Pack Is Back

Raven | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wounded Bird Records
• ASIN: B000819160
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,306 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The infamous "commercial" Raven album, January 4, 2009

By 

ctlr - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pack Is Back (Audio CD)

Ah yes, here we have the ill-fated 1986 commercial metal album by British metal legends, Raven.

Early Raven fans who had followed the band from the beginning HATED this album. It was polished, over-produced, included songs with horn sections, and featured the guys in crotch-hugging spandex on the cover. It was nothing like their previous four studio albums, which featured trail-blazing raw, fast heavy metal. Dismissed by critics and reviled by fans, The Pack is Back effectively ended Raven's seemingly guaranteed ascendancy to the top of the metal world.

So, is it really that terrible? Is it just so horrible you'd as soon jam a meat thermometer in your ear than ever listen to Raven again? No. It's actually not bad. In fact, there are some pretty good songs here. The problem is the production. It's just way too slick for Raven.

But don't blame Raven. Their record label, Atlantic, pressured their producer, Eddie Kramer, to make it as commercial as possible. Raven, being starving young musicians and living in America for the first time, had little choice but to go along with the plan. They brought their fresh batch of new material into the studio only to have Kramer make them record the songs with a click-track and overdub horns and guitar synthesizers.

Next to other Raven albums, The Pack is Back stands out like a sore thumb as the least heavy. But having said that, it stands alone quite well. The title track, "Youngblood," "All I Want," and "Nightmare Ride" are timeless, well-written hard rock songs. And the cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'" does not disappoint. Another highlight is "Rock Dogs". It may be the catchiest song on the album. And "Screaming Down the House" will make you want to throw a party.

If you like catchy 80s metal/hard rock (ala Def Leppard), you can do much worse than The Pack is Back. Decide for yourself and give it a listen.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Diss It So Fast, January 31, 2002

By 

Lee Modlin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pack Is Back (Audio CD)

Most Raven fans will be quick to call this the worst piece of crap that these guys put out. After a few listens I disagree. True, it doesn't have the raw power or force of their Megaforce stuff, but this was a band trying to do something different. "Sell Outs"? Yes, but when compared to former labelmates, Metallica's, recent output of crap, I'll take this one anyday. I wouldn't put this at the top of the list at all, but songs like "Hyperactive", with the synth/horn/guitar lick, and "Youngblood" still rock. They could've left off the lame version of "Gimme Some Lovin" though.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced rip-roaring highway ride of excitement, August 5, 1998

By 

Mike Tilden (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pack Is Back (Audio CD)

The pack is back is probably the best over all recording that Raven ever did in the eighties.(except for a five song EP called Mad). It blended various styles and daring instrumental appearences. The cover of "Gimme Some Lovin" is the best that I've ever heard as a remake. Raven showed the energy on this album that reflected what kind of live band they were, with their upbeat tempos and crunching guitar. There's not much more you can say about this album except for, and I hate using the term, It Rocks