1235. Alice in Chains / Jar of Flies [EP]. 1994. 4/5

Ever wondered just how you would approach the time immediately following two super successful albums, and the tours that followed them? Any of a number of different ways I guess. For Alice in Chains, coming off the tour that completed the amazing “Dirt” album, and the replacing of bass guitarist Mike Starr due to his prolific drug use with Mike Inez, the band could probably have done anything. What they did do initially was get themselves evicted from their residence back in Seattle after failing to pay the rent. Only an oversight, of course.
Instead, the band booked ten days at the London Bridge Studio in Seattle. Jerry Cantrell had apparently made sone assurances that the band would have planned out some tracks before they entered the studio, but this was not the case. What they did have was a desire to do something different from what they had been doing, and also find out what their new bandmate had to offer. Drummer Sean Kinney was quoted as saying, "After playing loud music for a year, we'd come home and the last thing we wanted to do was crank up the amps right away. That stuff was written on buses and whenever we had downtime. We did “Jar of Flies” to see how it was to record with Mike Inez. We just went into the studio with no songs written, to check out the chemistry. It all fell into place. The sounds and the tones were really good. We thought it would be a waste not to put that material out."
Lead vocalist Layne Staley was quoted "we just wanted to go into the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars and see what happened. We never really planned on the music we made at that time to be released. But the record label heard it and they really liked it. For us, it was just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music."
According to the band, they decided to record in analogue rather than using Pro Tools as Layne felt that it suited the band’s sound better, especially with the acoustic feel of the songs being written, and that the tracks were generally recorded in just one or two takes. While the album’s sessions sometimes stretched to 18 hours per day, the actual recording was completed within seven days, compiling seven tracks that are often considered a continuation of the sound the band had followed for their previous EP, 1992’s “Sap”.

“Rotting Apple” is a lengthy drawn out track that is both intriguing and slightly overdrawn, depending on your mood. It has that wonderful combining of the harmony vocals throughout, Jerry’s bluesy solo that closes out the song, and a slow slightly slowed tempo through the course of the song. To me it has always been at odds at what the rest of the EP offers, a different shade from the rest of the songs that are compiled here. It is followed by the far superior “Nutshell”, highlighted by Layne’s amazing solo vocal that still sends shudders down the spine. Sean’s terrific timekeeping drumming sits perfectly with the wonderful acoustic bass tone Mike Inez plays in this song, the bass that showcases for the first time his beautiful feel for the instrument. I love how it sounds in this song, it is mixed in sensationally. Then you have Jerry’s perfect guitaring over the top, including the solo piece in the middle. This is where the mood of the album sits best.
Having said that, the mix of both styles of the first two tracks comes next in the super song “I Stay Away”, a combination of the calm and cooling acoustic and the more electric, with Layne’s vocals coming in more demanding and circumspect. Then comes the chorus, with Layne’s just brilliant vocal line, fleshed out by the violins which are so unexpected when you first hear the song, but are such a vital element of what makes this song so heartfelt, combined with Jerry’s sensational guitar riff as well. If you are looking for the kind of song that you would think would be unexpectedly so un-Alice in Chains and yet combine all of their best elements at the same time, it would be this one.
Perhaps the piece-de resistance is “No Excuses”, one of the bands finest songs. Sean Kinney’s drumming on this track is so perfectly formed. It is Stewart Copeland-like in its intricacy and perfection within the track itself. Above everything else in this song that is also so fantastic, Sean’s drums for me are still what steals the limelight. Here again though is the perfect example of Mike’s bassline, that is mixed so wonderfully high into the mix because it is so important as a part of the song. Glorious in its perceived simplicity it makes the song so terrific. Then, leaving aside even Jerry’s guitar that is so important here, the harmony vocals of he and Layne are just majestic, soaring throughout the roof of the song and reminding us all of just how amazing they were together. Of everything Alice in Chains has done over the course of their career, and of all the heavy and fast and emotional tracks they have written and performed, this song remains at the very top of the tree for me. Magnificent.
The instrumental of “Whale & Wasp” follows, and is then surpassed by “Don’t Follow”, opening with those harmony vocals together again accompanied by the harmonica, another surprising turn on an album full of them. The interchange of lead vocals also brings a different feel to the song. The EP then concludes with “Swing on This”, which starts out in a blues and swing style before combining the more typical Alice in Chains style in the chorus section.

I remember when this came out, and there was a big push behind it. It was after the tour to promote the “Dirt” album, an album I absolutely adored. I didn’t get it immediately, as at that time I was unemployed and had zero disposable income, but I was told by friends who had it how awesome it was. And when they played it to me, I remember being quite disappointed. I didn’t want acoustic based tracks and slower introspective material. I wanted “Facelift” and “Dirt” and all the power and energy and rage that they had offered me. So “Jar of Flies” didn’t stack up for me, and as it turned out I didn’t get this EP until after the following full length album, which had also been a disappointment to me.
So I got this at a time when my life had been in full turmoil but was returning to some sort of normality and happiness, and was pretty much at the same point that the band’s “MTV Unplugged” video had been on rotation on MTV. And I noticed a couple of songs that were a bit familiar but that I didn’t have on CD, and they of course were on “Jar of Flies”. So I went out and bought it, and began playing it. And it was then, more that two years after its initial release, that I ‘got’ the album and the music it contained. That I played it over and over, and it fit in with my mood.
Since that time, there hasn’t ever been a question about how good this EP is. Yes, it does offer a different perspectives to each of the four members abilities on their instruments, and all of them showcase how good they are. To be able to make their less raucous outbursts sound just as good as their high energy tunes is a remarkable achievement, and here on “Jar of Flies” they do that in the best possible way. Listening to this over the past week both in the car and here in the Metal Cavern has been an amazing experience. The vocals from Layne and Jerry, Jerry’s brilliant guitaring, the beautiful bass lines from Mike, and Sean’s syncopated amazing drum patterns are all framed for all time on this EP. Just freaking brilliant.
This arguably closed out the greatest era of Alice in Chains. One more album came with Layne before his untimely passing, and they have done admirable work upon their reformation with Willam DuVall, but for pure unadulterated ferocity combined with the sublime, “Jar of Flies” is where the story concludes. And there is no better way to prove it that with this song.

1234. Bon Jovi / Bon Jovi. 1984. 2/5

The band Bon Jovi, like all bands throughout time, came together over a period of time and through the coming together of like minded people who were looking for the same thing – fame and fortune. Jon Bon Jovi, who started life as Jon Bongiovi, was no different, growing up and playing music as a teenager and being in several different school type bands along the way. Eventually by mid-1982 he was out of school and working part-time, and he also got a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin Tony Bongiovi was co-owner. Jon made several demos and sent them to record companies, without success. In 1983, Jon was convinced to allow his local radio station include the song "Runaway" on their compilation album of local homegrown talent. Though reluctant he eventually gave them the song, which he had re-recorded in 1982 (following a rough early recording in 1981) with local studio musicians. With airplay occurring it was picked up by other stations in major cities.
In March 1983, Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who had quit the band that they had founded together in high school in order to study medicine. While in college, he realized that he wanted to pursue music full-time, and was accepted to Juilliard School instead. When Jon called his friend and said that he was putting together a band, and that a record deal looked likely, Bryan followed Bon Jovi's lead and gave up his studies.
Bryan in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres, both formerly of the band Phantom's Opera. Tapped to play lead guitar for a short tour supporting "Runaway" was Bon Jovi's friend and neighbour, Dave “The Snake” Sabo though he never officially joined the band. He and Jon promised each other that whoever made it first, would help out the other. Sabo later went on to form the group Skid Row. Instead Jon saw and was impressed with hometown guitarist Richie Sambora who was recommended by Such and Torres. And so the group came together, were signed to Mercury Records, and went in to the studio to write and record their debut album.

The album opens with “Runaway”, the song Jon had written some four years earlier and had been the reason that he had gotten his name out on the radio, and forged the way for the band to come into being. The version here is the one originally recorded in 1982 with only Jon himself from the now formed band actually playing. That seems to be an oversight, but there must have been a reason for this. “Roulette” can be considered the true start to the album, the one where Bon Jovi the band actually begins. It has the choruses backing vocals, and Richie Sambora’s guitar making its presence felt for the first time. Sure, it has the commercial attitude in there as well but it is a more solidly hard rock core to the track than the opener, whose key synth riff was its major musical base. This is followed by the god awful soft rock ballad “She Don’t Know Me” and is a big a disappointment as you would expect. I mean, it’s not even written by the band, it comes from Mark Avsec, and is the only song in the band’s catalogue that doesn’t have one of the band members as a writer. This is the song of a band who is looking for commercial airplay, not writing an album to give its new fan base an anthem to grab a hold of. Horrid, junky rubbish. A skip song if ever there was one.
“Shot Through the Heart” is the next song, and yes, there’s that keyboard riff again, almost the same one note for note that was used for the opening of “Runaway”. It follows a similar life span, though for me at least Richie’s solo saves the song. Then comes “Love Lies”. And ‘oh dear’ is very much the vogue saying here. It starts off just as you would expect, with the solo keyboard and Jon telling us his sad love story over the top. And it doesn’t get any better. Honestly, where’s that bloody skip button? This is another of that era’s radio click bait songs to draw in that small section of music listeners that they wanted. The end of the song is a relief. Oohhhh, there’s that keyboard synth start again in “Breakout”. You sometimes forget how important and overused this instrument was in 1983 and 1984, and it is very clear on listening to this album again. I’m only now remembering how little I have actually listened to this album, and the reasons why that is the case.
“Burning for Love” is next. The song titles are a dead giveaway for how this debut album is progressing really. This is stock standard for the album, following the same lines and lyrical content that has come before it. “Come Back” is, on the other hand, one of the better songs here, mostly for the tempo being in the right range, the vocals and lyrics in singalong mode and a little of that Sambora magic, but mostly the synth being the dominant ruler of the song again where more guitar would have been a better angle. “Get Ready” might just be the best song on the album. Faster paced, good beat, good vocals. The same downside exists with too much keys and not enough guitar, but at least the album concludes on the front foot.

Most of us in my age bracket had heard the single “Runaway” sometime around this time, as well as the main single from the follow up album. As to knowing this album existed, most of us, myself very much included, had no idea of its existence until the band’s third album came along and changed the world forever. It was the explosion of “Slippery When Wet” that eventually led to the question, “Wow, I wonder if Bon Jovi has any other albums?”, and then, at some time, the exploration of the answer to that question.
For me, I found both this album and “7800 Degrees Fahrenheit” at the same time, and had both recorded either side of a C90 cassette that occasionally got a listen. However, as I am sure most listeners would have worked out for themselves by now, the lack of love for just about everything done on this album pretty much always led me back to that aforementioned third studio album rather than messing around trying to find something laudable on this debut album. It really is a punish for the most part, unless you are a massive fan of this kind of song writing. Yes, it is tied to the music of its era, and it does merge into the music of that time – but it is missing some big pieces of what eventually turned the band into a super power. This is an album that is lifted by the vocals of Jon Bon Jovi, that are unarguably in fine fettle at this point of his career. They aren’t tested in their range like they are on future albums, but they still ring out fine. Richie Sambora on guitar shows glimpses of what he can do and when he does he lifts the songs that it occurs on. But there is not enough of it though, with the keys and synth being relied upon heavily to interact the songs, as was the way for the hair metal bands who utilised this instrument in their music. The development of Jon’s vocals, the greater influence of the bass and drums, and the arrival of Sambora’s guitar dominating songs, is what this first album lacks that makes their later albums great.
While I can say that having listened to this album a dozen times or more over the last couple of weeks it is what I would class as ‘listenable’, I rediscovered just why I don’t revisit this album very often, if at all. While I am of the opinion that it is probably more interesting than most of the recent releases of the band, you are best to ignore this if you want to listen to a Bon Jovi album and gain enjoyment from it.

1233. Iron Savior / Unification. 1999. 4/5

Iron Savior from the outset was created as a band that, rather than to produce a concept album singularly, as was their debut album, but was to become a concept band, a somewhat unique thing in the history of metal music. The success of their self titled debut album led the band to continue on their journey with their second album which was titled “Unification”.
Following the release of that debut album, the band had gone on tour to support it, but the difficulty that the band found in preparing for a follow up release was having to work in with the schedule of guitarist Kai Hansen, whose number one priority was his own band Gamma Ray. Band leader Piet Sielck once again was the almost sole contributor to the writing and composing of the songs, apart from two tracks submitted by Hansen, on which he also contributed lead vocals in the process. The obvious problem of involving anyone else was that because this album continued the story that was begun on the debut album, one would have to know how that story was to progress, and given it came from Sielck’s mind he was left with the writing himself.
With the first album mostly recorded by Sielck and Hansen alongside drummer Thomas Stauch, this album brought on board the touring band to continue into the studio. This included Andreas Kuck on keyboards, Jan-Soren Eckert on bass, a position he has filled right to the current day, and Dan Zimmermann on drums, which only lasted this album before moving on to fill the same role for Gamma Ray. The recording was pieced together during Hansen’s availability both with Gamma Ray’s touring commitments and their own writing for their follow up to their “Somewhere Out in Space” album. These conflicts in time did eventually lead to Kai having to move on from Iron Savior, but at this point he was still actively involved in keeping the band on the rise in the European power metal community.

The album picks up the story where it was left off at the conclusion of the debut album. The Iron Savior, a gigantic machine built to defend Atlantis, has through the course of the story now come to believe that humans are the destroyer of Atlantis, and as such has set itself to wipe them off the face of the planet. The story moves on from this point, drawing in new heroes and another fleet of aliens from outer space, and by the time you reach the end of the album another cliffhanger is composed, such that the story will continue into the next album.
Now, I do have to say here, just like I did in my review of the debut album back in Season 2 of this podcast, it really isn’t necessary to know, to follow or to care about the story the album is telling. Yes, the concept story is there throughout all of the tracks and can be followed and enjoyed if you like, but it is not necessary to know it to enjoy the album. Indeed, a simple enjoyment of typical power metal music is more than enough to gain something from this album.
The opening tracks are a great start to the album as a whole. “Coming Home” opens at a good pace, with Piet soaring in vocals and encouraging you to sing along with him. Most of these charging songs have a choral backing with Kai, Andreas and Jan all contributing in this fashion. “Starborn” moves in the same direction, the great vocals backed by the humming guitars and Dan’s excellent drumwork driving the songs along. “Deadly Sleep” has always been a favourite, most probably because it is not only written by Kai Hansen but features him on lead vocals as well as guitar. It does still have that Gamma Ray feel about it but is differed enough to not make it sound like it was written for his primary band. “Forces of Rage” returns to the Piet Sielck style of song for the band, more frantic and less melodic in both guitars and vocals, and segues into the spoken word of “Captain’s Log”. This blasts straight back into the fire and brimstone of the album with “Brothers (of the Past), which showcases the exuberance of the best songs by this band, always at a faster pace with lots of fast riffing and great double kick drumming. “Eye to Eye” follows in a more melodic and anthemic way, with great vocals from Piet bringing the best out of the song. This jumps right in to “Mind Over Matter” which has a wonderful dual melodic guitar solo section through the middle of the song that equals all of those from the other songs on this album.
The only disappointment on the album turns out to be the final track, “Forevermore”, written by Kai and also with lead vocals by him. While not a genuine power ballad, this song acts in that way, the anthemic ‘feel-good’ wrap up of the story to this point, and while it is performed well, the keyboard and synth based track just falls out of place from the genuine metal feel of the rest of the album. The only saving grace in this is that the CD has two bonus tracks, with the band covering ai’s own “Gorgar” from Helloween’s “Walls of Jericho” album, and also Black Sabbath’s “Neon Knights”, which releases that slightly bitter taste from the mouth by the end.
Like the best European metal bands, Iron Savior are served wonderfully well by their twin guitar attack, and it is the star attraction of this album. Kai is a legend of the genre, one of the best guitarist/vocalists in a genre of music he was a proponent of inventing. Piet follows suit, and given these two were playing together in school you can hear how well their partnership in playing and collaborating works. “Prisoner of the Void” is another belter, and along with “The Battle” and “Unchained” not only outline the escalation of the story being told but also drive the album to its final conclusion in style.

The debut album, the self titled “Iron Savior” was a good album, a nice way to enter into the marketplace. This album is much better, both in song quality, production, writing and playing. It steps everything up a notch and it is noticeable from the outset. All of this is a reason why this is an improvement, but the fact that the band that toured together prior to this album being written and recorded must act as a major part of this. They were a solid unit entering the studio, and in particular the addition of Dan Zimmermann on drums, who had previously been in Freedom Call and from this album transferred his marvellous skills to Gamma Ray. Jan-Soren Eckert on bass is also fantastic and does a terrific job. But obviously, the star attractions and heavy lifting comes from Piet Sielck, the band leader, guitarist and vocalist and his long time mate Kai Hansen, in the same roles.
I have had this album since it was released, and it has had a couple of stages in the years since when it has been in the CD player for some time going over and over. Of my friend group, and of most people who I know who listen to heavy metal music, I am the only one who has found and loved Iron Savior, and for them, that is most unfortunate. The more I listen to the band, especially in this era of their first five albums, the more I enjoy them. This album especially, having had it running again for over three weeks in preparation for this episode, has given me more than I expected once again. I find more in the relationship on guitar between Kai and Piet, I find more in the rhythm of Jan-Soren and Dan, and I find more in the songs as well. Even in the Iron Savior fan base, this album seems to be unfairly underrated in my opinion. Musically it is at the top of the tree for its genre at the time it was released. And unlike many of the bands it was up against, the fact that it is a twin guitar set up and not a guitar and keyboard band always gives their songs more oomph, more power, more guitar driving throughout.
This is still a terrific album. And what’s more, the albums that follow are arguably better, at least for a time. For a band that no one in Australia at least seems to know, I still think this album holds up after 25 years. The only thing that scares me is that it is 25 years since this was released. It seems frighteningly much less years ago than that.

1232. Black Sabbath / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. 1973. 5/5

When a band comes around to writing and recording their fourth and fifth albums, its about the time that you expect true greatness from them – if they have it in them. Because by this stage the band will have been touring and writing almost non-stop for five years from the time their debut album comes out, to that period arriving. Thinking back on the great bands who have had a good degree of longevity, and thinking of their fourth and fifth albums, and in the main, it is those albums that are still beloved today. Black Sabbath is no different here.
Having been out promoting the band’s fourth studio album, “Volume 4”, through 1972 and 1973, the tour had come to a rapid conclusion with Tony Iommi’s collapse after one gig towards the end of the run, resulting in the remaining dates of the tour having to be scrubbed, and the band actually going on a hiatus for the first time since their formation four years prior, with each member going their own way to spend some down time away from the spotlight. No doubt it seemed like a good idea at the time, but whether it played out that way or not is open to conjecture.
To read all four autobiographies of the four members of the band, 1973 appeared to be a tipping point of sorts. All four admit to a rampant drug and alcohol usage, and especially cocaine which had become the drug of choice. When the band reconvened at a rented home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, in order to write for the new album, they found that nothing was forthcoming. Perhaps the break had severed the momentum that the band had gained, or just relaxed them enough that they were unable to get back into that writing groove again. Tony feared writers block, either from the drug use or the pressure he felt upon him to get the band started and find the riffs that he had in the past to create the basis of their amazing songs. Geezer found his irritation with Ozzy growing, as he felt that Ozzy was leaning too much on him to provide the lyrics to the songs, rather than contributing more of his own. After a month of almost zero output, the band returned to the UK and rented Clearwater Castle to work in. Whether or not it was mood and surroundings of the dank castle that brought back the right creative environment for the masters of doom, whatever the reason the band found inspiration returning. While rehearsing in a dungeon in the castle, Tony came across the riff that became the basis of the title track of the album, and suddenly the band was back in business, and with it the album that became “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”.

The opening salvo of the title track, that opening riff into the joining of bass and drums, and then Ozzy’s vocal, is a moment in time, one of those things that you still remember the first time you experienced it each and every time you start this album. Because it is unique, in such a way that any guitarist who first plays it at home must feel magic coursing through their fingers. From the distorted to the clear, from Ozzy starting off at a high octave and then going through the roof in the middle of the song, so much so that it became impossible for him to sing it in the years since, is iconic and amazing.
This is followed by the spine shuddering “A National Acrobat”, that opening riff which is such a changeup for the band with Ozzy crooning over the top. In many ways it is very un-Black Sabbath like, until you reach the middle passage, where the crunch comes back into the riff, and suddenly the true heaviness of the track is revealed. Tony directs the song throughout with riff and wah pedal, then plays it out with another un-Sabbath type riff. The whole song on first impressions is so much different from what you would expect the band to produce if you only knew those most played tracks, but by the end, it is amorphic. Some may call it underrated, while I just call it genius.
“Fluff” is an instrumental composed by Tony, in the spirit of other musical pieces the band has placed on previous albums between songs. As I’m sure I have said before, to me the albums would be better served not to have them there, breaking that flow, but they are. “Fluff” to me has always been like the music you hear when you are on call waiting, because in essence that’s how I feel when I hear it on this album, I’m on hold, waiting for the next song to start. At least when I come off call waiting here, I am not disappointed.
How good a song is “Sabbra Cadabra”? Brilliantly upbeat, both lyrically and musically, the piano and synth perfectly utilised even in a Black Sabbath song that does nothing to restrict the heaviness of the track in the slightest. Every time I hear this song, it lifts my spirits, whether they needed lifting or not. This is one of Sabbath’s greatest even songs, and a supreme accomplishment by making what is technically by the lyrics a love song into a song that a partner could never ever be disappointed in hearing you sing it to them. It is a brilliant way to conclude the first side of the album.

Side 2 then opens up with the equally brilliant “Killing Yourself to Live”, composed by Geezer as he was laid up in hospital recovering from the effects that his wild lifestyle was causing him. Well, both he and his bandmates. Here is another song that some would call underrated but I have always considered one of their best. The bass heavy under riff is what immediately makes this a noticeably Geezer influenced track, and hearing his fingers up and down that fretboard and being the solid basis of the song is what makes it for me. Ozzy’s vocal here is also perfect, not extending beyond what the song needs, and sung at a level that us mere mortals can actually get close to as we sing along. One of Sabbath’s best.
“Who Are You?” came about from an Ozzy composition, which he relates in his autobiography. He had gone out and bought himself a synthesiser, and while indisposed one evening he came up with this tune which he also happened to record. Tony expressed surprise at this in his book, as he claimed that Ozzy had no idea how to play the synth. Perhaps he didn’t, but the basic structure of the song he came up with made this song, and again, while it may not be in the absolute wheelhouse of what most consider to be the Black Sabbath heavy guitar and drum song, it incorporates the experimental side that the band had always had a knack of incorporating into their music along the way.
More of that can be heard on “Looking for Today”, though it is a much more basic song in format and layout. Overall, the vocals tend to hold the song together, though in a somewhat repetitive fashion that can get a little monotonous.
The continued movement of Black Sabbath from the founders of heavy metal and doom music to another plane continues with the amazing “Spiral Architect” which concludes the album. The way that this song rises and falls in platitudes, with heavy passages and beautiful vocals, the riffing guitars then complemented and even overridden in places by the strings that are a part of the track, is just amazing. It has been written in places and occasionally said in interviews that the band didn’t want to be held by the constraints of the music they wrote early in their careers, and that they always had the desire to expand their songs because of the artists they loved coming up through their childhood, such as The Beatles and even Jethro Tull, who Tony had flirted with prior to Sabbath signing their first recording contract. In some ways (and this is certainly the case on albums such as “Technical Ecstasy” and “Never Say Die”) this didn’t always work. Here on “Spiral Architect”, it is a rousing success.

How in the hell is this album 50 years old? I don’t often feel my age, but listening to this album today, and actually have it hit me that it is 50 years old, is just amazing.
Having not fallen into heavy metal until the middle of the 1980’s decade, I found all of Black Sabbath’s albums up to that time in a mixed up order, generally discovering them whenever either myself or one of my mates could afford one of their albums, at which point we would all bring in our cassette tapes and get a copy recorded for us. Apart from the Dio fronted albums, “Paranoid” and this album were the first Sabbath albums I owned, and perhaps that is why I have so much love for it. But I think there is a reaction here to what was happening in and around the band at the time. We touched on the drug and alcohol problems, which caused the tour to stop and the band members to go away for awhile, and then the difficulty that was faced in eventually coming up with ideas. All of that is perhaps a good thing, because the band’s previous album “Volume 4”, the episode of which you can find in Season 3 of this podcast, was one where the experimenting in formula arguably went too far too soon. Having the break, as short as it was, and finding the inspiration again from a gothic castle, seemed to bring back the real Sabbath. Yes, there was some additions to the music such as synth and strings in places to complement the formula, but it is the Tony Iommi guitar riffs, the Geezer Butler bass lines that boom through the speakers, the Bill Ward drumming and Ozzy Osbourne vocal brilliance that shines back through every song on this album, that creates what is one of the band’s masterpieces. Could the band have created it if they weren’t all in the midst of trying to kill themselves with drugs and alcohol? Or what may they have done with clear heads?
I don’t know how many times I have listened to this album over the past month. A lot. And having the vinyl spinning in my own Metal Cavern at home, coming at me out of the speakers, and feeling the bass thumping in my chest, and Ozzy’s vocals screaming through my eardrums, is still such a satisfying experience. It is an impossible task to try and rank Sabbath albums, through generations, or simply through the first eight albums they produced. Suffice to say that this is still a joyous experience every time I put it on. It lifts spirits, it pounds away the angst and anger, and just leaves you in a far better mood once it is done than you were in before you started. And if an album can do that, it is something to keep close and use it for that at all times.

1231. Alice Cooper Band / Muscle of Love. 1973. 2.5/5

By the time that this album came around to being released, the Alice Cooper Band was on top of the world, literally. Their previous album, “Billion Dollar Babies”, had gone to number 1 in the US and UK as well as number 4 in Australia, and had been the culmination of a long building string of success. You can hear all about that on the episode that appears in Season 4 of this podcast. It was widely and critically acclaimed, so you would think that the band would have had the world at its feet. Instead, the cracks were beginning to appear in the framework. And to be fair, it was understandable why. “Muscle of Love” was about to become the band’s 7th studio album release in just four years. Add to this the constant touring that the band did to promote those albums, and they would already have been exhausted. Add to this the ‘trappings’ of success, and you had a whole other set of problems attached.
“Muscle of Love” was to become the first Alice Cooper album without Bob Ezrin as producer since the "Easy Action”. At the time, this was explained away as Ezrin having been ill and being unable to do the duties as required by the band at the time, though in later interviews it was reported that a disagreement over the arrangement of the song that became “Woman Machine” on the album was the reason for the split. Apparently, guitarist Michael Bruce stood his ground and refused to change the arrangement as Ezrin wanted, which led to more than words being exchanged and the separation of the two parties that had had so much success together. And it had only been eight months since “Billion Dollar Babies” had been released, a very short space of time in which to tour and then come up with a slew of new songs and then record them and then release the album. Whatever else was going on behind the scenes, and it was obvious that there was, this alone would have made “Muscle of Love” a difficult birth.

It is interesting the couple of directions that this album takes, and the reasons that have come for that to occur. In interviews at the time of the album’s release, Alice is quoted as saying the band was looking to go back and make an album with a more basic rock sound. It was felt that the previous album had had a lot of time in the studio making it sound right, whereas this time around they wanted to be able to just play a song in its entirety, to be more natural in the way the songs were played rather than over produced.
Both Alice and bass guitarist Dennis Dunaway have suggested, and which is confirmed when listening to the album, that there is a loose theme of sexual habits that flows through many of the songs on the album. The title track is the main purveyor of this, as the “Muscle of Love” being sung about is both conceptually attributed to the heart and the male genitalia. “Woman Machine”, of which the basics of the song date back to the beginning of the band, is about a female robot who can do... well... the things that you want. “Never Been Sold Before” speaks of the musings of a prostitute, while the opening track “Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo)” is about the Hippopotamus Club in New York, which the band apparently attended frequently in the day. And then there is “Working Up a Sweat” which follows along the same lines as the song that follows it, “Muscle of Love” It is an interesting flow of these songs, ones that no doubt added to the shock value of the band at the time.
Other songs on the album of course have no such desire, and indeed have other content apart from the sexual. “Teenage Lament ‘74” relates the problems faced by every teenage boy who tries to change things about themselves just to be cool or hip or even just to fit in. Still a great song to this day. “Crazy Little Child” goes the other route and talks about teenage crime. And then there is “The Man with the Golden Gun”, a song that was written to be theme song of the James Bond movie of the same name. Apparently it arrived a day late, and the producers had already chosen another song for that theme before they heard the Alice Cooper song. It contains a lot of sound effects that fit in with that James Bond theme, along with supporting vocals from artists such as Ronnie Spector, the Pointer Sisters and Liza Minelli to fill it out. A missed opportunity to follow up the Wings theme song for “Live and Let Die”.
Once again, Glen Buxton is credited as lead guitarist on this album, but did not play on anything that made the cut for the album. Due to his addictions, it was decided he either shouldn’t or couldn’t contribute to the album, and his parts were played by session musicians including Dick Wagner, who would have more to do down the track.

It was only a couple of episodes ago that I spoke of how I went about catching the entire catalogue of Alice Cooper albums, starting with the 1980’s and then back through the popular albums to see what I may have missed along the way. “Muscle of Love” came in that second or third period of finding the band’s albums, once I had digested the big releases of both the band and then the solo act that followed. So it is fair to say that this album already had a great deal to beat by the time I got around to getting it and listening to it. And as a result, it wasn’t one that really captured my imagination at that time. It sits right between two amazing albums, the Alice Cooper Band’s “Billion Dollar Babies”, and Alice Cooper’s first solo outing with “Welcome to my Nightmare”. That’s some tough competition. And while it does still compare favourably with the rest of the original band’s work, and those who grew up with the albums from the 1970’s would still rank it highly, as a kid whose high school years were the 1980’s it is those albums that appeal to me most.
I’ve listened to this on my rotation for the past couple of weeks, and again when I just sit down with this on my stereo in the Metal Cavern and turn it up, it still sounds great and is enjoyable to listen to. The title track is such a brilliantly upbeat song, I often wonder why they couldn’t make the whole album like this song. But that wasn’t to be. It is the one main song that leaps off the vinyl or off the Spotify playlist when you listen to the album, the one excellent shining light. But if you want me to listen the ten best Alice Cooper Band slash solo albums, this doesn’t get a look in.
With a few months of this album’s release, the band split up, and this became the final album of the actual Alice Cooper Band. Vincent Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper, went off and did the “Welcome to my Nightmare” solo album (with the return of Bob Ezrin as producer), and never looked back. Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton and Dennis Dunaway formed the short-lived band Billion Dollar Babies and released one album. “Muscle of Love” closes that one door and opened another, and the story of Alice Cooper continued in the hands of the frontman only.

1230. Billy Idol / Rebel Yell. 1983. 4/5

Billy Idol had already had a solid career in music long before he became a successful solo act with the release of his first self-titled album in 1982. Originally hailing from the UK, he had been a staple of the growing punk movement in the mid-to-late 1970’s, first being the guitarist of the band Chelsea. Unsatisfied however he soon left the group, and with band mate Tony James they formed the band Generation X. With Billy Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums over the next three years before disbanding.
In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career. Here he met up with an up and coming guitarist called Steve Stevens, and they hit it off immediately. With Idol’s punk-like image combined with the growing glam metal scene, the pair looked like a match made in heaven. The pair pulled their band together, and eventually recorded their debut album, the self-titled "Billy Idol”. On the back of singles such as “Hot in the City” and “White Wedding”, and being picked up for heavy rotation on MTV, the album became a hit, and the band and its titular star were underway.
Keith Forsey returned to produce the follow up, and the trio of Forsey, Idol and Steven went to work on what was to become “Rebel Yell”. Idol apparently came up with the title for the album at a party he was attending where many guests were drinking Rebel Yell bourbon, and he liked the name. It of course then also became the titular song that dominated the album. Also, during the recording of the album, Idol had been fighting with the record company over creative control of the project. At the height of this, he stole the master tapes of the recordings, which he eventually returned to the studio when he had won his battle. It was at his time that Forsey informed him that he had in fact stolen the wrong tapes, and his tapes had never left the studio. Someone’s album could have met with a messy end over that dispute.

The album’s title track, “Rebel Yell,” is one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s. It features a catchy guitar riff and a memorable chorus that is sure to get stuck in your head. How this only reach number 9 on the charts in the US and 7 in Australia is beyond me. As terrific as “White Wedding” is as a song, this is the one that everyone knows, that everyone rocks out to, that you sing along to at top volume when it comes on. A terrific video clip featuring Billy, and that amazingly iconic solo from Steve Stevens. If you were to make a mixed tape of the 1980’s (and yes many of you would have no idea what that actually is) then surely this song has to be on it.
“Daytime Drama” is a typically new wave song that highlights the drama of relationships which, I believe, and it is only my thoughts, that mirrors the daytime soaps that proliferated the screens in the 1980’s, such as Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless. The album’s second single, “Eyes Without a Face,” follows, and is a slower ballad that showcases Billy Idol’s vocal range. He had done songs like this before, but this was perhaps the best example of the range that Idol had with his voice, and the diversity the band had to create such a song, so different from the types of songs that they were best known for. The song was also a commercial success and peaked at number four in the US, helped by its susceptibility of radio airplay, as well as the growing medium of MTV. “Blue Highway” closes out side one of the album, and again delves into love and relationships, and a yearning for freedom. It’s a hard rock song with a great tempo and super riff that lifts the album again in a positive fashion.
The album’s third single, “Flesh for Fantasy,” opens up the second side of the album, and is a hard rock song that features a driving beat and a catchy chorus. Back to the hard rock roots of the band, the attitude is what drives this song beyond the average, a song that in the hands of another vocalist would not have worked as well as it did. It eventually reached only 29 on the US charts, which perhaps doesn’t reflect how popular it was at the time with his core audience. This is followed by the album’s fourth single, “Catch My Fall,” which is a slower ballad that features a piano and a string section. The song was not as successful as the previous three singles, and perhaps it was overkill going for another track of this type, but in the course of the album it is still a good song. “Crank Call” is a fun track highlighted by Stevens on guitar and bass, before launching in to “Do Not Stand in the Shadows”, a great fast paced hard rock track that lets Idol rip in with his vocals again in their best fashion. This is the song I would have released as that fourth single, because of the great energy it puts out, and would have allowed Billy to again put himself forward in a video clip such as his best efforts. The album then concludes with “The Dead Next Door” which for me is a very strange choice given the soft and quiet nature of the track. The end of “Do Not Stand in the Shadows” to me is the perfect finish to the album, “The Dead Next Door” is an extra four minutes of sleep music to finish off instead.

When the first album came out, I was completely obsessed with “White Wedding” as a song. In fact, it and Chris de Burgh’s “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” were the first two songs on a compilation cassette I was given for my birthday that year, and I wore out that tape just listening to those two songs. Then “Rebel Yell” came out, and that song caught my imagination as well. This was all in the days prior to me buying albums of bands, so the singles were what I had.
Flash forwards a few years, and I get my first listen to this album. And I knew the singles from the album very well, but from the first time I listened to this I thought it was just terrific. Even the slower songs have a depth about them that I enjoyed, which isn’t always the case when it comes to albums of such style. Especially I enjoyed “Blue Highway” and “Do Not Stand in the Shadows”, I felt they were terrific songs that were under utilised and certainly under appreciated when it came to Billy Idol’s work. In terms of album releases from the early 1980’s, I think this is up with the very best. And it is important to note that even though the album artist is credited to only Billy Idol, there are other very important people involved. Steve Stevens, not only as the lead guitarist and other instruments in the recording process as well, but as a co-composer of all of the tracks here, does a fantastic job. While the album is promoted by Idol’s presence, his writing and playing is just as important to the final product. And the producing of Kevin Forsey again is a major contributing factor to the eventual success of this album.
Overall, “Rebel Yell” is a great album that showcases Billy Idol’s and Steve Stevens talent as songwriters and performers. The album features a mix of new wave, hard rock, and pop rock that is sure to please fans of all genres. The album’s title track, “Rebel Yell,” is one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s, and it is a must-listen for anyone who is a fan of music from that era. Or essentially, any era.

1229. The Clash / Give 'Em Enough Rope. 1978. 3/5

On the back of their self titled debut album in 1977, The Clash had begun their rise in the punk scene of the UK in particular. In and amongst the plethora of bands that seemed to crop up one day and be gone the next, The Clash and contemporaries the Buzzcocks were the driving force of the movement where it wasn’t necessarily the shock of the music and lyric topics that caught the attention, but the maturity of it. Touring behind that first album The Clash played on their own ‘Out of Control’ tour, which apart from a small riot when their first gig in Belfast was cancelled at the last minute due to the insurance being pulled from the venue, created a storm of the music kind. They also played at the ‘Rock Against Racism’ carnival in London later that year, which was attended by 100,000 people. In between this they released two non-album singles to great acclaim. “Clash City Rockers” was played on a BBC children's morning show after its release, alongside the unreleased (at that time) “Tommy Gun”, while “(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais” became a favourite with Clash fans and was voted single of the year in the 1978 NME Readers' Poll.
Before the Clash began recording their second album, their American based record company asked if they could produce an album with a 'cleaner’ sound than their debut, in order to reach American audiences. Sandy Pearlman, known for his work with Blue Öyster Cult, was hired to produce the record. Bass guitarist Paul Simonon later recalled, "Recording that album was just the most boring situation ever. It was just so nitpicking, such a contrast to the first album ... it ruined any spontaneity."
When the album arrived, it received mixed reviews in the UK music press, where some complained about its relatively mainstream production style in comparison to that debut album. Despite the backlash from sections of the music press, NME readers voted it the second best album of 1978 and The Clash were voted the best group in the same end of year poll.

"Give 'Em Enough Rope” is often overlooked in the band’s discography. It opens with the track “Safe European Home,” which is a fast-paced punk rock song that features Mick Jones’ guitar work and Joe Strummer’s vocals. The song describes Strummer's and Jones uneasy writing trip to Jamaica and their experiences with racism and violence. Jones later commented on the trip by saying, "we went down to the docks, and I think we only survived because they mistook us for sailors”. The song also contains references of Jamaican culture and buildings like the Sheraton hotel in Kingston. This is followed by “English Civil War,” which is a slower song that features a catchy chorus, and which is derived from an American Civil War song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", that was popular among both sides of the conflict. Guitarist and vocalist Joe Strummer had learned the song at school and suggested to his bandmates that they should update it. The Clash’s version is about the state of politics in the UK at that time and warns against what things may come.
“Tommy Gun” is one of the most well-known songs from the album and from The Clash’s entire catalogue. The song features a driving beat and lyrics about gun violence. The lyrics especially deal with Middle Eastern terrorism, specifically the hi-jacking of aircraft. It is an especially interesting beginning to the album, with the band not shying away from what was going on in the world at home and abroad at this time, and not afraid to exhort their opinions on those matters. Listening to it today is just as revealing and important as it was when these songs were written all those years ago.
Continuing in this vein is “Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad”, a fast-paced punk rock song that features lyrics about drug enforcement, and acts as a commentary on the infamous "Operation Julie" drug bust that saw the largest LSD production ring in the world, based in Wales, dismantled by an undercover police operation. Side one is then closed out by “Last Gang in Town,” which is a more mid-paced song about gang violence.
Side two opens up with “Guns on the Roof,” a great song that is set up beautifully by Mick Jones and his excellent guitar riffs and solo work, as well as the rumbling bass of Simonon and terrific drumming from Headon. It is a song that talks about global terrorism, war and corruption, which in part was inspired by an incident that resulted in the Metropolitan Police's armed counterterrorist squad raiding The Clash's Camden Market base. Paul Simonon and drummer Topper Headon were arrested and charged with criminal damage for shooting racing pigeons with an air-gun from the roof of their rehearsal building. Strummer’s vocals here leave no doubt as to the band’s feelings about the whole incident.
“Drug-Stabbing Time” is strongly anti-drug lyrically with another great riff through the song and combined vocals that describes the paranoia of being caught in the act, which is somewhat ironic given the band's (specifically Mick Jones's) drug usage at this time. “Stay Free” moves back in style, and feels like a song that was written for that American market the band’s record company was looking for. “Cheapskates” is dominated by Strummer’s chanting thoughts firing out of the speakers, and the album then concludes with "All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)" to round out the band’s second LP.

The Clash came to me, like many of my generation, through the radio hit “Rock the Casbah”, and the splash it made with one of my oldest school friends at that time, who then chased down every release by the band, which in time then found its way into my hands as well. And this all occurred at around the time that I was beginning to move away from just radio singles, and taping them off Kasey Kasem’s American Top 40 every Sunday arvo, and looking to move into whole albums by bands. Compilation tapes were still important in that, because it was a way of discovering multiple bands. So The Clash was a band that I listened to when I went around to this particular mate’s house, but were still some way away from me having a huge interest in them. That is a long winded way of saying that while I enjoyed The Clash, I didn’t really listen to their albums often or a lot.
In many ways, that is still the case, but the order I would choose to listen to them would be from first release to last release, meaning “Give ‘Em Enough Rope” rates very highly for me as a The Clash album. It is the punk sound I enjoy from them most rather than the reggae or rockabilly or straight rock they utilised in pieces later in their career. And while the producer of this album apparently felt so little about Joe Strummer’s vocals that he tried to have the drums drown them out on this record, I actually think they are quite good here. In fact the whole band sounds great. Mick Jones on guitar is wonderful once again, while I am still extremely impressed at how the bass and drums of both Paul Simonon and Topper Headon still hold up today. To me they often get overlooked for their contributions to the band, and certainly on this album I believe they are excellent and an important part of the success of this album. The reviews of the day were generally critical of the more produced sound of the album, and it is obviously a difference between the first two albums by the band. I have been listening to it now for a couple of weeks, and it still sounds great each time it comes up in my rotation. I enjoy the music, but it is the lyrics that I enjoy the most, the shaking of the fist at authority, and the standing up and telling it as they see it. Whatever else this album may be, its commentary on the era it was released is as fascinating today as it must have been on its release.

1228. Iron Maiden / Live at Donington 1992. 1993. 5/5

As has been noted on a few recent episodes in regards to Iron Maiden albums, 1992 and 1993 were not easy years for the band. Bruce Dickinson had already made his decision and announced that he was quitting the band by the time the Fear of the Dark tour concluded late in 1992, and yet the band had already announced further dates for 1993, which Bruce somewhat reluctantly agreed to complete, which took up another 6 months of 1993. During this time, the band did not get on as they had done, and by its conclusion it is probably fair to say that everyone was relieved.
With Bruce leaving the band, they had decided to record and release two separate live albums in 1993, being “A Real Live One” - the episode of which you can find in Season 4 of this podcast - and “A Real Dead One” - the episode of which you can find just a few episodes back here in Season 5. While both sold well as you would expect, one of the main criticisms of the releases was that they were both a collection of live songs, taken from different concerts at different times during the tour. Having had the wonderful “Live After Death” album eight years beforehand, what most Maiden fans were after was another complete concert recording, which reflected how Maiden sounded at that time.
Now, whether this was taken on board by the management and record company, or whether they just saw another opportunity to make a great big pile of cash, something facilitated the release of this album, along with the concert footage in full on video as well, which is the complete set of Iron Maiden’s headlining gig at Castle Donington in August 1992, one where perhaps for the final time before the full reformation of the band seven years later showcased just how good this band was when they were at the peak of their powers. The fact that the gluttony of releasing three live albums in the space of eight months was possibly overlooked in the chase for sales didn’t stop the fans from rushing to their record retailers and buying all three albums up in huge numbers.

Initially this was a limited edition 2 CD release, with the plain white cover and not meant to be a full album release. As such, when it first went on sale 30 years ago it was highly sought. Eventually, with all things such as this, it was re-released to a wider audience worldwide and on various formats.
The gig contains the full setlist from the Fear of the Dark tour than the band was in the middle of at the time, this containing a large mix of recent release songs and then the well worn classics (not as well worn then as they are now!). The then current album had plenty of representation, with “Be Quick or Be Dead”, “From Here to Eternity”, “Wasting Love”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, and “Fear of the Dark” all appearing in the first half of the setlist. All of the versions are great here, even the title track, which I admit I have tired of over the years. But the versions done on this tour, when the song was fresh and new, are all terrific, and is again here. Also, as I am sure was made obvious on previous episodes, I am not a fan in any way of the song “Wasting Love”. To me it was a mistake releasing it as a single, and in ever playing it live, as it is a momentum killer. On the other hand, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” is a gem, mixed with both high velocity power and also emotion. A great song performed beautifully here. These songs on the first CD are all perfectly interspaced with old and new, with “The Number for the Beast” and “Wrathchild” coming at the top of the song list, and ten “Can I Play With Madness?”, “Tailgunner” ad “The Evil That Men Do” providing a great lift as soon as they come out of the speakers. The whole first CD – well, OK, apart from “Wasting Love” - is a real triumph.
The second CD starts with three fantastic songs from the then middle age of Iron Maiden’s great hits, the brilliant “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter”, the magnificent “The Clairvoyant” and the fantastic “Heaven Can Wait”. What a truly awesome run of three songs to be able to watch live in concert. Action packed, fast paced and Bruce’s vocals at the top of their game.
This then leads us into the prehistoric era of the band, finishing off the night with those great songs that their earliest fans grew up with and still demand in the live setting. You know them all. “Run to the Hills”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “The Trooper”, and then “Sanctuary” into “Running Free”. A pretty fair way to finish off your night, and this album. The final song “Running Free” also features an appearance from former guitarist Adrian Smith, coming on stage to be reminded of what he left behind when he left the band in 1989.

It was an interesting time when this live album came out. As already mentioned, this was the third live album that Iron Maiden had released in 1993, which is overkill in anyone’s language. Beyond this, there were mixed emotions, because when this album was actually recorded it would have been one of the highlights of the band’s career, headlining the Donington Festival in front of 80,000 fans, and yet when it was released just over a year later, it was at one of the lowest ebbs that the band had faced. And as a fan I felt that same way. This was a great album, showcasing everything brilliant about one of my favourite all time bands, and yet it was also showcasing what we would now miss with the departure of Bruce Dickinson.
This album is not in question in regards to quality and quantity. As I often remark, live albums should be an automatic 5/5 rating, because they have the band’s best songs played in their best environment. And that is certainly the case here. While the other two live albums released in 1993 may have some flaws, this full concert album does not. A great set list, all performed fantastically.
Is it an essential album for fans of the band? In the main, if you have “Live After Death” you have the band’s best live album. Both the “Maiden Japan” EP and “Maiden England” album from the Seventh Son tour are also terrific, and this actually makes a solid set with those three albums. Iron Maiden does have a lot of live albums now, but this is still great to listen to.
I saw Iron Maiden for the first time two months after this gig was played, in Sydney in October 1992. Due to a terrible mix and soundboard problems it was, unfortunately, a forgettable concert in the main. And this album was both a relief that it is so good when it came out, and a disappointment because the night I saw them sounded nothing like this. Thankfully for me, better Maiden concerts were to come, but not for a very very long time.

1227. Midnight Oil / Midnight Oil. 1978. 4/5

Midnight Oil the band was formed over a number of years, with the original members coming together from a variety of backgrounds. The original trio of drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James, and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie performed together in a band called "Farm" as far back as 1972, and played cover version of songs by bands such as Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin. Eventually they decided to advertise for other players to come on board, an advert that was answered by Peter Garrett, who came to the band as lead vocalist and synth player. Garrett was studying in Canberra which made the band really a part-time gig, as the others were all based in Sydney. Having started playing on Sydney’s north shore, by 1975 the band was touring the Australian east coast on a regular basis. This then led to Garrett moving to Sydney the following year to complete his law degree, but also allowing the band to become a whole group rather than working in dispatches from different cities. It also led to the four piece deciding to change their name to Midnight Oil.
Following this, the group began to refine their sound, and began to develop a more aggressive, hard rock sound that was being more sought after in the Sydney pub rock scene. To help increase this, Martin Rotsey joined in 1977 to become the second guitarist with the band and Midnight Oil, with their manager Gary Morris, established their own record label Powderworks. The band had built a dedicated fan base in Sydney, which grew through constant touring, performing around 200 gigs in their first year as Midnight Oil. They became known for their furious live performances, and when they entered the studio to record their debut album, the hope was that they could transfer that energy onto vinyl. Sometimes that is not easy thing to do.

The album opens with “Powderworks”, a fast-paced rocker that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The song features a catchy riff, a driving rhythm section, and Peter Garrett’s distinctive vocals. The lyrics are about the band’s frustration with the music industry and their desire to make their own music. This is followed by “Head Over Heels”, a slower and more melodic track that showcases Jim Moginie’s keyboard skills. The song is a love song with a twist, as Garrett sings about a woman who is “head over heels in love with herself”.
The third track on the album is “Dust”, a dark and atmospheric song that deals with environmental issues. The song features a haunting synthesizer melody, a heavy bass line, and Garrett’s ominous vocals. The lyrics focus on the effects of pollution and nuclear war on the planet. The song is one of the earliest examples of the band’s social and political commentary, which would become more prominent in their later albums. “Used and Abused” is a hard-hitting punk rock styled song that criticizes consumerism and materialism. It features a fast tempo, a distorted guitar sound, and Garrett’s angry vocals. The lyrics are about the exploitation of the average person by corporations and advertisers, and how they waste their lives chasing after money and possessions.
Opening up the second side of the album is “Surfing with a Spoon”, a fun and upbeat song that celebrates surfing and freedom. The song features a catchy chorus, a surf rock guitar sound, and Garrett’s playful vocals, based around escaping from the pressures of society and enjoying life on the beach.
“Run by Night”, the band’s first single and one of their most popular songs, features another catchy hook, a grooved bass line, and Garrett’s confident vocals singing about living on the edge and taking risks in life.
The closing track is “Nothing Lost - Nothing Gained”, a complex and progressive rock song that features a long instrumental section, with various changes in tempo, mood, and style. The song showcases the band’s musical skills and versatility, as well as their experimental side. The lyrics are about finding balance and harmony in life, and accepting the consequences of one’s actions.
The album is an impressive debut that introduces the band’s unique sound and vision while displaying the band’s talent, creativity, and passion for music. Mixed with this the album also suffers from some flaws, such as uneven production quality, lack of cohesion in the tracks, and does not fully reflect the band’s live potential at the time, something that many fans of the day were disappointed with, and which would be rectified in their subsequent albums.

Growing up in Australia, Midnight Oil is a right of passage. And people can guess your age from which album you choose to offer as your favourite. Those older than me will often suggest Blue Sky Mining or Diesel and Dust as the ultimate. Those younger than me will likely to choose an album such as “Head Injuries” as the one that showcased them best. For me, it has always been “10-1” that is the go to album. All of this is to suggest that I had well and truly digested most of Midnight Oil’s great albums before I eventually got around to listening to this album. And I don’t really know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Because even from the first time I listened to this album I really enjoyed it, but also knew that their material further along the road was more polished, more intense and more amazing overall.
I wasn’t old enough to see them in concert in their early days, in sweaty Sydney pubs where the walls would bleed from the energy perspiring from band and crowd. Those that did generally found this album to be a tame imitation of the band they knew, which was always going to be a problem when trying to replicate that in the studio.
Looking back though, and listening to the album now, all of the bones are there for what was built upon this first foray onto vinyl. The experimenting of the sound in each song perhaps doesn’t give a true indication of what the band was when this was released back in 1978, but it gave the band its start, and the ability to widen their fan base, and push on to become the band they became.
For the fan of the band there is still lots to like about this album. It isn’t one of their biggest albums, and certainly not their most commercial, but if you turn it up loud and just let it come at you, then the misgivings of youth will still find you in the music.

1226. Dio / Strange Highways. 1993. 4/5

From what could be assumed to be the absolute peak of Ronnie James Dio’s career, with his band Dio’s third studio album “Sacred Heart” in the mid-1980's, the band and his own fortunes had begun to plateau, and the road became a more rocky one than he had traversed in some time. After the band’s “Dream Evil” album in 1987, Dio had more or less fired the entire band and brought in new personnel for 1990’s “Lock Up the Wolves” album, one that didn’t gain the all encompassing love that the band’s previous four had brought. The change in tempo and mood caught fans unawares, and their popularity had begun to seep away somewhat. Then came the reformation of the Mark II lineup of Black Sabbath, and the album “Dehumanizer”, one that for a short period of time caught the imagination of the fans once again, with a revitalised heavy and modern sounding metal album from one of the great band lineups of all time. Of course, this then collapsed again with the decision by Iommi and Butler to open up for Ozzy Osbourne’s famous ‘last gig ever’, and once again both Dio and drummer Vinny Appice moved on from Black Sabbath in controversial circumstances. If ever there was a way to metaphorically shoot yourself in the foot, that four year period was one where Dio had done a pretty good job of it. And now, in a period of upheaval in the music world with the onset of the grunge movement, one of heavy metal’s greatest singers had to find a way to pick himself up off the carpet for the first time in a very long time.
And so, back to Dio the band it was. Appice, who had been dismissed during the writing session for “Lock Up the Wolves” in favour of former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright, was now back in the band, no doubt due to his locality and recent time together on that Black Sabbath album. Dio also decided to go for a whole new look with the band lineup. Guitarist Tracy Grijalva, better known as Tracy G, was brought in on guitar, Jeff Pilson, who had plied his trade with Dokken for several years, came in on bass guitar and keyboards, while Scott Warren who had been in Warrant would become the band’s keyboardist on tour.
Many wondered what this version of Dio could bring to the music world, given that by 1993 it had moved on from glam and hair metal and was hurtling into a new dimension. Could the band famous for dragons and rainbows find a way to still be relevant in the 1990’s decade? In many ways, the title of the new album, “Strange Highways”, was a metaphor for the journey the band was about to begin.

There is an interesting transition over the three-album spread between “Lock up the Wolves”, “Dehumanizer” and “Strange Highways”. The first of these albums saw the band’s sound slow the tempo from previous albums and have a slightly more serious tone about the lyrics, still delving into fantasy and other realms but in a different tone. “Dehumanizer” of course was a Black Sabbath album, with the attitude that that band always possesses. However, moving into “Strange Highways”, there’s little doubt that similar tones are being used for this album as well. It may not be Iommi and Butler here, but the music is what could be said to be an extension from that album. Is it too similar? Does it come across as a rip off of the “Dehumanizer” album? Some fans believe so, generally those that are not fans of this album. More accurately, I think this album mirrors what Dio’s writing was portraying at this stage of his career, and the previous two albums he had written progressed to this point and would further down the track with the follow up to this album. What it does is place itself at a destination far away from where the Dio band had started with “Holy Diver” some ten years earlier.
Ronnie’s vocals are more aggressive than any from the previous Dio albums, but less so than he gave us on “Dehumanizer”. Tracy G’s guitar does not copy what Iommi produced on the same album, but it is in a similar vein given the writing of the band. So, we have that same kind of heavy Sabbath-inspired songs here, which Ronnie attaches his heavier vocals to. In many ways this would be as a result of the appearance of the grunge bands and their sound. Whilst many hair metal bands tried to move to the grunge sound and failed, Dio here have moved in a heavier slower direction to combat that music trend, almost as if to say ‘this is heavy metal in the 1990’s, come follow us’.
Songs such as the opener “Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost”, the hardcore “Firehead”, "Hollywood Black” (which apparently had been demoed for the “Dehumanizer” album), “Evilution” and “Pain” all move in this newish direction that the new Dio has paved. Vinny’s drumwork has always appeared to be leading to this kind of work, the hard hitting, slow 2/4 tempo style that resonate through the speakers at you, and Tracy G seems happy to play the game. There’s no doubt that it takes some getting used to if you came into the band through the 1980’s.
The title track “Strange Highways” could have come straight off “Dehumanizer” - indeed, listen to “After All (the Dead)” from that album and then listen to this song, and you’ll know where the inspiration for the music and tone of the lyrics comes from. I couldn’t understand why I enjoyed this song so much when I first got the album, and then it clicked. And it’s the same reason people who don’t enjoy the Sabbath album also don’t enjoy this song. It was the real point at which one can tie the writing of this album to that previous album but the other band.
One thing that has disappeared almost completely is the lyrical mysticism that Dio had spent almost two decades weaving into his songs, in this band or his others. There are no rainbows, no dragons, no knights, no heaven and hell. Here the songs come at you with modern themes, social issues and darker elements throughout. This is apparent in songs in the back half of the album, such as “One Foot in the Grave”, “Give Her the Gun” and “Blood from a Stone”, with Ronnie passionately almost spitting the lyrics out with Tracy and Pilson pushing the hard core line musically. The album then ends almost cynically lyrically with “Here’s to You” and “Bring Down the Rain” bringing a slightly different tone to the conclusion.
As an album from this band, it is quite unique, and definitely not like anything they had done before. But it is done awfully well.

When I first got this album, which was pretty close to the release date, I really wasn’t sure what I was in for. “Lock Up the Wolves” had been a bit of a barrier to many of my friends in regards to Dio albums, with the musical changes involved there having them look in another direction. I had found enough to like and love about that album, but sonically it was very different. Then “Dehumanizer” had reinvigorated Dio’s mettle once again, and his stocks rose. The Sabbath separation again left the Dio band at a new crossroads, and I really didn’t know what to expect. And, as it turned out, I had some trouble reconciling what I heard when I initially listened to this album. Why? Well, looking back now, I think what made it difficult for me was that I was expecting to hear the band Dio that I knew, the band that produced those first three amazing scintillating albums, and hearing that energy and buzz and awesomeness. And what I got instead was this album – just not what I was expecting. So I was less than excited, but I kept listening to it, because something about it did click with me. And it wasn’t for some time (probably longer than it should have been) that I realised that this album was far more similar to the album Dio and Vinny had done with Sabbath the previous year than to anything they had done in the 1980’s. And that (eventual) realisation was what unlocked the love of this album for me. And once I had ignored what I had wanted the tempo to be, and just listened to it for what it is, I really did come to enjoy this album immensely.
Is it affected by the time it was released? I think so, but I also think it was written as a statement of the times, and that for many Dio fans, that isn’t what they were after. They wanted more dragons and night people and being hungry for heaven, when the reality was that Dio wanted something else, something that mightn't move with the times but set the agenda. It’s just that the times didn’t agree, and were actually looking for something different.
I listen to this album now, and I still find most of it thoroughly enjoyable. It needs to be in the right environment, and it needs to be LOUD to get the full impact of what the band plays here. And even 30 years on, it has an impact. It mightn’t be from Dio’s classic era, and it might be from a time when Dio’s form of classic heavy metal was on the ropes, but he still delivers vocally as he always did, and his commentary on social issues on this album, which was not something he made a lot of time doing, it still as biting as it was on its release.
The fact is that “Strange Highways” will never rate as one of the great albums, or the essential albums of all time. Asked to choose the best five albums from the band Dio, this probably won’t make your list. Those who were slightly younger than me when this was released tens to rate it much more highly than those of my generation. Perhaps that is its best light – it spoke to a generation that came next from the one he originally touched back in 1983. As a musician, to be able to do that in any age, is a pretty worthwhile achievement.