Another legendary name, another bunch of nearly men.
There were just too many ifs, too few lucky breaks and some bad decisions.
The old story. Talent is not enough.
Back in 1981, much gigging, a demo and an appearance on The Friday Rock Show, (a radio institution in the UK) led to Neat Records releasing
Tobruk's first single,
'Wild On The Run'. That single plus the B-side
'The Show Must Go On' are included as bonus tracks here.
Then nothing.
Tired of waiting, the band's management company hired a hall, invited every A&R man from the UK's major labels and showcased the band. It worked. The band were signed by EMI subsidiary, Parlophone.
Credit to EMI. They shipped the band out to Philadelphia and hooked them up with Lance Quinn, fresh from producing Bon Jovi's first 2 albums.
Of course we all know that it was the Bruce Fairbairn produced 'Slippery...' that made the breakthrough for BJ. Still...
Quinn's production style didn't actually do the band a lot of favours. The band's character was flattened out by Quinn's homogenised studio stylings. A one size fits all approach. Maybe that was the idea of course. Make them sound American. And it did. In a
Heavy Pettin kinda way.
The album didn't do too well. Yet there are some cracking songs here. Nothing world class. But enough to make you warm to the band and recognise the potential.
'She's Nobody's Angel' rises above the clunky lyrics, with unexpected harmonies, an attention grabbing key change, wiry axework and some neat chord progressions all combining to excellent effect. '
Breakdown' is a driving, blood pumping melodic rock workout with a great riff.
Elsewhere, album standout by a considerable margin is the Waspish,
Heavy Pettin-esque
'Falling'. It has all the ingredients. Drive, urgency and perfectly pitched keyboards, propelling the song into a highly anticipatory bridge and an inviting,
FM friendly hook.
Despite Quinn then, and thanks to some inspired playing and good songwriting,
Tobruk made a decent fist of their debut album. But you have to conclude that in aiming to emulate the rock successes of the era, they failed to create a unique identity.
As part of Majestic Rock Records' excellent value add reissue programme,
'Wild On The Run' is re-released with a bonus live CD. Considering the recordings must be 25 years old and not recorded on state of the art equipment, the sound is passable, but as an indicator of how good this band sounded live, it's a valuable addition to any collection.
Written by
Brian Wednesday, July 4, 2007
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