Demos Remastered Anthology [Import, Original recording remastered]

Black 'N' Blue | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 11, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Zoom Club
• ASIN: B00005QVYV
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,908 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Chains Around Heaven

2. I'm the King

3. The Strong Will Rock

4. Squeeze Me

5. Violent Kid

6. Sign in Blood

7. Wicked Bitch

8. School of Hard Knocks

9. Cold Heart

10. Hold on to 18

11. Lifeline

12. Autoblast [Live]

Editorial Reviews

Classic melodic metal band from the 80's that needs no introduction. This is a fine selection of demo material housed in great extra cardboard case.ZOOM CLUB RECORDS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Black 'N The Blue, May 24, 2006

By 

William Smith (Fontana, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Demos Remastered Anthology (Audio CD)

The Black:

Ok, I'm a big fan. I even sported a "Support Black 'N Blue" license frame for a while back in the day... however, I'm not blind. Needless to say the songs on here that did not make the albums (roughly 5) just aren't very good. Not really any of them. The much mystified "Violent Kid" cut from the debut cd to me is silly and not worth my time. "Lifeline" is probably the best but just doesn't have the spirit or spark of the released stuff, in other words these were cut for a reason.

Sadly, the "demo's" of the songs we all love are a double-edged sword; they are obviously from a tape (you'll hear the hiss often) and honestly they sound almost "too close" (or too much like they sound on the real albums), so the "oh wow" moments are at a bare minimum. I would have preferred something a little less "formed" with a higher quality remastering. "Autoblast" live from '84 is the absolute worst sounding and really should have been left off (it sounds that bad, bootleg walkman?). Lastly, the price. I paid a lot less for my disc and cannot in good conscience reccommend this at the price listed here; just being honest.

The 'N:

If you want an amazing Black 'N Blue cd, and already have the original cd's, I cannot reccommend "One Night Only - Live" enough. It may be the best Black 'N Blue effort (believe it or not) since their debut cd and definitely is one of the better live perfomances you'll likely hear, the sound quality is STELLAR.

The Blue:

It's a real treat to have this glimpse into the raw energy that created the songs. Most of the songs sound very similar to what they would sound like later but have that "angst" that can only come from a demo. Chains Around Heaven and I'm the King have a list date of 1981 (two full years before the actual recordings)! So you can see these go back a ways! The band sounds as good as I hoped they would, this period really taps into the creative loop they were into in 81-84. They were an unstoppable force thwarted only by the all-mighty dollar, and bad luck. The track listing is strong, and I am really interested in a follow-up since this is actually called "Anthology 1". I'm waiting to hear a higher quality set of demo's if the Without Love Demo's ever surface. Hurry up Jamie!