Black Rose (UK) - Walk It How You Talk It (1987)

Country: UK
Year: 1987
Line-up: Steve Bardsley (vocals, guitars), Pat O'Neill (guitars), Gary Todd (guitars, keyboards), Mick Thompson (bass), Barry Youll (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Shout It Out   2.   E.Z.L.Y.   3.   Honestly Love You   4.   Don't Fall In Love   5.   Party Animal   6.   Want Your Love   7.   California U.S.A.   8.   Walk It How You Talk It   9.   Bright Lights Burnin'

Fletchanator's comment: There are two hard rock bands called Black Rose - one from Denmark and this UK outfit. This band started out with the name Ice in the late 70s, before changing their name. They were NWOBHM early on, including on their debut album (not available on CD). But by the time their second album rolled around in 1987, they had softened their sound to be more melodic, incorporating keyboards and radio-friendly hooks. Even singer Steve Bardsley had changed his singing style, softening the gravelly edge and hitting more high notes.
This album is extremely hard to find on CD - it sells on eBay for hundreds of dollars. But is it any good? Well, yes it is. I really, really like this album and have played it a lot over the years. It reminds me of a mix between Quiet Riot and High 'N Dry-era Def Leppard - melodic but not overly glammy. It's good stuff - check it out because you're unlikely to ever get hold of the CD!

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Pretty Boy Floyd (CAN) - Bullets & Lipstik (1989)

Country: Canada
Year: 1989
Line-up: Tommy Floyd (vocals), Pete Parker (guitars), Steve Bratz (bass), Sandy Hazard (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Welcome to the Show    2.   Four for the Road   3.   Somewhere (over that rainbow)   4.   Proud to be Loud   5.   Raggedy Ann   6.   Moonshine Daze   7.   This Gun's for Hire   8.   Another I.O.U   9.   Down on the Floor   10.   Bullets and Lipstik

Fletchanator's comment: Not to be confused with the more well-known American band of the same name, this Pretty Boy Floyd was from Vancouver, Canada and only released this one album. As the story goes, a legal battle ensued between this PBF and the LA-based outfit - obviously the American band won and this band changed their name to Tommy Floyd but ultimately didn't reach the levels of fame of their namesakes.
While today they might just be a footnote in hard rock history, this Pretty Boy Floyd are actually really good. They sound a bit like a poor man's Kix, and that's not an insult because I'm one of the biggest fans of Kix going around. Tommy Floyd definitely sounds like Kix frontman Steve Whiteman, and while the guitaring isn't on the same level as Ronnie Younkins and Steve Forsythe, the overall sound is damn good. Turn it up and rock on!

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Physical media collection update #3

I was in the city for a couple of days and found a very short window (about half an hour) in which to hit a record store. I wasn't able to find too much but did pick up six solid albums on vinyl for $NZ5 each (about  $US3.35 each). They all play mint. And the one CD I found in a thrift store for $1.

Photo #1:

3rd Stage Alert - 3rd Stage Alert EP (1984)
- The only release by this California melodic heavy metal band, with Mark Edwards (Lion, Steeler, Riot) on drums. Produced by Yngwie Malmsteen. Just five tracks, solid stuff.

Stealer - Stealer (1982)
- Another release comprising the entirity of the band's output, this one by Canadian melodic rockers Stealer. This one has never even been released on CD, so was happy to snag it. Classic rock bordering on hard rock, similar to Foreigner.

Y&T - Earthshaker (1981)
- Third album by this fantastic American hard rock band. I have the three albums that follow this (Black Tiger, Mean Streak and In Rock We Trust) on vinyl but need to get their later 80s stuff still.

TNT - Intuition (1989)
- The fourth album by these Norwegian powerhouse rockers and the second I now own on vinyl (I also have 1987's Tell No Tales). Definitely one of TNT's best.

Photo #2:

Will and the Kill - Will and the Kill (1988) BLIND BUY
- I had never heard of this band but the cover and name caught my attention. It turns out this is quite good bluesy hard rock with an abundance of acoustic guitars.

Hellfield - Hellfield (1978) BLIND BUY
- Another blind pick up based on the name and the band photo. Canadian classic rock with some great guitaring and the kind of organ/keyboards that was big in the 70s.

Ugly Kid Joe - America's Least Wanted (1992) CD
- The breakout album for this band, on the back of the huge hit Everything About You. Great stuff, and I didn't have this on CD (or any physical media for that matter). As a side note, if you haven't checked out the band's 2015 release, Uglier Than They Used Ta Be, do it, it's awesome!

Enuff Z'Nuff - Strength (1991)

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line-up: Donnie Vie (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Derek Frigo (lead guitar), Chip Z'Nuff (bass), Vik Foxx (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Heaven or Hell   2.   Missing You   3.   Strength   4.   In Crowd   5.   Holly Wood Ya   6.   The World is a Gutter   7.   Goodbye   8.   Long Way to Go   9.   Mother's Eyes   10.   Baby Loves You   11.   Blue Island   12.   The Way Home/Coming Home   13.   Something for Free   14.   Time to Let You Go

Fletchanator's comment: Enuff Z'Nuff is a band that I feel doesn't get enough love these days. In a time when a lot of glam hard rock bands were following a similar formula, this Illinois quartet brought something new to the table. Their mix of glam, hard rock and psychadelic-era Beatles harmonies was a real breath of fresh air and sounds just as good today as it did back then.
This is Enuff Z'Nuff's second album, and while it doesn't contain the hit singles of the debut, in my opinion it's their best release, extremely strong from start to finish. My favourite tracks are Strength, Baby Loves You, Heaven or Hell, Missing You and Mother's Eyes.
If you don't already have this album, you need it!

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Pride of Lions - Pride of Lions (2003)

Country: USA
Year: 2003
Line-up: Toby Hitchcock (vocals), Jim Peterik (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Mike Aquino (guitars), Clem Hayes (bass), Ed Breckenfield (drums), Hilary Jones (drums), Christian Cullen (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.   It's Criminal   4:55    2.   Gone   4:36    3.   Interrupted Melody   4:09    4.   Sound Of Home   4:30    5.   Prideland   6:16    6.   Unbreakable   5:04    7.   First Time Around The Sun   5:10   8.   Turn To Me   4:48    9.   Madness Of Love   6:19    10.   Love Is On The Rocks   4:27    11.   Last Safe Place   4:39    12.   Music And Me   5:20

Fletchanator's comment: Formed by ex-Survivor guitarist/keyboardist Jim Peterik, Pride of Lions released seven albums between 2003 and 2012, starting with this self-titled debut. With Peterik (who co-wrote most of Survivor's big hits, including Eye of the Tiger) the driving force behind the band, it's natural that this band ends up sounding like his old outfit. Young singer Toby Hitchcock sounds a lot like Bobby Kimball from Toto, and some of the songwriting borders on Chicago material, so this is definitely one for fans of polished, hook-laden 80s-style AOR.
 
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EZO - E-Z-O (1987)

Country: Japan
Year: 1987
Line-up: Masaki Yamada (vocals), Shoyo Iida (guitars), Taro Takahashi (bass), Hiro Homma (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   House Of 1,000 Pleasures   5:10 2.   Flashback Heart Attack   4:07 3.   Mr. Midnight   4:22 4.   Here It Comes   3:15 5.   I Walk Alone   3:36 6.   Destroyer   4:27 7.   Big Changes   3:52 8.   Kiss of Fire   3:26 9.   Desiree   3:31

Fletchanator's comment: If you've heard any of the 1990s albums put out by Japan's biggest glam rock band, Loudness, then you're already familiar with singer Masaki Yamada. Yamada, Loudness' third singer (1992-2000), started in this band, another Japanese hard rock group that tried to make it big in America. Originally called Flatbacker, after releasing three albums in Japan, they changed their name to EZO under the direction of producer Gene Simmons (he of KISS and giant tongue fame) and released this album in 1987 and another in 1989 for Geffen Records before being dropped by the label and splitting up.
In terms of sound, it's hard not to compare EZO with Loudness, but on some of the harder, faster songs I also hear similarities with another Japanese band, X (or X-Japan as they were known internationally). Singer Yamada reminds me of Klaus Meine from Scorpions. And then the Simmons influence is also felt, with the production (and some of the songs) sounding like 80s-era KISS. So yeah, take KISS, Loudness, X-Japan and Scorpions, mix them all together and you get EZO.
Get it while you can, because the CD goes for ridiculous money on eBay.

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China - China (1988)

Country: Switzerland
Year: 1988
Line-up: Math Shiverow (vocals), Freddy Laurence (guitars), Claudio Matteo (guitars), Mark Lynn (bass), John Dommen (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   Intro   0:59 2.   Shout it Out   4:11 3.   Back to You   3:42 4.   The Fight is On   4:19 5.   Wild Jealousy   4:26 6.   Rock City   3:08 7.   Hot Lovin' Night   4:44 8.   Living on the Stage   4:11 9.   I Need Your Love   4:15 10.   Staying Alive   3:22 11.   One Shot to the Heart   3:26 12.   Don't Look Back   3:29

Fletchanator's comment: Swiss hard rockers China have become a bit of a running joke in the business for their inability to make it stick with any one lead singer, going through four front men in the space of their first four albums. This is their debut and the only appearance of singer Math Shiverow, who was replaced by ex-Crown vocalist Patrick Mason a year later, then American Eric St Michaels (ex-Trouble), then Douglas McCowan, before St Michaels returned a few years ago. Hell, Krokus singer Marc Storace even fronted this band for a few shows between permanent singers in 1992!
Okay, so despite the fact China went through singers like Spinal Tap went through drummers, what do they sound like? They play a brand of music that I can only describe as melodic hard rock that has AOR tendencies, or AOR that has melodic hard rock tendencies. In other words, their music straddles the line between AOR and melodic hard rock. They remind me of Trixter and Danger Danger - lightweight hard rock with lots of gang vocal harmonies and infectious grooves. It's good stuff, check it out!

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