Customer Reviews

Badlands

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This is the best hard rock album EVER! Soulful, emotional and unique. Jake, Ray, Eric and Greg you are sorely missed! This album is one of the few that when it's on, I just sit mezmerized, and must hear it to the end. LOUD! Close yer eyes and soak it in. I have never heard or read one negative word about this band. RIP Ray, this masterpiece has touched me for over 10 years now.

I remember listening to this one until I had worn the cassette tape out back in the late '80's; it has since become out-of-print on unavailable, so I was ecstatic when I was finally able to round up a copy. Quite often when you listen to an album you used to love "back in the day", you end up somewhat disappointed; but I am happy to report that this album has certainly withstood the test of time. Badlands display a gritty, blues-rock style which obviously owes a lot to Led Zeppelin....the singer, Ray Gillen, in particular is very reminiscent of Robert Plant. Although his vocals are excellent, (some of the best hard-rock vocals ever, actually) what really gets me with this band is the guitar playing. Killer tone, jaw-dropping bluesy solos, and a heavy, modern edge. Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee is the driving force behind this band, throwing down snaky, incendiary blues/hard rock licks and riffs that sound like Zeppelin, only with fewer folk elements and more balls. These guys should have been big-great singer, awesome guitar player, and excellent songwriting, but unfortunately grunge hit and killed this style of music. One of the best rock albums ever written, and worth looking up.

Featuring former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee and the wonderfully gifted Ray Gillen on vocals, Badlands were poised for arena headlining status. Rounding out the band was the killer rhythm section of drummer Eric Singer (Kiss, The Cult) and bassist Greg Chaisson. While other "all-star" projects looked good on paper, Badlands actually delivered on the kind of material that their collective powers promised.

This self-titled album is essential for any fan of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and the David Coverdale lead version of Deep Purple. The 2 singles from the album, "Dreams in the Dark," and "Winter's Call," received moderate airplay on MTV, and the album went on to sell somewhere in the 400K range. That said, their next album, 'Voodoo Highway,' failed to connect with a wide audience. Badlands started having personality issues within their ranks, and the band would end up breaking up after recording a 3rd album called 'Dusk.'

While their later output is worth investing in, it's 'Badlands' that should be celebrated for the hard rock classic that it is. The fine folks at Rock Candy Records have just reissued the album in a remastered version with tons of photos and extensive liner notes. There is also a bonus song called "Ball and Chain," that is worthy of the rest of the powerful tracks on the original version of the record. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up now!

Jake E. Lee, Ray Gillen and the rest of Badlands flirted with a near perfect album here. There is a great blend of blues, hard rock and ballads on Badlands. Lee proved that there is life after Ozzy. The guitar work is artistry and the vocals magnificent. I get tired of wondering why so many great records get so little airplay

If you're looking for more than just one of those 80's hair bands, Badlands could be what you need. There are four absolute killer cuts here:"The Streets Cry Freedom", "Dancing on the Edge", "Ball and Chain" and "High Wire". Wish there were sound clips, so, that you can see what I mean, but you'll just have to live with me saying this is worth your money and time.

Flashback: I bought this album on cassette outside of Dallas on a church choir trip in the summer of 1991. One of the most poignant memories of my youth was listening to "Jade's Song" and the opening to "Winter's Call" in the dead of night riding through Dallas with those lit-up skyscrapers. It lasted only a couple of minutes, but that moment has been burned into my memory ever since then...So, almost 20 years later I'm surfing around on Amazon and it just hits me: "Why don't I look up Badlands?" Of course, it's a 25-dollar selection. No matter, I bought it anyway. When it comes to perfection, money is not an obstacle.

In it's most basic description, Badlands is a blues-rock band. They can (roughly) be compared to Whitesnake, Blue Murder, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin. The first Badlands line-up was formed with guitarist Jake E. Lee (of Ozzy Osbourne fame) and vocalist Ray Gillen (RIP 1993). Add to that duo the drummer Eric Singer (who will join KISS later), and bass player Greg Chaisson. They managed to eek out a second album, "Voodoo Highway", and then Gillen was supposedly fired and Eric Singer soon left. The "Dusk" album was released posthumously in 1998.

But on to the freshman eponymous album. It's a sleek and sexy piece of art with all the right trimmings. The opener, "High Wire" is a fast-paced rocker with a groovy middle eight. The next cut is Badland's commercial hook and single, "Dreams in the Dark." As far as 80's hard rock singles go, it is actually quite catchy and addictive. It's one of those songs you catch yourself humming in the elevator. The real one-two punch of the album is the instrumental ditty "Jade's Song", which I think serves as an intro to "Winter's Call". This is one of my personal favorite songs in my entire music library. Haunting and sensual, it is the cornerstone of the entire album. "Dancing on the Edge" and "Hard Driver" are two more stompers in the vein of the opening track. Listen closely and you can hear Ray's zippo flick in the opening bars of "Dancing on the Edge"..."Rumblin' Train" is a gritty, raunchy, Howlin' Wolf-inspired example of whiteboy blues. Jake E. Lee really shreds it here. "Devil's Stomp" is the age-old story of making a deal with the devil (gotta have this on a blues album - it's a staple). This song also has Ole Scratch's famous quote, "It feels so good to be so bad." The album closes with "Seasons", a 6-minute long mid-tempo number about aging and loss. The "Bonus Track" (which even the 1991 cassette I have includes) is "Ball & Chain" (great line: "The girl has got a chain wrapped around my heart; Help me, Jesus, to the promised land...Gimme that Ball and Chain"). Great syncopation on rhythm guitar during the solo.

The album cover is simple, but effective. It's a black and white band photo topped by the band's name in crimson. The image exudes one word: Attitude. Produced and managed by Paul O'Neill (Savatage guru), the sound is pretty clear. Thanks to whichever music industry exec thought reissuing this was a good idea. You should get a huge bonus.

It's a well established fact that Ozzy Osbourne owes much of his success to surrounding himself with the best in the business. That's the main reason that I've always been puzzled by the departure of Jake E. Lee from the Ozzy set-up, but we can be thankful, otherwise this amazing Badlands album would never have graced our stereos.
The explosive intro of "High Wire" gives you just a smidgen of an idea of what lies in store in this Blues/Metal/Southern Rock epic journey.
There's a taste of classic Jake E. Lee on "Jade's Song" with more than a passing glance over his shoulder at the style which made "Killer of Giants" such an Ozzy classic.
And what of the late Ray Gillen? Another example of a great talent lost too soon. The fact that Black Sabbath sacked him and re-recorded the vocal tracks to "Eternal Idol" with another vocalist is just plain crazy. In Deep Purple in the 70s and indeed even on a late Whitesnake album, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes worked together to produce some of the finest vocal performances of the genre, but Ray Gillen is like a science lab combination of Coverdale/Hughes with a touch of Ian Gillan and Ronnie Dio thrown in. A truly classic voice that carries you through the soft melodies of "Winter's Tale" and rips through your ears on "Rumblin' Train" with equal devastating effect. Lee's song-writing abilities are best expressed in "Dreams In The Dark" where he goes off on a guitar-hero tangent for the middle eight, probably something he'd been itching to do on Ozzy records.
At the time of this album's release, average bands like Warrant and Winger were flying high on success. The fact that this band slipped through the net is one of the great mystery's of the music business. This album is total class!

This album has it all,elements of Black Sabbath(no suprise since 3 of the four members played with Sabbath or an associate of).Also there are just many elements of old 70s classic rock bands Zeppelin DP etc.Heres the rundown.

1.High Wire-Definately one of the most classic album starters i've ever heard,and the minute Gillen(R.I.P) opens his mouth you know your in for something unique.Subject of the song is about a relationship with herion or just drugs in general.Very solid rocker with a great sped up ending.

2.Dreams in The Dark-The "hit" off the album with a great chorus and good ole heavy break in the middle from the main axe man Jake.E Lee.

3.Jades Song-Beautiful Acoustic instrumental piece here from Jake.E.

4.Winters Song-Soft Zepplinish beginning that stomps into a groovy rock n roll winter wonder land,with sitars,bongos,slide picking and various other sounds which make it very in Depth and very Ambient.

5.Dancing on the Edge-Straight ahead in your face Mid-tempo rocker,again another song about Gillens wild lifestyle at the time,that no doubt sadly contributed to his death in 1993:( Great solo by Jake as well here.

6.Streets Cry Freedom-Definately reminds you of a Hot Humid L.A day in the city slums,great solid rock song with a very strange eerie polyrythmic type ending,with jake doing some kind of weird slides and bends on the <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=24&k=guitar" onmouseover="window.status='guitar'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">guitar</a>.

7.Hard Driver-Just as it sounds,double bass driven rocker in which Ray's voice sails on like a killer speed boat,and has some very out of key sounding soloing from Jake.Also states that these boys were no CHEESY 80's hair band.

8.Rumblin Train-Yet another crazy life,sleepin with every woman in site,takin all the drugs,drinkin all the booze blues song.In my opinion one of Jake's best solos ever.Good tune.

9.Devil's Stomp-A good classic devil tempting my soul song,with a great acoustic beginning,and great kick drum intro."Feels so good to be so Bad",def what rock n roll should sound like.

10.Seasons-Again showing the versatility of this band and how brilliant and 70s ish there music really was.Closest thing to a ballad on the album,but very ACID rockish,and Ray's voice shines on this particular track with much emotion.

11.*Ball and Chain(bonus)-Great song that has something to do with Mary and Jesus and maybe a stripper,i dunno.But a great ending track none the less,groovey as hell.

So this was in 1989 sounds greatly more like it wss made in 1972 which is awesome.So yes badlands were the unknown hero's in my opinion,possibly the next Sabbath or Zep??Who knows,sadly we'll never know,but in my mind these guys carved there place in Rock/Metal history and will never be forogtten by me or the other fans.R.I.P...Rock In Peace:)