I loved early Raven because they were everything that NWOBHM were all about. Loud and raw with buckets of energy, but they had a unique element of fun about everything they did.
This EP came out just after the release of the band’s second album, Wiped Out and the song titles alone should bring a smile to your face: Crash, Bang, Wallop (Men’s Lib Protest Song) and Run Them Down (Dedicated To Italian Motorists). The production is as raw as it gets but I love it nonetheless.
This is the album where Raven went as close to being a hair band as possible. They had to have been under pressure from the record company to come out with such a radio friendly record as this.
With the first two tracks, The Pack Is Back and the cover Gimme Some Lovin’, you’d swear that you were listening to Gary Glitter. I haven’t played this in a long while, and unfortunately it doesn’t get any better with age. It’s not bad it’s just weird when you know what came before.
Occasionally, they are allowed to be themselves (sort of) with songs like Young Blood (favourite track) when a hint of Raven frenzy materializes, but mostly it’s ordinary pop rock and in one case with Hyperactive, just embarrassingly bad.
Amazingly enough, Raven are still out there making new music and playing live. I know there has been long gaps in between some of their record, but credit where is due.
This was album number six for them, which appeared in ’87. After their initial burst through the NWOBHM explosion in the early eighties and by the time they recorded this album, they were more popular in the US than back home in the UK. This album was even recorded in the US.
I think they were once described as “athletic thrash” and if you saw them live around this time you could see why, as they were one big swirling ball of energy. I really like this album as I think their songwriting reached its peek around this point.
Pick Your Window is my personal favourite track as it rips along at a gallop and it’s pure NWOBHM, except it’s supercharged. There are so many great tracks here: the title track just slays, as well as On The Wings Of An Angel which is old school thrash, and you can see how most of the early thrash bands cited them as an influence.
There was a time between ’79 and ’81 where Newcastle and Neat Records in particular, were the centre of the universe of the burgeoning NWOBHM. Based in an old cinema in Wallsend, they were responsible for unleashing Raven, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Venom, and Fist, to name a few. Raven always had a huge sense of humour to go within their high energy metal, and this album was glued to my turntable.
Opener Hard Ride is a typical rocker of the time, and now would just be classed as a hard rock tune but back then everything loud was called metal. Hell Patrol is a whole bunch of fun with over the top screams ,wild guitar, and a kick-ass simple riff. Don’t Need Your Money was released as a single and this sound sums up NWOBHM perfectly. A great high octane uptempo blast with Mark Gallagher giving it plenty on the whammy bar. Over The Top keeps the tempo high with a riff that feels very familiar. After a brief acoustic interlude the madness returns with Side 1 closer For The Future with THAT riff making an appearance.
Side 2 kicks off with Rock Until You Drop, basically the band’s anthem, and if you have seen them live then they give it everything. Love the breakdown in the middle! Nobody’s Hero is up next and it’s basically a sped up old school boogie with knobs on, and the main riff is close to a Saxon one from their first album. Next up is a one two kick in the nuts of two killer Sweet covers: Hellraiser and Action. Lambs To The Slaughter sees another appearance of THAT riff and a very familiar lift of Judas Priest’s Steeler, if you listen closely. It’s favourite and last track time with Tyrant Of The Airwaves. This is a whole new level in writing and takes everything to the max. From the dramatic intro, to the speed metal main song, this is a NWOBHM classic.
Other than a compilation album called Lead Weight, this was the first album by a band released on Neat Records with catalogue #1001. Ahh happy days.
