Hidden Treasures - Producer Showcase (Tom Allom)

[Scott]

This week were showcasing another Producer. This guys done some cool albums! Trust me, you know his work maybe not his name though. Its "Colonel" Tom Allom and yes he has been nicknamed "Colonel" much like Elvis Presleys producer, "Colonel" Tom Parker was. It is clearly a compliment.


Allom cut his teeth as a sound engineer on Genesis' first album and then engineered the first 3 Black Sabbaths albums, maybe their best 3 albums ever. He is also the producer that really got Judas Priest worldwide attention. All of their most successful output has his signature on it.


Most of his work is rooted in the 70's but he did some great things in the early 80's as well, and thats the era were targeting for this weeks Hidden Treasure playlist. Give this a listen, I think you will hear some great work ...


Now you know...Oh, by the way, these songs are posted in chronological order.


PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1u5wi9j

	Def Leppard On Through The Night 1980 1 - Wasted Posted track was pulled from "Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection" package. Def Leppard's debut album, established the band as one of the leading lights of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. While possessing the tight, controlled attack of comrades Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, Def Leppard was uninterested in the fantastic, menacing, and sometimes gothic themes of those bands; instead, On Through the Night is a collection of working-class hard rock anthems informed by the big, glittering hooks of glam rock. It may lack the detailed production and more pop-oriented songwriting of later efforts, but it's also arguably their heaviest album, and some Leppard fans prefer this sound.
	Doc Holliday Doc Holliday 1981 2 - Ain't No Fool Doc Holliday's debut wound up slipping through that same stylistic breach from which they emerged, failing to latch on with consumers on either side of the Southern rock divide despite receiving largely positive reviews from savvy critics. Within two years the band would lose their way, their record deal, and totally fall apart, but things sure appeared promising once upon a time.
	Krokus Headhunter 1983 3 - Stand and be Counted Krokus had already been around the bend a number of times by the time they scored their first (and only) American platinum success with 1983's Headhunter. Shameless bandwagon hoppers that they were (their origins lay in cheesy, late-'70s progressive rock), the band at least deserve credit for mixing their musical stew just right on this occasion. The results include the frenetic title track, a highly competent power ballad in "Screaming in the Night," and their biggest hit -- a reworking of Bachman Turner Overdrive's "Stayed Awake All Night." Mid-tempo rockers such as "Eat the Rich" and "Russian Winter" also receive energetic performances from the band
	Y&T In Rock We Trust 1984 4 - Break Out Tonight Y&T had yet to successfully capture their scorching live energy on vinyl. With Judas Priest producer Tom (Colonel) Allom on board this time around, they did manage to sound a little looser and more relaxed than on recent efforts, but to be quite honest, In Rock We Trust still paled in comparison to the freewheeling intensity of 1981's landmark Earthshaker album. "Masters and Slaves" and the driving "Break Out Tonight!" are among the highlights contained here

[Jon]

Amazing that you wouldn't play anything to do with Major Tom, yet you play stuff having to do with Colonel Tom. You obviously have something for landlubbers and something against spacelubbers. It's also quite obvious that this was not an original idea, but one brought on by, yes, MAJOR TOM. Kudos should be given to those that deserve them, namely me. 

1. This was their heaviest album? Always thought it was "Adrenalize", followed by "Hysteria". I guess I learned something new. 

2. Yeah, this slipped thru the cracks. Think they've been posted here before, but I could be on crack. The way the synopsis is written, it sounds like they beat the crap out of each other on a Saturday night and decided to call it quits. It's not bad, but it's not good as Molly Hatchet around this time. 

3. My favorite Krokus album. They went downhill FAST after this.

4. This is when Y&T started their slide as well. After the previous albums, this album just screamed "sellout". THe album cover is kinda silly as well. There's still some good tracks on the album, but overall it's a letdown.

[Scott]

Major Tom has been a major subliminal theme lately, how'd you miss that!?

And yes, On Through The Night is their heaviest because AllMusic said so!  I've posted one other track from Doc Holliday on here in my disco beats post sometime back.  It was so popular you even remembered it!  

You get no argument about Headhunter from me, their last great album!  And right you are yet again on Y&T!

[Niels (Mod)]

I noticed the name Tom allom early on, as I noticed he was producing the Priest-albums (and "on Through The Night", which I bough in 1980), I was buying. If you look at the albums, he produced for Priest ("Steel", "Entry", "Vengeance", "Defenders","Turbo" and more), it's kind of weird that they don't sound at all, as if they were produced by the same man, so I don't know how much influence he had on the sound of the albums, he produced. You could always hear (or I could), when it was an album produced by Mutt Lange, my favorite producer of all. 

DEF LEPPARD - When I bought this album back then, I only really listened to side 1...and the first song on side 2: Wasted. The rest sounded like filler to me, and kind of still do. Wasted is definitely one of the best tracks on the album, perhaps one of Leppards best at all?! An absolute killer-riff!! Off course it WAS Lange who took over after this album, and Leppard and Lange was a match made in heaven. Probably meaning that Leppard couldn't really "on their own", like Priest could. Oh, and definitely not their heaviest album, that one is "High'N'Dry"!!

DOC HOLLIDAY- ....is a movie starring Michael J. Fox. I've never heard of this band?! I like the sound of this one. Sounds a BIT like a cross between Lizzy and KISS around 1976. Nice guitar. I like this one very much!!

KROKUS - Unlike all of you (I guess), I always thought, that Headhunter was a crappy album. I like the two previous albums, but when I bought this one, the fun was over, and I never bought a Krokus-album again. Krokus are a lousy version of Scott-era AC/DC with lousy lyrics. I even knew that in ´83. This is just Spinal Tap-music to me. 

Y & T - The last Y & T-album, that I liked. I liked it better than "Mean Streak", not the song "Mean Streak", because that is probably the best ever Y & T-song. I could hear this album was a bit cheesy, but there was something about the album, that I liked back then, and kind of still do. Sounds very much like the summer of 1984 to me.

I like these "Producer"- Hidden treassures very much. I've always had an interest in good producers. What about a HT about Brendan O'Brian, Scott?

[Scott]

Really very surprised that Doc Holliday track appealed to you since they are an American Southern Rock band.  Oh and that MJ Fox movie was titled Doc Hollywood.  

I will have to look up Brendan O'Brian and what I can do...  He in the queue until further notice...  Thanks!

[Niels (Mod)]

Yeah, well, it's like I've always said: There's only good and bad music.

I'm sure there's a rap-"song" somewhere, that I like and even though I consider myself a huge Zeppelin-fan, I can't stand "Presence" and ITTOD. 

Therefore I might just have found THE southern band, that I like, or maybe just this song.

[RJhog (Admin)]

If you don't like Lynyrd Skynyrd, it's safe to say you will never find a Southern Rock band that you like. 

You really should try Blackberry Smoke.  You should spin there last three albums multiple times and like Great White, you'll be hooked.

[Niels (Mod)]

Hmmmm.....maybe I will, maybe I won't.

I did try the latest BS (coincidence?), and I didn't like it.

There's only one LS-song, that I like, and you know which one. Everybody like that one.

[RJhog (Admin)]

You've gotta listen more than once.  Then you'll be tapping your foot and yelling "yee-ha".

[Niels (Mod)]

[RJhog (Admin)]

Leppard - I have every DL studio album...except this one.  I've been meaning to pick it up, I just haven't.  I do like the song, but I'll say that Joe Elliott sounds totally different on this album.  I'm guessing it was a case of him not yet having found his voice.  So I'm guessing it took another producer to help him find it?  Just sayin'.  

Doc - I've heard of this band, but I'm not familiar with them at all.  That may seem weird with me being from the South and a fan of Southern Rock.  But it is what it is.  Like Scott, I'm quite surprised this was a bit of a hit for Niels.  I would have never though it.  They really sound a lot like Molly Hatchet, but I agree with Jon that the Hatchet sounded better.  Nice geeeeeeeeetar playing though.

Krokus - I was never a fan of this band.  I always thought they were an AC/DC knock off.  I've never owned any of their albums.  This sounds really, really dated, and not in a good way.  I'll continue to pass on Krokus.

Y&T - I'm more familiar with Y&T than the previous two offerings.  I'm immediately liking this track.  It's real bluesy.  The guitar and vocals are terrific.  This is easily the best track here for me.  I've often wanted to dig a bit deeper with this band, just haven't so far.  Maybe that will change soon.

Nice post Scott.  I'd have to rank these four:

1. Y&T

2. Def Leppard

3. Doc Holiday 

4. Krokus

[Scott]

I think puberty played a bigger role in Elliot finding his voice, haha.....

Thought I did a Y&T showcase sometime back... Will look and get back to you...

[RJhog (Admin)]

Probably right on the puberty thing.