Artillery - Fear of Tomorrow (1985)

*Reissued on CD for the first time in 1998 by 

Axe Killer/Roadrunner Records. 

This pressing contains 9 tracks total 

and non-remastered audio.

Country: Denmark

Language: English 

Genre: Thrash Metal

Label Number: 3038632

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© 1985-1998 Axe Killer/Roadrunner Records

Fear of Tomorrow Review by Eduardo Rivadavia

After making quite a name for themselves in tape-trading circles as one of Europe's most promising early thrash metal bands, Denmark's Artillery faced the challenge of matching the raw power and wild intensity of their demos with their first album proper. Fans needn't have worried about 1985's Fear of Tomorrow, however, for, even though the quintet's somewhat inconsistent songwriting couldn't keep listeners riveted at all times, their instrumental abilities at such high speeds still sounded quite phenomenal for the mid-'80s, and the distinctively varied style of singer Flemming Ronsdorf provided a highlight in itself. His wailing falsetto was common enough for the era, but when combined with a lower, gravelly growl, somewhere between AC/DC's Bon Scott and Accept's Udo Dirkschneider, it would become Artillery's most recognizable asset. And when backed up with the aforementioned, adrenalized technique of his bandmates (and particularly the high flying six-string heroics of Michael Stytzer and Jorgen Sandau), songs like "The Almighty," "Show Your Hate," and "Out of the Sky" represented the crème de la crème of European thrash in 1985. Yes, American thrash cues were almost inevitable, as well (see the "Seek & Destroy"-style towards the end of the semi-epic "Deeds of Darkness"), but alongside the simultaneously burgeoning German contingent (Kreator, Helloween, et al), Fear of Tomorrow saw Artillery contributing to a decisively European brand of thrash. 

 

 tags: artillery, fear of tomorrow, 1985, 1998, flac,

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Artillery - Terror Squad (1987)

*Reissued on CD for the first time in 1998 

by Axe Killer/Roadrunner Records. 

This pressing contains 8 tracks total 

and non-remastered audio.

Country: Denmark

Language: English 

Genre: Thrash Metal

Label Number: 3038642

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© 1987-1998 Axe Killer/Roadrunner Records

Terror Squad Review by Eduardo Rivadavia

Artillery's first album, 1985's Fear of Tomorrow, had already lost a little something in terms of wild spontaneity when compared to their heavily traded tape demos, but its 1987 successor, Terror Squad, though blessed with improved production, proved to be even more regimented and overwrought. Album opener "The Challenge" arguably qualified as the band's most memorable and (within reason) accessible composition yet, but the same standards were only occasionally replicated thereafter by portions of the title track and "Hunger and Greed." Otherwise, token new material like "In the Thrash," "Let There Be Sin," and "Therapy" found Artillery bogging down into convoluted arrangements, better suited to showcasing their instrumental technique (reminiscent of Exodus) than songwriting abilities. Add to this singer Flemming Ronsdorf's increasing propensity for crotch-squeezing falsettos (an almost inescapable habit of the '80s metal aesthetic) in place of his more distinctive growls, and the histrionics -- instrumental and vocal -- wind up overpowering the content. Thankfully, even when not at the top of their game, Artillery still possessed the instincts to keep their thrash more interesting than most (check out semi-epic "At War with Science" for a smorgasbord of riffs and the brilliantly titled "Decapitations of Deviants," with its amusing lyrics about "No time to relax in the grass"), and for this reason, Terror Squad kept most of their existing fan base satisfied. 

 

 tags: artillery, terror squad, 1987, flac,

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Artillery - By Inheritance (1990)

*First pressing. 

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: Denmark

Language: English

Genre: Thrash Metal

Label Number: RCD 9397

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© 1990 R/C Records

By Inheritance Review by Eduardo Rivadavia

Because the band risked experimenting with some bold new directions on 1990's By Inheritance, the album usually gets a bad rap from grumpy thrash purists and even some Artillery fans. But, with the benefit of hindsight, Artillery's third album frequently sounds like their finest hour, as much for boasting some of the most distinctive and imaginative songs of their career as for incorporating textural variety at a time when many of the Danish quintet's contemporaries were wallowing in stagnation. Clearly influenced by heavy metal tastemakers Metallica and Iron Maiden (in particular, their Egypt-themed Powerslave album) when recording By Inheritance, Artillery injected Eastern-flavored melodies into typically technical and muscular thrash offerings like "Khomaniac" and the title track, then looked no further than Roadrunner labelmates Annihilator for the melodic acumen achieved on "Bombfood" and "Back in the Trash." More traditional speed metal elements eventually surfaced on "Life in Bondage" and "Equal at First," but additional album standouts "Beneath the Clay (R.I.P.)" and "Don't Believe" (released as a single before the LP) continually inserted unprecedented doses of melody and contrasting softer passages with fantastic results, thus paving the way for a guilt-free cover of Nazareth's "Razamanaz" that sounded perfectly natural by the time it arrived. Unfortunately, these many qualities didn't succeed in converting staunch defenders of the thrash faith, and By Inheritance's troubled recording sessions even tore Artillery apart, reportedly requiring three separate mixes before vocalist Flemming Ronsdorf took charge of the process. Still, if time heals all wounds (Artillery briefly reunited a decade later), then there's hope that By Inheritance will also be given the re-evaluation it deserves. 

 

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Artillery - B.A.C.K. (1999)

*First pressing. 

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: Denmark

Language: English 

Genre: Thrash Metal

Label Number: PCD-33

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© 1999 Diehard Music Worldwide

*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

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Barry Gibb - Now Voyager (1984)

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock

Label Number: MCAD-5506

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© 1984 MCA Records

Now Voyager Review by William Ruhlmann

The Bee Gees took a recording hiatus between their contributions to the Staying Alive soundtrack in 1983 and their E.S.P. album in 1987, during which Barry and Robin Gibb each released solo albums. Barry, of course, had established himself not only as the Bee Gees' lead singer, but as a singer and songwriter in his own right through his work on Barbra Streisand's 1980 Guilty album, so anticipation was understandably high for Now Voyager. (And was that album title a subtle assertion that Gibb, like the Bette Davis character in the 1942 movie of the same name, was going to bloom after leaving his family?) Not surprisingly, the result sounded like a Bee Gees' album minus the brotherly harmonies (though Gibb convincingly approximated them through overdubs here and there), and throughout most of it, with danceable rhythms and prominent synthesizer work. "Fine Line," which sported a chorus featuring Roger Daltrey and Olivia Newton-John, was the most dancefloor-friendly track and actually got some disco play. "Face to Face" was a steamy ballad duet with Newton-John that wouldn't have been out of place on Guilty and might have made a good single. The actual first single, the midtempo "Shine Shine," had an engaging chorus and Caribbean riff that enabled it to slip into the pop Top 40 and the Top Ten of the AC charts. Though not a hit, Now Voyager actually did a little better commercially than the most recent Bee Gees' album, 1981's Living Eyes, indicating not so much that the public was rejecting Gibb's solo bid as that the brothers had passed out of fashion. Nevertheless, he retreated back into the group and remained there.

 

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Living In a Box - Living In a Box (1987)

*This is the Japanese first pressing on CD. 

Contains 11 tracks total.

Country: United Kigdom

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock

Label Number: CP32-5475

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© 1987 Chrysalis

Living in a Box Review by Kelvin Hayes

 If Duran Duran was a mix of Chic and Roxy, then Living in a Box was a new romantic band (minus the makeup) with a collection of soul and funk records (and sharp suits). Their first album is a fast-paced affair mostly dated now due to Marcus Vere's overly '80s keyboard sounds. Aside from the abysmal "Going for the Big One," which should never have seen the outside of the studio, there are still some good examples of post new romantic mid-'80s funk. The first four -- comprising the title track, "Love Is the Art," "So the Story Goes," and the ballad "From Beginning to End" -- all hold up reasonably well, and strangely enough sounded like they'd been around for years even at the time (particularly "Story," in that the keyboards are kept to a minimal ambient wash with Richard Darbyshire's husky vocals to the front). Also worth noting are "Scales of Justice" and "Can't Stop the Wheel," which proved their capabilities to further heights in the Steely Dan/Michael McDonald vein. A pity that "Ecstasy" (wasted as a B-side) and the 7" versions of "Love Is the Art" and "So the Story Goes" with Bobby Womack are missing in action, though. 

 

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Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 1988 (1993)

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock, Hip-Hop, R&B, Hard Rock

Label Number: CDNOW1988

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© 1993 EMI/Polygram

*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

 tags: various artists, now thats what i call music 1988, 1993, flac,

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The Sound - Jeopardy (1980) ☠

*Reissued on CD for the first time in 2001 by Renascent. 

This pressing Contains 15 tracks total and 

features remastered audio.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Post Punk

Label Number: REN CD4

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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1980-2001 Renascent

Jeopardy Review by Andy Kellman

Despite the production's rough edges, the limited budget that fostered it, and the feeling that it sounds more like several A-sides and a couple decent B-sides thrown together than a singular body, Jeopardy is a caustic jolt of a debut that startles and fascinates. With the plaintive intro of the rhythm section, a spidery guitar, and incidental synth wobbles (which all sounds surprisingly Neu!-like), "I Can't Escape Myself" begins the album unassumingly enough until reaching the terse, one-line chorus that echoes the title of the song; suddenly, from out of the blue, all the instruments make a quick, violent, collective stab and retreat back into the following verse as singer Adrian Borland catches his breath. The reverb placed on his voice is heightened at just the right moments to exacerbate the song's claustrophobic slant. The ecstatic onward rush of "Heartland" forms the back end of a dynamic one-two opening punch, with a charging rhythm and blaring keyboards leading the way. It seems to be the spawn of XTC and U2, just as giddy as something from the former (think Go 2) and almost as anthemic as something from the latter (think Boy). Much later on, near the end, "Unwritten Law" comes along as one of the Sound's best mid-tempo mood pieces -- one of their greatest strengths. It also shows how much a simple shading of synth can affect a song, as it affects it with a melancholic smear that no other instrument could possibly provide. In all honesty, they weren't breaking any new ground here. Their influences were just as apparent as the ones donned by the other bands who inhabited similar post-punk territory. Smart journalists of the time -- meaning the ones who truly listened and were aware of the band's past -- knew well enough that the Sound belonged in the same league as the bands they were compared to and not somewhere in the bushes. Hardly coattail jockeying, the Sound were developing and growing alongside them. If you're thinking this sounds like someone's telling you that you need Jeopardy just as much as you need Kilimanjaro or Unknown Pleasures or Crocodiles, you're right again. [Renascent's 2002 reissue offers a fine remastering job and the four-song Live Instinct EP as a bonus.]

 

 tags: the sound, the sound band, jeopardy, 1980, 2001, flac,

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The Sound - All Fall Down (1982)

*Reissued on CD for the first time in 2001 by Renascent. 

This pressing contains 13 tracks total 

and features remastered audio.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Post Punk

Label Number: REN CD 6

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© 1982-2001 Renascent

All Fall Down Review by Andy Kellman

Label: "The five-star reviews were nice and all, so how about some actual hits this time -- eh, fellas?" Band: "Right." The fellas responded with no hits, which had a lot more to do with defiance than closed-minded radio programming -- there was no attempt at making a hit. There's nothing like Jeopardy's blasting "Heartland," and there certainly isn't anything as instantly pleasurable as From the Lion's Mouth's "Sense of Purpose." In fact, the Sound responded to label demands and simmering internal pressures with a record that challenged devout fans as well. All Fall Down is one of those maligned records where some fans bailed but a select few would be inclined to attempt -- through demonstrative hand gestures and longwinded, shouty, pouty explanations of the circumstances surrounding it -- why it's the band's greatest achievement. All this despite the fact that the majority of the other people who have heard it will tell you it should be avoided at all costs. "It's hopelessly 'down,' it's got no 'tunes,' it doesn't go anywhere," etc. Truthfully, it falls somewhere between those two views. This is one of those records where patience pays off, because it will gradually become more apparent that the songs all fit together and pretzel themselves in a sense that each one's effect is optimized with the context of those surrounding it. It's not a sprawl of songs but an album. Nothing comes by and smacks you in the face; its progression unfolds slowly. They play around with song structures, avoid choruses, drop down unexpected portals, use rhythmic drives for extended stretches, and employ chanted refrains, tape effects, and mechanized handclaps. Some songs build and build and build on a slight gradient and fade out or disappear with no resolution, no catharsis. None of these developments emaciate the band's power. However difficult the record is to crawl into, it shows a band that had reached another level of mastery. [Renascent reissued All Fall Down in 2002 with superb sound and added three previously unreleased songs. The vocal tracks seem to be slowed down significantly, making Adrian Borland sound very intimidating.] 

 

tags: the sound, the sound band, all fall down, 1982, 2001, flac,

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The Sound - Thunder Up (1987)

*First pressing. 

Contains 11 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Post Punk

Label Number: CDBiaS 53

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© 1987 Play It Again Sam Records

*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 

tags: the sound, the sound band, thunder up, 1987, flac,

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Teena Marie - Naked To The World (1988)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: Pop

Label Number: EK 40872

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© 1988 Epic

Naked to the World Review by Alex Henderson

Teena Marie's popularity had decreased by 1988, when she found herself competing with considerably less talented Prince clones, Madonna wannabes, and Paula Abdul sound-alikes. But she managed to have both a hit album and an artistic triumph in Naked to the World, which found her taking a more high-tech, contemporary-sounding (by 1988 standards) approach to production without abandoning the classic soul and funk elements that made her so appealing to begin with. Among the treasures: the unapologetically sentimental, early-'70s ballad "Ooo La La La" (which proudly proclaims its allegiance to soul music's golden era, with references to Bloodstone's "Natural High" and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"), the addictively funky "Work It," and the sassy, clever "Trick Bag." The sparks usually flew when Lady T formed a duet with Rick James, and the sweaty "Call Me (I Got Yo Number)" and the ballad "The Once and Future Dream" are no exceptions.

 

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Hue & Cry - Remote (1988)

*European first pressing. 

Contains 12 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop

Label Number: CIRCD 6

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© 1988 Circa

 *No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

 tags: hue and cry, remote, 1988, flac,

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Hue & Cry - Seduced & Abandoned (1987)

*U.K. first pressing.

Contains 11 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop

Label Number: CIRCD 2

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© 1987 Circa

*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 

 tags: hue and cry, seduced and abandoned, 1987, flac,

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Wax - Magnetic Heaven (1986)

*This is a repress of the original 1986 CD pressing. 

 Contains 10 tracks total and non-remastered audio.

 

Country: United Kingdom/U.S.A.

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock

Label Number: 74321 14075 2

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© 1986 RCA

Magnetic Heaven Review by Dave Thompson

The debut album by one of the most promising double acts of the mid-'80s, complicated somewhat by an overwhelming need to sound like contemporary artists. Neither Graham Gouldman nor Andrew Gold could be said to have built their careers on danceable pop music; nor could their respective audiences have really been dying to hear them try. But they went for it anyway and, aided by a studio stuffed with the latest in techno gadgetry, turned in an album that could certainly hold its own against the majority of what was on the streets at that time. Indeed, "Right Between the Eyes" deserved to be as big a hit as any contemporary smash you can name, and digging deeper into the album, it was clear that even if the duo weren't exactly busting a gut in the songwriting stakes, they did have their finger on the modern pulse. 

 

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Shari Belafonte - Eyes of Night (1987)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: Pop

Label Number: 833 712-2

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© 1987 Metronome

*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

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Shari Belafonte - Shari (1989)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: Pop

Label Number: 841608-2

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© 1989 Metronome

*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

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King - Bitter Sweet (1985)

*European first pressing. 

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop Rock

Label Number: CDCBS 86320

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© 1985 CBS

Bitter Sweet Review by Dan LeRoy

Bitter Sweet wasn't quite as immediate and entertaining as King's first outing, Steps in Time, but the British quartet's colorful take on arena rock ensured that the follow-up would never be boring (despite the absence of their trademark garish suits and spray-painted leathers). In fact, it's a fairly accomplished album, saved from pretentiousness at every turn by the strong melodies and Richard James Burgess' muscular production. He pumps up the fine single "Alone Without You" and "I Cringed, I Died, I Felt Hot" (a worthy successor to Steps in Time's "I Kissed the Spikey Fridge" in the canon of head-scratching King titles) with huge, crunching drums and big guitars, as gang backing vocals supply easy to remember hooks and offset Paul King's dramatic warble. As before, the band breaks up the straight-ahead dance-rock with some stylistic dabbling: "Platform One" is giddy, singalong reggae, while "2 M.B." harks back to the ska of Paul King's old band, the Reluctant Stereotypes, and "Mind Yer Toes" is a pretty piano ballad with lyrics that seem to address the problems of merry old England. Not that anyone bought King albums for their topicality: the pleasures here are sheerly aural and not to be discounted. But Bitter Sweet turned out to be the group's final platter; Paul King went on to made a 1987 solo album, Joy, before becoming an MTV VJ.

 

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Gary Numan - New Anger (1986)

*U.S. first pressing.

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop Rock, Pop

Label Number: IRSD-82005

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© 1989 I.R.S. Records

*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

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Various Artists - QCD (1986)

*This is a U.K. compilation given away for free with 

the 1986 issue of Q Magazine. 

Contains 14 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock

Label Number: QCD1

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© 1986 Q Magazine/Virgin Records

*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 

 tags: various artists, qcd, 1986, flac,

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Various Artists - The Mother of All Swing Albums (1996)

*This is a UK, 2 disc compilation consisting of various UK, European 

and North American Hip-Hop & R&B acts. 

Each disc contains 20 tracks total.

 

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: R&B, Hip-Hop

Label Number: TCD2877

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© 1996 Telstar/MCA Records

*No professional reviews are available for this release

 

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Link - Sex Down (1998)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: R&B

Label Number: 1645-2

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© 1998 Relativity

Sex Down Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Like many rappers and singers before him, Link realizes that songs about sex sell -- and, like Luther Campbell and R. Kelly, he knows that explicitness is bankable in the '90s. Taking his cue from those two trailblazers, Link pushes carnality to the forefront on his debut disc, Sex Down. There's no denying that Link has skills; positioning himself somewhere between hip-hop and smooth urban soul, he cleverly sells his tales of flesh by cloaking them with radio-ready hooks. Sex Down is pure ear candy -- beneath those slick surfaces, there's not much there (apart from some dirty talk). Link only occasionally reaches the songwriting heights of his first single "Whatcha Gone Do" or "My Body," the hit he co-wrote for LSG; when he has mediocre material, he makes it go down easy by creating alluring productions and slamming beats. So, Sex Down is frustrating -- on one hand it shows considerable promise, on the other it shows that he relies on clichés and sex talk to cover up for his occasional lack of direction. There's certainly enough good stuff to make it worth a listen, but only a handful of cuts truly deliver on Link's promise. 

 

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Jill Scott - The Light of The Sun (2011)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: R&B

Label Number: 527941-2

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© 2011 Blues Babe/Warner Bros. Records

The Light of the Sun Review by Thom Jurek

Jill Scott has been through many changes since 2007's The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3: a divorce, a brief but intense love affair that produced a child, acting roles in Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? and Hounddog, her starring role in HBO's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and signing with Warner Bros. The Light of the Sun is a record of the rocky road to empowerment. Scott and Lee Hutson, Jr. are the album's executive producers; they also collaborate in songwriting and arrangements on numerous selections. Opener "Blessed," produced by Dre & Vidal, kicks it off in slippery, hip-hop soul style; a harp, strings, and a fluttering dubwise bassline underscore the shuffling rhythm. Scott expresses spoken and sung gratitude for and about her new baby, career, life, and support system. Poetry and song are woven with elegance in a nocturnal groove. The hit pre-release single "So in Love," produced by Kelvin Wooten, is a modern Philly soul fan's dream, with its lithe, fingerpopping bassline, shimmering drums, and seeming bliss arising between Scott and Anthony Hamilton, who turn in a grand duet performance. "Shame" (featuring Eve & the A Group), is grand, old-school funk with killer backing vocals that range from P-Funk-esque vocal choruses to doo wop with sampled classic ska as Scott raps defiantly with Eve. One of the sleepers on the set is the stunning "La Boom Vent Suite," a sultry number produced by Scott and Hutson. It's a militant, funky soul, kiss-off tune, that declares: "I've been waiting for so long/but somebody else has been sniffing at my dress." "Hear My Call" is literally a prayer for healing; with its elegantly arranged strings, it's as heartfelt and humble as desperate need can be. There is one misstep here: "So Gone (What My Mind Says)" didn't require Paul Wall's tired, generic, boastful rapping to work. That said, the rhythm collision with human beatbox Doug E. Fresh on "All Cried Out Redux," complete with ragtime piano sample, is a novelty number that works. After the album's first third, it's all Scott, and (mostly) all sublime. The sparsely produced "Quick" (produced by Wayne Campbell) records the heartbreak in the brief relationship that produced her son. "Making You Wait" is another self-determination anthem that addresses romance, with spacious Rhodes and synth strings weaving beats together. Scott lays down the spoken word "Womanifesto" that recalls the poetry of her early career, just before the steamy, sexual "Rolling Hills" touches on jazz, blues, and late-'70s soul with effortless ease to close it. On The Light of the Sun, Scott sounds more in control than ever; her spoken and sung phrasing (now a trademark), songwriting, and production instincts are all solid. This is 21st century Philly soul at its best.

 

tags: jill scott, the light of the sun, 2011, flac,

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Syleena Johnson - Chapter 6: Couples Therapy (2014)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: R&B

Label Number: GBP-CD-6811

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© 2014 Blakbyrd Entertainment

Chapter 6: Couples Therapy Review by Andy Kellman

After a couple albums with Shanachie, including a set of reggae duets with Musiq, Syleena Johnson moves to the eOne-affiliated Blakbyrd for her eighth studio album. Chapter 6: Couples Therapy doesn't have the most appealing title, but it reflects what Johnson has been through and covers a broader spectrum of emotions than indicated. At the dark end -- an area she has never shied away from exploring -- she is in particularly vivid form on "Perfectly Worthless," holding her head high in the wake of mistreatment. Opposite to that, there's "My Love," a blissful, traditionally styled ballad in which she uses her upper register to maximum effect. There are many moods between those two highlights, and they're all revealed with the same high level of conviction heard in Johnson's previous output. All but one of the songs were made with either Pierre Medor (Mary J. Blige, Monica) or the team of Kajun (Avant, Ronald Isley) and Andre Henry (Isley, Avery Sunshine). These songwriters and producers provide sufficient support for Johnson, who had a hand in the creation of each song. Also credit Johnson for going against the grain by not sharing the vocal booth with any rappers. Instead, the unmistakable voices of Leela James and Dave Hollister are each present on one cut. This is yet another pleasing, down-to-earth addition to one of the steadiest R&B discographies of the 2000s and 2010s.

 

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Uriah Heep - ...Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble... (1970)

*European first pressing.

Contains 8 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Hard Rock

Label Number: 258 294

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© 1970-1987 Bronze

Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble Review by Donald A. Guarisco

This album was the debut of Uriah Heep, an English band that would become one of the Titans of the '70s heavy metal sound. Despite their eventual hard-rocking reputation, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble finds the band trying on different stylistic hats as they work towards finding their own sound. At this juncture, their music falls halfway between the crunch of heavy metal and the dramatic arrangements of prog rock. When this style jells, the results are quite powerful: "Dreammare" blends psychedelic lyrics and a complex vocal arrangement with a stomping beat from the rhythm section to create an effective slice of prog metal fusion while "I'll Keep on Trying" presents a head-spinning, complex tune with enough riffs, hooks, and tempo changes to fill three or four songs. However, the album's finest achievement is "Gypsy": this heavy metal gem nails the blend of swirling organ riffs, power chords, and leather-lunged vocal harmonies that would define the group's classic tunes and remains a staple of the band's live performances today. Unfortunately, the focus of the album is diluted by some unsuccessful experiments: "Lucy Blues" is a dull, unmemorable stab at a Led Zeppelin-style heavy blues tune and "Come Away Melinda" is an overproduced, melodramatic cover that tries to marry the band's full-throttle musical style to a message song. Despite these occasional moments of stylistic schizophrenia, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble is a likable album that shows the promise that Uriah Heep would soon realize. Those unfamiliar with Uriah Heep may want to try out Demons and Wizards or a compilation first, but anyone with a serious interest in Uriah Heep or the roots of heavy metal will find plenty to like on Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble. The American edition of this album was retitled Uriah Heep and omits "Lucy Blues" in favor of the track "Bird of Prey" from Salisbury. 

 

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Uriah Heep - Raging Silence (1989)

*First pressing. 

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Hard Rock

Label Number: LRCD 5005

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© 1989 Lynx Records

Raging Silence Review by Alex Henderson

Uriah Heep is one of the few heavy metal/hard rock outfits that can rival Deep Purple when it comes to an abundance of personnel changes; you could write a book about the many different Uriah Heep lineups that existed in the 1970s and 1980s. Because it was such a revolving door, its work became increasingly erratic as time passed -- many headbangers gave up on the band in the late '70s. Recorded in 1988 and 1989 and released in April 1989, Raging Silence is the work of a band that was long past its prime. On this CD, the five-man lineup includes founder/guitarist Mick Box as well as lead singer Bernie Shaw, bassist Trevor Bolder, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, and drummer Lee Kerslake. The material is generic arena rock -- try as it might, Uriah Heep is unable to recapture the magic and creativity of its early years. Corporate rock items like "Cry Freedom" and "Blood Red Roses" are mildly catchy, and a cover of Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" is pleasant enough. But even so, Raging Silence pales in comparison to classics like 1971's Look at Yourself and 1972's Demons and Wizards. Not a disaster but certainly unremarkable, this CD is strictly for completists. 

 

 tags: uriah heep, raging silence, 1989, flac,

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