Accept: I'm a Rebel
I've always heard that this album was the direct result of the record company and other peripheral people insisting that Accept needed a radio friendly song to really make it. By all accounts their self titled first album had made some waves especially considering the style of music in that year wasn't exactly mainstream. It is telling that the infamous song on Breaker called 'Son of a Bitch' is about people meddling in the creation of this album and the subsequent result of such meddling.
Although this is Accept being shoehorned into what someone was hoping would be a pop project you can really hear the rage and inspiration bleeding through just about every track.
1) "I'm a Rebel" Is a song written by Malcolm and Angus Young's brother Alex (alias, George Alexander) and is transparently supposed to be catchy and jinglesque. Well, guess what? It succeeds in being just that and although it sounds a little contrived even by today's standards (must have come off as a joke in the year it was produced) it does somewhat deliver and at 3:57 is short enough not to be too repetitious. It kind of sets the pace for the blind commercialism throughout though.
2) "Save Us" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann) Now this is Accept being Accept. I can only think that there were several songs that (thank God) Accept was not going to compromise on. It is simple and direct as a kick in the teeth and really rocks along the way. The lyric and delivery are pure Accept and one of the things that really redeems this album. It runs 4:33 and leaves you wanting more.
3) "No Time to Lose" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) Unbelievably melodic and heart rending. You can tell they are sort of reaching for something they are not but boy does this song really nail it in it's own way. This is the first song on the album sung by bass player Peter Baltes and his unique and very accessible style is in stark but welcome contrast to the maniacal bile of Udo Dirkschneider. Great tune and extremely atmospheric in it's simplistic way. 4 minutes 35 seconds of ear candy.
4) "Thunder and Lightning" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann) Another ass kicking rocker. This has a great riff, composition and overall feel but loses a little for it's repetition. Still at 4:01 it doesn't last quite long enough.
5) "China Lady" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) Another really cool tune but an obvious attempt at being radio friendly. The riff and lyric are catchy enough and at 3:56 it is the right size for the job.
6) "I Wanna Be No Hero" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) I didn't used to care for this 4 minute song. But it has a very interesting lyric and overall feel that I find myself humming quite often.
7) "The King" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) This is one of the unexpected gems on this album. The song is about a streetfighter and gang leader who is passed his prime or forced into retirement by the circumstances of his chosen lifestyle. It is unique as it presents the guy in a sympathetic almost heroic light while not being overtly aggrandizing. The choice of making this a low key acoustic song only adds to the grit of the subject matter. Really brilliant contrast that is rather unexpected considering the topic. The guitar playing while rather simple really nails the subject by making it almost like a medieval minstrel type tune.
8) "Do It" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann) Not a bad song but also not a particularly good one. You have to wonder if this was just something thrown together in a single jam session because it is extremely simple and seems to lack resolution.
I've always heard that this album was the direct result of the record company and other peripheral people insisting that Accept needed a radio friendly song to really make it. By all accounts their self titled first album had made some waves especially considering the style of music in that year wasn't exactly mainstream. It is telling that the infamous song on Breaker called 'Son of a Bitch' is about people meddling in the creation of this album and the subsequent result of such meddling.
Although this is Accept being shoehorned into what someone was hoping would be a pop project you can really hear the rage and inspiration bleeding through just about every track.
1) "I'm a Rebel" Is a song written by Malcolm and Angus Young's brother Alex (alias, George Alexander) and is transparently supposed to be catchy and jinglesque. Well, guess what? It succeeds in being just that and although it sounds a little contrived even by today's standards (must have come off as a joke in the year it was produced) it does somewhat deliver and at 3:57 is short enough not to be too repetitious. It kind of sets the pace for the blind commercialism throughout though.
2) "Save Us" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann) Now this is Accept being Accept. I can only think that there were several songs that (thank God) Accept was not going to compromise on. It is simple and direct as a kick in the teeth and really rocks along the way. The lyric and delivery are pure Accept and one of the things that really redeems this album. It runs 4:33 and leaves you wanting more.
3) "No Time to Lose" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) Unbelievably melodic and heart rending. You can tell they are sort of reaching for something they are not but boy does this song really nail it in it's own way. This is the first song on the album sung by bass player Peter Baltes and his unique and very accessible style is in stark but welcome contrast to the maniacal bile of Udo Dirkschneider. Great tune and extremely atmospheric in it's simplistic way. 4 minutes 35 seconds of ear candy.
4) "Thunder and Lightning" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann) Another ass kicking rocker. This has a great riff, composition and overall feel but loses a little for it's repetition. Still at 4:01 it doesn't last quite long enough.
5) "China Lady" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) Another really cool tune but an obvious attempt at being radio friendly. The riff and lyric are catchy enough and at 3:56 it is the right size for the job.
6) "I Wanna Be No Hero" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) I didn't used to care for this 4 minute song. But it has a very interesting lyric and overall feel that I find myself humming quite often.
7) "The King" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann, Steffens) This is one of the unexpected gems on this album. The song is about a streetfighter and gang leader who is passed his prime or forced into retirement by the circumstances of his chosen lifestyle. It is unique as it presents the guy in a sympathetic almost heroic light while not being overtly aggrandizing. The choice of making this a low key acoustic song only adds to the grit of the subject matter. Really brilliant contrast that is rather unexpected considering the topic. The guitar playing while rather simple really nails the subject by making it almost like a medieval minstrel type tune.
8) "Do It" (Dirkschneider, Baltes, Hoffmann, Fischer, Kaufmann) Not a bad song but also not a particularly good one. You have to wonder if this was just something thrown together in a single jam session because it is extremely simple and seems to lack resolution.
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