Not many people outside of the Seattle area would pay much attention to War Babies as they were a blink and they’re gone band. I’m sure that a lot of rock fans of a certain age will have heard of a band called TKO, especially their second album In Your Face which was a bit of a classic. It was recorded in ’81 and featured the legend that is Brad Sinsel on vocals and a then young guitar whizz called Adam Bomb on guitar. They recorded one more album called Below The Belt that came out in ’86, but by then the band were a revolving door of members, except for the ever present Sinsel. The next I heard of Brad was a band called Suicide Squad who released one EP on MFN in the UK, and then there was nothing until War Babies, who released one album and that was it.
This album is a selection of tunes that were to be on the second War Babies record, but that never happened. There are hints of old TKO but the staple here is a more sleazy, dirty, rock n’ roll vibe. When everything comes together like on When The Well Runs Dry, the band really flies. If Aerosmith and The Cult had a child then War Babies would be the offspring. They also do a very good Faces impression on slower tunes like She Wants More. My favourite track is Strange Love, a more up tempo groover with a very sleazy raw rock n’ roll vibe, which suits Brad’s vocal style.
This is not as good as their debut album for sure, but if you’re interested in Brad Sinsel or in the Seattle scene in general then it’s a curiosity for sure.
7/10 from The Grooveman.
