The “Five Songs a Year” series rolls on into 1971. As always, these are five of my favorite songs from a year as opposed to “my five favorites,” nothing here is too definitive.
This year was really easy for me to throw together, I saw a few things that got released that year and had my list together real quick. I’m sure I could have done a more exhaustive review of the music from ’71 but this is supposed to be a quick and easy thing so I’ll leave it at that. Things start getting really crowded in a few years’ time so I’ll enjoy these easier ones.
Alice Cooper – Under My Wheels
The Coop has arrived on this list, for the first and likely not last time. This was the classic band formation of Alice Cooper on their fourth album Killer. This one is a fun old-school boogie that also gets into a bit of sensory overload at points. They are going completely off here and it’s a crazy experience.
T. Rex – Get It On
A song and album so influential that just about everyone who’s made music since has a copy of the record. The song is a very simple jam but adds enough to stand out from the other happenings in rock at the time. Even 53 years later the song lives on in rock immortality.
Black Sabbath – Children Of The Grave
And here is another signature track from the masters of metal. This one has some crazy bass and percussion on it, and is even a bit bright musically. But the song is a dire warning yet again about the ills of war and its possible apocalyptic consequences. Another one of Sabbath’s finest songs.
The James Gang – Walk Away
While this group never got the traction they might have been after, this song would become a fairly solid hit for them over the years. It was another Joe Walsh composition and performance, and the amount Walsh had to put into writing for the group led him to do just what the song’s title states not long after release. The James Gang would go on for several more years before sputtering out. Never heard how it panned out for Joe Walsh…
Led Zeppelin – The Battle Of Evermore
All of the other songs here are uncomplicated, there’s nothing to get in a fuss over about them. But this one? We have a guest singer! Mandolin! Lord of the Rings AND King Arthur! The song’s overall structure is not complex but man there’s a lot going on here. I’ve heard this practically my whole life and I still can’t wrap my head around it. Not sure what that says more about – the song or me.
That does it for 1971. Things stop getting quick and easy real soon as more of rock and metal’s immortal acts show up on the scene through the next several years.
Summer does not officially end in this hemisphere until September 22, still a hair over a month to go. But the unofficial summer season does end in the latter part of August when kids go back to school. I don’t have any kids so school time isn’t some massive issue to me, but it is a bit depressing when “true summer” is over as I live in a city with a ton of schools in it. Summer time is fairly peaceful around here with less traffic and snarls of people, but now we’re back into massive traffic and people being idiots about where they drive, park and everything else.
But summer isn’t actually over yet, so let’s pull out this Danzig single from 1992. This was the lead single from the album III: How The Gods Kill. The album did decently well in its time, hitting 24 on the Billboard 200. While Danzig had a bit of a run with success, that actually came a year later with the re-release of Mother. This year prior was not obscure by any means, Danzig was a fixture on MTV by this point and his stuff fit right in with the alternative metal thing going on at the time. But true sales success was another year off.
The first defining feature of the song is actually near silence for 40 seconds. If this comes up on a playlist set to shuffle, you might think the playback died or something, especially if you’re only half paying attention or listening on a more lo-fi bluetooth device. There is a bit of atmospheric noise going on but it’s totally minimal and not always detectable. But then John Christ comes in with a divebomb note on the guitar and the song proper kicks off.
And it’s clear that the song lives up to the title – this is hot, dark and dirty. The song does have a slower pace to it, which is perfect to let the winding riff conjure up demons and dust devils and shit like that, and the drums and bass hit with extra results. And it’s all brought together by the familiar bellow of Glenn Danzig, the “evil Elvis” of heavy metal.
There isn’t much to dissect here lyrically, this song is all vibes. In this 2022 interview with Revolver, Danzig recounts how the song was simply about his memories of summer as a teenager – running around, getting into trouble, not having anything noteworthy to do. I love a good concept album as much as the next nerd, but sometimes keeping it simple is the more effective approach and it works splendidly here.
The song was a huge part of the soundtrack to my own dirty black summers in 1992 and beyond, I was 15 at the time and I enjoyed the same vibes through my vacations from school. And even all these years later, 32 of them in fact, I still dial this song up when I want to feel some good (evil) vibes during the small, hot and far too short quieter time of year.
This week let’s go back to 1984 and head right into the fire – Dokken were on the ropes with their record company after a debut that failed to sell. They needed to get their name out there and move some records. This was the result.
Dokken – Tooth And Nail
Released September 14, 1984 via Elektra Records
Dokken had at least broken onto the scene by 1984 via US remix and re-release of their debut Breaking The Chains a year prior. The album did not perform to label expectations and Elektra weren’t all that into the concept of funding more Dokken music. But they were talked into ponying up for another record and the band convened in Hollywood to record their second effort.
Dokken’s line-up already had one change between albums. While mainman Don Dokken was still around, along with guitarist George Lynch and drummer Mick Brown, it was the bass position that needed a new hand. Juan Croucier took his bass and dance moves to Ratt, so Dokken filled the void with Jeff Pilson.
The album was produced by Tom Werman, up until the point that it wasn’t. Werman vacated the job after a nasty confrontation with George Lynch. Don Dokken wanted Michael Wagener from the beginning, so Wagener was brought in despite objections from the rest of the band. Roy Thomas Baker was also brought in to babysit the angry cocaine fiends. The actual stories of all the drama around this album are numerous and can be found in many books and interviews, the whole thing is just crazy and worth a deep dive.
Eventually the album got recorded and released, and we have a 10 track record running at a somewhat lean 38 minutes. There is a Rock Candy reisusse with a few bonus tracks but there’s not much else that I know of in the way of reissues, this album is generally one that you’re getting what you get.
Without Warning
Up first is an instrumental intro. It’s fairly brief at 1:34. Here Lynch is setting a tone more than anything, it’s not a firecracker guitar virtuoso thing. It works just fine to get the ears warmed up for the rest of the album. Grade: B+
Tooth And Nail
Up next is the title track and a total scorcher of a song. It outlines the exact mindset of the band through this time – desperate and ready to do everything to take a shot at the top. While Dokken would handle several of their songs in a more pop-oriented format, this one is a total callback to the more heavy metal-oriented debut album. Grade: A+
Just Got Lucky
And now for one of those more pop-leaning songs. This one has a pretty bright and melodic ring to it, though it still has a nice crunch. This ages-old tale of hooking up with the wrong person did modestly well on the Modern Rock chart as a single, but in the years since it has become one of the band’s signature songs. George Lynch filmed his solo for the music video on top of an active volcano in Hawaii. It was so active that he and the film crew were sent away by the parks department and the volcano erupted while they were flying off. Grade: A+
Heartless Heart
A straightforward rocker with some nice gang vocals and the usual guitar work. Again, Dokken retained a pretty nice heavy-rooted sound while they pursued more commercial accessibility. This sounds like death metal compared to some of the sap of the late-80’s glam and hair scene. Grade: A
Don’t Close Your Eyes
Lynch just plain goes ham here, almost maybe showing off stuff he might have used if he’d gotten the Ozzy gig. Very well done, nice and heavy song here. This wasn’t a single but it’s another essential parrt of the Dokken catalog. Grade: S
When Heaven Comes Down
The hits keep coming with another sharp, heavy song at just the perfect pace for headbanging along to. This album started off hot and hasn’t let up one moment. Grade: A+
Into The Fire
The rock keeps going here though Dokken do thrown in a bit more in the way of pop sensibilities here. It worked, as this was a decently performing single and has also been Dokken’s most-played live song. It’s exactly the right balance of rocking and catchy to draw people in. The pop as all hell third verse coming right out of the guitar solo says it all. Grade: A+
Bullets To Spare
Nothing dives off the path here – it’s another heavy, crisp song. Again with a pretty good headbanging pace to it. If this is the least heralded track from the album, then you have one hell of an album on your hands. Grade: A
Alone Again
And now it’s time for the ballad. That’s what the record label told Don when the album was underway – the ballad was becoming a mandatory inclusion as the 80’s rock world formed around this glam rock sound. So Don dusted off this old piece of a song he and Jeff Pilson had lying around and they recorded the ballad.
And it worked. Alone Again was the best-performing single, going to 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and getting to 20 on the Top Rock Songs chart. It also works in the context of the album – this isn’t a saccharine mess, it’s a well-constructed song that still rocks even with its more somber tone and content. Grade: A
Turn On The Action
And we close out the album with one more hot rocker. It’s a nice, high-energy groove to leave off with. Nothing much more to say, the album keeps it up all the way through. Grade: A
Tooth And Nail was not the smash hit Dokken were looking for, but it did provide much-needed momentum to placate the record label and get their name out there more. The album got to number 49 on the Billboard 200 and would go gold in 1985 after steady sales. It would eventually get platinum after the band’s next few albums provided the commercial peak everyone was truly after. Dokken toured as opener for a range of acts through the year, before setting back into studio to record the follow-up that would see their fortunes shine even brighter.
After looking back at my song grades, it makes the album itself very easy to grade.
Album Grade: A+
This one is more than just a band who pushed themselves to record something worth listening to – this album helped define the sound of what 80’s rock could be and also would be. This was more melodic and catchy, but also retained a solid, heavy feel to it. Not many could handle that kind of balancing act and not many did, with some being on the heavy side of it and many others going for the quick hit off the pop ballad. But in 1984 Dokken helped establish would rock was going to do through the ensuing years.
I’m moving on through the years and now I’m picking songs from 1970. As always, this is me picking five of my favorites of a year rather than me picking an absolute top five.
We’re still in years before I was born, it’ll be seven more posts before I “show up.” While I wasn’t around for 1970, this is the year stuff I’m into really got going, as we’re just about to see. Not all of the songs I pick every year are going to revolve around heavy metal, but this year it’s an almost constant theme given the acts and songs involved.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
And here we are – heavy metal is in full force now. The Birmingham foursome mucked their way into a record deal and mutated the blues into an assault on the ears. This song is totally down in the dumps, being the herald of a subgenre of metal that would be known as doom years later.
And what a song this is. Just so morose, creepy and excellent. And while Sabbath were often accused of Satanism, here they don’t depict Satan and Hell as some kind of party – rather it’s a horrifying experience to be cast down below. Heavy metal is here, and damn is it wicked.
Mountain – Mississippi Queen
A fun, heavy cut that became the biggest hit for the US group who were also responsible for the rise of heavy metal. This had guitar loaded with purpose and was a curb-stomping song about a riverboat and of course a woman on said boat. This song still gets airtime 54 years later, a pretty wicked accomplishment.
Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
Here the titans of rock went about also contributing to heavy metal – this brief blast of music would combine loud, brash music and Viking themes, something that runs amok through metal to this day. Also Robert Plant’s wail on here is just ungodly, good luck finding anyone else on the planet to replicate that. While tales of Viking raids are fantasy in the modern age, the song’s origin is mundane – Zep were booked to play in Iceland and put on a crazy show at a last-minute venue after their original booking got axed by striking workers. And this is what they came up with out of that. Just crazy.
Santana – Oye Cómo Va
Fun fact – decades before Carlos Santana conquered the world with his accomplice Rob Thomas, his band was quite successful already. This was a cover of a cha-cha-chá song by Tito Puente from 1962. Puente was not originally happy that a rock band was doing his song, he changed his mind when the first royalty check came in.
The song is really fun with a nice groove and simple yet crazy organ from Gregg Rolie. It’s easy to see why this one caught on so well, including with me who wouldn’t have heard it until years after it was released.
Black Sabbath – War Pigs
There won’t be very many instances of one act getting two songs on the same year. But this is a rare instance since it marks the first works of heavy metal’s fathers and they happened to put out two albums in 1970.
This was an anti-war song, getting more into the evil nature behind the powers that be sending the poor off to die for a nebulous cause. It’s often discussed as one of Sabbath’s best songs and with good reason, it’s an intense jam and the speed up at the end just slides everything off the rails and into a total frenzy.
That covers it for 1970. Heavy metal is here now and it does inform a large part of my listening. But there is plenty beyond metal to go over as well as these years wind on. Until then.
Today I’m gonna have a look at the debut single from The Cult, who would go on to become a force within rock music later in the ’80’s. But they got their start in earnest in 1984 with this initial single.
And, in order to fill up space, I also get to dive into the very confusing naming history of The Cult. There was initially a band that singer Ian Astbury was in called the Southern Death Cult. Astbury ended that band and then joined up with guitarist Billy Duffy and formed Death Cult. The Southern Death Cult and Death Cult are two distinct bands, though as we’re about to find out at least one song migrated over from one to the other. Death Cult would eventually change their name to The Cult, and they are the ones as we know them today from that one song they play in every strip club across the country. The band were originally joined by bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Ray Mondo for their first album.
Spiritwalker was originally conceived in Astbury’s old Southern Death Cult. The band performed something called The War Song in 1981 with lyrics that would go on to be used in Spiritwalker. Then moving to Death Cult, the new band reworked everything and came up with Spiritwalker. The early version was much different musically, though finding any actual performances is very hard to do so I don’t have anything on hand to offer. While there was a Death Cult EP, it did not contain any version of this song.
So anyway, we now get to the name change to The Cult and plans for the first proper album. Spiritwalker as it is known today was released several months ahead of the album – the single was released in May of 1984, while the album Dreamtime came in August. Spiritwalker did not light the UK charts on fire, at least the mainstream chart – it only got to 77 there. But it did land on top of the Independent chart and got some early buzz going for the group ahead of their album release.
With all of that exposition, let’s talk about the actual goddamn song, huh? The first thing that comes off here is the guitar tone. Duffy’s tone is so bright here, it’s pretty unreal how he pulls off going that “high” in a relative sense yet also keeping it catchy. He goes unreal high in places where nothing else is going on, then rings it a bit in the background when vocals are up. Even when The Cult went more “mainstream rock” later in the ’80’s, Duffy kept his bright guitar tone through a fair few of the band’s signature songs. He was totally operating on his own plane of existence and has been through the band’s entire run.
I often in my reviews of stuff don’t talk about drums and bass much. Honestly I’m spoiled by a band like Van Halen who had one of the best rhythm sections in existence. But The Cult were not that far behind, both drums and bass accent exactly what the song needs here and add their own layer to the song without going virtuoso and detracting from the main show. Steward and Mondo deserve kudos for their performances, both on single and album, and The Cult would make full use of the rhythm section throughout their long and winding career.
Then there’s Ian Astbury. He gets lumped in a lot as a Jim Morrison clone, and also in the “Evil Elvis” category alongside Glenn Danzig. But here Ian goes both full-throated and a bit higher, mimicking Morrison far more than Elvis. His vocals in The Cult are often described as having a “shamanistic” quality, which I don’t know what that is supposed to mean but there are multiple spiritual aspects to Ian’s outlook and performance.
What this all adds up to is one hell of a song, and something in a bit of contrast to what we had in 1984. Pop was in a new wave era and rock went a bit lighter overall, though the seeds for something heavier were planted in the heavy metal realm. But The Cult were totally on their own path, this song being very loosely classified as “gothic rock” but truly being an entity that defied categorization, something the band would take pride in over the ensuing decades. This flies under the radar a bit in terms of the music of 1984, but The Cult did firmly put themselves on the rock map with Spiritwalker back then. And the future would give us a hell of a lot more of their twist on rock.
Given the announcement recently that Aerosmith are pretty much hanging it up, I figured it was a good time to pull out this classic album that really got the ball rolling for them nearly 50 years ago.
Aerosmith – Toys In The Attic
Released April 8, 1975 via Columbia Records
Aerosmith had very light success with their first two records. They had gained a bit of notice but were dismissed as a bit of a “dumb” act and didn’t bring a ton to the table, even with a few of their now classic songs being on those records. But after a year of touring behind Get Your Wings, the band were tighter than ever before and ready to let loose in the studio. They convened with Jack Douglas, who had produced the prior album and would handle this and two more.
The line-up is the band’s classic formation and honestly the same folks they’ve had in the band for the vast majority of their existence. Steven Tyler commanded attention at the mic, while Joe Perry and Brad Whitford were on guitar. Tom Hamilton was on bass and Joey Kramer on drums. There are some other performances credited on this album, including something called a marimba. I don’t know what the hell that is.
Today we have 9 songs that wrap up in a tidy 37 minutes. I don’t honestly know of any real “deluxe” versions of this with bonus tracks, Aerosmith typically park their bonuses on other sorts of releases.
Toys In The Attic
The balls gets rolling right out of the gate with scorching hot rocker. Flying guitar work takes center stage here, this is a vehicle that would get flagged for speeding down the freeway. This isn’t a high concept song by any means. The phrase generally refers to being crazy. There are other interpretations of the song’s meaning but no need to dwell on those. This is a massive way to open an album, great sequencing work here. Grade: A
Uncle Salty
The song itself is a pretty sweet jam, this one gets down with melodic rhythm parts while Steven Tyler goes down and dirty on some of the vocals. Lyrically the song is pretty damn dark – it’s about a young woman who grows up in abuse and later becomes a prostitute. Fairly brutal stuff to contemplate on a ’70’s hard rock record. Grade: B+
Adam’s Apple
Here we have the Shakespearean combination of the Adam and Eve story from the Bible and a blowjob. The music plays out nicely here – a good groove without doing too much. Tyler has the sole writing credit on this song but has admitted he has no memory of composing the song, which is fair given the state he used to run around in way back when. Grade: B
Walk This Way
Bands who “make it” for a brief time usually do so on the back of one signature song, and bands who last over half a century still have a signature song. While Aerosmith have no shortage of ammo in their “great song” chamber, this one is the one that made them. Twice.
We have a simple yet very infectious main riff, with some additional playful guitar notes running through. Steven Tyler employs vocals that in 1975 didn’t really have a term, it could be called scatting. His main impetus for the vocals was that he used to be a drummer so he employed a percussive rhythm to his words. It all adds up to a massively catchy and entertaining song, all about some kid in high school who’s looking to lose his virginity.
I’ll be brief for this last part – Run DMC did a remix of the song in 1986, this would help launch a new act in Aerosmith’s career that saw them become megastars. The full story is really interesting but can wait for another time. Grade: S
Big Ten Inch Record
We can save a fair bit of space here – this is an old blues cover. It’s a pretty decent song to listen to musically. Lyrically it’s one of those things that’s funny the first time. It’s not out of place for Aerosmith, hell it fits right in. But it doesn’t set the world on fire either. Grade: C+
Sweet Emotion
And now on to what was the lead single from the record and another song that has become a staple of the band’s catalog. This one sets a mood with some different instruments (and apparently sugar packets for shakers) and some ungodly guitar riffs. Aerosmith could play a basic rock song and make it compelling but here they threw in elements to really up the boogie and sleaze.
And yeah, this one is sleazy. It’s an ode to everyone’s favorite pastime of sex. Maybe too sleazy, especially in light of certain news items from the past few years. But overall this song glistens in its grime and remains a favorite Aerosmith jam.
This song also got a second lease on life in 1991 when it was remixed to promote a box set (that the remixed single isn’t even on). It came with a funny music video about phone sex operators (that’s pre-Internet stuff for any of you under 40). Grade: S
No More No More
A really fun rocker that’s just about life on the road for a young, partying band. It’s nice and bright but also has some power behind it, a really cool song. Grade: A
Round And Round
For those who frown on Aerosmith and knock them for sounding too much like Led Zeppelin, we would call this Exhibit A. It’s a cool song and it definitely has Page and Plant vibes all over it. Nothing really wrong with that. Grade: B+
You See Me Crying
The album closes with a ballad and yet another song that Steven Tyler forgot he wrote. This has some pretty elaborate stuff going on, it’s a song more loaded with stuff than any prior Aerosmith track. It’s a ballad for sure and it’s also very, very 70’s – this isn’t the prototypical power ballad of the 1980’s. Overall it’s really well put together and makes its mark, all of the extra arrangement doesn’t hurt it at all. Grade: A
Toys In The Attic was a move up for Aerosmith, who hadn’t made many waves with their first two records. The album would do a slow roll, eventually charting at number 11 on Billboard. It would go gold around the same time.
But the album’s success wouldn’t stop there. Aerosmith rose from the ashes and became a massive record-moving machine years later, and now this album has nine platinum certifications in the US.
This album pairs along with its successor Rocks as an immortal one-two punch from Aerosmith, these are widely hailed as the band’s best works. And my view is no different than many others – this is a great triumph of a rock record, offering up a wonderful listening experience.
Album Grade: A
Toys In The Attic is a hallmark moment in American rock, showing that the US could rock out on par with their former colonial overlords across the pond. And while the story on Aerosmith might have come to a sad end recently, their work and especially this one remains as an immortal piece of an unparalleled American legacy.
On again with this long-running series where I pick five songs from a year. As always, this list should be taken as “five of my favorite songs from 1969,” as opposed to “my five favorite songs from 1969.”
1969 was apparently a hell of a year. I wasn’t personally around for it, I still have eight years before I showed my pretty little face. But this was the big one – the Summer of Love, Woodstock, all of that jazz.
Now, I don’t know if music from ’69 really leapt out and grabbed me the same way stuff from ’67 did. But that could be more about that year than this one. It was no real problem finding five songs for this year.
Led Zeppelin – Communication Breakdown
First off is one from Zep’s debut. I do very much love the album and this song specifically is a huge selling point. A short blast of heavy metal from them, which is honestly a rare treat as they influenced the genre for sure but didn’t actually play it much. I’ve always loved the power and insanity of this track.
Credence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son
I guess one way to achieve musical immortality is to release three freaking albums in one year, which CCR did in 1969. This track was a shot at the elite, who kept their children out of the Vietnam War while the sons of the working class were shipped off to face death. It’s a fantastic song and an enduring protest anthem to this day. While CCR had a number of great songs in their career, which was apparently mostly in 1969, this song stands out to me as their magnum opus.
The Stooges – I Wanna Be Your Dog
What would become punk rock took shape in no small part thanks to this track from Iggy Pop and company. This is a pretty groovy track with piano from John Cale of The Velvet Underground and the simple, distorted three chord guitar structure which would become the anchor of punk. The song isn’t literal, Iggy Pop doesn’t want to be a dog. In part it’s the word God turned backwards because Iggy was bored one day and came up with it. The other part is naughty stuff, I’ll let you dwell on that.
Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee
Up next is a song written as a counter to the Vietnam protests. Haggard was in full support of the US troops and composed this ode to American life. Haggard later said his views changed after learning new information about the war but the song was an enduring hit and also a tribute to the small town folks of his home state so the song remained in play through his life.
And, while the song is politically charged and in a way I’m not personally inclined toward, it is a fair assessment of that “simpler” kind of life. I can appreciate that side of things, especially the more “small town” stuff. I also fondly recall Willie Nelson playing this live in tribute just after Merle died in 2016, nothing says irony like Willie playing this song.
The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter
And this year caps off with yet another song about the Vietnam War, though Keith Richards actually started it based on a far more mundane thunderstorm. But the anti-war sentiment rings strong through this excellent song. I’m not a massive Stones fan, I don’t have any of their albums or anything, but their top tracks do stand out and this is certainly one of them.
That does it for this edition and also wraps up the 1960’s. Things really kick off once I get rolling into the ’70’s. See you then.
This week’s song is a bonus feature as it includes a few more tracks. Bruce Dickinson just released a single for another song from The Mandrake Project. For my full review of that album, look no further than here.
Resurrection Men is a curious choice for a single release. We got a vinyl release with the lead single Afterglow Of Ragnarok, and the excellent Rain On The Graves was a digital-only offering. Now we have another physical product, this time a CD only issue of this song. It does seem a bit odd to see a CD single in 2024 but hey, it’s not expensive so I’m not complaining. This release did come with a big poster that I’m not hanging up or folding out so no pics of it, sorry.
The main serving here is Resurrection Men. As I said when I reviewed the album, I was a bit thrown off by this song at first. It does feature a bit of a spaghetti western riff with it, which is fine and isn’t the part that throws me off. It’s a weird sort of a slow-tempo breakdown or interlude a bit into the song that I think doesn’t fit all that well and detracts from the power Bruce showcases on the song’s chorus. I have warmed up to it on repeated listens but I’ll still be honest and say I would have done the song differently and let it ring solid throughout. But I’ve grown to be ok with it so I’m not going to rip it apart or anything.
I have zero clue what this song is about. There is a story through some of the album’s songs that discuss being able to resurrect people and this is certainly one of those songs. It mentions Lazarus, who is both a Biblical figure of resurrection and also a character in the story so I’m not really going out on a limb to figure this is a “story song.” I don’t know the story beyond Lazarus, Necropolis and dead bodies being brought back to life so there’s that.
A new music video came with the single release. It is a standard live performance clip that doesn’t tie in to the story at all. Cool video but nothing to help dig further into the concept that is mostly presented in graphic novel form.
As B-sides there are two songs performed live in Sao Paulo, Brazil earlier in 2024. Bruce performed on this tour with his House Band From Hell, which curiously did not include Roy Z. There is fan speculation on there being untidy reasons for that but nothing has really been said by anyone so I’ll leave it at that. To my knowledge these B-sides are only available on the CD right now, I’m sure in the future they’ll find their way to a streaming platform.
The first song is Afterglow Of Ragnarok, already mentioned as the lead single from this current album. The crowd kicks off the recording and is in full form as South American crowds are. If you aren’t aware, they are the most boisterous crowds on the planet. Things then kick in to a bit of an introduction from Bruce and the song proper, which sounds very heavy and honestly quite good on here. On first listen I remember telling Deke that these B-sides might not be up to snuff for a full live album, but my ears might have been wrong about that. This one is sounding pretty damn good after repeated listens.
The second B-side goes back in time to Bruce’s prior solo album which was Tyranny Of Souls from 19 years ago in 2005. Abduction was the lead and only single from that effort. It is really cool to hear this live after not having Bruce solo material for so long. It’s a good performance for a song that’s shockingly about alien abduction, then the single fades out as Bruce gives a “how the fuck are you?” to Brazil.
Overall this is a pretty cool package. The poster isn’t my thing but it’s a cool bonus for those who would want it, and two live B-sides are worth the price of admission. This does tip us off that live material is being recorded and we can draw lines and speculate that a full live offering might be on the horizon, so if you’re a Bruce and Maiden fan it might be best to keep a few bucks handy, especially since Maiden themselves will most certainly have a new live album in the next year.
Last Friday marked three years of this site, or at least three years of me actually using it. Three years is nothing “special” in the grand scheme of things but it’s nice that I was able to get this actually going and keep it running for that long. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the desire to truly do this when I started out, it was a roll of the dice.
And while I haven’t had the time or energy to put effort into improving things in some areas, I’m pretty well content with how things are going so I’m not going to make a huge push for anything soon. I might actually tweak a few design things and all that but I’m in no rush, things will happen as they may.
Posting will remain fairly consistent. Three posts a week works out nicely for now, an occasional fourth post might pop up here and there with other things I’d like to discuss but don’t fit the weekly templates I have going right now.
The 1984 celebration will continue until the end of this year. There are plenty more albums and songs to talk about and I’ll have a few more special posts about ’84 before the end. I don’t have much else huge planned for now, the albums of 2024 will come up as we get to the end of the year. But not much beyond that.
I won’t be doing the same scope of a thing for 1985 that I’ve done for 1984. I might do a few posts looking at the year as there was plenty of great music then too, but 1984 was pretty special and I wanted to truly commemorate that one. The remainder of the ’80’s will mostly just get looked at as time rolls on, there won’t be another in the style of what I’ve done this year.
That said, IF this site is still going in seven years, that does bring up 1991. I would do a year-long commemoration of it as I’ve done for ’84 as 1991 was easily the most significant year in music in my life. But that’s all dependent on the huge IF of this site still going in seven years. This is purely a hobby for me, I don’t have enough traffic to make money off the site so there’s nothing there in that respect. And eventually one day I’m going to get bored with doing this. If the 40th anniversary of 1991 comes along before I get bored enough to quit, then it’ll happen. If not, then obviously not.
I think that about covers it for this three year mark. Not much else to do but continue to celebrate the forty year mark of 1984.
And we’re off – to the Great White North to revisit a glorious dose of speed metal.
Exciter – Violence & Force
Released February 1984 via Megaforce Records
Exciter formed in 1978 under the name Hell Razor, the same year Judas Priest released the song Exciter. The song would, not coincidentally, offer a template for a faster, more aggressive sound that would come to be known as speed metal. Exciter the band would rechristen themselves in 1980 and pursue the noisy, thrash-like aggressive metal.
Exciter’s debut album Heavy Metal Maniac came in 1983 after the band signed to Shrapnel Records. Not long after, Jonny Z of Megaforce would get Exciter’s contract and the band was set to offer their second album on that label.
Exciter rode as a three piece – Dan Beehler on drums and vocals, John Ricci on bass and Allan James Johnson on guitar. The album was produced by Carl Canedy, who was a member of The Rods and who also produced the Anthrax debut Fistful Of Metal. Jonny Z was along for a production credit as well.
The cover picture offers up a scene both sinister and goofy. A person decked out in leather and spikes is attempting to break through a door and presumably do bad things to a victim who is trying to keep the door shut. This same figure was on the debut album cover but this second album marked his final appearance. Some have tried linking
Violence & Force offers ten tracks at a 41:34 runtime. It has been reissued by different record labels over the years. Curiously, a 2004 reissue from Megaforce removed a song – Evil Sinner was struck from the record and this is what is found on streaming services. I have no information as to why the song was plucked from the album, though it did turn up as a bonus track on the reissue of the prior album. Also of some note – the reissues were made possible by fellow Canadian metal luminary Jeff Waters of Annihilator, who bought the rights to the Exciter catalog so Beehler and company could get new issues into circulation.
Oblivion
Up first is a noisy and very brief guitar intro. It’s not much of anything but it doesn’t really waste any time either so it isn’t a detraction of any real sort. Grade: B-
Violence & Force
The first song in earnest is the title track. This one is a ripping affair, slamming along at a breakneck pace through its run. The lyrics bring exactly what one would expect from a song with this title, while Beehler offers up a few ear-piercing screams in the chorus and there’s a wild, dissonant guitar solo as well. Great way to kick off the album. Grade: A
Scream In The Night
Another blast of speed and aggression here about the classic metal topic of stuff in the dark coming to get you. It’s intense and pounding all the way through, with the gang choruses used throughout the record coming in full effect. Grade: B
Pounding Metal
This one eases off the gas pedal just a bit but remains slamming and intense. It is a very basic metal track, as evidenced by the title being repeated about a million times. It does stick out but the song is still pretty good even with the psychotic repetition. Grade: C+
Evil Sinner
Here is the deleted track, again present on original versions but gone from reissues. This does maybe sound like it was recorded somewhere else, perhaps why it was pulled later on. There’s nothing maliciously blasphemous here, it’s just a song about some sort of evil tyrant ruining stuff as they do. Grade: B+
Destructor
This one goes all out on the speed and does show off how closely related speed and thrash metal are. A very solid offering. Grade: B+
Swords Of Darkness
Exciter lay off the pace by a literal hair here and throw in another dark fantasy tale of battle, death and destruction. None of these battles go well for people who aren’t dark and evil, by the way. Grade: B
Delivering To the Master
A fairly long one here at six minutes and it comes with a quiet, moody intro passage. This marches at a slower pace with pretty sick riffs as it relays someone presumably about to sell his soul. A nice change of pace here. Grade: B+
Saxons Of The Fire
This goes all out for sure. It’s a blistering track that venerates the ancient Saxons in battle. The limits of the albums’ production only enhance the atmosphere on this one, it is a barnburner that goes straight for the throat. Grade: A
War Is Hell
We close up shop with a song that goes back to a mid-pace setting and is also the longest track on the record. The punk and NWOBHM influences come straight through on the vocals while the main riff is a straight razor throughout. Grade: A-
Violence & Force was a landmark album for heavy metal, its cacophony of sound would inform thrash metal and later the extreme metal movement. Exciter would not become a “huge” band in the grand scheme of things but they would enjoy a bit of sales success for these early albums and also be cited as an influence from people all over the metal spectrum. The production was a bit lacking due to financial limitations but that would become an album highlight as opposed to a detriment.
Exciter would go on to tours with Anthrax, Mercyful Fate and Motörhead. They would subsequently begin shifting band members and pursuing a more melodic sound. Exciter broke up a few times over the years but have reformed under various line-ups, no one original member had a constant presence through the band’s full run.
This album offers up a fine slab of nasty, aggressive heavy metal. While it’s not technically challenging or “innovative” I suppose, it is a significant point in metal history. It is also, while sounding heavy like other offerings of the day, very much its own thing. Exciter didn’t sound like Metallica or Slayer nor did the reverse happen. Violence & Force is its own experience that won’t be found in anyone else’s recording catalog.
Album Grade: B+
Understanding the full scope of heavy metal requires getting under the hood. No doubt that Ride The Lightning was influential in 1984. But Exciter lie as a central cog in the development of heavy metal in the early 1980’s. It was ok to be fast and nasty, and also listenable alongside that.
The Crooked Wanderer 