Badlands

Badlands | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 11, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000008D4D
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,503 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #42 in Music > Classic Rock > Glam

Track Listings

1. High Wire

2. Dreams in the Dark

3. Jade's Song

4. Winter's Call

5. Dancing on the Edge

6. Streets Cry Freedom

7. Hard Driver

8. Rumblin' Train

9. Devil's Stomp

10. Seasons

11. Ball and Chain [*]

Editorial Reviews

Music Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock from the badlands..., April 26, 2003

By 

trebe - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Badlands (Audio CD)

Badlands self-titled debut release, is a collection of hard, blues flavored rock, that is raw and laden with emotion. The late Ray Gillen's voice is perfectly suited to the genre, displaying a wide tonal range, in a variety of styles, from all out rockers to slow bluesy ballads. His ability to infuse genuine feeling into the music, is one of the keys to its appeal. Song topics are down to earth, gently influenced by themes from the American frontier. This is music that taps into the roots of blues based hard rock.

Beside Gillen's vocal talents, Badlands also features the considerable skills of guitarist Jake E. Lee, the man who came to replace Randy Rhodes in Ozzy Osboune's band. The frenetic energy that powered such metal classics as "Journey to the Center of Eternity", "Rock and Roll Rebel" and "Bark at the Moon", are channeled into a completely different direction. The results, while perhaps not as manic, are still very powerful in a different way. Instead of starting at full throttle, more often the energy and tension are allowed to build, before being released. Lee's tone, style, and phrasing, bear little similarity to his playing with Ozzy, but his desire to play this type of music was the reason he left Osbourne's band. With a cleaner tone, Lee's fluid playing style can more easily be heard, and appreciated. Rounding out the band, is a solid rhythm section. Eric Singer energetically handles the drumming duties, and Greg Chaisson mans the bass. Put simply, Badlands rocks hard with feeling.

Except for the instrumental, Jade's Song, dedicated to Lee's daughter, the songs are about evenly divided between up-tempo rockers, and slower bluesy numbers. Among the best tunes are "Streets Cry Freedom", which features Gillen's haunting vocal. As the song builds, Lee's guitar takes flight, including a spacey side guitar solo. "High Wire" finds Badlands brand of blues, closest to the traditional hard rock format. "Rumblin' Train" is a fun bluesy track, that will have you stomping your feet as it chugs along, with Gillen and Lee stoking the engine to the end of the line. "Dancing on the Edge", opens with a muted scratching riff that progresses into one of the album?s faster numbers. Lee's solo is energetic, full of twists and turns, with a flurry of pulloffs, reminiscent of this playing with Ozzy. With song structure that is all over the map, the untraditional blues of "Devil's Stomp" is perhaps the collection's most musically intriguing tune. "Seasons" is the best of the slow numbers, a beautiful song that features one of Ray Gillen's finest vocals. The mood is reminiscent of Zeppelin, with an American flavor.

Badlands' brand of gut level rock, wasn?t really aimed at the typical teenage "headbanger", and didn't quite fit into the metal scene of the time. The singles "Winter Calls", and "Dreams in the Dark", did not find much of an audience, and though the band did produce a second album, "Voodoo Highway", the untimely death of Ray Gillen put an end to the band. If bluesy, hard rock is your thing, strap on your gun belt, adjust your hat, step outside into the noontime sun, and check out Badlands.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of those lost gems..., July 23, 2004

By 

I. MUNOZ (Montreal, PQ, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Badlands (Audio CD)

This album is British hard rock at its best. Ray Gillen shines on vocals, with his wide range and his emotional and powerful voice that makes you wonder why he was never so known as Dio, David Coverdale and the likes. Shame that he's no longer among us! (R.I.P., Ray! -- "Rock In Peace, Ray", I meant ;-))

Jake E. Lee also does an amazing job in the rhythm and lead guitar here. The guy rocks hard with his dry tone and aggressive phrasing. He sounds very raw, hitting you straight on your face, ripping off everything around him when it's time to spit a flashy solo out, while heavily riffing almost all the remaining time. This is beautifully rough! But at the same time Jake is able to perform semi-acoustic parts in themes such as "Jade's Song" and "Winter's Call", in where he plays with extreme sensibility and tenderness too.

Overall, this is a mid-paced bluesy hard rock release, with evident influences from Led Zeppelin, early Whitesnake and some other British hard rock bands. These songs are also catchy and are played with a deep feeling and attitude -- although they are not breaking any ground, to be sincere.

In one sentence: a great album with amazing vocals and superb guitars. A lost gem that deserves at least four stars -- or even five stars for the fans of the genre! Highly recommended!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 70s Metal With A 90s Twist, March 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Badlands (Audio CD)

Badlands' music is 70s metal with a 90s twist. Drawing equally from English rock such as Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Free, and Bad Company; Southern boogie such as ZZ Top, Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, the Outlaws, the Winter Brothers, and Blackfoot; and American metal like Mountain, Montrose, and Grand Funk Railroad, Badlands stands apart from the typical "hair metal" crowd and makes music their way. It's such a shame that they only made one more album before disbanding (Ray Gillen, R.I.P.), but it was great while it lasted.