hardrock and a plaice

Heavy Pettin’ were at the forefront of the NWOBHM, and with a very Leppardesque sound and some great songs, they could – should – have been enormous. And they had everything going for them back in 83 – a record deal with Polydor, and Brian May lined up to produce their first album. But they never made it big, so the album must’ve been a stinker, right? Wrong, actually, very, very wrong. They were both very polished, and by turn pretty heavy band – and accomplished musicians. The album opens with the title track, which really sets the tone – a great Leppard-style number that’s probably the best encapsulation of the Pettin’ sound. Next song, Broken Heart, is another great song in a similar style, before Love on the Run rocks in with the harder edge of NWOBHM – think Saxon, as Hamie Hayman’s voice always sounds like a slightly glam Biff Byford – and the band have that hard edge, too, here. Love Times Love is next, a real rabble-rouser. Great song.
Victims of the Night starts like a BOC song – never a bad thing – before a primal scream and chugging riff lead into another great vocal efffort with great harmonies. The sort of song the late, great, and deeply lamented Gary Moore was producing at the same time – Murder in the Skies – but done far better. Next up is Rock Me – purest Leppard, again no bad thing for this reviewer. Following up is Shout it Out, the song that should be the weakest – it has all the elements of the “metal song for the sake of it”, but somehow, it works. But next we’re into Devil in her Eyes – a great intro, before Hamie’s in, with that vocal leer to the forefront in a great song that holds a touch of Tygers of Pan Tang, a lot of Leppard, a touch of Saxon – and is just a great rock song. Next up is a terrific rocking intro to the wonderful Hell is Beautiful, which really shows off what Pettin’ could do best – proper metal, with proper melodies. A great way to end the original album, a true high point. The CD has a couple of bonus tracks, Roll of the Dice, which is not essential, and Shadows of the Night, which isn’t either.

So looking at the original album, we have a really solid effort from a very decent band. So why didn’t they make it big? I don’t know. Some people point to the second album, but I like that, too. So I still don’t know.

Rating for this album: 4/5

Ah, Whitesnake. Mostly David Coverdale’s plaything, sometimes a band. And sometimes falling apart. And “Slide it In” is evidence of all of these – down to there being two versions, with different personnel – the “original” European version, and the reworked US version.
Anyway, forget all that, this is a review of the Euro version. And very Whitesnake of the time it is, too, and that’s in no way a bad thing.
The album opens with some Jon Lord mastery – why oh why did Coverdale only use him for intros? – before a great Cozy Powell beat and some lovely guitar work goes into a great blues/rock number that was what the ‘Snake did best back then – “Gambler”. It’s a great song. Following on is “Slide it In” – also typical Whitesnake of the time – old fashioned cock rock. And nobody did it better. Back to blues/rock next with “Standing in the Shadow” – a great, great song. As is the next song up, “Give Me More Time” – a great romp. Then back with a superb Lord intro to “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, one of the band’s best ever songs, with all the elements of that classic ‘Snake sound. And yet next up is even better – “Slow An’ Easy”, which shows off all the elements of the band at their best, and also showcases all the nuances of Coverdale’s fantastic voice. Back to the cock rock for “Spit it Out” – frankly, it’s rubbish, the weakest song on the album by far. Back to something approaching form with the blues/rocky “All or Nothing”, followed by “Hungry for Love” – formulaic stuff, perhaps, but worth a listen. The album closer, “Guilty of Love”, goes out on a high note – all the elements of a great rock song.

So there you have it – a perfect slice of ‘Snake, from pretty much the end of their bluesy era. Great band, great album. 4/5

An oft-overlooked band, Blue Oyster Cult, and 1986′s Club Ninja is one of their overlooked albums. BOC were always a band that could produce excellent songs across a huge range of musical styles, but that often meant that some albums didn’t appeal to some of their core support, and that they found it difficult to connect with a new audience. Shame. And such was largely the case with this album – avoided by the metal element of the fanbase, and unable to make crossover sales. Which is a real shame, as it’s an album with some terrific melodic pop-rock songs.
Opener “White Flags” is terrific, a non-stop pop-rock romp showing the band’s terrific grasp of melody, with all elements of the sound neatly linking – including one-and-a-bit-time keyboardist, Tommy Zvoncheck.
Next up is another pop-rock romp, Dancin’ in the Ruins, as catchy a number as ever escaped from any rock band – a great song, but never likely to appeal to the metal fans, despite some lovely work by Buck Dharma throughout.
Make Rock Not War is next up – an accessible rocker, unmistakably BOC.
A real change of scene next with Perfect Water – accoustic guitar sets a very different tone from the start in the sort of song only BOC could produce. Again, all the elements are there – vocal harmonies, keyboards, tight rhythm and some great guitar work.
Next up is another pop rocker, Spy in the House of the Night – once more, pure BOC, but a little weaker than some on the album – unusually, it’s the chorus that disappoints somewhat.
That’s the original first side of the record, and it’s fair to say it’s the stronger one. Seems a bit strange to still think of albums in terms of sides, but it used to matter how songs worked together on a side almost as much as how songs fitted together on the album.
Anyway, the next side starts with the up-tempo Beat ‘Em Up – a different era BOC would’ve played this with much more menace, for sure. The next song, When the War Comes, again couldn’t be from any other band – it has that wierdness most bands can’t carry off both musically and lyrically. Not a classic, but interesting. It’s followed by another rocker in the BOC mould, Shadow Warrior – this one less convincing, although another song nobody else could manage.
The last track on the album reverts to something poppier to start with – but again in that weird BOC style. Madness to the Method brings in a bit of a rockier edge to the chorus. It’s not a bad song, but it rather wastes a fine end.
So there you have it – a respectable enough album at the lighter end of BOC’s range, with two thoroughly great songs to open with, no really bad songs, and all in all, a record nobody else could’ve made but that lacked just a bit of an edge.

Still, I like it. Rating: 3/5.