Released in 1985, this version of London was actually a reformed incarnation that arose after the disbanding of the original band during the early 1980s. Featuring a new line-up, founder and guitarist Lizzie Grey sought to capitalize on the glam scene that London had certainly helped create. First up is "Dirty City". The first thing that you will notice is the incredible racket that the band made. Very much in the same vein as Motley Crue and W.A.S.P., the band is in the heavier spectrum of glam metal. I love the thunderous drums, electrifying solos, and great vocals from Nadir D'Priest. L.A. metal at its finest, the songs sordid tales of the underbelly of L.A. are a perfect fit for the nasty-sounding riffs. Next up is the title track. "Non-Stop Rock" reminds me of "Knock Em' Dead Kid" by Motley. D'Priest sounds a lot like Vince Neil, but with even more aggression and growl in his voice. A great anthem, the song is about having a good time and rocking and rolling. Grey is a great guitarist, and it was a shame that he is more of a local figure than a superstar. A great tune, everything that Vinnie Vincent Invasion could have and should have been, fast-paced metal with blistering solos.
"Werewolves In London" bears no similarity to the Warren Zevon hit. The song's lyrics are somewhat ridiculous, but have a certain 1980's charm with its horror-movie kitsch and cheap keyboards. Not the greatest song on the album, but cheesy in all the right ways, especially the constant grunting of "wild in the streets" over and over again. The guitar playing is especially top-notch, some great lead guitar is featured on the track. "It's Rock & Roll" is a pretty fast number with a cool classic rockin riff. The song is an homage is rock and roll and its history. The musical structure of the song is odd, with some weird structural changes, but it's fun enough. Drummer Bobby Marks hits the sticks pretty hard and fast, but definitely had some timing issues on this track. Not a bad tune, but far from a classic.
"Stand Back" sounds very much like peers W.A.S.P. However the song is not nearly as proficient or catchy as anything released by that band. The song is weird in that the chorus reminds of poppy bands such as Poison, but has a very confrontational message warning the listener to "stand back". Not a great song at all, its structure and out of place lyrics hold it back from greatness. "No Tell Motel" is a sleazy tale of after-hours escapades in various hotel rooms. I like the song, despite the somewhat stupid and cliche main riff and lyrics. Very Crue-like, fans of early Motley will certainly enjoy London and this song in particular.
"Party In Hollywood" is classic L.A. metal. Bashing drums are accompanied by what basically equates to cat calls from London. Poison took everything they did from this song, and you can clearly hit the blue-print for Poison within the DNA for this party anthem. A fun song, a lost nugget from the era of big hair and ridiculous clothes. London were certainly a fun band, and one only needs to watch "The Decline of Western Civilization II" to see the band in action during the peak of the hair metal era. "Masters of the Airwaves" is a pretty aggressive song. Another metal anthem, the song basically tells of the band not giving a shit about people telling them what to do. I love Lizzie's solo, one of his best. The bass work of Brian West is also particularly solid on this track. Very raw and unpolished, London captured the sound of hair metal before it was put through the commercial record-making machine of the major labels. A great sound, if a little too raw at times. Last up we have "Radio Stars". An American interpretation of 1970's English rock, the song is innocent enough and sounds very similar to early Crue tracks. A catchy song, but somewhat corny.
"Non-Stop Rock" is an essential listen for fans of hair/glam metal. For casual fans of the genre, this album would be good to explore if you are feeling bored with the usually Crue/Poison/Cinderella albums. You could do better than London, but you could certainly do a lot worse.
Rating-7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment