Snakes In The Pit - Hamburg City Hardcore

On their debut full-length, Hamburg City Hardcore, Snakes In The Pit straddle the line between punk and hardcore, also throwing in some metal and even a little ska and reggae, all while maintaining an ever-present sense of melody and atmosphere.  The band cites Pennywise and Comeback Kid as inspiration, and while you can hear that influence, they take it and turn it into something their own.  The musicianship is top notch and the vocals are strong and largely clean, although there is a muscular edge when necessary, and most songs have great singalong vocal harmonies.  At only eight songs (plus a short intro) and just over twenty-five minutes there isn’t a bad track here, but some of the standouts include “Komm Schon”, “Snakes In The Pit”, “Manni”, a track that really highlights the dynamics of their sound, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Holiday”, with the aforementioned ska breakdown in the middle, and closer “4 Life”.  

(Snakes In The Pit - Facebook Snakes In The Pit - Bandcamp)

 

 

 

Alcatrazz - Rock Justice - Complete Recordings 1983-1986

Following stints in bands like Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group along with several solo albums, vocalist Graham Bonnet formed Alcatrazz.  The band was rounded out with former New England and Warrior members Jimmy Waldo on keys and Gary Shea on bass, former Iron Butterfly and Alice Cooper drummer Jan Uvena and a then 20-year-old Yngwie J Malmsteen, who had previously recorded one album with the band Steeler, on guitar.  While two different versions of the band are still around today (a Graham Bonnet lineup and a Waldo Shea lineup), the new box four-disc box set Rock Justice - Complete Recordings 1983-1986 contains their first four releases and also includes rare and unreleased bonus tracks from the vaults.

No Parole From Rock ‘N’ Roll, their debut release, gets the box started and to me is the strongest of their releases.  I remember fondly listening to it over and over after purchasing it when it was released back in 1983 and feeling like there was something special with this band and this album.  Bonnet’s vocals are outstanding throughout, there is plenty of Malmsteen’s classic guitar work, but it is often more restrained than his future playing, which definitely works better in the context of the songs, and Waldo’s organ playing does a great job fleshing out a lot of the tracks.  There is also plenty of diversity throughout the album while they still stay in that classic hard rock style.  On the lighter side of things, opener “Island In The Sun” and “Starcarr Lane” are a couple of solid hook heavy melodic rockers, and closing track is a nice power ballad with more laid-back guitar from Malmsteen.  With extremely dark and disturbing lyrics, “General Hospital” is a heavier, hard rock tune, and “Jet To Jet”, which is strongly reminiscent of Rainbow’s “Spotlight Kid”, and “Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live” are hard driving rockers, both with some great organ work.  “Hiroshima Mon Amour” is another organ driven track that is heavier and a bit dark, with a strong Deep Purple vibe, and “Big Foot” is a slower and moodier song that is a definite showcase for Malmsteen and shows signs of his future solo work.  The highlight of the album for me is “Kree Nakoori”, a very unique track with a Middle Eastern flavor that is a real showcase for Bonnet’s soaring vocal delivery, which takes on a life of its own here, and Malmsteen’s guitar work.  Disc one also includes one bonus track, a seventeen-and-a-half-minute interview with every member of the band. 

Bonnet and Malmsteen’s desire to be the focal point of the band led to an onstage fight between them resulting in Malmsteen’s firing from the band in 1984.  Replacing him for the follow-up album Disturbing The Peace was former Frank Zappa guitarist Steve Vai.  While there are some really strong songs here, it’s definitely a mixed bag and doesn’t stand up to the debut. The sound here is quite different and almost sounds like a completely different band.  Overall, it is a more generic sound and is missing a lot of the elements that made the debut what it was.  Waldo’s keys don’t have the presence they had before and when they are there, they don’t have the same effect.  Vai’s guitar work is outstanding, but it doesn’t work near as well for the band’s sound as Malmsteen’s did.  There also isn’t as much of the diversity here as there was on the debut and there is more emphasis on melodic rockers like the strong album opener, “God Blessed Video”, a hard driving song with some great guitar from Vai (you can definitely hear a lot of the same guitar sounds that he later brought to David Lee Roth).  Other tracks in this vein include “Sons & Lover”, one of the strongest cuts here, “Skyfire”, which has a bit of a harder edge, and the more laid-back “Will You Be Home Tonight”, one of the tracks where the keys still make an impact.  On the heavier side of things “Wire And Wood” is a solid, straight-ahead rocker and “Stripper” is a fast-paced, balls to the wall track that is unfortunately drug down a bit with its juvenile lyrics (what do you expect with that title) and a very Van Halen like spoken word section in the middle (a la “Hot For Teacher” and Unchained”).  A couple of the more interesting tunes, and definite highlights, are “Desert Diamond” and “Breaking The Heart Of The City”.  The former is a slow burning track that finds them delving into Indian music with some great sitar work from Vai, while the latter Is a slower and darker track, and one of the few that makes good use of Waldo’s organ, which is juxtaposed with Satriani’s more lively and upbeat guitar work.  Disc two also contains five more bonus tracks including a demo of the song “Emotion”, a really strong power ballad with some really strong bluesy guitar from Vai.  It's hard to believe this track didn’t make the album.  There is also a drunk driving PSA the band recorded, a couple of instrumental demos and a fifteen-minute band rehearsal from 1984 that’s an interesting listen, but probably not something you will listen to more than once.

The revolving door of guitarists continued when Vai left to join David Lee Roth’s band and in came Danny Johnson, formerly of Alice Cooper and Axis.  Unlike Malmsteen and Vai, there was really nothing distinctive about Johnson’s guitar work, and while Bonnet’s vocals were still top-notch, for the most part Dangerous Games ended up being a fairly generic melodic rock album.  Having said that it did still have its moments.  The album opens with the first of two covers, The Animals’ “It’s My Life”, which is a muscular rocker that is really good, but comes across a little dated with the eighties synths and singalong chorus.  Among the best tracks are “Ohayo Tokyo”, which is actually reminiscent of their debut and has some really good guitar work, and “Double Man”, an interesting rocker with a slower, dark and mysterious sound where all the pieces really come together, including the guitar and synths.  The second cover is the ballad “Only One Woman”, interestingly originally recorded by Bonnet’s sixties band The Marbles.  With more of a rock edge and Bonnet’s vocal performance, it is an album highlight, as is the the emotional power ballad “The Witchwood”.  Also worth mentioning are “No Imagination” and the title track, a couple of the better melodic rockers.  I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the closing track “Night of The Shooting Star” (and last song of this era of the band), a short a cappella tune with the band ooh-ing and aah-ing in the background like the sound of a band throwing up their arms in defeat.  A mixed bag of seven more bonus tracks is tacked on the end of disc three.  Among these are a new version of “No Imagination”, remixed by Waldo in 2020, that really only sounds a little different, a demo of “Dangerous Games” with just Bonnet’s vocals and limited instrumentation, a Danny Johnson scratch vocal of “Let Me Go” (the song sounds like it had real potential, but thank goodness Johnson isn’t the vocalist), a couple of instrumental demos and a near fifteen minute writing session with Jimmy and Danny running through some songs.  Lastly, is “Lonely Rider”, a great track that’s melodic, but with an edge, full of chugging guitars and synths.  It also has a guitar solo that is far better than anything on the album and again it's a mystery why this track didn’t make it.   

The final disc, titled Capitol Crimes - The Unreleased Sessions (1985-1986) is a collection of demos and new mixes from Jimmy Waldo.  Most notable here are demos of two tracks that I’m assuming were recorded for the next album, and a 2020 remix from Waldo of another.  “Set Me Free” is a strong, midtempo rocker with a hint of Rainbow and “Losing You Is Winning” is a hard rocking melodic rocker.  Johnson’s guitar work stands out much more on these tracks and the synths mesh much better.  The third new track is “Please Call Me”, another strong power ballad, which is something the band always excelled at.  It really sounds like they were heading in a better direction and it’s a shame the next album never came to fruition.  There is a different version of “Emotion” and a more polished 2020 mix of “Rider” (aka “Freedom Rider”), two unreleased tracks that appear elsewhere in the box set.  A couple of soul/R&B covers are also included, but unfortunately neither works very well.  While the vocals are very strong, and it’s quite possible the band was just messing around in the studio, but their take on the Holland-Dozier-Holland track “A Love Like Yours” is kind of odd with keys that sound plunky and drumming that sounds like it’s on a cardboard box.  On the other hand, “When A Man Loves A Woman” is very good musically, but they key is too high and Bonnet sounds like he’s straining.  Lastly, there are three demo versions of three Dangerous Games tracks.  Even though it's less than perfect, Rock Justice - Complete Recordings 1983-1986 is a great look back at the first era of Alcatrazz.

(HNE Recordings)

Pace Glacier - Earthmover

I first saw Vincent Bruinsma (Vincent James at that time) performing at a local coffee shop in April 2013, a few months before he released his debut EP The Wilderness Below.  Performed largely by him, with a few guest musicians on a couple tracks, the EP is a beautiful collection of haunting, atmospheric folk enhanced by his warm, soulful vocals.  About six months after the EP’s release, he was fronting what started as a three-piece under the name Vincent James and the Modest Hearts, but eventually evolved into the five (and then six) piece Run the Willow.  They released an outstanding album A Living Dichotomy in 2018, which expanded on his earlier EP in a rootsier folk rock direction, but then disbanded in 2020.  Now with the release of his new EP Earthmover, under the name Pace Glacier, he’s back to doing things on his own, actually even more than before, playing all the instruments as well as recording and mixing everything.  His sound has evolved once again and while at their core the songs, written on acoustic guitar, will take you back to that haunting, atmospheric folk of his first EP, the addition of new instrumentation, especially the synths, give them a gorgeous, ambient texture and atmosphere.  His vocals are as captivating as they have ever been and Sydney Moon’s harmony vocals on “Architect” and “Continental Divide” complement him perfectly. Vincent said he “started working on these songs a couple years ago as a way to practice recording and mixing while forcing myself to learn some new instruments”, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding production (do yourself a favor and give it a listen with headphones).  I can’t recommend Earthmover enough and look forward to hearing what he has in store for us next. (Note - Earthmover is currently only available on streaming services) 

(Pace Glacier - Facebook   Pace Glacier - Instagram)

Mark Eric - A Midsummer's Day Dream 12"LP 

A Midsummer’s Day Dream, was released in 1969 and was the only album ever from Mark Eric (real name Mark Eric Malmborg).  When it came out there was very minimal fanfare or support and unfortunately it made little impact, but after it was reissued on CD in 2002 and again in 2009 (with bonus tracks) it was to great reviews, which caused the price for the out of print vinyl to shoot up.  Now for the first time since it was originally released, it has been reissued on vinyl in a gatefold jacket with exclusive photos and song by song comments from the now deceased Malmborg, that were also included with the CD reissues.  Written and recorded by Mark, arranged by former Animals’ guitarist Vic Briggs, and produced by Norman Ratner, the album is full of bright, sunshine-y pop, occasionally mixed with a bit of melancholia, often strongly indebted to Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds era Beach Boys and late sixties, Liberty Records era, Four Freshmen (interestingly the Four Freshmen recorded his song “When School Is Out This Year” in 1968).   The songs are lushly arranged with vibraphones, french horns and strings fleshing out the sound and topped with great vocal harmonies and Mark’s falsetto vocals that also bring to mind The Beach Boys.  The musicians are some of the best of that era including the legendary guitarist James Burton and many other members of The Wrecking Crew.  The high point of the album is “Where Do The Girls of Summer Go”, a gorgeous, laid-back track lamenting the days of summer after they are over, which with the right push probably would’ve been a hit.  Having said that, there are so many more highlights including “California Home”, sounding like a lost Beach Boys song, “Move With The Dawn”, the lush, beautifully arranged “Take Me With You” and “Don't Cry Over Me”, and “We Live So Fast”, which is more reminiscent of an upbeat surf era Beach Boys tune.  There are also a couple of tracks that veer off a little in a different direction musically, most notably “I’d Like To Talk To You”, which has more of a funk groove and “Night Of the Lions”, an extremely catchy song that is upbeat and bouncy and arranged perfectly with horns and strings (the guitar at times reminds me of Shocking Blue’s “Venus).  Although Mark did record more songs for a follow-up, the label ended up never releasing them (they were among the bonus tracks on the CD reissues), and at this point he started focusing more on his acting career, appearing in guest star roles on shows like Hawaii Five-O, The Partridge Family and Room 222, as well as the movies Call Her Mom and Pretty Maids All In A Row.  In the seventies he pursued his love of flying, getting his private license and then in the eighties and nineties he did a lot of modeling and also started playing music live again, including nightclubs and cruise ship piano bars, before passing away in 2009 at the age of 59.  While it's unfortunate that we didn't get more music from Mark, thankfully this once overlooked gem is getting its just due.

(Now Sounds)

Purple Hearts - Extraordinary Sensations - Studio and Live 1979-1986

Purple Hearts initially grew out of the punk band The Sockets, which was bassist Jeff Shadbolt, guitarist Simon Stebbing, singer Bob Manton and drummer Nicky Lake.  During that time they played some local shows and even won audition night at the London punk club The Roxy, but in 1978 Lake broke his leg and they took a time out.  With punk fading at this time, and the band feeling like they were improving as musicians, they wanted to try incorporating more of a sixties flavor into their music.  They ended up bringing in drummer Gary Sparks to replace Lake, and Purple Hearts were born.  While they were lumped in with the mod revival of the late seventies, alongside bands like The Chords and Secret Affair, there really was more to the sound of Purple Hearts.  Extraordinary Sensations - Studio and Live 1979-1986 is a great new three CD box set that contains both of their studio albums, 1980’s Beat That! and 1986’s Pop-ish Frenzy, the A and B sides of their six singles, two demos produced by Paul Weller, and five by Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey, plus live tracks recorded at several different shows and more.  

Disc one opens with their debut album and while cuts like “Frustration” and “Jimmy” (their second and third singles) are standouts that stick the closest to the Mod sound with slicing guitars, pop hooks and a punky beat, “Perfect World” and “Nothing’s Left” follow a similar path, but with a hint of The Kinks and early Who (the latter has some very Townsend influenced guitar licks).  “Something You Can’t Have” and “Beat That!” both have more of a driving beat but mix things up with guitar that is more psychedelic on the former track and jangly on the latter.  Driven by a thumping bass. a jazzier beat and the occasional punk blast “Can’t Stay Here” has some disjointed elements of more experimental New Wave.  The album also has a couple of covers with a slow and dirty, kind of snotty, blues take on Wilson Pickett’s “If You Need Me”, which has a bit of a Stones feel, and a sped up punkier mod version of Bowie’s “Cant Help Thinking About Me”.  After slowing things down with the really cool “Slay It With Flowers”, a track that is dark and moody, but still mod sounding, they wrap up the album with “I’ve Been Away”, which starts off more midtempo, but builds and builds in intensity and is the perfect closer.  Disc one is also loaded with bonus tracks starting with their first single “Millions Like Us”, an extremely catchy, high octane mod track that ended up being their biggest hit reaching number 57 in the UK (also included is the single’s b-side, an earlier version of “Beat That!”, which is rawer and more ragged than the album version).  The flipsides of their second and third singles (“Frustration” and “Jimmy”) are up next with “Extraordinary Sensations”, another strong shot of mod, full of hooks and stabbing guitars and a great aggressive instrumental section, and “What Am I Gonna Do”, which is more of an aggressive punk tune.  The six demos produced by Pursey are for songs that all either ended up on the debut album or singles and while they aren’t that far removed from the versions that were released, they are rawer and more ragged.  After their debut sold only 6000 copies the band was dropped by their label Fiction resulting in a on-off single with Safari Records.  For these cuts the band made a purposeful decision to record something more commercial.  This is most apparent on the title track, “My Life’s A Jigsaw”, a very synth heavy track that finds them moving in more of a new wave direction.  The other two tracks, “Just To Please You” and “The Guy Who Made Her A Star” aren’t quite as poppy and have a bit more of a mod sound but are still way more commercial than prior releases.  In February of 1981 they were invited by Paul Weller to record a couple tracks for potential release on his label Respond Records.  Not only did he produce, but he also sang harmony vocals on "Plane Crash" and played piano and organ.  These demos found them shifting back in the direction of their earlier releases with “Concrete Mixer” also throwing in a touch of Clash-like reggae beats, bit unfortunately, the deal with Weller’s label never happened.  Closing out disc one is the demo of “My Life’s A Jigsaw”, which relies less on the synths and more on the guitar.

While disc two opens with the band’s sophomore full-lengther, 1986’s Pop-ish Frenzy, the band recorded numerous demos in 1981 and 1982 and also re-recorded “Plane Crash” for a single released on Roadrunner Records in 1982.  The single version is similar to one produced by Weller, but a little poppier.  Also included on that single was a fun, punched up cover of “Scooby Doo” and “Gun Of Life”, a really strong rocker with a rootsier sound and ringing guitars, that Is reminiscent of bands of that era like Red Rockers.  Over the next couple of years, the band continued to record demos, several of which ended up on the next album, including notable tracks like the incredible acoustic take on “I’ll Make You Mine”, an edgier “Gun Of Life” that like the single includes piano, and “When I See You”, which kicks off with a great ringing guitar that’s missing on the album.  Among the demos that didn’t make the album are two versions of “Smashing Time”, one that is more new wave with a beat reminiscent of Adam and the Ants and another that is a punkier and more aggressive, along with “Another Day”, a ragged power pop track.  Not long after recording the demos the band split up, but a few years later reunited for some live shows that ended up with them recording Pop-ish Frenzy.  That album found them largely moving away from mod towards a variety of styles that worked well on some songs, but not much on others.  It opens strongly with “Friends Again”, a hook-heavy track with more of a new wave edge.  Some of the other highlights include “Call Of The Wild” and another take on “Gun Of Life” both with a rootsy sound and big ringing guitars, “I’ll Make You Mine”, a hypnotic track that’s a bit darker and moodier with a hint of psychedelia, the high tension rocker “I Can’t Dream” with its rapid fire beat, and “Hi Baby!”, hearkening back to the mod sound with a bit of a beat influence.  Following the album, they released one last single consisting of a new version of “Friends Again”, which was an interesting twist on that track with the very prominent addition of horns.  The flipside was “Head On Collision Time”, a dark and meandering track, once again with horns, that is very good, but very different for them.  

The bulk of the final disc is live tracks taken from three different shows, starting with a previously unreleased show recorded at The Hippodrome in London on November 9, 1986.  The thirteen song set is a mixture of songs from both albums and some single tracks as well as a great cover of The Creation’s “Painter Man”.  Next up is their four song performance at the Mod Aid Alldayer on December 15, 1985 and while there is an overlap on three of the songs, this show also contains an excellent version of “Plane Crash”.  Lastly are two tracks from their reunion at Mods Mayday 99.  Their energetic performance of “I’ve Been Away” and a cover of Solomon Burke's ”Everybody Needs Somebody” show that they still had it.  The performance through all three shows is really strong and the band sounds great with the only drawback being the recording, which is a little thin on all three (the last two cuts sound the best), but definitely very listenable.  Also included here are several two track recordings that are an interesting listen and great for completists, but not something that will most likely get repeat listens.  Also included here is a booklet that includes an interview with guitarist and songwriter Stebbing.  While the definitely had plenty of ups and downs over the years, Extraordinary Sensations - Studio and Live 1979-1986 is a much-deserved collection that is well worth a listen.

(Cherry Red Records)

Elephant - Shooting for the Moon

Following up their debut Big Thing, Rotterdam’s Elephant, comprised of Frank Schalkwijk, Michael Broekhuizen, Bas Vosselman and Kaj van Driel, are back with their second full-length album, Shooting For The Moon.  All the hallmarks of their debut are still here like the warm vocals and great vocal harmonies, the incredible lead guitar that adds so much texture and mood to every single song, the songs themselves with their never-ending hooks and the music that often has a dreaminess to it reminiscent of a modern-day meshing of Americana and the breezy West Coast sounds of the seventies.  Having said that, many of the tracks find them expanding on their debut and experimenting a little.  “Post-Punk” opens the disc and while it is really gorgeous tune it really shows some of this experimental side with the contrast of Michael’s almost droning guitar that works brilliantly.  The breezy, laid-back “The Morning” is up next and hearkens back to their debut.  It also contains guest vocals from Flemish singer Meskerem Mees that complement Frank’s vocals perfectly.  A little more upbeat, “Enemy” has a massively infectious groove with swirling guitars, while “Baby Jean” slows things down again and is very melancholy with great vocal harmonies and a softer guitar that creates a textured wave of sound.  “Dog in the Park” changes things up a bit again, opening with a quick funky bass line that then falls to the background and continues throughout the song.  It is a little more upbeat, but still has that Elephant sound, as does “Bullets” with its extremely infectious chorus and beat.  “The Magnet” is a definite standout with more of a psychedelic feel (there are a few moments where it reminds me of a rootsier Pink Floyd) and some stellar guitar work that has a subdued, wavery sound that really enhances it.  That psychedelic vibe continues on “Alice”, which is driven by a simple, yet propulsive beat and of course that guitar.  Even though the lyrics deal with the aftermath of a break up, “Better Man” is an easygoing track with a loping, almost  country beat along with some squeaky synths that give it a bit of a Grandaddy vibe at times.  The combination of the ringing, acoustic guitar and Schalkwijk’s whispery vocals of the delicate “Moonlight” closes the album perfectly.  Just like their debut, which was one of my favorite albums of 2022, Shooting for the Moon was easily one of my top releases of 2023.  Hopefully they can continue the tradition in 2024.

(Excelsior Recordings)