Legs Diamond reformed in 1984. "Out of Bail" was the record that should bring the boys back in the game but also take them one step further.
Roger Romeo and bassist Michael Diamond didn't take part in the reunion and was replaced by guitarist Jim May and bass player Mike Christie.
"Out on Bail" is dominated by a drum sound bigger than what
Def Leppard managed to create 3 years later on "Hysteria". The electric drum-sound fails the purpose and instead the drums sound synthetic. Otherwise the production is really strong and doesn't sound like a 1984 album.
If you cut to the bone the title track and
Fugitive are amazing songs.
Out on Bail is the most direct song from
Legs Diamond build on a great riff. The band slows it down for
Fugitive, which builds up for the chorus.
Walkaway sounds like a hit single.
All in all "Out on Bail" has some great moments and definitely a great comeback album - but it still lacks the final touch to put
Legs Diamond in the big league.
"Land of the Gun" chased the following year.
Again
Legs Diamond had to face a line-up change. Original drummer Jeff Poole had been replaced by Dusty Watson. "Land of the Gun" is my least favorite
Legs Diamond record. The band doesn't sound inspired.
While "Out on Bail" mixed rockers and ballads, the band took a softer approach for "Land of the gun". Just like the "Fire Power" album it sounds like
Legs Diamond tries too hard to get the breakthrough and most songs sounds cut for radio without the
Legs Diamond soul. Of course the album has great tracks and even produced
Rok Doktor, which has become a future
Legs Diamond classic, but overall the song writing team of Michael Prince and Jim May had their lowest point.
Shortly after "Land of the Gun" the band broke up once again only to be reborn stronger than ever in 1990.
Both CDs are re-mastered and repackaged. "Out on Bail" comes with 3 unreleased bonus tracks recorded live without overdubs.
Ratings: Out on Bail - 6/10
Land of the Gun - 5/10
Written by
Michael Thursday, October 9, 2008
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