Customer Reviews

BULLET BOYS

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Intellectually challenging? No. Socially significant? Ah...No. A unique and groundbreaking endeavour into the limits of musical possibilities? Listen, you get my meaning, J.S.Bach, this recording ain't.
What is this disc? It's a party. Remember the parties you threw when you were young? Someones parents would take a vacation leaving one of your friends in charge of an empty house. Girls, booze, mayhem and music soon ensued. Close your eyes and picture yourself in the living room at this party. The year is 1988. Furniture is damaged, your little sister is dancing with a guy resembling Nikki Sixx, the keg just exploded and Bulletboys first album is the soundtrack. Catchy, fun and totally irresistable hard rock. Singer Marq Torien's bombastic vocals and supersonic screams are among the finest on record. Bottom line: If you don't like this disc, you weren't at the party.

The Bulletboys were billed as "Van Halen Wannabes" but these guys could rock. Songs like Hard As A Rock and Smooth Up In Ya are 80s hair metal staples. Every song is great, especially my favorite Shoot The Preacher Down. If you like Ratt or the Dangerous Toys you'll enjoy this rock n roll masterpiece. Singer, Marq Torien, screams and wails like no other. The guitarist, Mick Sweda, the bass player, Lonnie Vincent, and drummer, Jimmy D'Anda, are all at the top of their game. They would not release another album like this again. If you like this album, I also recommend their 2nd album, Freakshow.

This is when fellas knew how to play their instruments. Unlike this neo crap called "nu metal" where you just drop the e string to d and use 1 finger to play a chord (where's the heart?). Bullet Boys were NOT a one hit wonder and VH1 stabs the type of music in the back that they drooled over 15 years ago. Anyone who know their music can say they have more than just 1 hit. "Hang On St Christopher" "Smooth Up In Ya" "Rock Candy" "Thrill That Kills" I can go on and on. I got made fun of for listening to bands like this as a kid and probably still do today but I do not own a Kelly Osbourne album.

*props to the folks who dig this album*

I grew up in the 80's and the metal scene was my home.
It was such a great time for rock n' roll and the Bulletboys were one of the ingredients to make that scene so cool.
This album is slammin kick the cat out the door metal.
It's raw and sleazy just the way i like it.
Don't look for any slick Emerson Lake and Palmer...here...all you're gonna get is a mooltan lava platter of... metal.
Marq Torien can wail on the vocals producing ear splitting high notes with edge and the band just wails.
There's...sexy metal like "Smooth up in ya" and "For the love of money" which was originally done by philly soul masters the O'jays.
There's hysterical out of control head bangers like "Shoot the preacher down" and "Crank me up" which are guaranteed the make your neighbor kick the door down.
Then we have a taste of some cool metal grooves in the vein of classic roth era with "Owen to joe" and "F#9".
This album is one bad mutha!!!!!
I love it and it brings me back to my days bangin' my head and gettin' crazy with my buds.
This album...cranks!!!!!!!!!!
Bulletboys is guaranteed to rock the house down!!!!!!...

The Bulletboys were a classic 1980's hard rock hair band. Marq Torien had the classic holler/wail and the high pitched rough edged singing/screaming. Guitarist Mick Sweda could shred with the best of them. Were they Van Halen wannabe's? Torien had all of David Lee Roth's moves and techniques memorized. Van Halen-esque tunes were commonly noted. Ted Templeman produced and the label was Warner Bros. On this release "Crank Me Up" and "Shoot The Preacher Down" sound vaguely similar to VH's "Hot For Teacher". They even managed a ripping version of a cover tune ("For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays) like early VH usually did on their releases. This is still a FINE debut. Sure, the Bulletboys sing mostly about sex, drugs and rock & roll... but at the time, who wasn't? A few throw-away tunes ("Badlands", "F#9") managed to find there way onto this cd, but their were several hits - their best and most memorable "Smooth Up In Ya", followed by "Hard As A Rock", and "For The Love Of Money". Another gem is "Ode To Joe" (love that cowbell). I don't care about all the reviewers calling the Bulletboys "VH clones"... these guys rocked. All I remember reading about in the 1990's was how the band couldn't get along... these guys should have (could have) been bigger. Their 2nd release "Freakshow" is a decent effort, as is their 3rd "Za-Za". Their 1st tho, is still the best in my book.

Thats right! They are Van Halen clones for sure.(NOT A VH COVER BAND) Backed by Warner Brothers and produced by none other than Ted Templeman, the BulletBoys sound is just like mighty Van Halen. The lead singer(Marq Torien)is a complete David Lee Roth spinoff. He even looks like Roth did and this guy can actually sing! What a range he has! The lead guitarist(Mick Sweda) rips off some tasty licks just like Eddie Van Halen does. The BulletBoys original tunes even sound like classic Van Halen. You can also hear some similarities with Van Halen's 5150 album! So if your sick of waiting for a Van Halen reunion/album, I suggest you purchase this album. Remember, if you have never heard it.....it's new to you! My next buy is going to be the second album from these guys "Freakshow". I'm 22 years old and I realize today's new music/rock just is not on par with this stuff at all. Rock out!!

starts off with the rockin *hard as a rock* then there big hit smmoth ya up cd rocks from top to bottom with classic eighties tunes

Ever wonder if there was a great band you missed in the 80's? These guys were it. They came close to becoming the next Van Halen. No cheesy ballads just great music. Unfortunataly a bad follow up to their self tittled CD and internal problems killed what was almost a brilliant career. Worth the money just to remember what great heavy metal was all about.

This is one of those rare albums that are solid from beggining to end! I played my cassette so much I eventually wore it out and will have to pick up a CD copy soon. I however find the vocals to be closer to Marc Storace of Krokus or Bon Scott of AC/DC then they are to David Lee Roth, and the band has a much harder edge then original VH. If you love to rock while driving, this album is a top choice!!!

In an era where your look became far more important to record sales than actual ability, the Bulletboys were one of a hand-full of bands able to back up their posing with some actual playing. Marq Torien wailed like Diamond Dave circa 1980 and this first album along with their 2nd offering, Freakshow, has riffs o' plenty. Buy this album, boys and girls.