Customer Reviews

Raw

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Years ago I owned "Raw" on cassette. I liked it then. Especially songs like "Moments In Time", "Hell Or High Water" and the title cut, "Raw" Now re-released with 5 bonus cuts this CD is even better. Reminscent of early U2, this CD has some terrific songs. Check them out.

By the time this album was released, the original lineup of the Alarm, unfortunately, was already past it's peak in popularlity. Their record label had relased a greatest hits album, "Standards", just a few months before, leaving little promotion behind for this last new effort. Internal dissension was also eating away at the group, but they managed to pull their act together enough to produce another decent effort.

Although their sound never really evolved much over the band's life span, each new album offered a few new wrinkles. On the previous album, "Change", producer Tony Visconti gave the group it's biggest sound yet, with wide space between instruments, synthesizers and even orchestration. Here, while the sound isn't exactly "raw" (only their first, self-titled EP merits that description), it certainly is "rawer."

The band, producing itself, pretty much reverts to it's tighter core lineup of two guitars-bass-drums, with only an occasional, very low key
piano or organ as embellishment. The leaner sound certainly suits the group, sounding pretty much as powerful as ever.

In terms of songwriting, lead guitarist Dave Sharp emerges as the George Harrison of this outfit, singing three songs he wrote with drummer Nigel Twist in a raspy, but, appealing voice. It is quite noteable that these songs have a darker, more cynical lyrical style than the group's earlier, let's-take-on-the-world stance.

Otherwise, as usual, the songs are dominated by rhythm guitarist/lead vocalist Mike Peters, writing three songs with bassist Eddie MacDonald and three more with the whole band. Again, Peters constructs lyrical metaphors linking natural imagery and intense emotion ("Lead Me Through the Darkness", "The Wind Blows Away My Words", "Let The River Run its Course"). Peters still does this with pleny of passion. However, Alarm followers might have gotten the feeling that they had heard it all before at this point, bordering on cliche with "Hell or High Water."

Peters also tried his hand at a second autobiographical ballad, "Moments of Time." However, while the earlier "Spirit of '76" depicted a young man determined to carry on no matter what,here Peters traces the history of rock and the Alarm (rather clumsily) to an uncertain ending. There's also a cover a song by Neil Young (with whom they had toured),but the song is too far removed from the Alarm's usual optimistic fare for them to carry it over convincingly. They don't capture, if you will, the urgency and "rawness" of the original.

The real classic of the album is the group-composed title track, which actually earned the album its only bit of airplay. Acoustic and electric guitars intertwine effectively, Peters delivers the roughest vocal of his career, and the delivery of the lyrics ("burned right back to the bone") suggest this was really where Peters' head was at, not conjuring up the perserverance that was previously the mark of the Alarm.

After the album's release, things really started going wrong for the band. The album zoomed in and out of the charts very quickly; the band was reduced to playing in clubs again after headlining in theaters; and Nirvana appeared later in the year to permanently alter rock radio. At the end of the tour, Peters rather dramatically walked away from the band.

"Raw" deserved a better fate. It's no better or worse than other Alarm albums, despite a couple of clunkers. The title track is really an Alarm
classic that's overlooked by their anthology albums. "Strength" and "Change" are better albums, but if you're convinced by those, or by "Standards" , to move ahead, you'll like this one.

The reissue has five bonus tracks (three of which also appear on "Standards"). While I'm in favor of bonus tracks, they sort of blew it here. They changed the sequencing from the original album, interspersing the bonuses with the original tracks. Since most of them were recorded in earlier sessions, they really disrupt the flow of the music (particularly the overdone cover of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas" and the slight remake of "Strength's" "Walk Forever By My Side"). Reprogram your player with the original track sequence, followed by the bonuses, for a better listening experience.