent example of the era and the music it produces, and another example of a band that never released an album of their own during that period. Girlschool’s “Demolition Boys” mirrors their best work and is a great representation to bring onto this album. Witchfynde’s “Leaving Nadir” is very much a different kettle of fish, starting off with the almost folk and gothic opening acoustic before moving into the main riff progression and channelling that 70’s prog rock road.
A-II-Z's “Treason” is another great example of the style of the era, the structure so similar here to other band’s even on this compilation, but one that could easily have been replicated into further success. One band who definitely went in their own direction is Witchfinder General and their self titled track here is a great example of that. There is a doom element to what they produced in their short career, and this song exemplifies that. The first disc then concludes with Black Axe and their song “Red Lights”

Iron Maiden was always going to get a gig here, and Lars has dug up a previously unreleased version (at the time) of “Sanctuary”, once again from the Friday Rock Show on the BBC, and it sounds great. Maiden has since released the entire performance, but at the time this was a nugget of gold. Jaguar’s “Black Street Woman” was the band’s first single, and again brings together everything you would expect of a band in this era, fast pace, guitars prominent, drum heavy and vocals slightly better than average.
Tygers of Pan Tang’s “Killers” is an interesting choice again from Lars, ensuring that the John Sykes era of the band is highlighted, which to be fair is the best era. It is a monster track though at over six minutes with a rhythm that barley changes throughout. Still, a fine representation of the band's best qualities.
Gaskin is a band I’m still unaware of, and their song here “I’m No Fool” doesn’t offer the kinds of things the best songs do here to suggest they were going to be huge. I’m guessing that’s what I don’t know about them. The song is fine but only average. They did however have two albums released in 1981 and 1982 so perhaps I’m missing something. The self-titled track by Sledgehammer immediately comes across as impressive and fits in well with the album's direction. The band had initially released this as their first single in 1979 which is the version used here. The version of Venom’s “Angel Dust” here comes from their demo, and is even slightly rawer than the version that appears on their debut album “Welcome to Hell”. That muddy sound and wall of guitar is fabulous on this version. So too with Angel Witch and “Extermination Day”, which comes from their appearance on the Friday Rock Show on the BBC. How did this not make their debut album? I still love it. This is followed by Trespass and “One of These Days”, and this is a change up from the norm. This is very much of the progressive nature, indeed, it has a sound that if you didn’t know better, was ‘utilised’ by Savatage for their song “Strange Ways about a decade later. This is a terrific track in the main because it sets itself apart from most of the other songs on the album with its style and approach.
Holocaust’s “Death or Glory” is a track that those who listen to this podcast on a regular basis would no doubt recognise, and now where it was that I first heard this song and band. It is still a classic, probably the best thing they ever produced. “If I Were King” by Vardis feels as though it has been sandwiched between two absolute belters, in order to raise its profile. It is another of the tracks here that uses all of the characteristics that were being searched for at the time, it just isn’t on the same level as many of the other songs here, as is proven by the next track. The best version of Blitzkrieg’s self titled track “Blitzkrieg” comes from the B-Side of their Buried Alive single, and that is the version Lars uses here, and is no doubt the version he knew when his band covered it on the B-side of THEIR single “Creeping Death”. And then, just because he loves Diamond Head so much, we have the second track of theirs chosen for this release, “Helpless”. Again, outstanding. Praying Mantis was seen as a band from this era that would be the one to "make it" and were heavily promoted by Neil Kay in this direction. "Captured City" is the song they have here, which is okay, but the vocals are just a bit weedy. However, you can sense greater things in the music than the vocals allow to improve it. Slotting back into the vibe of the era is Dragster with “Ambitions”, the kind of song that could have come from dozens of these types of bands, but is still catchy enough to enjoy. And Fist’s “S.S. Giro” concludes proceedings on the double album, and is a fine, better than average track to do so.
This is not an album that presents itself on any streaming service, and that is unfortunate. You can find most of the track by searching on YouTube but that is all. It has also been out of print for many years, which makes it incredibly hard to track down. But for those with an interest in this period of history, I can assure you it is worth it.

This album had been heavily promoted before its release, through both Kerrang! Magazine and also Hot Metal magazine in Australia. And it piqued my interest from the outset. Firstly, Lars Ulrich was a part of it. Indeed, he seemed to have made all the decisions on which songs and bands needed to be added. At the time Lars was at the peak of his popularity, the biggest drummer in the world, and his thoughts were beginning to be broadcast everywhere. And his enthusiasm for this project was infectious, and having heard Metallica live playing songs from other eras as their favourite cover versions, it was only natural to be a little excited about what it might hold.
And – I loved it. Yes, I can concede that early on the vaguely similar sound of the track and the bands, the structures and guitar sound and production all felt a bit much to take in, and I would have trouble retaining my concentration though both CDs. But over several listens I got beyond that, and began to pick up favourites and love the whole experience. And you will already have ascertained which bands and songs they are from earlier in this episode. And over the years since, this album and these songs have only become more enhanced in the joy I receive from them. Perhaps that is a touch of nostalgia coming through, that the music that enjoy the most is perhaps slipping further into the past, and by listening to this album I am drawn back to those days that, even though I did not listen to the artists or participate in the scene as it was occurring, I still feel very much anchored in.
It has been a while since I last sat down and properly listened to this album, so I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed doing so again over the last week. So many old friends gathered together. And it hadn’t occurred to me how many of these bands that I now own albums of, most of which would have come from buying this particular compilation in the first place. Diamond Head, Sweet Savage, White Spirit, Raven, Witchfinder General, Tygers of Pan Tang, Venom, Angel Witch, Blitzkrieg, Praying Mantis. It’s quite the collection, and have all been a huge part in growing my collective musical experience and education. The Creation of Me in fact. This was and is for me one of the most important albums I have purchased because of the joy of the bands I discovered through it. Those kinds of albums don’t come along every day.

1329. Alice in Chains / Live. 2000. 4/5

The performance of the band on MTV Unplugged in April 1996, that was then released as a live album on July 30 1996, is pretty much where the line is drawn in the Layne Staley era of Alice in Chains. Certainly there were some releases after this, including the “Music Box” compilations that included a couple of new tracks. But as to the band actively being what could be described AS a band, that album completed the cycle. The band’s final live gigs with Layne Staley took place in that month as well, which places another pin in that board – and yes, I did avoid using the term ‘nail in the coffin’ for obvious reasons – although now that I’ve used it anyway, that seems a tad superfluous. And while the period between 1996 and 2002 is a seemingly drawn out affair, I won’t be covering that story here. Suffice to say, if you are interested, may I direct you to the podcast titled ‘And Volume For All’, where Season 2 covers the story of Alice in Chains in great detail, including this rather sad and unfortunate period of their existence. ‘And Volume For All’ continues to be the very best heavy metal podcast on the planet, and along with Quinn’s ridiculously amazing Alice in Chains series he has much more to offer, and I truly suggest you should check it out if you have not already done so.
No doubt in order to keep the name of the band alive (and also to continue to produce income streams for the record company itself, trying to cash in on several high selling albums), said record company pulled together a selection of live recordings the band had made over the years, and decided to put out a live album by the band that was indeed ‘plugged’ rather than ‘unplugged’. The three eras of the band are explored here, with two tracks coming from two different gigs in 1990, seven songs from 1993 of which six are from the same gig in Glasgow, and the five concluding tracks coming from consecutive days on July 2 and 3 of 1996, the final two shows the band ever played with the late great Layne Staley. Released as it was, four years following those final shows, the release felt like one that was in limbo, that it was celebrating a past life rather than being an album released to showcase the greatness of the band before they pushed on to the next studio album. It was of course an album released with a band in a holding pattern, a holding pattern that was one that flowed on into the mists of time.

As a compilation live album, one that has been taken from several sources, and is not just a full live concert recording from the one tour, it sometimes is troublesome in trying to adjust to the different eras of the band that are compiled onto the one album. In the past on this podcast I have extolled my preference for live albums to be from one show, to retain the integrity of the recording. This of course very rarely occurs. Even the greatest of live albums – Slayer's “Decade of Aggression”, Iron Maiden’s “Live After Death” and UFO’s “Strangers in the Night”, all had pieces taken from different nights of the tour. So I guess I have mostly rescinded that argument when it comes to me judging live albums. What it can be said about this particular live album is that it contains a cracking song list, and does give you the opportunity to judge for yourself if the band changed in their live scenario over the years.
The live version offered here of the opening track “Bleed the Freak” is absolutely awesome. The bassline, played here by Mike Starr is just beautiful, with that solid backing drums from Sean Kinney, but it is the vocals that steal the show, they are incredible. Layne and Jerry combine superbly here to create the version of the song you would have been hoping to hear had you ventured to see the band in 1990. However, “Queen of the Rodeo” is probably completely different for me. I have just never really enjoyed it much. Despite it being on the band’s demo “The Treehouse Tapes”, I think it missed out on being on “Facelift” for a reason. I understand the nice thought in including it on this album, but the song for me is underwhelming.
From here the album moves to 1993 and Glasgow, and some of the bands greatest songs. “Angry Chair” probably loses some of its angsty anger from the studio version on this live version, but it is such a great song it still holds its own. In particular, Jerry’s guitar solo is still stunning. “Man in the Box” follows, and is another song that is so magnificent on the studio album, and yet on this live version perhaps loses a little of its magic. I have seen it played live a number of times, and must admit I felt the same way about it when I saw Layne sing it, perhaps because each time he seemed to be a little...fluey. At least, that was the explanation that he gave. And yet, when I saw the band perform it with William DuVall it pumped, firstly because the band upped the tempo but also because William sang it like a fan would, and that made all the difference.
The next three songs though are just superb. “Love Hate Love”. Oh man, this drags in every awesome take from the studio version and magnifies it. The sombre mood, and the almost stop dead tempo of the live version is incredible. It lets Mike Inez’s bass guitar to come through so powerfully on top of Sean Kinney drums. And then Layne sings the fucking hell out of this live version. My word, everything that makes this song so magnificent in the studio version doubles down here. It is unbelievably awesome. From here the band heads into “Rooster”. Again, the slowed tempo, emphasising the bass and guitar along with the vocals of both Layne and Jerry is amazing, and the powerful drum beat pounding down as well. It is insanely good. Layne is on fire once again on this song. The marching drumming beat from Sean in the final verse as well is hypnotic. Magnificent. And then on top of this comes “Would?”, which is just outstanding. What a song, and everything sounds incredible here. The bassline, the drums, the guitar, and those combined vocals. What a song and it just carries it perfectly here. The rhythm of bass and drums on this song is the star turn on the live version, with Mike and Sean pummelling.
Into the second half of the album and we get a different mixture of tracks and performance. “Junkhead” sounds great in the main through the vocals, as Layne wails wonderfully on this live version, and that is what is the star turn. We then have a version of “Dirt” that is subtitled “Drunk and Disorderly version” and comes from a gig in Japan of 1993. Perhaps because of the reasons behind the subtitle I don’t find this as impactful as the studio version, but again the rhythm of Sean’s rolling drumbeat and Mike’s lolling bass line is the star attraction.
The final five tracks on the album come from what ultimately became the final live appearances of Layne Staley with Alice in Chains from St. Louis and Kansas City, though of course no one knew that at the time. “Them Bones” is a good live version. “God Am” for me has only ever been average as a song, and for me it is only average as a live version here. However, on the next track “Again”, the live version here brings this song to life far more than the studio version, and the studio version is one of the brightest tracks on that album! The rolling rhythm is fantastic from Sean and Mike and Jerry’s guitar riffs rock hard. A great version of the song. “A Little Bitter”, which comes from the soundtrack of “Last Action Hero”, is a beauty. Kinney and Inez again are just fabulous throughout this song, and when Jerry’s guitar riff cracks in at the one minute mark the song really ramps up. Another live version that kills its studio version. The album then concludes with “Dam That River”, a powerful rendition of that great track. You can almost see the crowd jumping around in excitement while listening to it. I certainly imagine myself at age 22 doing the exact same thing at the Hordern Pavilion as I listened along. It concludes what is overall a terrific live album experience.

I often say when reviewing live albums that they should almost always be a 5/5 album, because you are getting the bands best songs in their best environment. And I don’t OFTEN say it; I say it EVERY single time. So now I’ve said it again. And even though I don’t often listen to live albus in preference to listening to studio albums, they certainly do serve a purpose.
I bought this not long after its release. I had just spent most of 2000 saving for a deposit for a house, which we purchased in October of that year, and I felt as though I had a little spare money to buy an album or two. That wasn’t to be the case, given said house was then flooded in January 2001, but I still managed to get this not too long after that. And it was an interesting moment. I had, as had most of us, purchased the MTV Unplugged album soon after its release four years earlier and just adored it. Played it over and over, bought the VHS and watched it over and over. As a live performance, it is practically untouchable. So when this album came out, the band’s first fully electrified live album, showcasing the band in all its glory, I was excited. Tremendously excited. Perhaps... over excited? I mean, it had a bit to live up to. Anyway, I bought it, I listened to it, it was good, and back on the shelves it went, as my manic phase of European power meta and progressive metal began to take over my music listening world. And, there it remained. Not forever, but mostly, yes. And some of that came down to the fact that when I think about listening to Alice in Chains I think about listening to “Facelift” or “Dirt”, but ALSO that when I think about listening to Alice in Chains live, I think about listening to “MTV Unplugged”. Which proves on the one hand how ingrained that album is on my psyche, but how under the radar this live album actually is. Because I can tell you that listening to it again last night as I was preparing for this podcast episode, I loved almost every second of ti, and probably not for the first time wondered why I haven’t listened to this more, or even THINK about listening to it more! And the question that came to me was this – is everyone in the world who are Alice in Chains enjoyers have the same thoughts? Does ANYONE know that this album exists?!
This album showcases a large range of the great tracks from Alice in Chains in the live environment. Not all of them of course. And while all the versions here are good, there are others that it would have been nice to have heard as well. Layne’s passing in 2002 seemed to have put a full stop on the band ever playing again (though that became premature) and the fact that we have this album to rejoice in the quartet at their best is gratifying. If you haven’t heard this before, it would be well worth your time tracking it down.

1328. Midnight Oil / Species Deceases [EP]. 1985. 3.5/5

Midnight Oil’s growing popularity out of the late 1970’s on the back of their first two albums, their self-titled debut and the follow up “Head Injuries”, had come on the back of constant touring and the hard working ethic shown in their concerts, where nothing was left when they finally left the stage. They began to break through on the Australian charts with their EP “Bird Noises”, recently reviewed on episode 168 of this podcast, and then the follow up album “Place Without a Postcard” which went to #12 on the Australian albums chart. However, it was the release of 1982’s “10-1” that saw the band top that wave and become the band that their fans always knew they could be. The songs that became tinged with lyrics that spoke of the world around them, of the causes they believed in and the political situations at home and abroad, began to burst forth, with singles such as “Read About It”, “US Forces” and “The Power and the Passion” taking on a life of their own. The album went to number 3 in Australia, and was then followed by “Red Sails in the Sunset” in 1984, which became their first number 1 album, with a continuation of their lyrical exposes and descriptions. Despite being a controversial entity in some places and corners, the ideology of the band spoke to the times they were living in, and their fan base was growing as they became as much a mouthpiece with their music as a popular band in itself.
In September of 1985, the band headed to the studio for four days to put down four new tracks that had been put together over their touring for that album. On the back of the success that “Bird Noises” had crested five years earlier, they looked to release a new EP rather than release another song off the album as a single release. It also gave the ban the chance to further bring their current stories to song, and to have a new release for the fans rather than a song from an album they had released a year earlier. This came Midnight Oil’s second EP and one that created history for the band, provocatively titled “Species Deceases”.

Like their previous EP, this one again comes with just the four tracks, and each is targeting a different piece of the world that the band sees as worthy of being spotlighted. “Progress” lyrically comes at the way that everything seems ot have to make way for progress, to push forward at the expense of the environment all for the betterment of industry or government. Musically it has moved away from the experimental side that the band had used over the previous two album and settled into a contemporary sound that is stripped back a little from what they have been offering. “Hercules” is the big song off the EP, one that is still played on radio and music video around the world. The mid-1980's in the South Pacific with nuclear testing happening and the rise of Greenpeace to protest it in particular influence the lyrical content of the song. Lead singer Peter Garrett had recently run for the Australian Senate as a member of the Nuclear Disarmament Party, something he narrowly failed to achieve, but it advertised heavily his thoughts on this subject in particular, and this song heavily pushed that theme here.
“Blossom and Blood” speaks about the nuclear argument again, here referencing Hiroshima and discussing the outward fallibility of talking about peace while preparing for war. The words here from Rob Hirst and Jim Moginie are compelling as always. Finally we have “Pictures”, outwardly about the nuclear apocalypse and the desire to not be a part of one. Lines such as “I just want to watch the paradise, I just want to see that clear, clear light, Don't want to be a member of a species that's deceasing, Keep on making those promises that they aren't keeping”. And also “Oh, I was a talking to the people next door, They said don't want to die in a nuclear war” - are pretty reflective of what the band is suggesting here.
The EP’s title is fairly specific just what the band has proposed here on these four tracks. Each speaks of their belief of the destruction of the environment and of the nuclear desolation that awaits if things don’t change. And it is very reflective of the time. The mid-1980's was a time where nuclear exchanges were considered to be a ‘not if, but when’ proposition, something that 40 years on might appear to be an overreaction from this point in time, but growing up and living in the time it was much more real that it might appear. And albums such as this weren’t as rare as you might think either. The fact that the band released this as a statement piece, a short retort to what they saw occurring on their (and our) doorstep, is perhaps the most important and compelling part about “Species Deceases”.

I still very much remember when this EP was first released. It was a couple of days before we had our Year 10 graduation dance at high school at the end of 1985. The previous week we had been on a school camp to Bundanoon in the NSW southern highlands, and discussion at the time was of the impending arrival of a new Midnight Oil release. On the night of this dance, there was a band who kept promising that they would be playing lots of great songs that were popular at the time, a promise that was most definitely not kept. However, the one thing they did do was, during the break in their set, whoever was doing their PA put on the brand-new release from Midnight Oil, and it got the biggest reaction of the night from the congregation.
This came out at the exact same moment as my heavy metal revelation, which more or less began at the camp that I just mentioned that was a week before this EP was released. But the popularity and exposure that this EP received is still very bright in my memory. It was everywhere at the time, on the radio, on the music TV shows, and of course in the school yard when we returned to school in February. And it went to #1 on the Australian singles charts, and remained there for six weeks over the Xmas period. It was also the only time the band had a number one single, which in retrospect seems incredible.
I did not get this EP on its release. As I said, this was literally when Iron Maiden was dropped into my lap, and that obsession took over everything for a long time afterwards. I heard the songs on the radio but didn’t feel the need to acquire it. That would come eventually, as I bought up the entire Midnight Oil discography. And listening to it again this week has been fun. It brings back a lot of memories of that time, of when I was on the cusp of moving into the senior years of high school. And it was a great reminder of songs that don’t always get recognised now in the Midnight Oil catalogue. Everyone knows “Hercules”, but the other three are somewhat forgotten. This week has been a good reminder for me of their excellence as well. Something that always makes these podcast episodes worthwhile in more ways than one.

1327. Yngwie Malmsteen / War to End All Wars. 2000. 4/5

The path that Yngwie Malmsteen had taken through the 1990’s decade could have been seen to be a trepidation one, given the amazing change the face of music went through during that time. This will be the sixth album of his that I have done an episode on in the last 12 months of this podcast, which stretch from the start of his solo career to the start of the next century. Some would say that in that time period, his albums have remained almost significantly unchanged, that each showcases the talent that he has on his guitar, but that in general you could play a song from one album and then a song from another, and it would be difficult to perceive any great difference in the output. That is not an unfair assumption, because in most ways Yngwie stuck to what he knew and obviously what he enjoyed, the ability to showcase his guitaring talent in a way that was flashily pertinent to himself, and in some way attempt to create a song around that which would appeal in some way to his fan base.
In 1998 he did something that he had been building up to over a number of years with his album “Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra”, The album was Malmsteen's first attempt at a classical concerto suite featuring electric guitar solos. All of the music was composed by Malmsteen, though his compositions were scored by his friend and fellow musician David Rosenthal and performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. It was perhaps the first moment where Yngwie began to do things that he wanted to perform rather than to try and make a commercial breakthrough. This has been followed by the album “Alchemy”, which saw a return to material that was not written and performed for that same process.
Into the year 2000, and with the sting of the previous decade being retracted, and a definite feel of nostalgia creeping into music being written by bands that harked back to their roots of the 1980’s, Yngwie probably found himself back in his element – the opportunity to create an album that utilised all of his most famous tricks, with an air of expectation that that sound may once again become the status quo. Thus was the atmosphere that Yngwie brought to the world his new album and first of the new century, titled “War to End All Wars”.

The album begins with a fire and fury that hasn’t been heard for some time on an Yngwie Malmsteen album. And it is something that repeats itself through most of the album. “Prophet of Doom” opens the doorway and lets the demons fly out, anticipating a style that many have often looked for from Yngwie Malmsteen and his band but have rarely sighted. John Macaluso on drums comes to the fore immediately, not doubt given strict instructions as to how the drums were to sound here for this album, and complying implicitly. Mats Olausson on keyboards is offered the same advice, to duel with Yngwie when asked, and beyond that provide the support that the song requires, which he does as he has done on several other Yngwie albums with aplomb.
The second track “Crucify” is where you get a real feel for Yngwie on the other instruments, and how powerful he is in utilising them. The bass line on this track is brutal, Yngwie plays it extremely hard on this song, and it has an unusual guttural sound about it, flying along at the same speed as his guitar over the top. The sitar as well, making an appearance through different moments of the song gives it that eastern attraction that Yngwie does on occasions. “Crucify” goes for almost seven minutes, and along with this often brutal but at times scintillatingly brilliant song, Boals and his vocals perform acoustic acrobatics, reaching highs and beyond that he has hinted at before, but perhaps has never performed to the levels he does on this track. It is an amazing song, one that sets a new bar for the best songs of Yngwie Malmsteen’s career. “Bad Reputation” musically channels the most recent albums from the band, but with a renewed emphasis on the vocals, where Boals again excels, bring his amazing range into the track. In the verse and bridge of the songs he does sound like he is moving along the same vocal lines as from his best known work with the band in “Trilogy”, but when he goes out on his own to really hit the notes above that wavy line he sounds magnificent. And again, this is fairly noticeable all the way through the album. When he sings the same tone along the riff, with a multilayered vocal to make sound as though many are there rather than one, it does have similarities to other work. But when he just goes back and sings unabated, he and this album jump out of the ground and out of the speakers at you. It is when it is at its most brilliant.
“Catch 22” is mostly about Yngwie’s superb guitaring. And yes, that is obviously every song here, because that is what every Yngwie Malmsteen album is about. But his rhythm riff on this track is somewhat astounding. It is something to hear, to try and discern how he can play it. That bass guitar again as well, especially in playoff underneath his guitar solo in the middle of the track, is outstanding. The low guttural sound again, but moving in and away from what the guitar is doing, in an almost Geezer Butler way. It is superb, and Mark Boals sings the hell out of this song too. “Masquerade” is the most commercial sounding track on the album, but not in the way that sounds. Unlike the way Yngwie once chased the commercial route, this just has a brighter tone about it, and more rock structure, but with the anticipated Yngwie guitar blow outs. It starts with verse/chorus/verse, nice riff and great vocal, and then Yngwie goes full Yngwie and lets fly with his guitar solo piece that blows that out of the water, and brinsg this back to pure Malmsteen magic. On this song you can hear where Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica and Rhapsody and other bands of that ilk in the European power metal scene got their ideas, because it is all contain on this song. It's another beauty. The instrumental “Molto Arpeggiosa” follows, and follows the note by note playbook that so many of his instrumentals follow.
“Miracle of Life” is the power ballad of the album, the type that Yngwie does on every album, the one that I think he think will draw people to the album and have them connect with everything else he has played on the album. It isn’t necessarily true of course. Often they are the songs that you skip to get to the next great faster heavier song. Over his career he has produced some good versions of these types of tracks. This one is listenable without being terrible, but it does act as a momentum killer. Some of course may believe this album needed a circuit break, which this could be classified as. Back to the main event though with “The Wizard”, that fast paced double kick rhythm with Yngwie’s fingers flying up and down the fretboard and Boals flying over the top. Yngwie’s solo on this track is absolutely scintillating, careering along at the speed that has been set by the drums and bass. It stretches far beyond the vocals coming back into the track, and is an exceptional five minutes plus of Yngwie Malmsteen magic. It is one of the best tracks on the album.
“Preludium” is as the title suggests, a prelude to the next rack. It gives Yngwie the opportunity again to showcase his love of the neo-classical range of his music, something that dates back to his first ever solo album where he showcased it in spades. This acts as a nice callback to those times, and also as a bridge to those times and to the present day. It segues straight into “Wild One”, which feels like a more modern update on a song from the “Trilogy” album. Indeed, this would fit very well into that period with the structure and style of the song and vocals very reminiscent of that age. “Tarot” does the same thing, taking that middle distant mid-tempo that Yngwie enjoyed while playing his flying gutar licks and solos over the top to create a dual speed symphony is performed to perfection here. “InstruMental Institution" is the third Yngwie instrumental, with almost all apart from the drums played by him. It allows him to once again express himself in that way he does so well, and reintroduce the playoff between guitar and synth that for the most part is absent from this album, but is still a joy to hear whenever he decides to bring it back to the party. The album then concludes with the title track, “War to End All Wars", another of the fastest paced tracks on the album, highlighting again just how this album was constructed and played, how the music was written and composed, and the major counterpoint to the albums that have come before it. In many places this could almost be classified as speed metal such is its careering off the rails style - and I am here for every single part of it.

As I have made mention of on other episodes that have been discussing albums by Yngwie Malmsteen, I had a period of about a decade where I had more or less written off Yngwie as someone I needed to keep up with. I loved and love his first albums, but “Eclipse” and “Fire and Ice” which had come in the early part of the 1990’s decade had turned me off, and with that changing decade (not only in music but in major parts of my own life) I was happy to seek out other avenues and bands to explore. And, as I also explained on the recent episode to discuss his 1995 album “Magnum Opus”, it wasn’t until “Unleash the Fury” attracted me once again in the middle 2000’s that I rediscovered a desire to go back and listen to all of the albums I had missed. And there were a few of them!
This one was an interesting one from the outset. If there was a fury that needed to be let out and engaged, I think this was the album that had it. Some of Yngwie’s guitaring on this album, as I have already discussed, is outrageously scintillating. He goes all out, bringing fire to his music, but also trying to bring back the 1980’s sound that other bands were also dabbling in, and in his case, I think trying to reconnect with a fan base that may have drifted away. So many of the aspects of this album spoke quite loudly to me because I was one of those fans that I feel this album was designed to try and speak to and draw back into the fold. For me of course, it was 5-6 years later than when the album was released, which was probably unfortunate for both Yngwie AND me.
Does this album offer anything new? Not really. As I’ve said, to me it sounds like an album that is trying to bring back the fan base. That means if you enjoy the first few albums that Yngwie released in the 1980’s, you will probably find something here that you will enjoy. If you enjoyed his 1990 album, there is also material here that you will enjoy. If you do not like Yngwie and his flamboyant guitaring antics, then you will not find anything here that will change your mind. He is a creature of habit, and promoting Yngwie and his guitaring is basically number one on his to do list.
Listening to this album again this week I have been surprised just how much it does remind me of the “Trilogy” album, which of course Mark Boals also sang on. That connection to the past is far stronger than I remembered when I first heard the album. And perhaps it is just that I am older now, and those kinds of connections are becoming more important to me, or perhaps just more noticeable. It is definitely a heavier album than those earlier albums. Yngwie has ramped up his material here to fit in with the heavier side of his music without losing his vital and quintessential characteristics that his guitaring style requires in order to make it his album. Having the experience and excellence of Boals as lead vocalist is a definite plus as well. For me, it is a shame that this was his final album with Yngwie, though given Yngwie’s notoriously difficult personality and how many artists have struggled to get along with his ego, perhaps the two album stretch was about what you would expect.
If you want to hear a heavier, uptempo style of Yngwie’s music that he produced in the 1980’s then this is still an excellent listen, and to fans I can’t recommend it enough. To those who aren’t, I’m sure you have already heard enough.

1326. Smashing Pumpkins / Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. 1995. 4/5

The fact that Smashing Pumpkins as a band had survived the process of writing and recording their previous album, their commercial breakthrough in “Siamese Dream”, is somewhat a miracle. The band had recorded that album away from their home town in order to keep Jimmy Chamberlin away from his known drug dealers, something of course didn’t work as he soon found a new supply source for his addictions. Guitarist James Iha and bass guitarist D’arcy Wretzky had begun a romantic relationship which had ended badly prior to the recording session which created a massive amount of tension. Billy Corgan reportedly ended up playing all of the guitar and bass on the album, with producer Butch Vig trying to pull all of the strings together. Corgan also seriously contemplated suicide during this time such was his headspace. At the very least, it would be fair to say that it was a fractured, tense and discorded workplace environment, one that still managed to produce an album that even today is regarded as one of the best produced in the first half of the 1990’s decade. The tour to follow gave the band a massive public profile, and also a platform to create whatever they desired for their follow up album.
In this regard, it meant creating something that allowed Corgan to explore his universe. He was quoted after the release of this new album as saying "We almost had enough material to make Siamese Dream a double album. With this new album, I really liked the notion that we would create a wider scope in which to put other kinds of material we were writing”. It meant that from the very beginning, there was a desire to produce a double album. During 1995, Corgan wrote 56 songs to take into the studio and form into the album he was looking for. Although Butch Vig had produced the band’s first two albums, they decided to go with a different combination for the new album, with Corgan admitting that he felt that they were too close to Vig that they needed a different producer to help to expand their ideas, rather than work within the same structure and fabric that they had previously. Co-producers in Alan Moulder and Mark Ellis, whose professional name is Flood, were employed for the roles.
Looking to avoid the tension that arose during the recording session for “Siamese Dream”, where there were periods of days into weeks where band members were waiting for overdubs to be completed, different ways of going about their craft were utilised. The band began the album in a recording space, getting a feel for how the album would be structured and how it would sound. Flood also had the band jamming and songwriting each day in order to help bring pieces together, something Corgan admitted the band had never done before. Also, to avoid the band remaining idle, they decided to use two recording studios at the same time. This allowed Corgan to do his song arrangements and develop his vocals in one room with Flood, while recording could occur at the same time in the other with Moulder. With such a large volume of material to refine and record, it turned out to be a great tactic. It was also noteworthy that both Iha and Wretzky had much greater roles in the recording sessions of this album compared to previous albums. Iha was quoted about how the recording sessions for Mellon Collie improved from that of Siamese Dream, noting: “The big change is that Billy is not being the big 'I do this—I do that'. It's much better. The band arranged a lot of songs for this record, and the song writing process was organic. The circumstances of the last record and the way that we worked was really bad”.
When the final album came together, some pronounced it the Smashing Pumpkins version of The Beatles White Album, while Corgan himself called it “The Wall for Generation X”. Either way, when it came to be released, it’s presence was most definitely felt in a similar way to both of those albums.

“Siamese Dream” and those iconic hit singles from that album had been all over the radio on their release, and had been my introduction to the Smashing Pumpkins, but had not been enough for me to want to jump in and actually buy the album itself. I enjoyed those songs buy at that time I didn’t find it a jump that I needed to make. Fast forward to the beginning of 1996, and by this point another Smashing Pumpkins single had caught my ear, one that had a bit about it that was much more in my wheelhouse. I happened to mention this to my lovely wife one afternoon after work and she said “Oh, I have that album! It’s right here!”, and she showed me her CD copy of “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”. OK, what’s it like? “I really like it!” I look at the back cover, and discover that it is two CDs, not one. 28 songs in totals. And over two hours in length. OK. That looks like it is something that I don’t really have time to listen to in total, maybe I’ll listen to a few songs. So we do, and after the opening half of the first CD I have already wondered if this might be the best thing I’ve heard in years.
It took me a few days to actually listen to the whole album, with time constraints and life getting involved, and by the end I had cooled off a little. There were, as you will have already heard, a lot of different changes in the songs on this album, a lot of different genre changes, and on that first listen through that was something that took a little getting used to. And like all double albums, getting used to the length and having the TIME to listen to it in its entirety in one hit does become a problem. However, in 1996 we spent a lot of time with our friend group in Newtown in inner city Sydney, and in amongst the albums of other artists such as PJ Harvey and Nick Cave and Foo Fighters, this album was played around that rotation a lot, and it became one of the anthem pieces of the time.
You can here in the previous segment with myself and Helen that we have a different view on what are the best parts of the album and the less interesting parts of the album. That hasn’t changed over the years. Those heavier tracks for me, where Billy Corgan digs deep into his heavy metal alter ego, are the ones that truly drag me in every time. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some of the softer songs that don’t bring me enjoyment, it's just that my own musical preference tends to win out on most occasions.
Would kids today have the attention span to get through an entire album of this length? 30 years on, this album does tend to split opinions more to do with the length of the album and the mixing of the genre of the songs on the album. I know people who get bored with it quickly and won’t listen to it as a result. I know people who just don’t want to listen to an album that stretches beyond two hours. And yet there are other people, like the lovely Helen, who still love this album as much today as they did 30 years ago. Yes, it provokes discussion amongst the fans as to how THEY would edit it down to one album, and which songs they would choose, but as for Corgan’s vision when writing the album, it is as massive as the albums he proclaimed to be inspired by. And perhaps, just as important.

1325. Anthrax / Stomp 442. 1995. 3/5

Even when Anthrax was being touted as one of the Big Four of thrash metal, they knew they were always considered number four of those four. The outrageous success that Metallica found over the first ten years of their recording career had sent them into the stratosphere. Megadeth had followed closely on their heels, maybe not in album sales but in critically acclaimed releases they were right there breathing down Metallica’s neck. Slayer ran their own race, jogging alongside these two bands looking across and nodding their heads, acknowledging that those two were fighting amongst themselves, while all the while Slayer punched out thrash metal albums that continued to excite the fan base. And Anthrax... well, they were the quiet achievers in many ways. “Among the Living” still ranks as one of the great thrash metal albums. “Persistence of Time”, as I have spoken about a lot on this podcast over recent months, still ranks as one of the big four album releases of 1990, one that dominated that year. And their 1993 monster album with new lead singer John Bush “Sound of White Noise” brought a new kind of heavy to their music, and also adapted to the changes that were going on in music at the time and managed to channel them into their music without losing their own personality. That album, which reached #7 in the US charts, lifted Anthrax to unprecedented highs in the marketplace, gave them a standing and a persona where they had their own future firmly in their hands.
Following the tour to promote the album, guitarist Dan Spitz left the band. Spitz was already a talented creator of high end watches and jewellery of that volition, and he finally came to the conclusion that he could make more money and spend more time at home by following that vocation. Spitz had been in the band since the very early days, and his departure was a loss for the band and for fans alike. Spitz was not immediately replaced. Paul Crook was brought in to be the hired gun for the band’s live shows, but for the new album, several guests were brought on board to participate and help out. Crook himself played lead guitar on four tracks, while Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell Abbott, a friend of the band, also contributed. In the main, it was drummer Charlie Benante, who had taken on a bigger role in the writing of the music for the album, who also contributed more guitars to the recording.
Having already made an album that not only lifted them above the pack in the new grunge and alt metal world that came with the first half of the 1990’s decade, Anthrax now had the opportunity to push that even further with their follow up to John Bush’s first album helming the vocals for the band, with the album “Stomp 442”.

Ripping in from the outset, the more industrialised sound of Anthrax’s emerging and evolving sound comes at you in the form of the opening track “Random Acts of Senseless Violence”. While there are similarities to what came on the previous album, this song crashes out of the speakers at you with a wall of noise that announces itself in the harshest way possible. Drums, guiatrs and vocals all at 11 in the mix and grating into the combination. Paul Crook gets his first crack on a laed solo here and is perhaps the biggest point of difference, with the new sound post-Dan Spitz carrying the majority of the sound vibe. The first single from the album comes next in “Fueled”, falling back to the more familair course taken on the previous album, along with plenty of opportunity for Ian and Bello to bring their backing vocals into the mix. The video for the song told a story that aligns almost parallel to Stephen King’s “Christine” with the band playing alongisde. It’s a hardcore addition alongside the opening track, and mirrors the direction Anthrax have decided to take this album in the mid-1990's and what is happening musically around them at the time. The arrival of “King Size” also means that the groove has arrived. Here is where Anthrax begin to showcase where their musical varieties are trending towards, with the rhythm groove and Bush’s vocals mixing the same depths. The perpetually distinctive guitar soloing from Dimebag Darrell cuts through the middle of the track, in many ways topping off the fact that it almost feels though this is an Anthrax/Pantera crossover track. “Riding Shotgun" brings more of the same with the hard riffing rhythm guitar and bass line, complemented by dual solo lead breaks from Crook and Dimebag again, perpetuating a stolen promise. Bush’s vocals hold their distinctive line which does give this song more of an authentic sound rather than moving down the path towards other bands of the era.
“Perpetual Motion” is an interesting title because the riffing here seems to stick to its middle ground and not move towards anything more exciting or for that matter less exciting. “In a Zone" sticks with the program, that mid-tempo hard riffing that blows into overdrive for Crook’s short and sweet solo spot before cranking back into the safe and solid riff to the end of the track. Neither of these are bad songs, nor are they average songs. But they do tend to draw again on the prevailing winds of the Pantera-led groove metal style which is further drawing Anthrax away from the style that made them the band everyone followed in the 1980’s. The pull back to a more recognisable tracking comes with the second single “Nothing”. It Isn't thrash express, but it does draw back memories of past glories and also a more recognisable riff similar to songs from Bush’s first album with the band. The tempo again remains in the mid range, and is driven mostly by Bush’s vocals power than anything outstanding in the music.
“American Pompeii” drives back into that almost mid-slow tempo, the alt metal riffing and Pantera-like zoning and free-forming vocal delivery from Bush. It’s a track that doesn’t have anything spectacular to define itself away from the bulk of the album. Riff, vocal, riff, vocal, and then the song sounds like it's about to finish before it comes back and goes again for another 45 seconds or so. “Drop the Ball” follows along similar lines, almost a long slow tempo drone of industrialised guitar riff and John chanting the vocals out almost robotically through the entire track. Once again you are left looking for something that jumps out to define the track, to make it a different proposition from some of the songs that come before it, and there is nothing there. “Tester” at least starts out with a different tone, one that tosses up a different approach, and the trade of solos from Charlie and Scott here on this track actually prove to be a winner.
“Bare” is the closing track, one that to me is just unbearably incorrect and unforgivable. Here is an album that has built itself upon the modern sound of heavy metal in the mid-1990's, with loud hard strum guitars that base themselves with a melody or harmony, just raw and aggressive for the most part, and yet the final track is with percussive bongo and clear guitar, five and a half minutes that builds to some energy in the final throes of the song, but ends the album as a damp squib. Lyrically the song shows the passion of the subject matter, but musically and as a finale to an Anthrax album it is a terrible disappointment.

As has been commented on other podcast episodes through the years, not everyone was a fan of John Bush taking over the lead vocals for Anthrax back in 1992, and not everyone was a fan of the band’s first album with him on board, “Sound of White Noise”. I wasn’t one of those naysayers. In fact I loved that album from the very first listen. Both the music and songs and Bush’s singing. For me, it suited the environment we were in at that time. Anthrax had gotten serious in their tone, and John Bush was the right man for the time. And as a result, I was looking forward to what they might come up with next.
When this was released, I bought it on the same day as five other albums that were released during this time, which meant that it had to fight against those albums for its requisite listens. And in a way that was good – for all of those October and November 1995 album releases. Because it meant I wasn't just settling in with one album, I was moving between them, which gave them all the space they needed to grow on me. And that helped a lot with “Stomp 442”.
I know on this first rotation of the album, I was expecting and hoping for too much. I had built the album up too much after what had preceded it. To this point in time, I at least didn’t believe Anthrax had a bad album, and I was really pushing for this to be at that same exacting standard. And, for the times, and amongst the other albums I was listening to, it didn’t pass that test. I was disappointed and eventually put it back on the shelves. It came out again a few months later, when the band toured Australia, and I also picked up the Australian Tour EP of the single “Nothing”, which had also rekindled my faith. And on this second go around I found the album much more to my liking, with the expectations it had originally been tied down with having been released. It was of its time, and by now I had wrapped my head around that.
Having pulled it off the shelves again this week, it has been an interesting experience. No streaming platform has it on its books, so it is only at home that I have been able to listen to it again, which I have done on several afternoons. And I have enjoyed it just as much as I usually have. And yes it is different, but if you were to compared Iron maiden’s “Powerslave” and “The X Factor” or Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” and “Load”, you are going to get the same immense differences in sound. I get completely why some fans don’t like this album, or the one before or the one after for that matter. Different singer, different style of heavy metal that the band writes and plays. There is a compromise that has to be made to enjoy this album if you are an Anthrax fan, in the same way you have to compromise to enjoy those mid-1990's albums of the other two bands just mentioned. And if you can’t do it, I understand. It isn’t for everyone. Though I still listen to and enjoy this album, it was a fall from what had come before it, and though it isn’t referenced often the friendship between Anthrax and Pantera seemed to become more than just mutual admiration of their music. That glide towards musical appreciation and admiration similarities would extend through to their next project, but a lot of water was to pass under the bridge prior to that occurring.

1324. Ozzy Osbourne / Ozzmosis. 1995. 4.5/5

There were a lot of things said and a lot of promises made through 1991 and 1992 during the writing and recording of Ozzy Osbourne’s sixth album “No More Tears”. In essence however, it appeared as though a pin was being placed in something to do with Ozzy’s future career. It was generally believed that the obviously titled “No More Tours” meant that Ozzy Osbourne would not only not be doing any more tours, but also not recording any more albums. That this would be the conclusion, and this whole build over a two year period would bring this part of his life to a close. Then, with the appearance of the original four members of Black Sabbath playing an encore at his last gig, there was speculation that these four may end up recording a new album themselves, and then perhaps a tour to promote it. This didn’t eventuate – at least, not at that time – and so musical retirement it was.
And then... it wasn’t. And while for the most part a return of Ozzy Osbourne not only to recording new music but also to touring was celebrated by fans everywhere, there was also a feeling in the pit of the stomach that the con had been on. Some felt it had all been a money spinning idea for the Osbourne clan, before springing up and saying “Surprise! I haven’t actually gone anywhere! I’m back!” Whether this was true or not wasn’t the key factor in the announcement that Ozzy would be returning to music, the fans were still happy. And without disregarding the previous statement entirely, it is also reasonably fair to assess given Ozzy’s actions over the years since that he DID actually just become bored, and wanted to be out there creating music and performing it on stage once again.
The writing and recording process took on several different forms. Guitarist Steve Vai has come out in recent years and suggested he is still sitting on almost a full album of material he wrote for an Ozzy / Vai album, the concept of which only fell apart prior to this album being released. Several stories exist of this, one which suggests the record company nixed the idea as they had just wanted one track from Vai and not an album, another suggests it collapsed because of a disagreement between Vai and Osbourne. Either way, only the song “My Little Man” remains here from those sessions. The album was also helmed for some time by super producer Michael Wagener, with some songs produced by him and recorded by both Mike Inez on bass and Randy Castillo on drums, with a sound similar to what had been produced on the “No More Tears” album. It was during this time that, allegedly, the record company deemed they wanted a different sound, and brought in Michael Beinhorn, better known for producing bands such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Soundgarden, Hole, Korn and Marilyn Manson, to take over. In an interview with Classic Rock in 2002, Ozzy was quoted saying "After doing Ozzmosis with Michael Beinhorn producing, I didn't care if I never made another album again. There'd be these fucking mind games. He'd have me singing all day, and then I'd get three-quarters through and he'd go, 'Your voice sounds tired. Let's pick it up tomorrow.' And I knew that the next day he'd go, 'Your voice has changed. Let's start again.'".
The album took almost 12 months to come together with these things playing out in the background, before the world got a new taste of the un-retired Ozzy Osbourne, with the appropriately titled “Ozzmosis”.

The opening two tracks of the album are the huge, big, heavy hitters, the ones that appear to have been obviously placed here to draw in even the most sceptical of listeners and have them believe that there is a greatness that follows. Utilising the excellent skills of Rick Wakeman on the mellotron, the opening two songs are still the ones most people remember most when they think of “Ozzmosis”. “Perry Mason” is just an outstanding song, the utilisation of the opening music to the TV show at the beginning of the song, into the keyboard then bass riff to follow, and the drums crashing in before Zakk lets rip with his guitar riff is as good an opening to an album as you could possibly imagine. And then when Ozzy finally joins the party, it is fabulous stuff. Singing along to the chorus, trying to hit those notes that Ozzy does, is as much fun as you can have while singing off key and being unable to match that tune. The bounce and fun of the track, while singing about murders and TV prosecutors trying to solve them, drives the song. Geezer Butler’s bassline here is the winner, and Zakk’s almost off the rail’s solo through the back of the track, are the highlights of a superb opening track. This is followed by what is, for all intents and purposes, a quasi-power ballad, the high intensity and emotional “I Just Want You”. Lyrically it is one of the most powerful songs of the Ozzy Osbourne catalogue. Just the opening passage itself is telling:
“There are no unlockable doors, there are no unwinnable wars
There are no unrightable wrongs or unsingable songs
There are no unbeatable odds, there are no believable Gods
There are no unnameable names, shall I say it again, yeah?
There are no impossible dreams, there are no invisible seams
Each night when the day is through
I don't ask much
I just want you”
That emotion though, that truly comes through at the end of the track, as we go up a notch into:
“There are no unachievable goals there are no unsaveable souls
No legitimate Kings or Queens do you know what I mean, yeah
There are no indisputable truths and there ain't no fountain of youth
Each night when the day is through
I don't ask much, I just want you”
And then into “I just WANT you!” - Ozzy just excels on this song. Those lyrics come home, probably more as I grow older and reflect on their wisdom, as I watch the world around me and the way it seems that evil is triumphing over good, and that in the long run, all you can hope for are people around you who you care for and that care for you. This song has had a massive impact on me ever since I first heard it. It is a song that draws a lot of emotion from me, while also giving me a mantra to chant at the end of every day. Outstanding - (and just as a side note - I’ve often wondered in the weeks since his passing if, over the last few years he has reflected on the lyrics here, in particular - “I'm sick and tired of begin' sick and tired, I used to go to bed so high and wired”).
“Ghost Behind My Eyes” plays off the magnificence of the previous two tracks, this one driven mostly by the lyrical content of the song and Ozzy’s incredible way of drawing the mood as only he can do. The laid back tempo gives the song a slower pace and highlights the emoting of Ozzy’s vocals. “Thunder Underground” does not increase the tempo but does add a heavier feel to the song, Deen Castronovo’s heavy thumping drums and Zakk’s chugging guitar riff create a different vibe, as does Ozzy’s chanting singing style. This is the first of two songs co-written with Geezer Butler, and the mood changes are noticeable from the outset, you can hear the doom of bass and guitar, and the menacing undertones of the music and vocals. Terrific stuff. This is followed by “See You on The Other Side”, another co-composition from Lemmy Kilmister, who had given so much to the previous album. This is fairly typical of an Ozzy and Lemmy collaboration both musically and lyrically.
“Tomorrow’ is a wonderfully moody song, allowing Ozzy to wade around in the lower key he is able to reach, and the understated guitar and bass, before bursting into the energetic and powerful pre-chorus and chorus, where Ozzy almost reaches a scream through his rising efforts. This song takes us through the gear changes, and Zakk squeezes everything out of his instrument in draining the most he can from the song. “Denial” goes through a similar song arrangement, which is interesting given the different writers for both tracks. This one doesn’t have the same breakout in music and vocals that “Tomorrow” does, it tends to sit in its constrained outer reaches. Ozzy uses some vocal tricks and techniques while Zakk’s solo piece is also somewhat contained by the limits of the song. It sits at the back of the queue if you are sorting most interesting tracks to least interesting. “My Little Man” is the contribution of Steve Vai to the album, corresponding to the tale told in the opening of the episode. Though Zakk plays guitar here, you can immediately hear the Vai influence on it. And yes, it is a lovely song with great lyrics and that unusual flair that Steve Vai is known for. What interests me most is that THIS was the song chosen from the Vai writing sessions for the album. I’ve always wondered just what other styles may still be locked away that we don’t know about.
“My Jekyll Doesn’t Hide” is immediately the most Sabbath song on this album, and when you see the writers on the track – Osbourne, Wylde and Butler – it then comes as no surprise. The opening riff from Zakk is so Iommi it is hard to believe he didn’t write it or play it. And suddenly Geezer’s bass guitar comes booming back into the mix. It is hard to believe that Geezer was brought back to participate on this album, and yet his signature bass is mostly missing or in the background.
The album’s closing track follows a similar kind of path to the previous album’s “Road to Nowhere”. The piano opening of “Old LA Tonight” doesn’t have a huge traditional metal feel about it. It is a combination of “Road to Nowhere” and “Mama I’m Coming Home”. Ozzy’s vocals soar with that emotional outpouring, the piano does dominate musically while Zakk has his moment to shine. Is there a bit of Zakk’s “Book of Shadows” album about this as well? Just a tad I’d suggest, and even some mid-years Black Label Society before that band ever existed. It’s the Ozzy electric ballad, bringing the album to a close, an album that has had mixed reactions from critics and fans ever since its release.

Do you remember when this album was released? I do very much. It was in that year that I will be glad to see the back of once these podcast episodes are completed at the end of this year, the year of 1995. The black hole year. However, by October of 1995 things were beginning to calm down, and I had gotten into a head space where I could start doing normal things again, and one of those things was buying albums. And in October of 1995 I bought five albums all at once on a trip to Utopia Records in Sydney, that had been released in that month. This was one of those albums, that I listened to as a part of that conglomerate. And of those five albums, this was the one that really captured the ear immediately. The great thing about it was that it was Ozzy Osbourne, it was unmistakable. And he had Zakk Wylde on guitar, which was unmistakable. And he had Geezer Butler on bass, which was unmistakable. And those songs – I mean, “Perry Mason” from the outset was just transfixing. How could you listen to that song, and not want to listen to what followed it? And then it is followed by “I Just Want You”? Those two songs, for two different reasons, are incredible, as good as anything Ozzy has ever performed. So hell yes, I wanted to listen to the rest of the album!
The result was that this became a favourite of mine during that period, despite being a bit on my lonesome in that regard. Perhaps the most amusing thing that came out of this album for me was when I was listening to it at work one day, and a colleague came up and asked me what I was playing. “Oh, it’s Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album”. “Really? I didn’t know he had a new album!” So I made a cassette copy for him, and within a couple of weeks, he asked if I wanted to play drums in an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band he was putting together. I said ‘great! Sounds awesome!’ thinking we’d just be jamming together and having a great time. Nope. He was dead serious, recruited a keyboardist and a bass player who had actually played in ‘real’ bands, and was preparing gigs. This was way beyond what I was prepared for, and after two jams I was called up (not by my work colleague, he didn’t want to confront me) and told I wasn’t professional enough for the gig, and was moved on. No big deal, though my wife Helen never forgave him. Turns out, the band lasted one gig before falling apart. Oh well. Anyway, for its short existence, we played “Perry Mason” and “Thunder Underground” as part of the show, so it was fun to learn those songs on drums. For two jam sessions.
Better news came when I saw Ozzy live for the one and only time after the tour for this album. Ozzy toured Australia with a greatest hits setlist in 1998, with Zakk, Randy Castillo and Mike Inez, and it was unbelievably awesome.
Revisiting this album this last two weeks has been absolutely fantastic. Ozzy of course passed on just a couple of months ago, and it is amazing the emotion of some of these tracks here that come back in waves when listening to the album and thinking of his passing. In many ways this is the great forgotten album of Ozzy Osbourne’s catalogue. Coming as it did after the ‘retirement’, and prior to the cumbersome and lengthy attempt to reform the original line up of Black Sabbath, it does sometimes get forgotten. And yet the songwriting and performance of the players, and yes, the production despite Ozzy’s dislike of how it all went about, it quite magnificent. There is not a song on this album that I don’t like. And some of them are absolute classics. Sure – in retrospect, I can see and hear what some fans don’t like about it. It really is the next logical step beyond “No More Tears”, it channels much of what made that album so great, and brings it into focus here as well. It also delves into the mood of heavy music of the era and slows tempos down to a minimum in places, which is a new introspection from Ozzy. Beyond this, Ozzy’s vocals are sublime, Zakk and Geezer as brilliant as always, and Castronovo's drumming is superb. Prior to his last album released just a couple of years ago, this stood as the last truly great Ozzy Osbourne album. Those that followed all have moments that don’t quite hold true to the excellence that is shown on those before them. They aren’t bad albums, but they aren’t great. This one was a beacon of light for me in a black hole year, and still shines just as brightly today as a reminder that not all traditional heavy metal was eradicated in the 1990’s. And thank Ozzy for that.

1323. Deep Purple / Slaves and Masters. 1990. 5/5

The Mark II reunion of Deep Purple in 1984 had had five years of enormous success in an age where they were pushing against tide of the hard rock and metal genre that they had helped to form back in the first half of the 1970’s. The reformation of the classic five piece of Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Roger Glover and Jon Lord saw the release of the album “Perfect Strangers”, one that brought together the old fans as well as a new generation and took the world by storm. Even at a time when glam metal and thrash metal were beginning their ascent of the music charts and drawing in concert goers by the tens of thousands, Deep Purple still had that aura about them that brought enormous success of both the album and the tour that followed. After 9 years in the wilderness, all following their own projects and creating a version of the success that they had collated together, the second coming of this lineup lit the world on fire. The album reached top 20 status around the world. They followed this up with 1987’s “The House of Blue Light”, an album that was slightly less successful sales wise and also appeared to have their fan base cool off slightly, although the tour to promote the album fared just as well. Once again, against the rising tide, Deep Purple continued to find a relevance in a music world that had no right in doing so given the changes that were happening around them.
Despite this resurgence in their popularity, the tensions within the band had returned with a vengeance. Lead vocalist Ian Gillan and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had always found difficulties in working together, something that had led to Gillan initially leaving the band after the “Who Do We Think We Are” album back in 1973. The negotiations to bring this lineup back together always had to rest heavily on the working relationship between Gillan and Blackmore being able to be cordial, and initially this appeared to be working. But the pressure of constant touring together and making decisions together again soon saw that fragile alliance brought to bear. The widening of the musical differences between the two, and the resulting arguments, led to Gillan being fired from the band in 1989, with Blackmore leading and insisting on the change.
This led the band on the crux of an impossible decision. Continuing the band was never in question, but the choice of the new lead singer would critically help to shape the music the band would produce going forward. Initially, the band’s choice was Jimi Jamison, then with the band Survivor. After a two-week session with the band, he reluctantly parted ways with them; according to Jon Lord when quoted on the situation in 1993, he said "He [Jamison] was an enormous Deep Purple fan and he would happily have taken over the job. But at the time he was afraid of his managers. They didn't want him to leave Survivor and he didn't dare to get into a fight with them”. The band went back into the auditioning process, and during this many high profile candidates were considered for the job, including Brian Howe (White Spirit, Ted Nugent, Bad Company), Doug Pinnick (King's X), Australians Jimmy Barnes (Cold Chisel) and John Farnham (Little River Band), Terry Brock (Strangeways, Giant) and Norman "Kal" Swan (Tytan, Lion, Bad Moon Rising).
Through all of this, entering stage right was Joe Lynn Turner. Turner was the lead vocalist for Blackmore’s pre-reunion era band Rainbow, having contributed vocals to three albums prior to their break u to allow Blackmore to return to Deep Purple. At this time, he had just completed a successful stint as the singer for Yngwie Malmsteen’s band, with the excellent album “Odyssey” being the result as well as a successful tour to promote it. With that coming to an end, Turner had apparently had offers from both Bad Company and Foreigner to come on board as their lead singer, before the Deep Purple job became available. Turner was a known quantity, not only to Blackmore but his other fellow Rainbow bandmate in Roger Glover. He had a proven track record of writing, and his vocals were unquestioned. Would the connection with Rainbow end up being a problem with his joining up with Deep Purple? Perhaps. But any consequences of that would only be known following the release of the album that they recorded together, which became known as “Slave and Masters”

The opening two tracks to the album were ones that caught my attention from the first time I put this album on. There was then, and always has been, something about them that still draws me into this album every time I hear them. That opening drone of the synth and organ into the mid-tempo drumbeat and bass line that sets up the song, Ritchie’s little guitar twiddle, and then Joe’s voice coming in and beginning his story... everything about it is encapsulating. “King of Dreams” does mirror in places the great opening tracks on Deep Purple albums, perhaps not as fast in tempo, but certainly in bringing an emotion to the surface. There’s no great solo battle between organ and guitar, both have their place but it is understated in an unusual way for the band and these two great players. For the most part, the music holds its own throughout the song, and it is Joe Lynn Turner and his vocals that make their presence felt most, that drive the song and draw the most out of it, an emotional response that in many ways only Joe Lynn Turner can provide. The tempo and mood of the track harmonises along with him, and makes this a truly superb opening to the album. And then this is followed by the bigger energy bump of “The Cut Runs Deep”, organ and guitar combine together in true Deep Purple fashion, drums hammering in along with the undercurrent of the bass guitar to drive the opening of the song. And then, once the chugging tempo is set by Paice and Glover, Turner comes in and steals the track again. Turner has two phases of his singing ability – the crooning power ballad (which we will come to), and the attention grabbing frontman whose vocals rise to greater heights, the screams and wonderfully delivered lines that draws the attention to him. That’s what we get here on “The Cut Runs Deep”. Joe Lynn Turner front and centre, before the best parts of Deep Purple battle each other playing out the song, Jon Lord’s incredible Hammond organ dominating alongside Ritchie Blackmore’s lead guitar and Turner’s vocal.
“Fire in the Basement” draws back on the blues roots of the band with Ritchie’s guitar and Lord’s organ. Both are prominent throughout in the way the best Deep Purple songs emphasise them, while that great bass line from Glover underneath comes through beautifully. Ian Paice’s drumming here reaches its usual exceptional standard as well, holding the blues line in the middle solo section while Ritchie and John do their work. I will say it again – Deep Purple are at their best when these two each have their solo piece in a song, and play off against each other, and it works here as usual. The energetic vocals from Turner in the final stanza of the track put the finishing touches on a great song.
The middle of the album is dominated by a side of Deep Purple that isn’t seen very often, and for the most part never when Gillan was at the helm. Here we have four songs, two of which journey towards the dark side of the power ballad or just straight ballad, and the other two that settle into the downtown country feel of commercial FM radio and AOR rock. “Truth Hurts” is the power ballad, and the first true comparisons to Rainbow come to the forefront. This is the style of track Blackmore, Glover and Turner tried to produce in rainbow to gain commercial credibility, which worked on some tracks and not so much on others. This is a well-crafted, subtly beautiful song, with Turner’s honeyed vocals providing the perfect topping for Ritchie’s melodic and haunting guitar work and Roger’s complementing bass guitar. Lord’s keys and organ are there in a supporting role and only to complement what has been written rather than play their part in the song. Given the three songwriters are the same here as for Rainbow, the similarity cannot be dispensed with. It would be difficult to categorise this song as a Deep Purple track. “Breakfast in Bed” opens up with Lord’s keys rather than his organ sound, another nod that this album is looking for a different sound from that which Deep Purple had based itself around for 20 years. This is one of those AOR sounding tracks that Turner excels on with his vocal style, and he is the driving force of the song. It is, again, a very easy listening sounding track, written for an audience that perhaps was young when the band started out but has now matured to the point that this style of music is what it is looking for. It channels the Blackmore/Glover/Turner writing masterclass, again keeping the organ under wraps, the keys instead complementing the guitar and bass as Turner croons over the top. The true ballad of “Love Conquers All” is next, there is no pretence going on with this song. This is no “Child in Time”, this is pure balladry, with strings on the track as well to emphasise its mood and character. And... it is difficult to denigrate it, despite the fact I just cannot get on board with style of song. These five play this song immensely well, it is flawless, and Joe’s vocals again are like honey being poured over ice cream. He is an amazing vocalist, and it truly does shine on this track. The other four though, they have nothing to do but Ritchie’s bidding. And the fourth and final song of this middle section of the album is “Fortuneteller”, one that injects a bit of the old Deep Purple back into the veins, which obviously only comes because Lord and Paice are also credited as co-writers on this track. Suddenly the organ is back, the drums have a presence, and there is more energy and oomph behind the vocals again. I mean, not a lot mind you, this still moves along at a plodding pace rather than a good drive, which is why it resides in this conglomerate of the middle of the album.
“Too Much is Not Enough” is an interesting choice for this album. It was originally composed by Turner, along with fellow musicians Bob Held and Al Greenwood, for his debut solo album “Rescue You”, which was released in 1985. It wasn’t used, and so it resurfaced here to become a song on a Deep Purple album. It obviously has the tweaks added by Blackmore and Lord, but it is noticeable for the very un-Hammond organ sounds, with synth and keyboard being used in place of Lord’s usual organ deepness. The almost pop rock sound of the arrangement also comes heavily to the fore, and the desire to have background vocals that mirror having backing girls as a part of the track. It has touches of that era Def Leppard about it, which perhaps goes part of the way to explaining its sound. The album then comes to a close with “Wicked Ways”, an upbeat, forceful, harder core song, full of Joe’s screams and melodic vocals. He mixes up the intensity of his singing on this track, sweet and melodic through the verses and then more forceful and from the diaphragm in the chorus. There is a great full tempo bass riff from Glover throughout the song that is a dominating and excellent presence, driven by Paice’s drumming as well. The mix of guitar and organ provides a real Purple sound to the track, both together as the rhythm and then the switch up between the two in the middle of the track. As a closer, it does everything the final song on an album should do – entertain and encourage you to go back to the beginning and listen to the album all over again. It does its job well.

My introduction to Deep Purple had pretty much come from the first two albums of the resurrected Mark II lineup, with both “Perfect Strangers” and “The House of Blue Light”. And it would be fair to say that I loved – and love – both of those albums. “Perfect Strangers” was such a terrific album, one that I discovered as a newbie rather than a returning fan of the band, so perhaps I had a more unique experience of that album. I certainly did of “The House of Blue Light” because I apparently think more of that album than most of the fanbase.
The announcement of Ian Gillan moving on from the band was one of those disappointing moments, especially because of my enjoyment of those two albums, and the announcement of Joe Lynn Turner to helm the band did bring on the inevitable comparisons and beliefs that this was a Rainbow reunion, and that the album would therefore have more of a Rainbow sound to it than a Deep Purple sound. And – it's true, as I have mentioned here already during this episode. There’s no doubt that Blackmore pulled in the reigns tighter to himself now that Gillan had departed, and with the name Deep Purple he was able to exert more commercial influence with that entity than he was able to do with the name Rainbow. Is that a bad thing? I mean, would the music have changed immensely if another lead singer had been brought in? Certainly, the album would not have sounded like Rainbow – as this album most certainly does – but would it have sounded like Journey or Survivor or Cold Chisel if one of those other vocalists had been the one drafted in? Inevitably, having three-fifths of Rainbow, and two-fifths of Whitesnake leaves us in a position where comparisons are going to be made.
I very much remember this album when it was released, and not just because I bought it the very first instant I was able to upon its release. I couldn’t wait to hear it. Yes, it was always going to be different from the high velocity albums I was engrossed with from this period. But come on, it’s Deep Purple, right? They had nothing to prove, no need to beat their drum. And from the opening tracks, I was entranced. It was really like revisiting an old friend, who had come to resemble another old friend. That beginning of “King of Dreams” into “The Cut Runs Deep” is still as superb as the day I first bought the album. And the funky groove of “Fire in the Basement” and the then-modern hard rock tones of “Too Much is Not Enough” and “Wicked Ways”, they are still fabulous. And despite my overall abhorrence of the power ballad and rock ballad in general, whenever I play this album I still sing along to “Love Conquers All” and “Truth Hurts” and never consider skipping those songs. Joe Lynn Turner just performs them too well to allow me to do so. More than anything else, this album reminds me very much of a time that I was developing deeper feelings for a young girl who had come into my vision when I was first indulging in this album, and the songs here still remind me of the time when I was wondering if I would ever find the courage to ask her out to a movie. The fact that I did indeed get around to doing that, and that I am still married to that particular young girl some 35 years after first asking her out, does make this album all the more special for me.
For two weeks – possibly longer - I have had this album out of its CD case and on my stereo again, taking in everything that it has to offer. 18 times I have played this album at home and at work and in the car. I never get tired of it. It is still such an amazing experience for me, for reasons that I think I have explained well enough. I do understand when fans of the band exclude it, suggesting it isn’t a Deep Purple album. It certainly does dress itself as a Rainbow album, but for me that doesn’t matter. As an ALBUM, no matter the artist, it is one that I have loved for 35 years, with no end in sight. It just works.
Of course, the band and their management disagreed. In the years since, Jon Lord, Roger Glover and Ian Paice all proclaimed their disappointment with it, with Lord and Glover both publicly saying they don’t consider this to be a Deep Purple album. On the other hand, Blackmore claimed it was one of his favourite Deep Purple albums, and Turner himself – surprise surprise – thinks it is one of the best albums the band released. The fact that the band was well into the writing process for the follow up with Turner, before record company and pressure from all but Blackmore brought about the return of Gillan to replace Turner for that next album, shows how fractured everything still was within the group. And the fractions still had some time to fester before a solution of sorts could be found.
Through all of this, it is disappointing that we didn’t get a second album from this Mark V version of Deep Purple. But perhaps that is what makes this album so special, because it was a one off, without anything beyond it to spoil it. And I can only agree that I treat this more as an extension of Rainbow rather than Deep Purple, but given I love both bands, and all eras of both bands, that doesn’t detract from this album for me at all. Honestly, I could go and listen to this album again right now. Perhaps, I will.