Remember
Shark Island? I remember them from back in the day, where there was no Internet - various Rock magazines did mention this band that constantly played the strip and became the biggest L.A. band. There were some label issues that delayed the release of
Shark Island's debut album "Law of the Order", but in 1989 Epic finally released the album.
I must confess that only recently I discovered the band's music. All the stories about how Axl Rose stole his moves from
Shark Island singer Richard Black etc. did get
Shark Island some publicity, but they never benefitted from it. Every now and then
Shark Island popped up as one of the records that I needed to check out, but the album has been out of print for several years and impossible to find.
I got the Bad Reputation reissue and after playing the album non stop for 2 months I am amazed. No album has touched me like this in more than 10 years. If one album falls under the category "Lost gem" it's certainly "Law of the Order" by
Shark Island.
Richard Black once stated in an interview that he had to fight to keep
Paris Calling on the album. I am so glad that he didn't give in. On the other hand I understand the label since the song deviates from the Hair metal that was popular at the time and
Paris Calling isn't a typical Hair metal song.
In fact
Shark Island is not a hair band. True that they were the hardest working band on the strip in the late eighties and received cult status.
Shark Island is a classy Hard Rock with singer Richard Black as the band's trump card. His voice is unique and has a special glow, emotion and tone.
Jack Ponti co-wrote a handful of tunes and the chorus for
Shake For Me has a Baton Rouge feel identical to Ponti's recognizable way of writing.
Shake for Me is among the best tunes, because of the drive and Blacks unique voice.
Guitarist Spencer Sercombe isn't a flashy shredder, but if you listen cautiously he really spices up the arrangements with great licks and tricks. His playing is outstanding on
Somebody's Falling, which sounds like a smash hit to me. The song is driven by an irresistible riff and Black sings fantastic. You cannot praise Richard Blacks vocals enough.
The mid-tempo
Bad For Each Other was also featured on Contraband's debut album, whose members was Richard Black flanked by Michael Schenker, Tracii Guns, Bobby Blotzer and Share Pedersen. This is the original and the original is best! The chorus is catchy and my girlfriend is starting to take it personally since I often spontaneous sing the chorus "
We're bad for each other" An earhanger!
The running order of "Law of the Order" is a bit odd. The rockier tracks are found in the middle of the record starting with
Passion to Ashes. Spencer Sercombe isn't all over the record but he plays some great stuff. Another great song
Spellbound opens with a raunchy guitar riffing the melody line. The rasp in Black's voice makes it a bouncing rocker. Since Sercombe is the only guitarist there isn't a wall of guitars but he sure knows how to picks his notes, chords and fills.
Get Some Strange! Great title. I wonder why there aren't 1.000 songs named
Get some Strange -just like the other songs this is another song that you keep humming. Catchy chorus, very tasteful guitar work and the song peaks for the chorus
Shark Island delivers a very emotional ballad
Why Should I Believe. The song starts off slow, but builds brick by brick to become more powerful.
Ready Or Not is a no brainer straight ahead rocker.
Before hearing
The Chain I wasn't familiar with the original Fleetwood Mac version, but WOW what an energetic performance and sparkling version of the song.
"Law of the order" has been out of print for years, but in 2004 Bad Reputation reissued the CD in an amazing packaging that does the music justice. There are 3 bonus tracks all taken from soundtracks.
My City from "Point Break" and
Father Time from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" are both rockers, while
Dangerous is based around a catchy chord pattern.
As if that was not enough we get a bonus disc containing the rare pre-release live sampler titled as "July 14
th, 1989 Bastille Day - Alive at the Whiskey". The 6 tracks are amazing and you can really hear the rasp in Richard Black's voice. The band sounds fantastic live.
The booklet has some misspellings and the order for the bonus tracks is wrong, but that doesn't matter. THIS RECORD IS A REVELATION.
I know I am 19 years late. I need to rewrite my musical history from 1989 till 2008 and probably adjust my all time favorite albums as well. "Law of the Order" is a masterpiece and I am just thankful that I did discover this album. If you are unfamiliar with this album here is my sincere recommendation - better late than never.
Written by
Michael Wednesday, August 6, 2008
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