ZZ TOP Live (October 7th 1990)

 

Crazy to think that as the years pass by so do some  fine musicians who as fans we have been able to have seen live in concert. Dusty Hill may have passed on but he’s certainly not forgotten!

Oct 7th 1990/ZZ TOP-COLIN JAMES- Winnipeg Arena

Me and my best friend TBone were pumped about seeing the two long beards and the moustache  guy from Texas.

I mean rewind seven years prior and Eliminator was all over print media as  the vids were all over tv and that continued right into ’85s Afterburner which too me was sides 3&4 to Eliminator!

So after a few yrs away here comes 1990 as well here comes ZZ Top along with  dEke And TBone to rock the show with the Texas Trio.

ZZ Top was plugging their latest opus “Recycler” except it wasn’t gonna be released  until after the tour started. Recycler hit the Record Shops on Oct. 16th ’90.

The “Recycler Word Tour” started October 2 ’90 in Vancouver and the show we were catching was the fifth show of the tour in the ‘Peg.   Gibbons, Hill and Beard were a serious concert draw as all seven shows of the Canadian Tour were sold out and in arenas. (10,000 plus at each show)

Colin James (the opener) is flying high on the Canuck charts on his current  “Sudden Stop” release. Colin puts on a good show plays the hits including Tbone’s favourite “Voodoo Thing” along with his current big hit “Just Came Back”.

Once Colin wrapped up his well received set from there it’s the waiting game until ZZ hits the stage.

I mean what kind of stage is behind that curtain that stretches across and around the stage? Props? Recycled Legs?? Or just a amps,drums and a light show?….well as it turns out..

The lights went out in the Winnipeg Arena and it’s  pitch black (cue Rock Move 101) and you see two headlights appear in front of the drums with the whole stage draped with a black curtain.

A chain link fence image appears on the curtain,the sound of a car revving and the revving gets louder and along with the motor getting louder you can hear the sounds of a woman getting louder(if u know what I mean) and then bam..curtain drops.

Below is the full show from T.O, four days after  we caught em in Winnipeg. The sound and picture is clear. If anything watch the first 5 minutes including  the conveyer belt! Better yet watch the whole dang thing!

There’s ZZ and they plow right into “Planet Of Women”. I tell ya man that  is one of the best intros I have seen any band take to a stage ever!

Beards drums were on the back of a flatbed and it was like they were playing In a recycled junkyard complete with TV screens and flashing women.

Such a cool setup especially not knowing beforehand what we were going to see.

Billy Gibbons live with that guitar tone was awesome. There are certain guitar players you need to hear in a live setting like of course EVH (if you had the chance), Alex Lifeson, Joe Perry, Slash,  David Gilmour, and of course Rev. Gibbons who has a sound n style all his own.

This was a great show. Glad I caught ’em when they were still doing the arenas.

Setlist: Planet of Women/ Sleeping Bag/ Tell It/ Waitin for the Bus/ Jesus Just Left Chicago/ Ten Foot Pole/ Gimme All Your Lovin /Concrete & Steel/ Manic Mechanic/ Heard It On The X /2000 Blues/ Blue Jean Blues /Just Got Paid /Lovething/ Got Me Under Pressure/ Techno-industrial instrumental/ Sharp Dressed Man/ Give It Up/ Legs/ Tube Snake Boogie/ Jailhouse Rock/ La Grange/ Tush

On a side note I was really surprised ZZ were not playing the stellar track “Double Back” which of course was in the Back To The Future movie. Such a killer chorus. As much as I wanted to hear it I was glad that they did put “Double Back” as the last track on Recycler album so I have to cut Dusty, Frank and Billy some slack on that.

Come to think of it I think I had “Double Back” on a cassette single!!

 

 

 

 

SUMMERTIME SPIN- THE GEORGIA SATELLITES: OPEN ALL NIGHT(1988)

Summer of ’88  comes and  another one of my favourite spins (on cassette) was “The Georgia Satellites” when they dropped the follow up to the platinum selling self titled debut.

“Open All Night” is a great title for an album and look at that cover as its like the four dudes that make up the band are up all night as well.

Dan Baird as you all know was the driving force on all three of the Satellite major label releases not only singing and playing guitar but was also the main songwriter.

I’m always  surprised as how much pressure it must have been on guys like Baird back in the day to produce hits.

‘Keep Your Hands To Yourself’ was the biggie hit back in ’86 so come ’88 what batch of Georgia Fried Sizzle Rock could Dan come up with?

Out of the albums eleven tracks, Dan wrote eight along with  two cover tune’s, Ringo Starr’s ‘Don’t Pass Me By” and Whole Lotta Shakin Going On.” Lead slide guitarist Rick Richards contributes Hand To Mouth which is a borderline Stones  tune.

Baird though seals the deal on this album with his songs especially as he is a very crafty lyricist.

Open All Night has the band zipping around almost in ZZ Top land whereas second song in  Sheila is the perfect example of Bairds lyrics.

“Living here in this old town
There ain’t a lot to do
And after work I just ride around
Looking out for something new
When I saw you standing in a drugstore
Trying on your diamond ring
Had to run in jump through the front door
Grab your hand and start to sing about”

Plus the fact that Baird has a awesome Southern drawl seals the deal for me.

That’s the thing with these guys is they don’t deviate to much from their sound.

Lot’s of great driving summer rock stuff on here. “Down And Down” is a ball’s out rock track and that’s where the band excels as these guys had musical chops as well. “Mon Cheri” should have been a single. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t but it has that “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” vibe about it.

I read somewhere that Baird said this album was difficult to make and left it at that.

As a fan of the band, sure it falls a little short if your were to compare it to the debut and even the third album, ’89s” In The Land of Salvation and Sin” which considering was the swan song of the Satellites, they went out on a high note.

If you want to rewind back to 1988 and get a fix of some barroom boogie rock, look no further than “Open All Night”.

Robert Plant: Shaken ‘n’ Stirred (1985)

I have always been a sucker for a cool cover and Robert Plants ’85 release “Shaken n Stirred” is one of those.

After skipping ’83s “Principle of Moments” outright that year come ’85 I actually bought “Shaken n Stirred” on cassette tape as I figured it would be a great wake up tape for the trusty Walkman when I was peddling to work at 6am everyday on my  bike!

Once CDs became the rage I never sought this one out. It wasn’t of course until recently that as you know I ramped up my Rob collection of his solo stuff and decided to do a long overdue deep dive into the mans solo career.

Listening to Shaken n Stirred thirty six years later two things stand out to me.

1- Plant was trying to stay current with that overproduced rock sound of the day that was dominating the rock charts. He was not concerned whatsoever about maintaining any Zep influence on these albums by this point.

2- As a listener I can hear the direction on this albums sound with all the synth like action, crystal clear guitar and drums that he was headed into when he released ’88s brilliant (and I think Plant’s best) “Now And Zen” record.

I had caught the video of “Little By Little” on MuchMusic and being that I dug Roberts vocals (let’s face it, the man could sing the pages out of a history book and make it sound cool) I thought at the time I should take the plunge on tape which was cheaper than the vinyl.  Cost cutting measures I was on back then.

I didn’t mind this album at the time and I like it more now as I can hear where Robert was headed as the ’80s rolled on.

Sure this album is laced with synth driven tunes. The guitars of Robbie Blunt shine throughout as his picking reminds me of Andy Summers of The Police at times.

Plant and band were always experimenting and this album continues that path. “Kallalou Kallalou” is one of those tracks as the synth and drums carry the track same as “Pink And Black”.

It’s so easy to judge in 2021 and for that matter even back in ’85 but Robert was on a mission and really at the end of the day he really didn’t  give a shit what ya thought.

I’m sure the line of thinking was ‘You’re either with me or not” to keep changing with the times.

Now if you think the whole rock thing was ditched it was not.  “Trouble Your Money” and “Pink and Black” are the rock tracks here but don’t think for a minute Zep like rock songs. Different vibe totally.

Some changes not many were made by solo album three. Phil Collins was busy at this time, so all the drums were done by Richie Hayward and Tim Palmer was brought into the production end of things as well.

Also of note this album has nine tracks not eight like the previous two and this would also be the final appearance of this band as Robert by the time 1988 rolled around had a whole new band in place.

KISS: LIVE AT THE RITZ (1988)

Another fabulous Father’s Day Score from the Family from Aux33 Records in Montreal!

“Live At The Ritz” has to be one of the most bootlegged live shows of KISS or it has to be close as its a radio broadcast from the summer of 1988 just as KISS was about to embark on their European Tour.

Being that this is a radio broadcast and its already 34 years old (yikes!) it sounds good as this show is out on many different formats as well as many different covers.

This version is no different as its a limited pressing of 500 copies in which I have number 387 and on orange vinyl to boot!

So for any KISS fan out there you know that this cover is all wrong! That is the cover of the KISS “Monster” album from 2012!

Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer are pictured on the front cover as well. We all know that Tommy back in 1988 was in “Black N Blue” and Eric Singer was drumming for Gary Moore and others as they were no where near being in KISS at the time. Mind you Simmons produced the “Nasty Nasty” album by Black N Blue around this time so there is a bit of a connection!

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley had ditched the makeup eight years earlier in 1980 and on board with KISS at this point time was Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr(RIP).

I’m thinking maybe they slapped the makeup cover on as a selling feature or maybe the people putting this together had no clue.

Then again the credits listed on the back cover featuring the two lineups are correct, so who knows. Imagine if they had gotten those wrong?

Either way it’s a great show to have on vinyl as for some this is “KISS ALIVE 3” and fair enough as I’m onboard with that theory.

I have reviewed this already a few years back when Mikey Ladano sent me the tracks so an actual breakdown of this album you can find elsewhere around here.

I will add its a nice looking set with it being a triple gatefold and all three records being orange as well.

Record Three- Side B is the selling feature as its a great audio recording of KISS being young and going for it before Alive broke them big in the year 1975 and changed them forever!

Pretty cool little 5 pack of KISS tracks featuring original KISS homeboys Peter Criss and Ace Frehley in the mix as well. How about that live version of “Let Me Know.”!?

That pic above is the inside layout with the correct version of the classic lineup of Simmons/Stanley/Carr/Kulick.

The pic below is the 70’s classic lineup of Frehley/Criss/Simmons/Stanley. 

I’m really glad to have this added to my collection and finally getting a live version of “Bang, Bang You” on vinyl! (insert laughter here)

All kidding aside this is the warts n all recording of KISS at the back end of the 80s and its a great representation of that era of the band.

SUMMERTIME SPIN: Ozzy Osbourne- THE ULTIMATE SIN (1986)

I purchased “The Ultimate Sin” on cassette tape back in the spring of ’86 right before summer hit and this one (along with some others) for the longest time, was a favourite of mine in my trusty old Walkman!

Ozzy was on a creative roll after the awesome debut of Jake E Lee on ’83’s “Bark At The Moon” in which Jake showed up with a bag of riffs and laid down some serious guitar chops and continued Ozzy’s success . The thanks Jake got for “Bark At The Moon” was squat in the songwriting credits but this would change for the “Ultimate Sin”.

Ron Nevison fresh from bringing the band “Heart” off of  life support a year earlier in which that self titled album sold millions. Ron was tasked at hand at dialling it in with Ozzy and the band.

“Ultimate Sin” in 2021 is kinda the forgotten album in the Osbourne solo catalog. Why? I have no idea but I’m sure its business related and personal as we all know Sharon’s deal right?

Anyhoo…

Ultimate Sin has a good batch of tunes. Is it as good as “Bark At The Moon”? In my opinion no but this record had some killer riffs and songs.

Actually listening to it now there’s really no bad tunes it’s just that Nevison tried making a heavy metal Heart album. Whereas Bark At The Moon had a production style to its own Ultimate Sin doesn’t.

The songs can’t be knocked as the title track opens the album and it just crushes and launches right into “Secret Loser”. Thats a good starter pack right there as Jake smokes that fret board.

I will say that each song has some good Ozz and Jake value. The crowning achievement on this record is the stellar “Killer of Giants” which slowly builds up until it lifts off. What a great track as Jake delivers the goods on this track.

“Shot In The Dark” (written by Ozzy and Bassist Phil Soussan) was the big video/song from this record and helped propel the album up the charts.

So for Ozzy having Jake along (Bob Daisley co wrote 8 of the tracks with Jake and Ozzy) in the drivers seat helped keep Ozzy playing the arenas whereas his old band Black Sabbath was changing lineups quicker than a McDonalds worker flipping patties!

In what has to be one of my rock n roll blunders was when I had an opportunity to catch this tour In Minneapolis in early July of 86 in Minneapolis as I had to decline as I working full time that summer.

My thinking was no biggie I will catch Ozzy next time.

Well that was partially true. I caught Ozzy not o the next tour but on Ozzy’s “No More Tour Tours” back in July ’92!

That was no big deal but what I missed out on was that July ’86 show was Metallica opening for Ozzy when Cliff Burton was still alive.

Damn…

I have this on vinyl which my pal El Donko passed onto me. It’s a little worn but I have never seen this out there in the wilds so this beat up copy will do for now!

 

 

 

Summertime Spin- Motley Crue: Theatre of Pain (1985)

Hey Folk’s! Welcome back to another round of “Summertime Spin” where I transport you all back to those good old days of the 80’s, where certain albums had those kind of impact moments on me as a listener upon there release when I was young, much younger!

Summer of 85 and I was starting my second summer working for a living as I was going on 18 my job washing dishes was basically funnelling my addiction to all things hard rock. Magazines, the odd purchase on cassette and mostly on vinyl ruled my world when payday would roll around.

One such album that came out right when I was finishing up Grade 12 was the very eagerly awaited new album from Motley Crue!

Now Playing- Theatre of Pain.

Crue was huge in 85 for some of the wrong reasons as we all know about the car accident in which Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle was killed as Crue singer Vince Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter. A few people in the other car that Neil plowed into also were hurt.

I’m not going to go down that whole road as there has been enough written about it but come that summer, how would the Crue respond.

Before I get to far into this you have to transport yourself back to that summer of 85 with me.

Sure over time “Theatre of Pain” has been trashed by many a fan and fair enough as if you bought this at the time I bet ya liked some if not all of it.

I’m calling you out!

My point being there wasn’t much Crue to compare it to as this record was the third major release by them. (“Too Fast For Love” and “Shout At The Devil” came out in 1981 and 1983 respectively)

See thats the thing with 20/20 hindsight. What is maybe considered meh in 2021 was awesome in 1985!

So anyways with Vince Neil freshly out of the clink and back with Motley out comes “Theatre of Pain” in which I was fully invested what the band was selling upon its release.

At the time I dug that look the Crue was going for. Back in 85 I was an imperishable teen who lapped up what Nikki Sixx was pouring my way.

Let’s go Glam says Sixx and the masses bought into it. Crue must have been the first act or close to it as come a year later in 86 Poison releases on the world their debut(” Look What The Cat Dragged In”) and that Poison front cover had many fooled. You know what I’m talking about.

Actually looking back some good stuff oozed itself off this album like the Aerosmith driven “City Blues Boy”. I thought this style of sleaze rock was good.

I was burnt out at the time and still am ironically enough in regards to cover tunes as “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” I found somewhat boring on the album but I thought the video was funny enough and I could handle watching it in 1985 times so to speak.

Speaking of video. “Home Sweet Home” is a good one as this song I believe saved the album from going to the cheapie bins rather quickly. Once again I liked the video over the album version. As I loved that live and backstage footage of the band.

Sixx was smart or someone at the management was as they knew how to sell the show to a yahoo like me at the time and this video went bonkers and I bet ya sold a million copies of this record alone on that track.

The rest of the record was good not great with “Keep Your Eye On The Money” being perhaps my favourite off this album back in 85 and even now in 2021.

Sixx hit one out of the park on that one…

“Comedy and tragedy
Entertainment or death
Like Sister Morphine
Hooked on her game
Time to place your bets“

Considering the Crue was kinda in a mess at this time personally its amazing that they could pull it together and put out a record at all.

I guess back in 1985 that was saying something as Sixx, Lee, Mick and Vince were partying and pulling all nighters, a young deKe’s was getting up at 5 am to go to my summertime job at the hospital to fuel my addiction to rock and in doing so in buying albums like “Theatre of Pain”.

Your Welcome Sixx!

THE WHO:FACE DANCES (1981)

For some, well let’s say many when it comes to discussing The WHO lineup’s over the years it’s Keith Moon or nothing. I get that. For myself though my discovery point of getting into The WHO was when they were breaking up in 1982 when I was 15!

So for that fact the two Kenny Jones studio albums that Ken drummed on, those being “Face Dances(1980”) and “It’s Hard(1982)” will always be held in high esteem around here at Arena Rock Central!

Sorry Moon The Loon! Love your stuff too but this period of The WHO is my entry point.

This year for Father’s Day my three daughters and The Boss let me run wild online for RSD 2021.

I hit my go to place AUX333 in Montreal and I scored with four albums (which you will see in reviews at some point sooner than later) and this one that I have been wanting to own on vinyl since 1982 which is ….

THE WHO: Face Dances!

You Better You Bet I got a copy!

Now years ago(mid eighties) I bought “Face Dances” on cassette tape for $5.99! I loved it yet when I got back into buying vinyl seriously about four years ago I began the hunt for this album.

Thanks to RSD in June 2021 I search no more!

Pete and Rog have reissued “Face Dances” and once I seen that I was thinking I need to be getting this one!

Got it!

LP1: The Original Album

Side One:
1. You Better You Bet
2. Don’t Let Go The Coat
3. Cache Cache
4. The Quiet One
5. Did You Steal My Money

Side Two
1. How Can You Do It Alone
2. Daily Records
3. You
4. Another Tricky Day

LP2: Face Dances Part 3

Side 3 
1. I Like Nightmares
2. It’s In You
3. Somebody Saved Me
4. Dance It Away (previously unreleased) with Roger on lead vocals
5. Don’t Let Go The Coat (previously unreleased) with Pete on lead vocals

Side 4 All tracks live at Grugahalle, Essen, 28 March 1981 and broadcast live for Rockpalast
1. Don’t Let Go The Coat (previously unreleased)
2. You Better You Bet (previously unreleased)
3. The Quiet One (previously unreleased)
4. Another Tricky Day (previously unreleased)

• 

• 

A huge batch of music and it’s finally great to own a copy on vinyl. The standouts for me on the original album are of course “You Better You Bet” which Roger Daltry delivers what I believe is one of his best studio performances ever which has always impressed me as Rog was always singing the words of Pete Townsend who as we all know all can be a pretty fickle fella when it comes to his music and fair enough as Pete has earned that right.

“Face Dances” is one of those albums that I can dig in as the album does not lag whatsoever but when I read about the thoughts of how the band felt about the material at the time, they were taking pot shots at each other about the songs on it and it didn’t help matters that as The WHO hit the road before the album came out that producer Bill Szymczyk was left to the final mix which also did not help the cause as the band was not happy with it.

Whatever the reason I love it man..

  Sprinkled throughout the album is classic WHO rock (“Daily Records”),old school WHO (“Cache Cache”) as well as some other kinds of WHO rhythm (“Don’t Let Go the Coat,” “Did You Steal My Money”).

Another ace in the hole tune on “Face Dances” is Bassist John  Entwistle’s song “The Quiet One” which has the boys rocking out in a power trio fashion and is one of my all time fav WHO nuggets. Where the band really soars though on this tune is the live version on Side 4 off the record.

I always have loved how Pete just cuts loose and lets it all hang out on the 6 string. Windmills, power chords and the amps pushed to 11 have Pete going bonkers and there are a few live versions of “The Quiet One” out there and I don’t think I have ever heard this song end the same. Kudos to Jones on the drums as well riding that cymbal with a bunch of different patterns underneath.

1980 and The WHO were headed into a new decade with a new album and a new drummer in tow and all these years later (41 to be exact) I finally got on vinyl.

So good So brilliant So get this…

KISS: OFF THE SOUNDBOARD:TOKYO 2001

I have to say that as a fan, Mean Gene and Starchild can frustrate me at times with all the silliness that they try and sell us diehards.

KISS though has done the right thing and have issued what hopefully will become a series of shows recorded directly off the soundboard that are now available to us domestically instead of buying bootlegs at inflated prices.

KISS Tokyo 2001 is just that. A killer live show. 21 songs the full meal deal and if you’re wondering, Paul Stanley’s voice is spot on throughout the show.

Now you could say do we need another KISS live album? Yup I say as if its going to be done in a bootleg style and features the full show than I’m onboard.

The real charm for me is four things..

1- This album features the short lived lineup of Stanley-Simmons- Frehley and Singer.

2- No “Beth”

3- Some rarely played songs like Ace’s “Talk To Me” and the Stanley’s solo version of “I Still Love You” are a couple of tracks you wouldn’t expect to hear.

4- Ace playing guitar on songs like “Heaven’s On Fire”, “I Love It Loud” and “Lick It Up” that the Spaceman was not originally on!

I could go on and talk about all the other tracks but thats why you have guys like Ladano and Snowman around. I let those boy’s do the heavy lifting and I take the easy way out!

Sure you get all the hits as well as you can see below by the track listing but it’s those little things that I mentioned above that make this soundboard recording one excellent spin.

I really hope at some point that KISS release other soundboard shows as I think Eric Carr should get his due with an official KISS live release.

STILL COMPETITION: The Listener’s Guide to Cheap Trick: by Robert Lawson

This Friday night on the Lebrain Train at 7pm we will be talking to book author Robert Lawson who has written the ultimate recording history of Cheap Trick titled “Still Competition”.

Needless to say we will be doing a deep dive into the Cheap Trick albums as well as focusing on Roberts other two books, Razama-Snaz which details the recorded output of Nazareth and Robert’s recently released book “Wheatfield Empire”: Listeners Guide to The Guess Who.

Over the course of the book’s 261 pages, Robert digs deep going way back to 1967 when the band with various Trick members started as the “Grim Reapers”.

22 Trick albums are fully written about as well as Robin Zander’s two solo albums that came and went without notice as well as compilations that former drummer Bun E Carlos has put together over the years are examined thoroughly.

Each album is broken down into four sections. Background, Videos, Release And Reception, Reissues- Remasters and Re-Recordings.

Such a great breakdown of each album. No stone is left unturned as I even discovered things that Robert put in this book that I had no idea about and I’ve been listening to Cheap Trick since 1979!

Robert did his homework here folks, and one of the best things I can say about “Still Competition” is when Cheap Trick had an album that was iffy at best Robert says so.

No sugercoating!

From a personal standpoint I look forward to yacking with the guys about “The Doctor” release from 86!

It’s going to be a great chat Friday night with Robert and you can pick up his books at Amazon for a very good price!

Judas Priest: British Steel (1980)

 

Crazy to think that “British Steel” by Judas Priest is 40 years young this year.

Crazier to think that it took me 40 years to finally own a physical copy of this album!

WHUT??

Ok, so the story goes that when I discovered Priest in 1979  the fantastic live opus “Unleashed In The East” hit the streets. I loved that album but being 12 years young in 1979 and 13 years young in 1980 and hitting 14 years old in 1981 my allowance would only take me so far at the time. 

The brilliant “Point of Entry” album by Priest in 1981 I bought as I needed some cassette tapes as the family was headed to a campground outside of Thunder Bay for 2 weeks. I needed Metal and the recently released “Point of Entry” satisfied my desire for the sonics that JP delivered on Point of Entry. I still also remember taking out to camp with me the Creem issue(August 1981) that had singer Rob Halford on the cover.  (See the picture below.)

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Over the years when Priest released new music as in Screaming For Vengeance(1982)” Defenders of the Faith (1984) Turbo (1986) Priest Live (1987) I was pretty in synch at getting the albums basically on or close to release day.

“British Steel” I had dubbed on cassette throughout the early 80s. By the end of the decade though when CD’s became the rage I never bit and purchased them. Who knows why? 

In 2010 British Steel had its 30th Birthday and Judas Priest reissued it with bonus tracks and a live show from 2010 where Priest played the album front to back.

I bought it but from iTunes so I’m sure you physical product lovers out there (I know who you are) would disqualify me on said purchase. lol

Not until September 2020 when RSD was going on and I ordered the Ace Frehley album “Trouble Walking” from Montreal to make it worthwhile since I was paying $15 for postage why not include a second album at a cheaper price to make the postage a little easier to accept!

British Steel is just that a classic! Nine songs make up this fabulous platter served up by Rob Halford and the boys!

Side One lifts off with Breaking The Law. As Preist do they do indeed go about breaking the law on this album as the next eight tracks that follow are classics!

Lot’s of great metal on here as the vocals of Rob Halford are top-notch from the get-go as his two co songwriters on the album Guitarists KK Downing and Glenn Tipton lay down their own law on the six strings! Dave Holland (drums) and Ian Hill(bass) are a very simple yet effective rhythm section that gets the job done in servicing these tunes.

Ok, deKe enough about the word Law!

Seriously though there are all kinds of metal on here. Fast ripping tunes like Rapid Fire and album closer Steeler.  Tunes that have such a cool breakdown in them and build up like Grinder, songs that have always gone over well in concert those being Living After Midnight and of course Breaking The What?? Breaking The What?? Breaking The Law!

Ok, I promise now! I won’t say the word Law again! 

If you were to ask me what my favorite track from this album would be I would have to go to Side 2 and that would be track seven You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise.

Love this tune as Halford delivers the perfect vocal especially when he sings the line of…

“I grow sick and tired of the same old lies”

Give it a listen and hear Halford soar at the 1:26 minute of the tune. It’s those little octave changes that always grab me as a listener!

What a stellar track that along with the rest of the album is indeed British Steel!