Lost/Forgotten Album #228

[Jon]

For my first post of 2015, I want to prove a point to a certain someone who is under the assumption that I'm going "soft" or going "Broadway" and that I've lost my "rock credentials". This person thinks they have Jonny in a corner, but they need to beware since NOBODY puts Jonny in a corner. Jonny will fight back like a kitten. 

Since it is the first full weekend of the month, of course it's time for an anniversary post. This week's pick is 1985's Welcome To The Club from Kick Axe, the followup to their critically-lauded debut, Vices. 

For some reason, this album escaped me on its release. I had Vices when it came out (the album cover looked metal), but I didn't know about this album until a few years after it was released, and by that time it wasn't available in record stores, or at least the ones that I went to. 

Good thing I invented the internet! 15 years after its original release a remastered version was released on CD and I finally had a copy. It's different from Vices, but still a pretty good album. Less metallic than the debut, but it does rock. 

Who is Kick Axe? Let's see what allmusic.com says:

"Canadian mainstream metal band Kick Axe was formed in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1976 by brothers Victor Langen (bass) and Gary Langen (drums), along with guitarist Larry Gillstrom. The band started out playing biker festivals around their home province, and soon added second guitarist Raymond Arthur Harvey in January 1978. Kick Axe relocated to Vancouver in the hopes of finding more gigs, but the constant touring disagreed with Gary Langen, who quit before the end of 1978 to spend time with his new family; he was replaced by Gillstrom's brother, Brian. The group began recording an album in 1979, but were discouraged by the results and abandoned the idea in favor of searching for a true frontman. They hired Charles McNary in 1981, but he became more satisfied with the band's local success -- both in clubs and with the independent single "Reality Is the Nightmare" -- than the remainder of the group. National advertisements for a new singer landed Milwaukee native George Criston, who moved to Vancouver in 1982 to join Kick Axe. Thus constituted, the band landed a deal with Pasha Records (home of Quiet Riot) and recorded their debut album, Vices, with producer Spencer Proffer. Vices was released in 1984 and produced a minor hit in "Heavy Metal Shuffle," as well as landing the band an opening slot for Judas Priest that summer. The follow-up, Welcome to the Club, appeared in 1985, featuring a charity-benefit cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" recorded with a variety of Canadian hard rock all-stars. The album went gold in Canada, but guitarist Harvey, tired of touring, quit shortly thereafter. Kick Axe continued as a quartet and recorded two tracks for the soundtrack of Transformers: The Movie; however, executives feared the band's name would be inappropriate for the film's young audience, and they were instead credited as Spectre General. Back under their own name, Kick Axe recorded their third album, Rock the World, in 1986; however, it failed to build on the band's previous commercial exposure, and they broke up soon afterwards."

Of course you now need to read a REAL review, again courtesy of allmusic.com:

"Welcome to the Club ranks a cut below Vices, with a cleaner production and performances that push Kick Axe into more radio-friendly territory, but also tend to mute some of the exuberance of the debut. Lead singer George Criston sounds a bit more reigned in, and, while he continues to deliver uniformly strong performances, his over-the-top personality is slightly less dominant than before. But even if Welcome to the Club doesn't quite capture the essence of Kick Axe the way Vices did, that's not to say it isn't a good record. The title cut is one of several strong rockers, and tracks like "Comin' After You" help broaden the band's sonic palette. The album closes with a surprisingly serious rendition of "With a Little Help From My Friends," done as a bombastic "We Are the World"-style charity single."

The album cover is pretty cool. See if you can spot the Batman references, if there are any.

Welcome To The Club

1. Welcome to the Club
2. Feels Good, Don't Stop
3. Comin' After You
4. Make Your Move
5. Never Let Go
6. Hellraisers
7. Can't Take It with You
8. Too Loud...Too Old
9. Feel the Power
10. With a Little Help from My Friends

Availability: Wounded Bird re-released this in 2013 and it can be had for around $11. Supposedly it's the same remaster as the long OOP Rewind version from 2001.

P.S. Sorry if this is a disjointed piece o' crap, I'm still suffering the flu but forged ahead. I did this all for you, all because I care. 

 

[RJhog (Admin)]

Had a chance to get this one in today:

1. Welcome To The Club - I immediately like this song.  Vocally, it kind of reminds me of Skid Row.  Nice hook.  I love an extended guitar solo.  Really cool song.

2. Feels Good, Don't Stop - Good riff and solo (some slide?). But the song is entirely forgettable.  Good thing I have a short memory.

3. Comin' After You - This is better.  A ballad style start that kicks in fairly hard.  Not the smartest song lyrically, but overall better than the first track.  And cowbell.

4. Make Your Move - I like the fade in. This is a real rocker here.

5. Never Let Go - The vocal style immediately makes me think of Dio.  He's certainly not as good a vocalist as Ronnie, but he's not bad.

Tracks 6, 7 and 8 are fairly generic, background music.  Nothing terrible, but nothing special.

9. Feel The Power - I like this much better.  Catchy chorus.

10. The cover is quite decent.

Overall, a fair listening experience, but nothing that would warrant a purchase from me.  

[Scott]

Well, the title track surely ain't no Vandenberg cover.  Too bad to, it would have made it better...

Feels Good Don't Stop - uh, please do! And while you're at it, Comin After You can also be stopped.  Musically these guys can play, but their songwriting suffers.  Its cliché for the times and doesn't stand out from the crowd.  The fact that this release escaped you (your words) isn't surprising, it probably escaped everyone except friends and family of the band, and even then they probably smiled and said, "um ya, its real good son" and then put it in the closet where it resides to this day.

Lets hope Kick Axe never comes out of the closet...

[Scott]

PS:  Hope you feel better!  The flu is extra nasty this winter

[Meow]

[Scott]