AJ's Music Slime Mini Mag Southern
Rock Edition
Written by David "Alligator" Jackson
Even though Alligator Jackson will be focusing on some forgotten
but classic hard rock cds, this month's focus is on Southern Rock.
AJ will be picking his favorite 20 indie southern rock cuts,
reviewing the new Highway Ryders cd, featuring Blackberry Smoke
and Gary Jeffries as well as other rock fun.
GATORTORIAL ON SOUTHERN ROCK
The problem with Southern Rock is the same problem that plagues rock music in general. The
gatekeepers at corporate radio will not add new SR songs to the playlist.
SR has an image problem. Southern Rock is perceived to be a dinosaur. To many music fans,
SR is Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, Blackfoot, and other relics from the 70s. They don't
realize that southern rock is a viable genre that is a hybrid of rock, country, and blues. There are
many southern rockers flying the flag with fresh, guitar­oriented southern fried rock. Southern
rock is more than party music and even more than a statement of southern pride, it's also a
celebration and glorification of the guitar.
Preacher Stone, Skinny Molly, Gary Jeffries, Southern Fury and other bands are bridging the gap
between country and rock. When you throw in a little blues, southern rock becomes a blend of
three proud traditions.
There are southern rock bands Rawlings every town. We just need for new music to get past the
gate keepers and for the new music to find its deserving audience. The audience is there it just
needs to be brought together and connected. Not only does SR have its own base but fans are
easily pulled from country and rock.
Perhaps what SR needs right now are heroes to rise and blaze the return to glory. Blackberry
Smoke is in the position to do just that. They have broken through on CMT and some corporate
radio networks and even performed on Tonight Show with Jay Leno. They are friends with
country superstar Zac Brown and signed to his label.
Any success by Blackberry Smoke can be a big boost to Southern Rock. Southern rockers must
unite and keep the pressure on the gate keepers.
FEATURED ARTIST ­ GARY JEFFRIES
Gary Jeffries is a southern fried swamp rocker at heart, but like John Mellancamp, he's also a
heartland rocker from Indiana.
Although Gary has not become a multi­million dollar rock star yet, he has seen and done things
many musicians will never see or accomplish.
Gary recorded a classic hard rock album with Asphalt Ballet on Virgin Records. With Asphalt
Ballet he was on MTV Headbangers Ball. He performed on stage with Guns N Roses filling in for
Axel Rose. He auditioned for the lead singer position with Quiet Riot. His video "Blood Money" as
lead singer for Alligator Stew was played on country video network GAC. His debut solo cd sold
worldwide and got him featured in French magazine Bands of Dixie.
Gary Jeffries has literally rocked the world but he comes full circle every year when he rocks his
hometown of Monticello, Indiana ­ the place where he also recorded a live cd with Alligator Stew.
Gary Jeffries beamed with southern pride, "We just did Monticello Indiana last Friday night. The
Mainstreet Tour. This is my 4th year and what a concert! When we first started four years ago,
almost 1500 to 2000 people came and every year it keeps growing. This year we had over 6000
fans and friends come. It was packed. I'm not sure the population of Monticello is much over
10,000 . So more than half the town was there."
Gary continued, "What can I say about Monticello? I went thru school in this town, I actually did
my very first show in Monticello when I was around 12 or 13. I can remember doing a talent
contest at the high school and they pulled my plug during The Hendrix version Of The Star
Spangled Banner. I played country fairs and national guard armories in Monticello. Monticello has
watched my career for a long time and when I go home, they give me a really great welcome. I
use to make headlines in The Monticello paper saying Local Musician takes career to
LosAngeles, California or Local Musician is on the popular show Star Search or Local musician
Gary Jeffries signs record deal with Virgin Records. Monticello called in votes for me for the
popular MTV Show HEADBANGERS BALL... So in my little town they have followed me and
supported me. So to go back to your home down and play a festival with four generations of
music is every musicians dream."
Gary plans on entering the studio in November 2013 to record the followup to his successful
debut cd "Middle Class Man." Gary said, "I reunited with my cousin from the group Alligator Stew
. He plays a great bass and we write really good music together.We have a great chemistry in
music together.I have added 2 lead guitarist to the band to try to get a little more of that true
southern rock edge. I love dual lead harmonies and I think I have found the perfect match in Chris
Lester and Scott Redding. They both have different styles that compliment one another. Scott
adds a little swamp with his greasy slide guitar playin and Chris has a nice bluesy rock attack
that can shred those leads. I add a liitle of that good ole chunky rythmn on top, so we got us 3
guitars that add some true character. Gary Higgins on keys adds a little of that Allman brothers
sound with the Hammond B3 sounds along with Fiddle, Banjo and Honky Tonk piana. Randy
Trent on drums is straight forward and hard hittin with that perfect meter...What can ya say bout
Doug Richardson on bass, he solid and right to the point and a great songwriter... The new
music is still touchin on country rock and swamp and edgy southern rock."
Gary Jeffries is sure to play a key role in the resurgence of southern rock. He's lived a storied
rock and roll dream but his rock and roll dream is far from over. Look for Gary's next cd in 2014.
ALLIGATOR JACKSON'S 20 FAVORITE INDIE SOUTHERN ROCK SONGS
Alligator Jackson loves swampy, southern fried rock and roll. All the lists of greatest southern
rock tunes have been done, so ol' AJ has come up with a list that hasn't been done. A list of AJ's
favorite indie southern rockers. Most of these bands can be found on spotify, YouTube, or
reverbnation.com.
Hopefully, you'll be able to discover some music you'll love and discover southern rock is more
than just Free Bird. In order to discover more bands, each band will be listed only once. So grab
a bottle of whiskey and prepare to hunt these songs down and crank them up.
20­ Seven Lovely Ladies ­ Missouri Breaker. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfl1LVlLHc
Only released song from St. Louis band. Was on early 80s compilation put out by legendary fm
station KSHE. Featuring a Molly Hatchet sound. Very rare song
19­ Liquid Courage ­ Alligator Jackson
18­ Bartender­ Mojo King http://m.reverbnation.com/artist/mojokingband
17­ Likely Story ­ Tony Mollick Project
16­ Real Mean Killer ­ Lukyn Skywyrd
15­Not Enough Whiskey ­ South of Heaven Band
14­ Blue Jean Baby­ Crobar Cane AJ caught this Roanoke Va. Band jamming at a Holiday inn
years ago
13. South Bend­ The Sulentic Brothers Band
12. Mississippi Wind ­ Southern Fury
11. Miss Becky­ Swampdawamp
10.Bitin' The Dog ­ Skinny Molly
9. Flowers On My Grave ­ Gary Jeffries
8. Brother­ Shanytown
7. I Gotta Ride ­ Sam Morrison Band
6. Blood Money­ Alligator Stew
5. Runaway Train ­ The Highway Ryders
4. Not Today ­ Preacher Stone
3. Lonesome Guitar­ Doc Holiday. Was on major label A&M Records in early 80s.
2. Train Rollin ­ Blackberry Smoke
1. Survive­ Rebel Pride
WILL BLACKBERRY SMOKE LEAD THE NEW SOUTHERN REVIVAL?
Southern rock is poised for a revival. Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd still sellout concert
halls, sell new CDs, blare on classic radio and inspire new blood. Although many of the
members have changed, old veterans like The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, and Blackfoot still tour
and record. Zz Top dropped a solid cd last year and impacted radio.
Kid Rock, certainly no stranger to mainstream radio, has served up several southern fried hits.
The Internet has kept southern rock alive with several southern rock radio stations and southern
rock magazines including Road To Jacksonville and Bands of Dixie.
Southern rock is very popular in countries like Germany, France, and Italy.
Southern rockers like Preacher Stone, Skinny Molly, Gary Jeffries, and The Highway Ryders
have recorded outstanding new CDs.
So why hasn't southern rock returned to domination? Why are the great new bands having
trouble impacting radio? Beside the fact that Clear Channel is a bunch of a­holes and are
stubborn about opening the gates for southern rock, maybe new southern rock lacks its Skynyrd.
Maybe the genre just needs a new leader to ram right through the gates so that others may
follow through.
The good news is that hero band may be speeding toward those gates. Is Blackberry Smoke
ready to step forward and claim the crown as the new Kings of Southern Rock.
Powered by one of the strongest southern rock CDs ever ­ The Whippoorwill ­ Blackberry
Smoke is everywhere.
They have been signed to the label owned by country superstars Zach Brown Band. They have
opened in historic concert halls like Madison Square Gardens for the Zach Brown Band. They
have recorded with George Jones and played The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
Blackberry Smoke has risen out of the Atlanta, Georgia area. The perfect place to clutivate a
good hard rocking southern rock band. Their debut album, “Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime” was
produced by Jesse Dupree, the lead vocalist of Jackyl. With that kind of influence, it is not any
surprise that the cd had metallic influences at the core of the cd’s southern fried rock. Combining
the true southern spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd with AC/DC styled riffs, the debut record was truly the
best of both worlds: southern hard rock.
“Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime” starts out scorching with “Testify”, a down and dirty blues rocker that
employs the AC/DC styled riffs that was noted in the opening paragraph.
Saw a little girl in a redneck bar/ not too sure she wants to go that far/ can’t drink liquor unless
she holds her nose/ she’s bout to find out anything goes/ testify about the things I’ve seen/ wash
my hands but they never come clean/ testify some win some lose/ everybody gonna have to
stand accused . The lyrics and music say ‘party’ without sacrificing any intelligence.
“Sanctified Woman” was another outstanding rock anthem with a the main intergradient being a
whole can of good ol’ southern fried kick ass. These guys have to be good to have opened up for
ZZ Top and not get blasted off of the stage. The whole album is loaded with pure ‘rebelution’ with
metal meets southern rock anthems like the blistering “Train Rollin’” (hey you can’t be southern
rock without a song about trains), the ripping “Scare The Devil”(sounds like Bon Scott singing
southern rock), and “Freeborn Man.”
“Angeline” is pure 100% southern rock that would sound at home on southern rock legend’s
album. A little bluesy and at times capable of sending beers running down your cheeks into your
beer.
The band did not release any new material until four years after the debut. The six song ep “New
Honky Tonk Bootlegs” was released in 2008. The band may have been testing the water for
reaction to their new material by releasing an ep, because the change in their sound was
dramatic. They loosened up the grip on the hard rock riffs and made the ep more countrified. But
in heading more toward country, they were still somehow able to hang on to the essence of what
made Blackberry Smoke who they are. The music still held a degree of power. The lyrics were
still down and dirty although the music didn’t threaten to tear your head off. It was a big change
but they handled it well. Possibly even more southern fried than the debut, they had te style of
AC/DC mixed with Hank. Songs like “Son Of The Bourbon”, “Lesson In A Bottle”, and “Living
Hell” were country but had the balls of pure rock and roll both musically and lyrically, possibly the
best offspring of country and metal ever conceived.
Blackberry Smoke returned in 2009 with a full­length cd entitled “Little Piece Of Dixie.” It’s pure
countrified fun with metal guitar licks. The opener “Good One Comin’ On” sounds like
Montgomery Gentry with a hell of a kick. The video is getting played on CMT. “Up In The Smoke”
has the bouncy country beat of a Trace Adkins but has the down and dirtiness of hard rock and a
few metal guitar licks. Hey lil gal in the skin tight britches/ get up and get down to the front row/
sure hope your boyfriend ain’t looking. Yes, they still keep the hard rocking party attitude.
The Whippoorwill was considered by many to be one of the best releases of 2012. It is a perfect
blend of rock, country, and blues that is the main ingredients of southern rock.
Perhaps just one major hit will propel them through the gates. After Blackberry Smoke reach
mainstream perhaps the other great bands will follow. So who is going to cover Charlie Daniels
Souths Gonna Do It Again and get the southern rock revival started again. C'mon Blackberry
Smoke, you can do it, time to pull the sword from the southern stone... Because the Souths
gonna do it again.
AJ REVIEWS THE HIGHWAY RYDERS DEBUT CD
The Highway Ryders ­ Faith, Pride, and Justice
Grab a bottle of whiskey, suck that beer gut in and throw your chest out and crank it up. Southern
rock is back loud and proud and Nast as ever... But nasty in a good way of course. The Highway
Ryders takes back to the wicked south of the 80s when bands like Molly Hatchet. Blackfoot and
Doc Holiday hit between the eyes with mean­ass licks and a scorching slide.
The Highway Ryders fly their rebel flag high with songs of the road, southern pride, raising hell
and of course, what would a classic styled southern rock cd be without a train song
"Runaway Train" is a slow but grinding song about the road that gains momentum. Like
"Lonesome Guitar" by Doc Holiday and Blackfoot's "highway Song", "Runaway Train" intensifies
with emotion and southern jamming.
The song "Highway Ryders" rocks with the guitar fueled power that ignited Molly Hatchet. "Dead
Man's Hand" starts out with some nasty harmonica. "Hornet's Nest"is in your face southern rock
with an ominous southern growl. "Sky High" is a bustling loud and proud southern rock anthem.
The Highway Ryders are grizzled rock veterans from bands like Iron Butterfly, The Bullet Boys,
and The Regulators. This is first­class jamming from road warriors who lived the music. So pour
some shots of rotgut whiskey and wave that rebel flag...and yep... Crank it up to the best debut
southern rock cd since Molly Hatchet rolled out of Florida.
CLASSIC ROCK CD RELEASES FALL 2013
Joan Jett will release "Unvarnished", her first cd in 7 years on October 1.
Other release dates:
Jimmy Buffett "Songs From St. Somewhere" August 20
Soil "Whole" 8/20
Avenge Sevenfold "Hail To The King" 8/27
Nine Inch Nails "Hestitation Marks" 9/3
Sheryl Crow "Feels Like Home" 9/10
Gwar "Battle Maximus" 9/17
Yoko Ono "Take Me To The Land of Hell" 9/17
Cher "Closer To The Truth" 9/24
Elton John "The Diving Board" 9/24
Gov't Mule "Shout 10/1
Sammy Hagar and Friends 9/24
Sting "The Last Ship 9/24
Pearl Jam "Lightning Bolt" 10/15
Here are some buried treasures that rocked the eighties and ninities, they were overlooked at the
time and are still buried.
WHEELS OF STEEL ­ SAXON
Wheels of Steel by Saxon was one of the albums that got the NWOBHM rolling. Saxon came
charging out of England with a souped up, straight forward sound. Although it did not chart in the
United States, it opened up a lot of American ears to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
Lead singer Biff Byford had a distinct bark that turned on fans to a legion of music that has kept
coming for thirty years. Although Saxon is not the best known of NWOBHM bands, they may just
well be the most consistent, as they have regularly put out solid albums for the last three
decades.
"Wheels of Steel" is an absolute masterpiece. They picked up immediate fans in bikers with
outlaw biker classics "Motorcycle Man" and "Freeway Mad." These two songs are definite fist
pumpers. Fast and reckless, they are mainstays of the Saxon catalogue after thirty years.
"Motorcycle Man" stunned American metal fans and opened the door other NWOBHM bands.
"Wheels of Steel" and "747 (Strangers In The Night)" are fan favorites at Saxon shows and are
Saxon classics. "Stand Up and Be Counted," although buried by all of Saxon's great tunes over
the years. The opening riffs recall Ted Nugent's "Yank Me, Cranked Me," although really cranked
up.
1. "Motorcycle Man" (4:00)
2. "Stand Up and Be Counted" (3:09)
3. "747 (Strangers in the Night)" (4:57)
4. "Wheels of Steel" (5:57)
5. "Freeway Mad" (2:40)
6. "See the Light Shining" (4:53)
7. "Street Fighting Gang" (3:10)
8. "Suzie Hold On" (4:32)
9. "Machine Gun" (5:21)
ROSE TATTOO ­ ST
Rose Tattoo came out of Austrailia in the late 1970’s. The AC/DC comparsions are inevitable
and somewhat correct. They have the riffy Austrailan rowdy pub sound, definite party music.
Angry Anderson’s growling vocals recall classic Bon Scott. Rose Tattoo does lean more to the
blues side than AC/DC does, but they do it at a punk pace and metal volume.
The late Pete Wells gave Rose Tattoo their own distinctive sound, wailing on his slide guitar. The
band never found success on American soil, though they did tour with Aerosmith in the early
80’s.
If you like fun, fast, and loud rock, this is a highly underrated jewel that is considered my many
rock fans as a classic. The band is still around recording today, but the anthems on this CD are
considered their best. Rose Tattoo heavily inspired Guns N Roses and was one of Axel Rose's
favorite bands.
The album starts out with true party anthem “Rock N Roll Outlaw.” This song was later covered
by Nashville Pussy, but they could not capture the blues rowdy spirit of the song like the Tattoo
did. Bar band rock at it’s absolute best. Chuck Berry meets Bon Scott.
“Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock N Roll” is another bonafide classic. Later covered by Guns N Roses,
this song is another whiskey soaked anthem. A fun boogie romp.
“The Butch and Fast Eddie” is a blues romp of another kind. It is a story of suburban gang
warfare. A battle of two opposing gang leaders. A strong blues beat highlights this song
considered by rock enthusiasts as a true underrated classic.
“Stuck On You” is a fun mellow ballad that shows the bands versatility. “Astra Wally” is a frenetic
punkish tune. Many of the songs on here are considered absolute classics. If you are familiar
with Rose Tattoo, you will enjoy hearing this album which held up surprisingly well over thirty
years. If you haven’t heard it, you simply need too.
THE RODS ­ "Wild Dogs"
The Rods were a three man band from New York City that emerged in the early 1980’s with a
sound that was similar to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWBHM) that was invading the
United States.
The band featured David “Rock” Feinstein. Feinstein is a cousin of Ronnie James Dio who
played with Ronnie in Elf. Much later, Feinstein released the excellent “Third Wish” CD.
“Wild Dogs” is a showcase for Feinstein. He was the vocalist, but he really outdid himself
shredding on guitar. This is one of the most underrated metal albums ever. The title track is a
blistering rock anthem. “Too Hot Too Stop” visits the commercial rock sound of the 80’s. Even
the cranking up of the 60’s pop tune “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” is interesting.
The shows flashed and inspirations of Bon Scott era AC/DC, Ronnie James Dio era of Black
Sabbath, and the commercial, but straight forward commercial, rock stylings of David Lee Roth
era Van Halen. The band also had the intentisty of 80’s Motorhead.
Commercial success evaded The Rods, but “Wild Dogs” is a pure underrated gem that offers
the best of the different styles that rocked the 80’s. The Rods have reformed and our currently
recording new music, so stay tuned.
1."Too Hot to Stop" (4:03)
2."Waiting for Tomorrow" (3:53)
3."Violation" (5:03)
4."Burned by Love" (4:03)
5."Wild Dogs" (3:26)
6."You Keep Me Hangin' On" (3:45)
7."Rockin' 'N' Rollin' Again" (3:12)
8."End of the Line" (5:22)
9."No Sweet Talk, Honey" (3:29)
10."The Night Lives to Rock" (3:15
RIOT ­ "Fire Down Under"
Riot's "Fire Down Under" (1981) is considered by many to be one of the best hard rock albums
ever made. It blew rock fans away as they progressed quickly from their two previous releases. It
was an important album at the time because Riot was an American band and they released a
thunderous album right in the middle of the NWOBHM. This album showed that the Americans
could rock right with good ol' Brits.
A solid album with every tune being worthy of a greatest hits CD, the album opens with the
smoldering "Swords and Tequilia." A rock anthem for the ages, "Swords and Tequilia" is a fast
and driving rock anthem. The opener lets you know right off you are listening to something
special.
"Fire Down Under" comes ripping right in at number two. The duo form a powerful one­two
punch that immediately disables the listener. The album definitely opens fast and furious.
As good as those two are, "Outlaw" is just as good. Another fast paced song it belongs right
beside the two openers. The late Guy Speranza was the lead vocalist on this cd and sounds like
Geddy Lee on a dozen hits of speed. Commercial success never caught up with Riot but this
album definitely found a cult following that salute this CD as one of the most underrated ever
made.
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP ­ "Assault Attack"
The name Michael Schenker has always been associated with the guitar. He is recognized as
one of the top guitar players in rock. His band The Michael Schenker Group has never achieved
commercial chart success and none of his albums are considered ‘must­haves’ or any of his
songs considered classics.
But, many underground rock enthusiasts consider his 1982 release “Assault Attack” as one of
the best hard rock albums ever. The CD was not available in the US, until it was remastered and
re­released in the Summer of 2009. It’s also now available on iTunes.
It was the first and only MSG album to have Graham Bonnet as the vocalists. With a very
distinctive and melodic voice, Bonnet gave MSG a very different sound then previous vocalist
Gary Barden.
Schenker himself delived some stunning solos, espically in the instrumental “Ulcer” and played
superb guitar throughout the disc. The opening song, the title track “Assault Attack” truly lived up
to it’s name and from the beginning. The listener knew that this new experiement with Bonnet as
the vocalist would be a success.
The album literally burns with smoking riffs and guitar licks. The story is that Bonnet was not
considered a great lyric writer, so Schenker gave him a magazine and it provided many
aggressive inspirations. The lyrics are solid and aggressive, perfect for hard rock. “Rock You to
The Ground” follows the opener and forms a 1­2 assault. The third track “Dancer” is a melodic
song that was commercially targeted for that time period. Bonnet’s voice and style worked
perfectly. Although, it did not garner radio airplay at the time, it was right in line with what FM
radio was playing.
EARLY SCORPIONS
Lonesome Crow (1972) Fly to the Rainbow (1974) In Trance (1975) Virgin Killer (1976) Taken by
Force (1977) Tokyo Tapes (1978).
The Scorpions established themselves as a top metal act when hard rock merged with pop
music in the hair metal days of the 80s. The Scorpions turned the power ballad into gold and
scored several top forty hits. Before they found commercial success on Mercury Records, they
had recorded five stellar albums and a live CD on RCA Records which made them big stars in
their native Germany.
Early Scorpions music is a lot of harder and more aggressive than their later music. The first
album contained a then young guitarist named Michael Schenker. Psychedelic guitarist Uli Roth
was in The Scorpions from 1973­1978. His guitar and the thrashing vocals of Klaus Meine were
the key ingredients in The Scorpions' hard rock formula.
While Schenker was on Lonesome Crow, the bands first solid album was Fly To The Rainbow.
The album opened with “Speedy’s Coming”, a blistering early Scorpions classic. It was The
Scorpions first step in becoming a classic rock favorite.
“In Trance” came out the following year in 1975. The album is an absolute stunner. The tile track
“In Trance” is a slow building scorcher that is somewhat reminiscent of the power ballad sound
they would later perfect and use to climb the charts. “Life’s Like A River” is another bluesy slow
grinder. “Dark Lady,”“Top Of the Bill,” and “Robot Man” are anthem rockers that are among the
best of any Scorpions rockers of any era.
“Virgin Killer” featured the hot rocking Scorpions classics “Virgin Killer,” “Hellcat,” and “Pictured
Life.” Their fifth release “Taken By Force” is a showcase for Uli Roth, who was making his last
studio album for the band. “Sails Of Charon” and “He’s A Woman, She’s A Man” are
mesmerizing. “Tokyo Tapes” was a two­record live collection of the best of the first era of The
Scorpions.
The Scorpions would go onto have US chart success with the rock anthem “Rock You Like A
Hurricane” and several power rock ballads, but the RCA years contained several underground
classics.
Unfortunately, the early albums are hard to find on CD or even downloads. If you can find early
greatest hits collections containing the RCA classics, I highly recommend them, they are worth
stalking ebay for and haunting used CD stores.
VENOM ­ "Black Metal"
Ahhhhhh….everything starts somewhere. Everything has roots. Black metal’s roots are traced
back to Venom. Crono’s band Venom? Yep, that’s the Venom. There’s all kinds of venom flowing
from various creatures here in Da Swamp, but this Venom, while dark and sinister, is also kind
of funny…well, in a way.
Goin’ back to when I was just a teen gator back in ‘81, I remember being curious about an import
single from a band known as Venom. I was just a reckless teen, and how could I pass up a
single that contained songs called “In League With Satan” and “Live Like An Angel Die Like A
Devil.”
I mean, consider the cultural climate back then. Poor ol’ Ozzy…you know the guy who has
trouble staggering through house without tripping over dog dishes. Yeah, that’s him. He was
branded a devil worshorper by TV preachers who were goin’ to keep all of us teens from goin’ to
Hell. Rock music was just starting to move into mainstream and, of course, we who loved
Maiden and Priest were soon goin’ to be doomed to hell.
So, when I seen this single from Venom, I just had to get it. It was like I suddenly went from teen
virgin to major rebel, just by buying this single. For all I knew, I may be transported straight to hell,
but I risked it. I loved it in a sneaky way. It was the dirtiest, filtiest thing I heard in that time. I felt
like I was being bold just to risk playing it.
When the album, “Welcome To Hell” came out, I quickly snatched it up. Again, it was like a
secret evil inside of me. I felt like I was risking my soul purchasing it. I played it and played it for
my friends. My ‘guilty’ conscience led me to dispose of it rather quickly. But it was what I
expected. It was cheesy and over the top, but it was daring for the time period. It was very
untalented musicians, but they were just in the right place at the right time. It was an extremely
low budget recording, but you have to call it a classic album.
“In League With Satan” is a grimy, but still unbelievably fun anthem. The vocals are borderline
bizarre. Until then, Motörhead was the most exetreme music this young gator had ever
experienced.
At times, the album seemed more of a satire against religion than a satanic ritual. Today, it still
does. It’s evil, but it seems to be poking fun of itself instead of just spewing venom. It has it’s
message, I guess, it’s not like Satan was using the album to recruit patrons. Venom still lives,
fronted by Cronos, having released the cd “Hell” in 2008. Their second album “Black Metal”
coined the term black metal, which describes that genre of music.
I haven’t listened to anymore Venom albums, that one was enough for ol’ AJ but the only thing I
regret is that I destroyed it out of guilt. It’s a memorable album, what a waste to destroy it! But
then again, it may have just kept this ol’ gator from becoming boots in Dante’s Inferno. It may not
be for everyone, but ya have to check it out and hear it once. Espically for thrash, death, or black
metal fans…it’s certainly a piece of history.
DEF LEPPARD ­ "On Through The Night" and "High and Dry"
Def Leppard became pop rock kings in the 80’s. They pounded the charts with a greatest hits
album worth of top forty songs. Then, their greatest hits CD ­ "Vault," became a multi­platinum
smash. They thrived in the hair metal days with danceable pop rock tunes.
But, in the late seventies and early eighties Def Leppard were a fierce part of the New Wave of
British Heavy Metal. They released two solid rock albums which still stand as underrated hard
rock classics. Although they did not sell millions or produce songs that even made their greatest
hits album, “On Through The Night” and “High and Dry” are true underrated rock gems.
Their debut full­length album, "On Through The Night," was released in 1980 when the band’s
average age was sixteen. The album had a raw sound and it was easy to tell that the band was
still trying to find their sound. It had a few weak moments, but still was a solid rocker. Borrowing
influences from Deep Purple, Judas Priest, and AC/DC it was obvious from the beginning that
this band was heading somewhere.
The album was very close to being a total classic. Some of the songs were too obvious and
cliched, but just missed the mark. “Wasted,” “Rock Brigade” (which received moderate airplay
on US AOR­oriented stations at the time), and “Rocks Off” were early fan favorites and showed
glimpses of greatness. The album contained a cross of working class rock and glam rock’s
glittering hooks.
“When The Walls Come Tumbling Down” and “Answer To The Master” were thrash rockers in
the style of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. All in all, this was an album that showcases the
potential of a young band ready to explode, but still searching for the right sound. Not a classic
album per se, but a true overlooked classic.
“High And Dry” was released a year later in 1981 on Mercury Records, the same label that
released the debut album. It was a major step beyond their first effort. Again, the album was
stacked with several songs that loyal fans consider Leppard classics, but none of the songs
were chart successes or even made their greatest hits collection.
“Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” received airplay on a young MTV and radio airplay. Years later it
was rerecorded by Mariah Carey. The song had a definite commercial hook. The album
thundered from the beginning with the heavy opener “Let It Go.” The title track was a rowdy party
anthem that is one of the better overlooked gems from Def Leppard. “You Got Me Running”
displayed the band’s penchent for catchy, hooky songs that would later make them superstars.
“No No No” closed the album out in the thunderous style that it opened with…also containing a
screaming session at the end of the song.
In fact, these two albums should be merged into one great CD that could rival the greatest hits
CD “Vault” in the heart of true Def Leppard fans. The band aimed their sound at commercial
goals and they become mega stars as they slammed both the album and single charts
throughout the eighties. Nowadays many metalheads cringe at the mention of Def Leppard, BUT
there was a time when they were at the forefront of the NWOBHM and ranked ahead of bands
such as Iron Maiden.
WELL, WE'VE COME TO THE END FOR THIS MONTH, BUT THE SWAMP WILL BE
RAWKING AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER, SO UNTIL THEN ­­ CHOMP ON!
Published in Alligator Jackson
David "Alligator" Jackson
David Williams has three degrees from Marshall University including a Master's Degree in
Training and Development. He has over ten years in management experience. Born in
Cincinnati, he has spent most of his life in the Huntington, WV area.
When not writing songs or on his own blog AlligatorJackson.net, he contributes to
TheDiggerer.com andmyWV.net.
Website: alligatorjackson.net/