Vandenberg: Heading For A Storm(1983)

 

You have to sometimes wonder what goes through a bands mind when there debut album sells well and then after a lengthy tour having to figure out a followup.

Pressure would come to my mind especially if your Adrian Vandenberg who is not only the Guitarist in the band named after him but also the sole composer of lyrics/music! While were at it why not add cover design and artwork that Adrian actually did on all three Vandenberg albums. I will add I like this album cover as it features a pretty cool looking colour format…

If you recall from one of my Impact Records post’s a few months back the debut self titled Vandenberg album(1982) walloped me outside the head when I first heard it. The album along with the songs/singing/musicianship was a total mindblower from these four dudes from Holland.

1983 and everyone wants the followup which I purchased right away on cassette tape(duh!) and quickly and eagerly put the tape into high rotation in my Walkman…..

Heading For A Storm is the followup to the debut and its a pretty good batch of Vandenberg tracks.  My main knock on this record today and from the time of my purchase point (1983) is that it runs way to close to the running order of the debut.

By that I mean both albums have 9 Songs. Each album have 4 songs on Side A. 5 songs are on Side 2 of both albums.  The Ballad  Track of the albums both fall on Side 1 Track 4. Same Producer(Stuart Epps & Adrian Vandenberg) Same sound of the debut almost a Sides 3 and 4 if this was a double album.  Actually the debut is just under 2 minutes shorter but I’m getting technical here!

Hey I’m not hammering these guys for it. I’m just pointing it out  as a few others did it as well how about ZZ Top following Eliminator with Afterburner?  There are others but I don’t want to get too far of the beaten path here!

Opening track Friday Night is a feel good stomper Vandenberg track and that’s what I always dug about this group as they were faraway as possible from Devil Worship as you could get. Its Friday Night let’s let it rip as Singer Bert Herrink would lead you to believe.

The best track for me on this album is the second song in and that’s Welcome to the Club. Drummer Jos Zoomer opens it with a real cool groove while Adrian scorches his fretboard come solo time. This was and still is a great track.

Different Worlds is the big ballad track and follows the formula of Burning Heart from the  debut. Classical Guitar action and big time ramp up on the chorus. Different Worlds is ok. Burning Heart is the better of the two! Can’t believe I just typed this about a Ballad!

Side 2 begins with another staring ahead fireball of a Vandenberg track and that would be This Is War. Kinda neat at some points when Adrian and the Fellow with the coolest Bass name ever Dick Kemper lock up and nail down some cool grooving etc..

The rest of Side 2 is decent enough.  Just plain old-fashioned hard rock.  The title track(Heading For A Storm) and the closing track(Waiting For The Night) are good songs especially Waiting For The Night which opens with Adrian and his classical guitar before giving way to double bass drums and a jacked up Gibson Guitar cranked through a Marshall Amp.

ANYBODY GOT ANY BRIGHT IDEAS HOW WE CAN BREAK INTO TBONE’S CLOSET FOR SOME NEW THREADS??

I came across this album a short while ago when myself and my daughter Lex were digging through bins at New Day Records and Heading for a Storm was for $5!

It was a good spin through this record again. I always thought about how if this was the debut would my thinking be different? Vandenberg I guess was hoping for some repeat success but Heading For A  Storm fell somewhat short and by the time the third record Alibi rolled around in 1985 times were a changing in the Vandenberg camp!

Speaking of Alibi when I scooped Heading For A Storm up I also picked up Alibi as well. Alibi I have never heard and will shortly delve into and you fine folks will get to read all about it! HAHA…

Stay Tuned!

Update- This Monday Alibi will be posted! That’s umm.. my Alibi!