Unknown Soldier

I really miss your updated journals.

Actually that's a load of bollocks really, because I'm just making this post to see how quickly the mods can approve it after the recent debacle with post delays

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

I wake up in the morning and I'm in trance.

Tokyo Tapes is basically the album in the Scorpion’s discography, that draws to a close the first phase of the band. As is often the case, the band were on the verge of virtual stardom as one of their key members decided to seek out pastures anew. After having already dished through five studio albums, this pivotal line-up change saw the indispensable Uli Roth pack his bags and leave to form the more neo-classical Electric Sun, which makes Tokyo Tapes a superb live documentation of the Uli Roth era of the band. In many ways this sprawling double set serves as a ‘best of release’ by the band, as the material carefully documents all of the band’s previous studio albums and as per usual there are a number of non-album tracks as well. The album was recorded over three nights and the majority of the early tracks heard come from the Virgin Killer album, as the band then cover the rest of their albums. The album is highlighted with songs to the level of “In Trance” “We’ll Burn the Sky” “Speedy’s Coming” “Top of the Bill” and “Robot Man”. One of the gripes from the band regarding this album, is that from the three nights that they performed at the Nakaya Sun Plaza, the first night according to the band was their best performance overall, but those performances were largely ignored in favour of the other nights by the label. When Tokyo Tapes was initially released, it did suffer from a somewhat chopped release and it wasn’t until much later, when the double cd of the album came out and offered us the complete concert that we finally got the full picture. Also a third remastered version of the album, came at the expense of certain tracks to make room for others, as by then the concert had been made to fit on just one cd. I must admit that whenever I hear of a 1970s and 1980s live album that was recorded in Japan, it automatically intrigues me and I’m never disappointed, because to be really cool back then you needed a live Japanese release in your discography! But this is probably because of my addiction to Cheap Trick’s at Budokan still the best live album ever recorded in my opinion! So despite my biasness towards Japanese live settings, Tokyo Tapes is a still a pounding live release and a must listen for the live heavy connoisseur.

Klaus Meine- Vocals
Ulrich Roth- Guitar
Rudolf Schenker- Rhythm
Francis Buchholz- Bass
Hermann Rarebell- Drums

Production- Dieter Dierks
Nakana Sun Plaza, Tokyo 1978

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

Recorded in three different locations (London, Toronto and Paris) between 1976 and 1977, the double Live and Dangerous captures one of the most captivating of all live artists in Thin Lizzy at the height of their powers. After a string of acclaimed albums Fighting, Jailbreak, Johnny the Fox and Bad Reputation, it was only obvious at some stage that these Dublin based rockers would issue a live-set. Saying this though, Live and Dangerous hadn’t been planned by the band, as around this time they had planned to record another studio album with producer Tony Visconti, who of course had taken over production duties for the band from John Alcock on the previously released Bad Reputation. But with Tony Visconti running a tight schedule at this time, the band came up with the idea of compiling a live-double album instead and an album that would satisfy their fanbase. The album has had its detractors who state the heavy use of overdubs for the album, but then again I hardly see this as a negative, as a similar type of enhancement had been used for the legendary Kiss Alive! album a few years earlier and that had achieved remarkable results and with Tony Visconti at the production helm, it was only also obvious that he was going to go in for the best recording of the band that he could get. The real strength of Live and Dangerous is not in the actual song selection being used, as it would for most other bands, but just how well the tracks chosen have been executed, as songs like “Emerald” “Rosalie” “Massacre” “Don’t Believe a Word” “Suicide” and "The Rocker" have never sounded better and sit side by side as equals with the even better known material. The album would also see the final outing for the band with guitarist Brian Robertson, as ex-Thin Lizzy man Gary Moore returned to the fold, despite having already having undertaken a solo career. As things stand, Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous still ranks amongst live-accolytes as one of the finest live albums of the 1970s. A fact that is often mirrored in ‘greatest ever lists’ and without naming them all, the lists include well known sources ranging from Kerrang! to the likes of NME. There is also a remastered version of the album which was released on both cd and dvd in 2011 and it contained a couple of additional tracks.

Phil Lynott- Bass/Vocals
Scott Gorham- Guitar
Brian Robertson- Guitar
Brian Downey- Drums

Production- Tony Visconti
London, Tokyo and Paris 1976-1977

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Trollheart

I would both agree and disagree with that. While this format definitely suits your journal, and while some of my own are certainly locked into a set format --- Couch Potato, Classic Albums etc --- I still like to have a loose enough setup that if an idea comes to me out of the blue (as they so often do) I can integrate it into my journal without worrying about whether it fits the format or not. A bit of scope for variety and new ideas is always good I feel.Me too!

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Unknown Soldier

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

As with glam rock before it, I’ve purposefully avoided southern rock as well, as delving into these two sub-genres would surely make the confines of this journal too large to work within its current paramaters. But a mention should surely be given to some of the southern rock bands at the heavier end of the spectrum. The Allman Brothers Band had of course served up southern rock’s main helping some ten years earlier and the reknowned Lynyrd Skynyrd had provided the genre with its heavier backbone. In fact Lynyrd Skynyrd would prove to be an even greater influential backbone to the future heavy southern rock bands, than any of the traditional hard rock and heavy metal bands out there. Prior to this and over the years bands like ZZ Top had kept southern heavy traditions alive, but towards the end of the decade a number of southern based bands such as Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot put out heavy albums that were well worth the listen. Molly Hatchet who got their name from a prostitute that had allegedly killed and mutilated her victims, were a band that came from that southern musical hotbead of Jacksonville Florida and had heavily played the local bar circuits. Then with the help of the legendary Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) they had arranged several songs for their debut album of which Ronnie Van Zant had planned to produce. Then of course these plans were curtailed, when a tragic plane crash involving Ronnie Van Zant and others from Lynyrd Skynyrd were sadly killed, leaving hard rock producer Tom Werman to take up the production slack for the Molly Hatchet debut. Whilst the album is far from being a classic, the songs are superbly sung by frontman Danny Joe Brown and of any interest to fans of southern rock (which to be honest I’m not one, but I do like this album) The pick of the songs here include the album opener “Bounty Hunter” which is carried along by Danny Joe Brown’s infectious voice “Cheatin Woman” and the Allman's cover “Dreams I’ll Never See” and as expected the whole album is heavily carried along by its three guitarists, who dominate every track. Molly Hatchet along with the likes of Kansas, had some of the most epic and themed albums covers from the decade as well and their debut album cover is designed by American artist Frank Frazetta and was suprerbly named ‘The Death Dealer’ with its fantasy art style and like the Grateful Dead before them, they would continue with this theme for most of their output.

Danny Joe Brown- Vocals
Dave Hlubeck- Guitar
Steve Holland- Guitar
Duane Roland- Guitar
Daner Thomas- Bass
Bruce Crump- Drums

Production- Tom Werman

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

The end of the decade as far as the heavy rock scene went, was quite simply best put as ‘The Eve of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ which would burst onto the scene the following year and change the parameters of the heavy metal genre in sound, image, power and overall aggression. The end of an era had already come for the likes of Led Zeppelin who finally folded with the death of John Bonham after a couple of below-par albums, Deep Purple had already been no more for a couple of years and Black Sabbath who after losing Ozzy in 1978, and then replacing him with Dave Walker, then reclaimed Ozzy and produced their dullest album to date! Other bands weren’t faring much better either, such as early pioneers like Budgie and the Blue Oyster Cult two bands that would never quite find the same fire again as their earlier output. Also bands like UFO who were primed to take over from the big three, had failed to take the huge popularity mantle that they should’ve done. Luckily though a crop of bands carried the torch forward to the bitter end and these were not only good bands, but they were all selling by the bucketload as well and these included AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions and the mighty metal flagbearing Judas Priest. Stateside things didn’t get much bigger than Aerosmith or Kiss and newbies Van Halen were making this a trilogy of US giants by the end of the decade, with lesser lights such as bands like Riot busily furrowing away. 1979 as a whole was probably on a par with the previous 1978 in terms of overall quality in regards to the top end of my list and again like 1978 it suffers from some quality holes at its bottom end, thus making it neither a great year or bad year overall. There are no huge surprises at the top of the list with the likes of AC/DC, Scorpions and Thin Lizzy all placing highly, with other albums of note being the Van Halen sophomore, Rainbow going more commercially AOR and Motorhead finally bursting onto the UK scene. 1979 was a year where I have a lot of memories which range from the huge amount of quality new-wave, post-punk and Ska albums that were around in the UK at this time and these albums were very much balanced by some of the zanier acts and AOR standards that were fully established in the USA, and these contrasts certainly made the year a rich and diverse listen overall for the music listener. With this being the final year of the decade, it is the final year review that I plan to do in the current format, as from 1980 onwards I plan to revamp things a bit due to the greater expansion of the scene overall.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

Are you gonna do some kind of top ten for the whole decade? Would be sweet.

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Unknown Soldier

I am actually and probably in two lists. The objective top 10 list in what people need to listen to if they already haven't and my own personal fav top 10 list. I'll also do some other stats as well to close the decade. Should be around in a couple of weeks after I finish 1979.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

Bitchin'.

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