A fine compilation of the the Detroit rocker's good times gonzos. "Motor City Madhouse" is a track from Ted's first solo album and the madness has never left! A powerful, high-decibel guitarist and singer who hit the peak of his fame in the '70s with a gonzo act that earned him the nickname Motor City Madman.
Struck Down was Yesterday & Today's second long-player, and their last release prior to changing their name to Y&T in the early '80s. And though not as consistent as the band's rock-solid debut two years earlier, it too collects a wealth of enjoyable material performed by an already very confident and mature band…
Another release from power metal's golden age, Hard Impact, the second album from Swiss metallers Crystal Ball, was one of the first attempts to fuse AOR with European power metal, and though bands like Domain and Evidence One went on to release albums that owed a lot to this, it holds up even now…
Think of Canadian rock bands and Rush probably spring to mind, as would Steppenwolf and Triumph. All fantastic bands. That's not to take anything away from April Wine, who in terms of output (if not success), must rank alongside the aforementioned. Classic hard rock that is really worth checking out….
The short lived New England originally formed around the Boston area in the late 1970s, featuring John Fannon on guitar and lead vocals, Jimmy Waldo on keyboards, Hirsh Gardner on drums and Gary Shea on bass guitar. After being discovered by famed KISS manager Bill Aucoin, their self-titled debut was issued by Infinity Records in 1979, and produced by KISS’s Paul Stanley, produced along with famed Queen, Asia and Journey producer Mike Stone. The tracks ‘Hello, Hello, Hello’ (UK No. 69) and ‘Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya’ (US No. 40) began to pick up plenty of airplay on AOR radio in the States as the band headed out on a major arena tour opening for KISS. Switching to Elektra Records, New England followed their debut in 1980 with “Explorer Suite”, this time co-produced by Mike Stone with singer and principle songwriter, John Fannon. The title track, plus ‘Livin’ In The Eighties’ were released as singles, but didn’t quite manage to capitalise on the airplay from the first LP. “Walking Wild”, their third and final album, also for Elektra, was released in 1981 and produced by Todd Rundgren. With ‘Don’t Ever Let Me Go’, ‘DDT’ and ‘Get It Up’ released as singles, the album had a more harder rocking approach, but unfortunately the band split up shortly after its release, in 1982.
Another first-rate Motörhead album – the fifth in a row, to be precise – Iron Fist is the final one to feature the band's classic lineup, as guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke would depart following the album's completion. Released in 1982, Iron Fist is mostly distinguished from its predecessors in terms of production, and not favorably…