Shaft of Light

Airrace | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wounded Bird Records
• Run Time: 35 minutes
• ASIN: B0000B00HP
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,513 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Jason Bonham is the son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham. He has earned his own place in music history with various hard rock bands in the 80's and 90's. Airrace was the first group Jason headed up. They released one hard driving album in 1984, Shaft Of light. This album is making its worldwide CD debut and Bonham fans have been clamoring for it! 10 tracks. Wounded Bird. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aor fauns this is your bible!!!, March 3, 2005

By 

defeis axel "mike" (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shaft of Light (Audio CD)

Oh man what was that??A punch in the face,a wake up in the morning,a shocking album!Airrace did it!One of the best AOR albums i've ever heard!From the very start till the ending of it,it includes GREAT vocals,astonishing choruses and an AOR rythm that will blow aor's funs brains out!Check out "first one over the line" which is a "foreigner" like song,"brief encounter" a power balland firstly and then a dynamic aor track that gives a lesson how good aphentic aor sould be played!"do you want my love again" is a love track beginning with the chorus and continues with the couple part with a catchy melodie and atmospheric keybords!:did't wanna lose ya" well what can i say about this song,great riffs supported by fantastic keybords and a voice giving a love colour exploding tha track to space!This album was released in 1984 with a great success but unfortunately the band did't get along very well so this is their first and last album.Vocals were done by Keith Murrell(ex-Moontier),guitars by Laurie Mansworth,bass by Jim Reid,keybords by Toby Sadler and drums by Jason Bonham.After a short period of tours the band stoped excisting.Sure it's a pitty they were made for great things in the hardrock-aor music.If you like hardrock-aor this is a MUST MUST HAVE album!Check out also aircraft,boulevard and Virginia wolf.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential AOR album, essential reissue, July 3, 2008

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shaft of Light (Audio CD)

Originally released in 1984, Shaft of Light was the debut album from UK-based AOR/melodic rockers Airrace, which featured Jason Bonham (son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham) on drums alongside guitarist Laurie Mansworth (ex-More) and singer Keith Murrell (ex-Moontier). The band had a keyboard heavy, arena rocking sound similar to UK bands Lionheart, Tobruk and Snowblind, and obviously drew inspiration from bands like Journey and Foreigner.

Shaft of Light is a classy, ultra-polished (with signature Beau Hill production) melodic AOR album that just about any fan of that style of music is going to love. It's got wall to wall melodies, catchy choruses, totally 80's keyboards, and best of all it's the kind of pure early 80's rock & roll album where every song could have fit on any popular movie soundtrack. Highlights are the opening single "I Don't Care," "Didn't Wanna Lose Ya" and "Open Your Eyes," but the whole album is really terrific.

Shaft of Light was Airrace's only release until 2011's Back To The Start. Jason Bonham went on join Virginia Wolf for a pair of albums before finding success with his own band Bonham. If you're a fan of the `80s melodic rock sound, particularly bands like Shy, Strangeways and Aldo Nova, Shaft of Light is a must-have album, especially now that it has been given a proper reissue.

Edition Notes: Wounded Bird reissued Shaft of Light in 2003, which marks the first time the album has been released on CD. It does not feature any bonus material, nor has it been remastered.

Edition Notes 2: Rock Candy reissued Shaft of Light in 2009, and they definitely did the album justice. Not only is the album digitally remastered for amazing sound quality, it also features a pair of bonus demo tracks ("Not Really Me" and "She Can't Come Out") and expanded liner notes with rare photos and an essay by Classic Rock Magazine scribe Dave Ling. Even if you already bought the Wounded Bird version you're going to want to replace it with this 5-star reissue.