Tag: badlands

I’ve had this about four months now and yes, it’s an unofficial one as I have given up hope of getting an OG without selling a body part. What a voice Ray Gillen had man, it’s so sad he was taken away so soon. The bluesy style of this band was perfect for him and there are not many rock singers out there that can touch him.

The band released two albums while they were going strong; this and the self-titled first album. Dusk, which was a selection of demos, was released after the band’s demise. This album is all about Ray, sure Jake rips it up a storm, but those vocals are immense.

The Last Time gets things under way with a killer dirty groove and what a superb vocal. Show Me The Way is all Ray, it gives me goosebumps listening to it now. Shine On is my favourite track on the album as both Jake and Ray give killer performances, and man what a dirty groove. Whiskey Dust has that old school blues vibe but with a very early seventies sound and feel. Joe’s Blues is just Jake and an acoustic. Soul Stealer blows out Side 1 and is the heaviest groove so far with both Jake and Ray wailing away. Big shout-out to Greg Chaisson and Jeff Martin for being the grooviest rhythm section around.

3 Day Funk opens up side 2 and as the title suggests it’s just one big groovefest. I love the funky guitar and Jake suits this style of playing. Killer opening to Silver Horses with Jake’s guitar on the verge of feedback, and what an awesome groove. Love Don’t Mean A Thing mixes the funk with a heavy blues swagger. If Free and early Zeppelin had a love child – !!! The title track is an old school slide blues piece with Rays vocal and footstomps. Fire And Rain reminds me of a heavier Allmans tune. Heavens Train is driven along by a superb Jake riff and a four to the floor groove. The album closes out with In A Dream, another acoustic blues piece with Ray just laying down a beautiful vocal. An album totally different from their first with that old school blues vibe.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

This killer line up and band were formed in ’88 after Jake E Lee’s removal from Ozzy’s band. He teamed up with ex-Sabbath vocalist Ray Gillan, Eric Singer on drums, and Greg Chaisson on bass. The band recorded three albums of which this is the first, and one was released after Gillan’s untimely death in ’93 from AIDS. This band should have been huge as everything was there: great songs, great band, and a killer front man in the vein of Robert Plant. Critics said at the time that Zeppelin was the blueprint for the band, and part of me agrees with this but I think this album rocks harder than any Zeppelin album.

From the opening riff of High Wire, this album rocks your face off. Killer playing from all involved. If you want to hear Gillen out-Plant Mr. Plant then check out Winters Call, what a smoking track. Everything is awesome and then some on this tune. A more straight ahead rock track is Dancing On The Edge with a cool riff and solo, but once again, the vocal is full on rock god in its execution. Epic stuff!!!

A great drum intro and face melting riff to Hard Driver is a great opening to Side 2 and pounds along nicely. Rumbling Train is a slow blues with a different low range vocal from Gillen, showing that he could sing the phone book and would still sound killer. The production on this track is top notch – everything is in your face and crystal clear. Devils Stomp could have been on Zep 4, until the riff kicks in and it’s pure Peter Green on steroids. There were rumours at the time that Mrs. O was putting up roadblocks for the band, and it wasn’t long after the release of the second album, Voodoo Highway, that Jake disappeared from the scene for a very long time.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.