REAL REWIND (RUSTY METAL)
BAND: SOD
CAN YOU SAY SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE????
WHAT THE F*** HAS THIS COUNTRY COME TO???NSYNC...98DEGREES...BACKSTREET BOYS...HOW ABOUT A DOSE OF REALITY WITH A BLAST FROM THE PAST... PUTS IT ALL OUT THERE ON THE TABLE... IF YOU DONT HAVE THIS ONE, GO FIND IT. RELEASED ON MEGAFORCE RECORDS IN THE HAYDAY OF THRASHMETAL AROUND 86' THIS ALBUMS TITLE SAYS IT ALL. BUT WITHIN THE BRUTAL AND BARBARIC CONFINES OF THESE LYRICS, IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL BILLY MILANO AND THE GANG IS SAYING, IS THE TRUE ESSENCE OF OUR BELIEFS. PLAY HARD, PLAY IT LOUD AND DONT LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT ROCK (REAL ROCK) IS DEAD. THIS ALBUM IS 14 YEARS OLD AND STILL REMAINS ON MY TOP 10 LIST OF ALL TIME. MAYBE NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT IT RANKS UP THERE. IF YOU GET THE CHANCE TO DIG THIS ONE OUT OF THE CLOSET, OR FROM THE BACKSEAT OF YOUR FRIENDS CAMARO, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!! TRACKS LIKE "MILK", "UNITED FORCES" AND "PRE-MENSTRUAL PRINCESS BLUES" WILL BLOW YOU AWAY WITH THE SPEED AND POWER THESE GUYS CAN PRODUCE. "WHAT THE F*** IS THAT F***ING NOISE" PUTS A COMICAL TWIST TO AN OTHERWISE INFORGIVIGLY BRUTAL AND DEAFING ALBUM...DONT DELAY...GO CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL RECORD SHOP(I COULD NAME A FEW IF THEY PAID FOR THE PLUG HERE, BUT IN DUE TIME MY FRIENDS) AND GET THIS ONE.
-ODEROUS
BAND: THE LYNCH MOB
1990 AND THE LYNCH MOB BLASTED ON TO THE SCENE WITH THE CLASSIC HARD-ROCK MASTERPIECE “WICKED SENSATION”. AXE SLINGER GEORGE LYNCH, WHO HAD MADE HIS REP WITH DOKKEN, DECIDED TO FORM HIS OWN BAND,AFTER YEARS OF INFIGHTING WITH DON DOKKEN. HE PUT TOGETHER AN UNKNOWN VOCALIST (ONI LOGAN), AN ACE BASSIST (ANTHONY ESPOSITO) AND HIS PARTNER-IN-CRIME FROM DOKKEN (WILD MICK BROWN) ON DRUMS. AND “MR. SCARY” ON ALL THE SIX STRING CHORES. THE RESULT, “WICKED SENSATION”, WAS THE BEST HARD ROCK ALBUM OF 1990. TWELVE BLISTERING TRACKS, THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PROGRAM YOUR CD PLAYER FOR-JUST PUT IT ON AND LET IT PLAY THRU. AND FOR THE GUITAR AFFICIANADO-THERE WAS PLENTY OF INIMITABLE FRET-BURNING LYNCH GUITAR TO ENJOY.AT THIS POINT THE LYNCH MOB HAD THE WORLD BY THE COJONES. THEY HAD A SUCCESSFUL TOUR BEHIND “SENSATION”, WHICH YOUR WRITER WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGHTO SEE AT THE AXIS IN BOSTON. THEY SEEMED POISED TO TAKE OVER THE HARD-ROCK WORLD. IT ISN’T CLEAR WHY THEY DIDN’T-WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE NEXT CD WAS 2 YEARS IN COMING-AND FEATURED A NEW VOCALIST, ROBERT MASON. IT WAS CALLED SIMPLY “LYNCH MOB” AND WAS NOWHERE NEAR THE ASTOUNDING QUALITY OF THE FIRST EFFORT. WHERE "WICKED SENSATION" WAS CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT, “LYNCH MOB” WAS VERY UNEVEN. SOME STANDOUT TRACKS ARE PRESENT (“TANGLED IN THE WEB”, A COVER OF QUEEN’S “TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN” AND “I WANT IT”) BUT OVERALL THE RESULTS WERE MIXED. THIS WRITER (AND MOST MOBSTERS, I THINK) PREFERRED ONI LOGAN’S VOX TO ROBERT MASON. THE LOYAL LYNCH MOB FANS HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST LYNCH MOB DISC UNTIL…1999 WHEN “SMOKE THIS”-THE THIRD CD FEATURING THE LATEST INCARNATION OF THE MOB WOULD APPEAR. THIS TIME GEORGE HAD VOCALIST #3-AS WELL AS A NEW BASSIST AND DRUMMER. TWO OF THE NEW MEMBERS WERE FROM A GROUP WHICH HAD A REGIONAL (SW) BUZZ AND A COUPLE OF CDS-CALLED OIL. I DON’T KNOW WHERE THE THIRD GUY CAME FROM. I WENT TO SEE THE LATEST VERSION OF THE MOB AT THE FAMED JAXX NIGHTCLUB IN SPRINGFIELD, VA. WHEN THEY STARTED PLAYING “KISS OF DEATH” (A DOKKEN CLASSIC) AND THE SINGER WAS RAPPING THE VOCALS, I NEARLY LOST IT. MY THEORY IS THAT GEORGE HAS BEEN LIFTING TOO MANY HEAVY WEIGHTS LATELY (HE IS A DEDICATED BODYBUILDER NOW) AND IT HAS GONE TO HIS BRAIN! I HAVEN’T HEARD THE CD “SMOKE THIS”-BUT FROM THE SONGS THEY PERFORMED LIVE, THEY ARE AT LEAST AS MUCH RAP AS THEY ARE ROCK. VERY FEW BANDS CAN PULL THIS MIX OFF-RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE BEING ONE OF THE FEW EXCEPTIONS. I WENT TO GEORGE'S WEB SITE TODAY (www.georgelynch.com). APPARENTLY HIS LATEST PROJECT IS CALLED STONEHOUSE. FROM WHAT I READ, GL SEEMS TO BE GETTING INTO THE INDUSTRIAL SOUND INCLUDING TAPE LOOPS. BRING BACK THE OLD MOB, GEORGE! LOSE THE RAP! LEAVE THE INDUSTRIAL TO NIN AND MINISTRY! YOUR LOYAL FANS EVERYWHERE WILL BE MUCH HAPPIER!SERIOUSLY, GEORGE IS ONE TALENTED GUY AND WITH A GUITAR IS HIS HAND HE IS ONE BAD YOU-KNOW-WHAT. AND HIS DESIRE TO EVOLVE WITH HIS MUSIC IS COMMENDABLE. BUT WITH THE SCARCITY OF GREAT HARD ROCK OUT THERE-WE NEED THE MOB!
FREE, PRINCIPAL WRITER-THEREALROCK.COM 10/5/00
BAND:LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH
ALTHOUGH THEY WEREN'T METAL PER
SE, NO ONE WOULD DENY THAT THE LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH WERE
HEAVY.
THEIR BODY OF WORK CONSISTS PRIMARILY OF 3 LPS ON IRS RECORDS
RECORDED 1982-1984. YEAH I KNOW THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME IMPORTS,
SINGLES AND BOOTS OUT THERE OF LOTNC, BUT THESE 3 ALBUMS ARE MOST
OF THEIR OUEVRE. THE FIRST ONE, CALLED SIMPLY LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH, IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE (ALTHOUGH ALL 3
ARE GREAT). THE SHEER VARIETY OF TOPICS, FROM ATTACKS ON
HYPOCRISY IN RELIGION ("HOLY WAR"), THE VIETNAM WAR ("RUSSIAN ROULETTE"), GENDER IDENTITY (LI'L BOYS PLAY WITH DOLLS), AND LUSTFUL RELATIONSHIPS ("QUESTION OF TEMPERATURE") PUT LOTNC LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF
MOST ROCK MUSIC IN TERMS OF WRITING GOOD SONGS ABOUT CURRENT
TOPICS. THE BAND WAS:
STIV BATOR-LEAD VOCALS, BRAIN JAMES (GUITARS, BACKING VOX), DAVE
TREGUNNA (BASS, BACKING VOX) AND NICK TURNER (DRUMS AND BACKING
VOX). BRIAN JAMES WAS ALREADY A STAR-BEING THE FORMER GUITARIST
FOR THE LEGENDARY BAND THE DAMNED. STIV HAD MADE HIS REP IN THE
DEAD BOYS. I AM NOT SURE OF TREGUNNA AND TURNER'S BACKGROUND
(MAYBE EX-DEAD BOYS-ANY KNOWLEDGEABLE READERS PLEASE WRITE US!).
THEY FOLLOWED UP THEIR EPONYMOUSLY TITLED DEBUT WITH IS NOTHING
SACRED? (APPARENTLY NOTHING WAS TO LOTNC-THEY PUT DOWN RELIGION,
THE GOVERNMENT, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO STIV CARED TO RAGE AGAINST
WITH DEMOCRATIC IMPARTIALITY!). THIS SOPHOMORE EFFORT FEATURED
SONGS ABOUT RACIAL INEQUALITY ("BLACK GIRL WHITE GIRL"), JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ("JOHNNY TOO BAD") AND INNER-CITY MURDER ("GOIN' DOWNTOWN"). THEY EVEN THREW IN A COVER TUNE
(THE GRASS ROOTS "LIVE FOR TODAY").
LOTNC DEFINITELY AVOIDED THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP THAT
MOST BANDS FALL PREY TO-THEIR 2ND ALBUM WAS AN ASS-KICKER.
NUMBER 3, THE
METHOD TO OUR MADNESS, WAS
EVEN BETTER. THIS ALBUM WAS MOSTLY ABOUT DEPRAVITY AND ALEISTER
CROWLEY-LIKE EXHORTATIONS (DO WHAT THOU WILT, PRETTY BABY SCREAM
AND S.F. AND T. AS THREE EXAMPLES). THE LORDS INCLUDED SOME GUEST
MUSICIANS ON KEYBOARDS, PIANO, STRINGS, AND SOME FEMALE BACKING
VOX. THE MUSIC WAS AS GOOD AS THEIR DEBUT AND BETTER THAN IS
NOTHING SACRED. I DROVE FROM TUCSON TO PHOENIX TO SEE THE BAND
PLAY AT A SMALL CLUB AFTER THE METHOD TO OUR MADNESS WAS
RELEASED. UNFORTUNATELY, SUCCESS APPEARED TO HAVE GONE TO THE
BANDS HEAD AT THIS POINT (ESPECIALLY STIV'S). THEY DIDN'T EVEN
APPEAR ON STAGE UNTIL 1:00 AM, AND PLAYED ONLY AN HOUR. DESPITE
HAVING THREE ALBUMS WORTH OF MATERIAL THEY DID 2 COVER SONGS (THE
WHO'S "SUBSTITUTE" AND I THINK THE OTHER ONE WAS "ANARCHY IN THE USA"). IT WAS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE
MOST DISAPPOINTING SHOWS I HAVE EVER SEEN. IN CONTRAST, MY FRIEND
LISA (WHO TURNED ME ON TO THE BAND-I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THAT
AND OUR CONTINUING FRIENDSHIP) SAW THEM WHEN THEY HAD RELEASED
THEIR DEBUT-AND SHE SAYS IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS SHE EVER
SAW.
A FEW YEARS LATER (I BELIEVE IT WAS 1989, GIVE OR TAKE A YEAR) I
HEARD THAT STIV WAS DEAD. I WAS TOLD BY A FRIEND AT WORK THAT HE
WAS HIT BY A CAR IN EUROPE, REFUSED MEDICAL CARE AND DIED LATER
THAT DAY (PRESUMABLY FROM INTERNAL INJURIES). I NEVER SAW ANY
WRITEUPS ABOUT IT, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW ACCURATE THIS STORY IS
(ALTHOUGH IT SOUNDS LIKE A CREDIBLE WAY FOR A GUY LIKE STIV TO
GO!). I KNOW OF FEW (IF ANY) OTHER BANDS WHO HAVE BEEN AS
INFLUENTIAL AS THE LOTNC ON THE STRENGTH OF 3 ALBUMS (OK, RAGE
AGAINST THE MACHINE QUALIFIES). BUT THE LORDS MUSIC WAS
DEFINITELY A "CHANGED MY LIFE" EXPERIENCE-SO R.I.P.
STIV BATOR.
-FREE, PRINCIPAL WRITER-THEREALROCK.COM 11/4/00
REAL ROCK REAL EZ
EZ? YES! JUST E-MAIL ME ON CDs YOU LIKE, HATE, OR CHANGED YER LIFE ! JUST TELL US WHAT ROCKS! ITS NOT HARD...........YET!
OF COURSE IF I THINK YER FULL OF IT I'LL TELL YA!! SO TOUGH @!#&%!!!!