I have to concede that summer is the hardest time for me. I was supposed to be through the year of 1986 at the end of May, but here we are, still reviewing stuff. This time, I'm mainly wrapping up what I wanted to listen to for 1986 and moving on, as I do want to get through all these Top 5 lists I have planned! It's a bit of a hodgepodge, mostly of glam metal, but it's what I've been listening to lately.
While their debut album Out of the Cellar was an excellent set of pop metal, and Invasion of Your Privacy was a solid follow up, the band decided to toughen up their image a little, dropping the attractive girl on the cover to black-and-white images of themselves. However, the music is pretty much more of the same solid rockin' that they've rocked before.
There might be a few tweaks here and there in the production, but honestly, the differences are minimal at best. This album is just straight-ahead 80s hard rock with that glam metal flair for the sensual. Everyone performs their parts well, and there really isn't a weak track. They also shake things up a little with a bluesy groove on a few songs, mostly on "7th Avenue" and "Take a Chance," but otherwise, this is peak MTV material.
There are a few standouts, like the singles "Dance" and "Body Talk," the latter of which had some interesting chord progressions in the chorus. I also liked "One Good Lover" and "Looking for Love," mostly for being a little faster than the others. I'm discovering that I really like this band, largely because they're so consistent, at least across their first three albums. I read some reviews saying that this album was darker and heavier, like getting into thrash metal territory, but I don't really hear it. I'll probably end up listening to all their albums eventually, so we'll see if they can stay strong as the years go on.
Coming from Philadelphia, Cinderella was another glam metal band that was able to catch a quick road to success thanks to the 80s being the best time for this kind of music. While they weren't the biggest of the decade, they were able to find decent success with this debut album, thanks to some strong singles.
While this is certainly a solid chunk of hard rock, I admit I was only familiar with the big songs. Now that I'm digging into them, I'm hearing some interesting things. First of all, singer Tom Keifer sounds a lot like AC/DC's Brian Johnson, and many of the songs feature bluesy riffs similar to the Australian band. Combined with the glam metal, it gives the band this strong foundation to build on, making for some very catchy songs. Another surprise was the little touches of Dio that I heard. They would often show up in the chorus or in ways that Keifer would sing a line, and some of the lyrics had some 80s Dio attitude as well. Overall, it's an interesting blend that takes the standard pop metal sound and elevates it a little. The only real problem I had was that many of the songs' endings were very similar, often repeating the chorus into a fade-out. It's not awful, but it did make some of the songs feel a little too formulaic at times.
As is typical for this era, the singles are the best songs. "Nobody's Fool" is this slow-burning power ballad that put the band on the spot, "Somebody Save Me" gets a bit dramatic, and "Shake Me" has that AC/DC charm. I also liked "Hell on Wheels" for its uptempo boogie style. I understand it was hard for rock bands to stand out at this time, as glam metal and MTV were big business affairs, but I do think this debut showed a band that had a little more than just fashionable clothes to their name.
While I've enjoyed some of their later releases, I decided to dig back into their history and check out their earlier material. Their debut album (which I didn't review) was a decent collection of 80s rock songs that featured some solid production but little originality. However, the following year, they picked up Herman Frank on guitars. He had left Accept and worked with a few other German bands, but in 1986, he joined Victory and stuck around for quite some time.
So to say that they sound a bit more like Accept is mostly true, however, they retain their pop metal sensibilities, especially with some very clean production. Frank has brought some more metal-like chugging riffs, and his solos certainly add to his robust collection of excellent fret work. The album starts with "The Check's in the Mail," featuring a rather AC/DC-like sardonic bite, and "Not Me" has this interesting, slower groove riff that tries to sound tough. I don't think it quite succeeds, but it's a catchy song nonetheless. "Arsonist of the Heart" is a very curious ballad, not really going for an anthemic height but something more subdued, "Hit and Run" picks up the double-kicking drums for a shred fest, "She's Back" is more more of a cinematic, AOR-style song, and the closer "Running Wild," while not a Judas Priest cover, definitely features a lot of their rockin' energy. The album never feels like it's stuck in one idea without it feeling jarring or schizophrenic as it jams through its setlist.
I do think this is quite the improvement over their first album, mostly with the songwriting having more meat to it. However at the same time, I don't know if it really stands out from the rest of the year in terms of catchy, melodic metal. This really won't blow anyone away, but at the same time, there really aren't any weaknesses, either. Just solid, well-executed (and very shiny) heavy metal.
After the slump that was The Ulimate Sin, a duet with Lita Ford, and two years, it was time for another lineup change. While bassist Bob Daisley rejoins as drummer Randy Castillo returns from the last album, this album would be the debut of Zakk Wylde. He had gotten an audition tape to Ozzy who wasn't sure at first, but was later convinced to take him on board. Helping to write every song, Wylde gave the band quite a strong shot in the arm, as this album has some very good energy.
Once again, Ozzy straddles the line between glam and traditional metal. While the riffs and subject matter are often gritty, there are still plenty of poppy choruses and vocal harmonies to fit in with MTV and mainstream rock radio. The production is a massive improvement over the last album, especially with Castillo's drumming which is powerful without being overwhelming. Naturally, Wylde gets his moments to shine, playing some very electric solos (and his iconic pinch bends), and his riffs really push these songs forward. John Sinclair's keyboards also provide some extra cinematic layers on the songs in a way that isn't messy. The album is not perfect, of course. "Crazy Babies," which was one of the singles, has some strange riffs and this talk-style chorus, and "Fire in the Sky" is trying to be this somber ballad, but goes on for way too long.
Still, this is quite the improvement over The Ultimate Sin, largely because of how energized it feels. They kick off with "Miracle Man" and "Devil's Daughter," starting the album with a lot of impact. "Bloodbath in Paradise" is classic spooky Ozzy, talking about the Manson Family murders like they're a slasher film, and despite the subject matter, I can't deny that "Demon Alcohol" is a fun song. Overall, I was surprised by how much of this I enjoyed. Zakk Wylde's introduction to the world makes for a pretty entertaining Ozzy album!
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