Krokus/Heart Attack(1988)

 

Krokus named there 1988 release Heart Attack and it was an appropriately named album if there ever was one. It’s basically Krokus flatlining once and for all after a  promising start career wise in the early 1980’s.  By the end of the 80’s Krokus and more importantly there creative gas tank was on empty….

The dry up started back in the 86 with the Change Of Address album where Krokus got all glammed up and put out a stinker of an album. I bought it…..Tbone bought it….we were fooled by the zany Swiss fellows…. Krokus man in that pic below would have had their asses handed to them if they were involved in a street brawl against the Village People!

Swiss Cheese…

Marc Storace – vocals
Fernando von Arb – lead guitar
Mark Kohler – rhythm guitar
Chris von Rohr – bass, piano, percussion
Dani Crivelli – drums

Tbone was smart. He zipped right off the Krokus Tour Bus after the Change Of Address fiasco whereas I stayed the course and bought the awful live album Alive And Screaming.  The awful part was the recording of  it. I think I only listened to it a few times as the sound was atrocious. The cover was Goofy….see pic below…

See what I mean….Gah!  Show a live action shot for Gawd’s sake! Crap Cover =Crap Album…

Yet still…

1988 and Krokus ditch the glam look that scared Tbone away and went for a street look and a back to basics kinda vibe with trying to release a Rock N Raw album. Like a true Music Fan Boy I bought  Heart Attack in the summer of 88 on cd….

The verdict….

Not Good! It’s surprising that outside the drummer this is the classic lineup that demolished my senses with the Headhunter release from 1983. Von Rohr split before the Blitz album from 84 but returns here to salvage a sinking ship but it’s too late ….

Code Blue…The Song’s..

Side one
“Everybody Rocks” – 3:50
“Wild Love” – 4:01
“Let It Go” – 4:31
“Winning Man” (Fernando von Arb, Chris von Rohr) – 5:15 (originally on Hardware)
“Axx Attack” – 4:24

Side two
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Tonight” – 3:58
“Flyin’ High” (Krokus, Jürg Naegeli) – 4:14
“Shoot Down the Night” – 4:37
“Bad, Bad Girl” – 5:58
“Speed Up” – 6:24

The only song I recall even somewhat liking 1988 style is Let It Go(posted the video for it) …

The production handled by Von Rohr and Von Arb is decent enough but that isn’t gonna salvage the tunes…

 

TPOH/Love Junk(1988)

TPOH is short for The Pursuit Of Happiness in case any of you’s were wondering but probably not as you already know this as you are all educated RAWKER’S!

Love Junk released in 1988 and produced by Todd Rundgren is simply a masterpiece which I would consider now as back in 1988 when I bought this on the heels of the fantastic single I’m An Adult Know there was so much rock out that it was hard to keep up but I really dug these Quirky Canadians. Hell even across the Big Blue Ocean  Mr 1537 champions their cause as well! All Hail the LegoNater!

Moe Berg had the whole I’m a Geek look down but he could fizzle up a real good batch of hooky cancon hard rock and deliver it with a stellar band behind him.

Moe Berg – guitars, vocals
Kris Abbott – guitars, vocals
Dave Gilby – drums
Johnny Sinclair – bass
Leslie Stanwyck – vocals

The Charm of TPOH lye’s in the Women of the band. Kris Abbott  and Leslie Stanwyck  added ABBA like backing harmonies and Rundgren brings them to the forefront right with Moe and his singing which at time’s is part-time speak as well as sing!

Hard Rock blasted in a different way but a real cool original spin on things. Hell even Axl Rose dug em! Photo evidence…

Betcha Moe has this pic above his fireplace! Wouldn’t you?! I sure as Hell would!

Love Junk Tracks..

Coolest pile of Junk ..EVER!

All songs written by Moe Berg….

“Hard to Laugh” (2:38)
“Ten Fingers” (2:53)
“I’m an Adult Now” (4:25)
“She’s So Young” (3:34)
“Consciousness Raising as a Social Tool” (2:27)
“Walking in the Woods” (3:51)
“Beautiful White” (3:27)
“When the Sky Comes Falling Down” (3:25)
“Looking for Girls” (2:50)
“Man’s Best Friend” (2:35)
“Tree of Knowledge” (3:50)
“Killed by Love” (4:01)
“Down on Him” (2:30),

Hard To Laugh kicks off this album in fine fashion and a way’s back I reviewed this track all by its lonesome…Need a refresher click the link Friends…..

Cool Lil Numbers….The Pursuit Of Happiness/Hard To Laugh

Hard To Laugh has Old School Cheap Trick sensibilities but the ladies deliver that cool backing vocal vibe….

The second track  is 10 Fingers and it’s another brilliant song as Moe gets down to the nitty-gritty act on this album about sexual frustration which delves into a lot of these songs. Moe though is clever through his lyrics and Man oh Man 10 Fingers Rocks! The Chorus is totally enhanced by the Ladies. Sooooo Good! Check out the video clip below….

I’m An Adult can we all agree right down to the video is an all time Classic song man. Back in 88 I was 21 . Later this year I hit the halfway point to 100! This song is Pure Genius and Moe I have to tell you I really don’t know if I’m a Adult Now! I try too try to be… The drums must be mentioned as they sound good on this album as it does not sound 80’s Whatsoever! Perhaps these Ladies/Gents were well ahead of their time!

She’s So Young has a single written all over it. Pop sensibilities reign supreme here. This tune and video were played a ton in Canada. I dig this kind of rock as the drums by Kilby kick it, move it along. Nice job fella!

Consciousness Raising As A Social Tool What a title wouldn’t ya say?  Nice hard-driving AC/DC like riff a roll and that must be Kris or is it Leslie doing the second vocal as well. Crafty Hard Pop don’t ya just love.

Side 1 is a complete winner! Every track is top notch. Hence where the Singles came from. Side 2 though is no slouch either. Looking For Girls  has Moe inner channeling his best Angus Young on guitar and even goes one better and drops the F-Bomb which would make his pal Axl happy! Killed By Love is another driving like AC/DC number which features a real slick bass line. Gotta love Moe on this album with these lyrics as he’s tormented by Women throughout! Down On Him Again ends the album with a nice like jingle jangle clean guitar sound with a  REM’s Document like vibe except Moe sings “Your Going Down On Him Again” HAHAHA….fantastic!

Come to think of it for a second….let me ramble here…

AC/DC released Back In Black in 1980. I basically said in my review of that album it  told me about he birds and bee’s of life if you catch my drift…

If I would have been 13 when Love Junk came out this album may have had the almost the same kind of impact as Back In Black lyrically as  Berg  captured on one album his vision of the birds and bee’s….!

I’M  AN ADULT KNOW??? NOPE!

Metallica/ ….And Justice For All(1988)

 

Wowzers!  Got And Justice For All this past Christmas(2016) from my Vinyl Loving Daughter Lexie! Thanks a bunch Lex!

Story Time…..

Lets step inside and go back in Deke’s Time Machine to August of 1988 when I was a soon to be 21-year-old still scooping everything Metal!

The hype for this record at the time  was Huge as Metallica with And Justice being there 4th album was a term we say nowadays “Trending Upwards”  after 1986’s Masters Of Puppets had sold a bunch as people were expecting huge things and huge things were delivered by the Men Of Metallica!

That summer of 88 Metallica were playing on the North American Monsters Of Rock tour featuring Headliner Van Halen/Scorpions/Dokken and Kingdom Come. 

Dokken on this tour was in shambles and they had to follow Metallica every night. So picture this for a second. Here’s Metallica bringing teenage angst to the masses in these stadium shows playing tracks like Battery/Creeping Death leaving the audience wanting to break things or each other than Don Dokken and Curious George follow that by playing the big Power Ballad Alone Again!  Haha…

Betcha those Dokken guy’s were sulking big time every night when they  walked off the stage realizing they got there asses handed to them by having Metallica lay down the Metal Law night after night before them.

Just Saying…. 

So I purchased  this upon release and quite quickly began spinning it and not before too long my younger brother Todd who was at the old ripe age of 11 at this time(1988) took a total shine to this record and it’s still one of those albums he recalls fondly when we talk Rock or should I say METAAAAAAL!

So James/Lars/Kirk and New Dude Jason. We all know there last names and what instruments they play Blah Blah Blah so let’s skip that silliness and delve into some of the tracks….

POUNDING METAL!

No. Title Music Length
1. “Blackened” Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Jason Newsted 6:40
2. “…And Justice for All” Hetfield, Ulrich, Kirk Hammett 9:44
3. “Eye of the Beholder” Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett 6:25
4. “One” Hetfield, Ulrich 7:24
5. “The Shortest Straw” Hetfield, Ulrich 6:35
6. “Harvester of Sorrow” Hetfield, Ulrich 5:42
7. “The Frayed Ends of Sanity” Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett 7:40
8. “To Live Is to Die” Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton 9:48
9. “Dyers Eve” Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett 5:12
Total length: 65:17

Spread out over Two albums and this album I love front to back not only in the songs(more on that later) but the look as it was kinda like an anti somewhat metal looking like cover with the whole Lady Liberty blindfolded  and it reeks of corruption/filth/dollar bills flying around. It’s just a cool cover love the colours. Dig the graffiti like spray of the album title in the bottom right hand corner. Total eye catcher….

Still recall picking this up the day of its release as the hype as I mentioned earlier was huge.  It was a hot August day when I bought this album and after making a stop at a local convience store to snag the latest copy of Kerrang it was home and a drop of the needle was in order!

The first few bars of album opener Blackened just blew me away as it was a pile driver of a track right out of the gate. Lars drums were huge. James and Kirks guitars were loud. New Dude Jason. Where’s your Bass? Ha ..it’s there but kinda buried under the drums and guitars. Razzing the new guy? Who knows for sure but kinda crazy that the bass is somewhat laid back but perhaps James/Kirk and Lars from what I read in the past were still dealing with the death of Bassist Cliff Burton in 1986 and with drink n drugs floating around I’m sure this didn’t help Jason’s cause! Too be totally honest here I originally thought my vinyl was screwed as the bass was dialed in low..hahaha….silly 20 year old me at the time!

Must mention what the charm for me and this album is not only for the fact that Metallica is at the time writing 5-10 minute songs but the production is dry and think about this for a second as in 1988 it was bands with huge album sounds and 3-4 Radio Friendly Tailor Made Radio Tracks  (I’m not naming names!) so kudos to producer Flemming Rasmussen who was brought back to tidy up and produce this album after original producer Mike Clink got fired.

1988 and a Double Album with the exception of Side 3, Two tracks per side! Also interesting to see in the credits that James is credited with Rhythm Guitars and Kirk with just Lead Guitar. I recall reading at the time that was how they recorded this album. Kinda interesting way of doing things but for this band its Colonel Lars and Captain James!

…And Justice For All the title track is the second and last track on Side 1! Clocking in well at over 9 minutes this song is driven by Lar’s drumming which suffice to say is complex and even the lyrics about social injustice and the environment is crazy as these guys are partying hard at every turn but still taking the craft seriously! That’s saying something!

Eye Of The Beholder with its military like mash-up of drums and guitars take a shot at the mainstream music and censorship at the time the PMRC.  Do you remember all that silliness? Stickering albums as offensive and making Kids wanting music that was offensive  even more….

MuchMusic here in Canada went squirrelly like I’m sure MTV did in the States when Metallica released the video for One.  MuchMusic premiered one night and yup I was home to record it on VHS as this was big news as these guys were the last known holdouts from making a video and when this video was shown everyone went bat shit crazy over it… not your typical video either(no happy joy joy ) as there was no editing involved so it was the full tune. Once again I love when the guitars and drums do that  military like mashup. So  heavy yet pure brilliance as well!

Shortest Straw leads off the second album and it’s a full-out sonic brawl. Straight ahead blistering Metal. The lyrics when you follow them you know James was taking them seriously. Than again I always mention that it blew my mind he was writing lyrics to songs like Fade To Black in 1984!

Huge guitars lead the way with Harvester Of Sorrow. Another stomper of a track that they still play to this day! Great solo in this tune by Kirk.

The Frayed Ends Of Sanity.  What a great title! Lars goes off the rails with his drumming on this one. More guitars/More Drums/More Bass…ummm ok maybe not so much Bass but it’s there……kinda buried under an avalanche of Hetfield rhythm’s!

How about a 9 minute plus musical tribute to Cliff and call it To Live Is To Die a mixture of classical guitar and metallic stomps and it’s a deep long track. Cliff would have been proud ….

The album ends with Dyers Eve which features an all out assault on guitars and drums. If you think Tallica was gonna the end the album on a chill note. Think again….This song is HEAVY!

There ya have it folk’s! 1988 and Metallica step up and do what no bands were doing in 1988 and for one thing that’s a double studio album filled with vocals/riffs/more riffs and drums! How about the length of the tunes! Blitzkrieg!

Too be honest when I first got this back in 1988 like I have said a few other times that there was so much music out that it was hard to devote a full 100 percent to anything as bands were putting out stuff  it seemed like every two weeks.

This album was complete grower on me and here we are like 29 years later and I appreciate this album more now than I did back in 88!

Kudos to James/Jason/Kirk and Lars on this album….