scarabus
Member
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2012
- Posts
- 70
- Reaction score
- 12
Rick Sanford - Vocals
Michael Prince - keyboards, guitar, vocals
Jeff Poole - drums
New are
Jim May - guitar, vocals
Mike Christie - bass, vocals
Legs Diamond is one of my favourite bands and I don't understand that they never made it big.
Their first 2 albums ("Legs Diamond" in 1977 and "A Diamond Is A Hard Rock" in 1978) were solid rock albums.
They were seen as the American answer to Deep Purple.
On their 3rd album ("Firepower" in 1978) they shifted more to a softer / smoother side, more ballads, lots of synthesisers.
A new record was recorded, but never got released (demos later surfaced on "Uncut Diamond" in 1999).
Back to early 1984
For years I hadn't heard of them (there was no internet).
One day I saw this one, "Out On Bail", in my local record store. It had only six tracks.
I didn't have to think about it, I just had to have it.
I went straight at home to put it on my turntable.
From the opening guitarriffs of the titletrack I was immediately hooked, than Rick Sanford steps in with "I can still remember that Friday night" and it's if I'm back in time.
The track keeps rocking on.
"Fugitive" starts very smooth and Sanford sings softly the first verse and then the rest of the band drops in.
Than it's back to the smooth beginning and than back to the chorus. It's a track that sticks in your mind and won't go away.
After a guitar / keyboard solo the chorus is repeated over and over again with a guitarsolo till the end. Hypnotic.
Synthesisers and a bass kick off on "Walkaway". Again the song gets heavier to the chorus. The chorus again is very smooth.
The guitarsolo in this song by Jim May is great again. Fits perfectly to the mood / pace of the song.
Drums kick in first for "Find It Out The Hard Way". Again smooth, but the band catches up nicely.
This time there is time for a keyboard solo.
All ingredients are also to be found on "Nobody's Fool". The swirling keyboards, the great sounding guitar, Sanford's high pitched vocals and a steady rhythm section.
The closing track "One Way Ticket" start's with Michael Prince's keyboards, after 30 seconds Jim May comes riffing in, followed by the rest of the band.
It's a faster track as the previous ones. After 2 and a half minutes Jim May plays his longest guitarsolo on this album.
Then the song changes direction. Keyboards and drums take over and lay a great fountain for Sanford who kinda starts speak the lyrics.
The song is buliding to a climax and May starts soloing till the end. Wish it would have lasted longer than the 7 minutes it lasts now.
After 28 minutes it was all over. Leaving me breathless.
It's an almost perfect album.
Great songs, very well composed and executed.
On every track you start to sing along. It's that catchy.
The one thing that it didn't make it perfect was the fact that it was so damn short. Although I had to pay full price for this import.
Later it was released in Europe as a complete album with 2 extra songs: "Doomsday Flight" and "Seems Like A Dream".
Both songs were more in the tradition of the first 2 Legs Diamond albums: heavier, less keyboards and not that melodic.
They were recorded with drummer Dusty Watson.
I bought that album too.
In 1990 they released "Out On Bail together with the follow-up "Land Of The Gun", that one I bought also because I didn't have it on cd.
And to make the story complete it's now released with 3 more tracks:"Radio", "Hey Texas" and "One Last Kiss".
Those songs are not in the same league as the 6 originals and I have that also.
Michael Prince - keyboards, guitar, vocals
Jeff Poole - drums
New are
Jim May - guitar, vocals
Mike Christie - bass, vocals
Legs Diamond is one of my favourite bands and I don't understand that they never made it big.
Their first 2 albums ("Legs Diamond" in 1977 and "A Diamond Is A Hard Rock" in 1978) were solid rock albums.
They were seen as the American answer to Deep Purple.
On their 3rd album ("Firepower" in 1978) they shifted more to a softer / smoother side, more ballads, lots of synthesisers.
A new record was recorded, but never got released (demos later surfaced on "Uncut Diamond" in 1999).
Back to early 1984
For years I hadn't heard of them (there was no internet).
One day I saw this one, "Out On Bail", in my local record store. It had only six tracks.
I didn't have to think about it, I just had to have it.
I went straight at home to put it on my turntable.
From the opening guitarriffs of the titletrack I was immediately hooked, than Rick Sanford steps in with "I can still remember that Friday night" and it's if I'm back in time.
The track keeps rocking on.
"Fugitive" starts very smooth and Sanford sings softly the first verse and then the rest of the band drops in.
Than it's back to the smooth beginning and than back to the chorus. It's a track that sticks in your mind and won't go away.
After a guitar / keyboard solo the chorus is repeated over and over again with a guitarsolo till the end. Hypnotic.
Synthesisers and a bass kick off on "Walkaway". Again the song gets heavier to the chorus. The chorus again is very smooth.
The guitarsolo in this song by Jim May is great again. Fits perfectly to the mood / pace of the song.
Drums kick in first for "Find It Out The Hard Way". Again smooth, but the band catches up nicely.
This time there is time for a keyboard solo.
All ingredients are also to be found on "Nobody's Fool". The swirling keyboards, the great sounding guitar, Sanford's high pitched vocals and a steady rhythm section.
The closing track "One Way Ticket" start's with Michael Prince's keyboards, after 30 seconds Jim May comes riffing in, followed by the rest of the band.
It's a faster track as the previous ones. After 2 and a half minutes Jim May plays his longest guitarsolo on this album.
Then the song changes direction. Keyboards and drums take over and lay a great fountain for Sanford who kinda starts speak the lyrics.
The song is buliding to a climax and May starts soloing till the end. Wish it would have lasted longer than the 7 minutes it lasts now.
After 28 minutes it was all over. Leaving me breathless.
It's an almost perfect album.
Great songs, very well composed and executed.
On every track you start to sing along. It's that catchy.
The one thing that it didn't make it perfect was the fact that it was so damn short. Although I had to pay full price for this import.
Later it was released in Europe as a complete album with 2 extra songs: "Doomsday Flight" and "Seems Like A Dream".
Both songs were more in the tradition of the first 2 Legs Diamond albums: heavier, less keyboards and not that melodic.
They were recorded with drummer Dusty Watson.
I bought that album too.
In 1990 they released "Out On Bail together with the follow-up "Land Of The Gun", that one I bought also because I didn't have it on cd.
And to make the story complete it's now released with 3 more tracks:"Radio", "Hey Texas" and "One Last Kiss".
Those songs are not in the same league as the 6 originals and I have that also.
