This is without doubt Tesla’s finest hour – a great, no nonsense, hard rockin’ record. Not bad for your first album!
I have to say it’s one of the better openings to an album with Ez Come Ez Go and the wild guitar intr. It’s a great uptempo groover, then they top that with Cumin Atcha Live, a near blueprint copy of Ez Come with even more wild guitars that drive along at a great pace. Gettin’ Better has a very Americanized Zeppelin vibe to it. 2 Late 4 Love starts with a choo-choo train drum groove and settles into a more straight ahead rocker with a great hook. Rock music is quite simple really, all you need is a great riff, and a great groove, hook, and chorus and away we go. Tesla really got it right with this album and Rock Me To The Top is a perfect example. Side 1 closes out with We’re No Good Together and it’s the only disappointment to what is a killer album so far.
Side 2 kicks off with the track that made them in the US, Modern Day Cowboy. I’m sure there’s a Def Leppard track it reminds me of, but it’s still a killer track in its own right. Changes is next and it’s definitely a power ballad, but the emphasis being on the power with some nice guitar from Frank Hannon. The only cover on the album, Little Suzi, is up next and this has hit single written all over it. Love Me is a slow stomper – a lighters in the air kinda tune. Cover Queen is next and has a really nice different groove with a couple of main riffs going on, and another hands in the air hook. The album closes out with Before My Eyes which is my favourite track on the album. This track builds and builds into a very dramatic piece. A great album that any fan of 80’s rock should own.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
