Customer Reviews

Stay Hard

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

 

 

Originally released in 1985 as this was the hard rockin' trio's fifth effort.Although 'Stay Hard' probably isn't the best offering by Raven,it's still worth having.Decent heavy metal,however when you see the band play live,they seem a bit cartoonish.So,I've heard.Tracks here that I found myself turning the stereo to 'ten' were the title cut "Stay Hard","Get It Right","Pray For The Sun","Extract The Action" and "The Bottom Line".Line-up:John Gallagher-bass&vocals,Mark Gallagher-guitar and Wacko-drums.The CD reissue adds two good bonus tracks.Should appeal to most fans of W.A.S.P.,Overkill,Y&T,Guns N'Roses and Loudness.

barrage from 1985. Raven is/was a power trio that delivered mostly over-the-top heavy rock 'n roll with a glut of hooks. Believe it or not, Stay Hard is one of their more subdued records. For a true Raven attack, you gave got to get your hands on Live at the Inferno- it's an earth shattering live experience. But what we have at hand is very good indeed. Stay Hard is mostly mid-paced, riff heavy, and drum intensive. The vocals were hard to get used to in the beginning particularly because they are harsh. John Gallagher, who also plays bass, uses his vocal cords to their absolute fullest, belting out any and every kind of growl, snarl, and yelp he can. His style is not really unique as far as 80's metal bands go, but he definitely knows how to do this type of screaming better than most metal frontmen. Most songs here reflect classic metal riffery- "Hard Ride", "On & On", "When the Going Gets Tough." Nothing too progressive, just straight forward good hard rockin'. The main riff from "Restless Child" borrows (rips off?) the riff from Rainbow's "Starstruck." I can even hear a similarity to Saxon's "Dallas 1PM" in the Raven tune "Power and Glory." Oh well, let it pass, for the tracks really do rock. The solos on this record cook. As an added bonus, there are 2 extra tracks from Raven's "Mad" EP. "Gimme Just a Little" and "Do or Die" are really the highlights of an already fierce album. I find that Stay Hard is excellent cruising material. The band gives 100% on every track, something you don't normally hear from an established rock unit. -David Newman 1998

Stay Hard is my pick for favorite Raven album. And yes the albums before including Rock Until You Drop and Wiped Out are awesome as well. Their return album Walk Through Fire is great as well. But Stay Hard is my favorite. Some cheesy lyrics for sure, but the single On And On, Extract The Action, Stay Hard and probably my favorite song Get It Right are great songs. This was their first on Atlantic records which meant better recording, but unfortunately the next 2 albums Atlantic obviously tried to make them glam. I do think all the albums are great, I even really like the albums Nothing Exceeds Like Excess and Glow. Buy this album and hear more of the incredible musician brothers John and Mark Gallagher.

The only reason I chose this band and its album was a video that I had saw a long time ago on MTV's Head Bangers Ball. The track 'On and On' was the song that I 'd seen. It was interesting that this band was a three-piece outfit during the resurgence of rock after the initial fade of disco in the late 70's to the early 80's rock. Raven does have a following that would have made current acts today a little bit jealous and their sound is much like the early metal/hard rock bands that tried to follow on the success of acts like Metallica, Megadeath, and the like. Like many other hard-to-get nearly out-of-print CDs I've added this one to my growing collection of one hit wonders of the early eigthies rock era brought forth by MTV's video age and influence in large by videos from its fledging program called the Head Banger's Ball.

The 1985 Stay Hard album was a rushed affair, recorded primarily to help get Raven off their old label (Neat Records). Almost all the songs were rejected material that didn't make the cut for earlier records. (Hard Ride, the lone exception, was originally released on Rock Until You Drop (1981). On Stay Hard it gets updated and sounds much better, in my opinion.) Despite the circumstances, Stay Hard is a solid outing by these British legends. It's not as heavy and ambitious as its predecessors, but the songs are catchy and the riffs get your head banging. In fact, "On and On" would turn out to be Raven's most commercially successful song, getting made into an MTV video. The true "classic Raven" tracks on Stay Hard, however, are the headbangers: "Get it Right", "Stay Hard," and "Extract the Action." The haunting ballad "Pray for the Sun" is not your typical Raven song, but it features John Gallagher's effects-laden bass providing the main riff for the verses. Over time it has become my favorite track off Stay Hard.

If you're looking to buy your first Raven CD, I recommend Life's a Bitch or All For One. But if you like those and dig Raven like I do, then pick up Stay Hard. It's essentially an album of "unreleased" tracks that were released for business purposes. Very cool album to own for the Raven fan.

STAYHARD is the heaviest! Z_rock in 1986 introduced me to them, very high energy metal with that tenacious irish bite! worth every penny!

A very good record, with good drums, bass and guitar. The songs are not wonderful, but is much better than "The Pack is Back".