One of British melodic rock /
AOR's unsung heroes,
Robin George at last gets his criminally underrated debut,
'Dangerous Music' (1985) reissued. By
Angel Air Records.
The archetypal nearly man, George lost out to Viv Campbell on the
Def Leppard gig, joined a reformed Lin Lizzy just prior to Lynott's untimely death and had the misfortune to burst onto the music scene lumbered by a record label that immediately went bust. The album went down with the label.
How could something so good take 25 years to re-emerge?
Easy. Fashion. Within 6 years, George's precise, wonderfully melodic, hard edged
AOR was yesterday's news.
But now, the climate is right for this outstandingly good album to be re-released.
The guest players are testament to George's burgeoning reputation back in 1985. Phil Lynott, Mark Stanway, Pino Palladino,
Chris Thompson plus many others.
His skill as a songwriter was evident here on his first album, a talent noticed by the likes of vocalists, Robert Plant, David Byron and Glenn Hughes, with whom he later worked.
George's songs are all propelled by taut, whiplash riffs, always eminently tuneful, and always delivered with bite. Adrian Lee's dancing, prancing keyboard fills and frills were the ideal counterpoint to this (think Sparks meets Buggles), impressively realised on a multitude of standout tracks. These include
'Heartline' (so good, it's here in 3 different versions, all good), the Buggles-esque
'Spy', '
French Kisses' - you can hear what
Def Leppard heard. And maybe the best of the lot, the sweetly melancholic
'Don't Turn Away', a track that strays successfully outside the winning formula employed on the rest of the album.
This reissue has 5 bonus tracks. Really raucous live versions of '
Heartline', '
Spy' and
'No News Is Good News' from the late lamented Tommy Vance radio show. And new, pumped up and polished mixes of
'Heartline' and
'Don't Turn Away', adding a welcome sonic wallop to already great songs.
If you are in any way interested in the history of
AOR in its eighties' heyday, you cannot be without this album.
Buy It Now.
Written by
Brian Monday, December 13, 2010
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