Customer Reviews

Warrior

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

 

 

One of the worst things that can happen when you buy a CD after hearing one song is that you end up hating the rest of the songs. To a large degree, this problem is alleviated when many of the selections can be previewed on-line or in the store, but back in 1984, this capability did not exist.

"The Warrior" is one of the few CDs that is consistently good across all of the tracks. The title cut is still probably the best song, but there are many other challengers and other listeners may think another song is the best. Regardless, this is a CD that I listen to all the way through without skipping any songs.

Lead singer Patty Smyth has a raw but earnest voice, making her sort of a harder-edged precursor to Melissa Etheridge.

Aside from "Goodbye to You," this collection has pretty much all of the best Scandal songs. ("Goodbye to You" can be found on the earlier EP, the recent collection "Scandalous," and on the "Lifetime Intimate Portrait: Women in Rock" collection, which I also recommend.)

Scandal's impact on 80's hard guitar rock has registered as a brief blip. True enough, but Warrior, the full-length release they spawned, deserves its tribute nearly twenty years after its debut. I mean, it's got that archetypal 80's rock sound, and that's what I grew up on.

The big hit from this album is of course, "The Warrior", co-written by none other than Holly Knight. A searing hard-rock, early Bryan Adams-style guitar opens this single, whose memorable chorus goes "Shooting at the walls of heartache/Bang bang, I am the warrior". Smyth is really the Amazon here in this song equating capturing someone's love to hunting. Bit unromantic, really, but then again, Smyth does have a bit of sensuous rough in her, doesn't she?

The other single, "Beat Of A Heart" is more laid back rock set by the bass and drums. Producer Mike Chapman and Holly Knight did the words and music for "Hands Tied" whose rhythm section has that steady pulsing beat reminiscent of "Every Breath You take" or "Missing You". Another "seeing an ex with another girl" type song, Smyth's (or rather the narrato's toughness reveals deep down more tender vibes: "Just remember each time you squeeze her hand, you crush my heart." She tells him further that "She may be one good reason to leave [me]/But I'm a hundred reasons to stay."

"Less Than Half" is standard 80's rock-ballad, of a couple the night after, with the tensions described vividly: "We move in circles/with our eyes on the door/saying so little/thinking much more." Yet the woman here decides to stick with the rotter: "But everything you've ever said was a lie/so pull me closer to your heart that's no good."

The cover of Journey's "Only The Young" is a straight ahead one, but it shows that Patty Smyth had as much oomph as Steve Perry in this song, and I say this when comparing her version with her solo single "Never Enough." A standout cut here, and as I was apprised of this by Eric Andrews, another bigup for him.

"All I Want" has marching steady guitar riffs and has Smyth smartly telling someone seeking thrills from the street, to stand out alone, that "But now and then you have to see/that it's only you, it's only me."

The lack of communication in "Talk To Me" exposes Smyth's vulnerable side, as she pleads with her dear one to speak to her, saying "Don't you know baby they're trying to break us up?"

"Say What You Will" is another somber breakup rock ballad, but the pace picks up with "Tonight" and "Maybe We Went Too Far", which are mid-paced closers.

Produced by Mike Chapman, best known for bringing out the heart of glass in Blondie, so to speak, and who also played a part in Tina Turner's Private Dancer, Scandal was a probing ground for Smyth until her criminally out-of-print solo album, Never Enough. Scandal's gifted in having a consistent sound which makes up for the lack of other rockers that have the same punch as "The Warrior" or some that are lyrically unmemorable. The only scandal here is that Smyth and company have been forgotten twenty years later.

Patty Smyth is one of my favourite female vocalists. The problem is, there are so many female vocalists nowadays (the lilith genre), that Patty gets lost in tha mix. I always forget about her music. But then when i stumble across this album, i say "oh yeah, forgot about this" and play it. Then i get rocked. I have listened to this album for over 10 years. "The Warrior" was like my theme song when I was 14 years old. I enjoy the whole album but "hands tied" and "less than half" are my faves. I could listen to those songs a million times.

Patty Smyth is an overlooked musical rock goddess. Her voice has got so much soul and strenth it cuts straight to the heart. She puts sirens like Jewel and Faith Hill to shame. I am wondering when she'll release another album? Rock on, Patty.

I must admit that the effort was definitely placed into the production of the album: the eponymous, mantra-charged "The Warrior", [however the music video is nothing short of the over the top 80's chintziness], to the hypnotic "Beat Of a Heart."[sometimes a fool gets lucky and wins...sometimes the innocent pay for an old man's sins...] (Why "Beat Of A Heart" never made it into the Top 40 is still a mystery to me).
"Hands Tied", another strong performance by Smythe et. al. was another hit that just missed the Top 40, but still deserves a nod of attention for its lyrics.
But there's an overall subdued malaise sensed on this album, sort of like the record big-wigs demanding that Scandal produce a quick succession to their debut "Scandal" album. Too bad that interference from the higher ups at the record label contributed to Scandal's demise, because Scandal was definitely a band that could've produced many more albums to follow. Let's just say that "The Warrior" doesn't give Scandal their defining moment in rock history, but it certainly associates the gutsiness and daring lyrics that gives Scandal their good name. "The Warrior" is definitely worth having in your collection.

FOLLOW UP TO THEIR EP DEBUT" SCANDAL", THAT INTRODUCED, THE RAW VOICE OF PATTY SMYTH-- ONE OF THE BEST FEMALE ROCKERS..THE WARRIOR--BEAT OF THE HEART--HANDS TIED--ONLY THE YOUNG--TALK TO ME--WOW!THE WARRIOR--THE BEST CD FROM THIS BAND--ALSO RECOMMEND,THE PATTY SMYTH-GREATEST HITS ALBUM,WHICH INCLUDES ALL THE BEST BY ONE OF THE GREATEST FEMALE BANDS OF THE 80'S..SCANDAL,WILL BRING BACK LOTS OF MEMORIES...

I dig this album.I remember when "The Warrior" was a big hit.Good song.I never heard the rest of the album until recently."All I want" is my favorite song on this album.I heard Scandal was touring around with Rick Springfield but never made it to Seattle.None the less,I recommend this album to anyone who likes good hard rock.Hope the Band makes another album.

Although the cuts seem a little close to one another, they've been made better simply because of Patty's "in your face" vocals. She could be very bad like in The Warrior and just as vulnerable as in Hands Tied. Also, her cover of Journey's Only The Young wasn't bad, not at all. This CD truly is a great remembrance from the 80's. I remembered having a friend of mine bought this all the way from US. I didn't regret it specially when he said t'was a gift. Good work Ms. Smyth...

The Warrior was released in 1984 and reached #17 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Album and went Platinum. This was the group only full length album. They did put out a five song EP album earlier in the group career. The music on it is pop rock\new wave. Only three of the songs charted from their album. Since this is Scandal only work, it is somewhat hard to judge the group music. Patty Smyth does a good job on lead vocals. Overall I am giving The Warrior a B+.

Side 1

Warrior
#7 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
#1 U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks (two non consecutive weeks at #1)
#5 U.S. Cash Box Magazine Top Singles
Beat Of A Heart
#41 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
#10 U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hands Tied
#41 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
#21 U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
Less Than Half
Only the Young

Side 2

All I Want
Talk To Me
Say What You Will
Tonight
Maybe we went Too Far

Scandal's "The Warrior" is a good solid rock album with amazing vocals by Patty Smyth. It's dark, moody, mystical and edgy with songs about those 80's break-ups which were dramatic and always messy. My favourite tracks are "The Warrior" (how many times did you hear this on the radio in the 80's?), "Less Than Half" and "Hands Tied". The lyrics speak for themselves and I relate to every line. Love is a battlefield and Patty Smyth with Scandal know all about it. Sing it Patti.

Do you like the single "The Warrior"? Of course you do! And the rest of this album is just great. This is not one of those one-good-song albums. You won't believe this group only recorded one and a half albums(Patty Smyth did go on to record two OK solo albums)! The songs are filled with guitar hooks. "All I Want", "Beat of a Heart", "Hands Tied": they're all great. A real gem from the mid-eighties of guitar chord pop-rock. Only 3 tracks from here are on the Patty Smyth greatest hits CD, the other 7 are not.