Welcome on a trip to ‘Bucky’s Attic’ in which I go upstairs & crawl into to that dusty room which can also be called “Vinyl Heaven”. I reach into one of the many crates of vinyl records(which have been packed away for almost 20 years) & pull out a handful albums to be reviewed by me. Some of these records could be hidden gems while others are to be filed in the “What was I thinking??”category.
Dick Destiny & the Highway Kings – ‘Brutality’
Label: Destination Records
Year: 1987
Review by Bucky
Wow! The final track on this album titled “What’s This?” is the first thing that popped into my head as the first track “Strategic Air Command” started out followed by the million dollar question “Why did I buy This?”(which should’ve been another song title!). Underneath the record label (Destination Records) on the back of the album cover it says
“Home of Loud & Ugly Rock & Roll” & you couldn’t any louder & uglier than this bunch of thugs from Allentown, PA led by Dick Destiny on vocals & lead guitar. I guess this band could be kind of fun to see live at some outdoor Bikerfest in the hot summer while throwing down a few cold Pabst Blue Ribbons. Destiny’s loud distorted lead guitar riffs are somewhat enjoyable throughout the record but the music that backs him up is just awful. The band is trying to play simple rock & roll but they can’t seem to even get a simple blues rhythm down. Destiny’s robotic vocals on every track sound the same which is a cross between a Robot & Ted Nugent(From “Terminus El Dorado” from Uncle Ted’s ‘Scream Dream’ Record). Actually, he has a song on side one called “Letter to Mr. Ted” in which he references “Hey Baby” & “Wango Tango”. “Ironwork Blues” is very awful slow warped blues at its worst & with a song title like “Sorority Cooze” how much worst could this get??? Okay, on to the real reason I bought the record. Back in the 80’s I always frequented this little record store called “Home of the Hits” & I loved the place because you weren’t going to find the top 40 records here. I often would try records from bands I never heard of & just buy a record because of the song titles or album cover. This record I picked up because I seen they covered my favorite AC/DC tune “The Jack” & actually I like the cover they do of it. It’s probably the only tolerable track on the album. One other tune had a cool title & sounded good but the problem was that the song was over before it got started(there was no time listed but if it lasted 45 seconds it a lot) & the name of that song was “Dweezils Ripped My Flesh” which kind of revisited Zappa’s “Peaches En Regalia”
Wild Dogs – ‘Man’s Best Friend”
Label: Shrapnel Records
Year: 1984
Review by Bucky
This was one of those albums I bought because of the cover. How could I resist a cover with a fangs out Doberman snarling over a defeated bloody body clutching a spiked baseball bat in front of a blood splattered wall?? This band is what 80’s metal was all about & with song titles like “Woman in Chains”, “Rock’s Not Dead”, “Stick to Your Guns”, “Beauty & a Beast”, & “Endless Nights” there is nothing more you could ask for in an 80’s metal album. The band has a sound of Motley Crue, Accept, Dokken,& maybe even a little bit of Raven. This album is full of screaming lead guitars by Jeff Mark, loud powerful vocals by lead singer Mathew T., & a heavy rhythm section of bassist Danny Kurth & drummer Deen Castranova. What I really love about this record is how it builds up where the next song is stronger than the previous track. The standout tracks are “Beauty & a Beast” which is followed by 2 anthems “Believe in Me” & “Rocks Not Dead”, “Endless Nights”(which has a bit of Scorpions feel to it), ”Ready or Not”, & the closing track “Stick to Your Guns”. Overall there really isn’t a weak track on this gem
Rockets – ‘Rockets’
Label: RSO Records
Year: 1979
Review by Bucky
The Rockets were a rock & roll band from the Detroit area led by former Mitch Ryder & the Detroit wheels drummer Johnny B. Badanjek & guitarist Jim McCarty featuring vocals by David Gilbert. The Rockets were actually the first band I seen live as they opened for Kiss n 1978. This was the bands sophomore album & is a great piece of Rock & Roll. The opening track is a funky rocker called “Can’t Sleep” which shows some great musicianship. “Turn Up the Radio” should have been a huge hit for the band as it’s full of catchy hooks & a great chorus. The one song that stands out over all the rest is a phenomenal rocking cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” which did receive some moderate FM airplay when the album was first released. “Lost Forever Left for Dreaming” is an awesome ballad with a southern style featuring some great lead guitar. Other standout tracks are “Love Me Once Again” which has the sound & style of an Ian Hunter rocker & a cool rocking version of Little Richard’s “Lucille” done much in the same vein as a Mitch Ryder rocker with McCarty blazing away on guitar & Gilbert’s vocals at their best. The album closes out with “Feel Alright” which is another radio friendly rocker that will have you singing along.
Smack – ‘Smack on You’
Label: Pink Dust Records
Year 1984
Review by Bucky
Wow! I reach into the album jacket & pull out a white vinyl record! I forgot about that & almost forgot about this band as well but with a name like Smack it kind of got stuck in between a few of my brain cells. I bought this album when I was really starting to go into a punk phase but was still hanging onto the 80’s metal scene as well. Smack has a sound & style of the Stooges,MC5, Deadboys, NY Dolls mixed together well with a bit of 60’s garage rock. I put the white vinyl record on the turntable & the first thing I hear is heavy breathing & at first I thought my wife was standing behind me but then the opening number “Good Morning Headache” kicked into gear with a hard edge onslaught of loud guitars with a punk flavor. The album is filled with dark edged rockers with songs like “Through the Glass”, “10 Foot Cell”, “Skin Alley”, “Criminal”, & what I feel is the best track on the record “Cemetery Walls”. When I put side 2 on & the first song started up I immediately thought of the Stooges (& later Sex Pistols) “No Fun” & as the song was buzzing on through with some raw power guitars I looked at the song title & the name of the tune was…”Some Fun”! The closing song (though it’s only 1:24) is very haunting & chilling. The song title is “No Peace on Earth” & it just soft guitar with lead singer Claude repeating over & over “I finally get to home…No peace on earth”. Claude passed away of heart failure in 1996. Smack actually influenced a lot of bands & musicians including Slash & Izzy Stradlin of Guns n Roses who have both mentioned Smack (the band not the drug…at least I think the band!) in previous interviews. Also Curt Cobain of Nirvana was a fan of the band & they actually covered the song “Run Rabbit Run” which appeared on a few bootleg albums under the name “Raunchola” from what I have read.
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