Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Axtion - "Look Out for the Night" (and all those hard rock cliches)




It starts the way hundreds of hard rock records started in the 80's...take three power chords, Animal-esque (from Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem of course) drum fills, followed by a falsetto scream, and we're off "Road Runnin" with Axtion. By the way, do you think there was a band argument over whether to use an "X" or a proper "C" in the name? And which one of the guys really wanted to use triple X's, call the band aXXXtion, and pull some porn stars? Cuz you know one of 'em wanted to. My bet is either the drummer or bass player. But I digress. If anyone was wondering what the majority of indie or private hard rock releases coming out of the hair mecca that was Los Angeles in 1985 were like, look no further than Axtion's "Look Out for the Night". Besides the aforementioned intro, we 're gonna need a song with our band name in it..."Spread the Axtion"....check! We're gonna need something to try to get the more metal crowd, something fast and metal sounding...."Fury of the Tempest"...check! What about a song with extended acoustic intro so I can show these people that I'm not just "widdly-widdly solo" guy but that I really listen to Andres Segovia records?..."Look Out for the Night"....check! And finally, we gotta leave these kids with a positive message so they too know its okay for a grown man to use hairspray and wear makeup..."Stand Up! (for What You Believe In)"...check and mate! No matter how much I make fun of it, I won't deny that its an enjoyable listen from a particular moment in rock time. Thanks to Vince at The Music's Over for letting me borrow the wax to digitize so all of you could enjoy it.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/5aU0jNP1k12vqxFFMI3ihBqcFcfFIOL8lDnzlTm10Nt

Friday, September 4, 2009

Hell Razer - "Shout Hey!" (aka "the very first terrible demo I bought from an ad in the back of a magazine")



Hell Razer, I'll never forgive you for starting my teenage obsession with finding demos and live tapes from glam bands who had yet to get a record deal or release a proper record. Where once this tape thrilled a teenage me, who'd ordered it from the back pages of either Kerrang or Metal Forces magazine, it now serves as evidence as to why not every band gets a record deal or release a record. Because they're terrible. The UK had their fair share of great glam, Pet Hate and Wrathchild, even Tiger Tailz come to mind. But Hell Razer, I'm afraid you belong at the other end of the stackheeled spectrum. I know "Shout Hey!" sounds like a great glam anthem, but it's really just poor grammar. But what about "Space Girl (Intergalactic Love)"? That's gotta be filled with glammy goodness, right? Not a chance in the hands of these hacks. But for some reason, its still fun as hell to listen to and puts a smile on the face, even if its a sardonic one.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/VlODXja4HYJQwwba9w5bLIM2MDqsrX9RHTz1ETFMTUs