Customer Reviews

Wild Cat

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

 

 

Too many Amazon reviewers give mediocre albums a full five star rating, which is annoying (and inaccurate) most of the time. Five stars should be reserved for albums that are perfect through and through. But as much as I hate reading rave reviews of bad albums, I'm going to have to join the rest of the 5-star crowd when it comes to "Wild Cat."

Simply put, this is a mediocre album by a band with a terrible singer (Jess Cox) and, yet, it's one of the best things I've ever heard in my life. The early Tygers of Pan Tang had the perfect mix of rough vocals, garage-worthy riffs, and silly lyrics that made this THE classic NWOBHM album of the early 80s. Sadly, this is the only album recorded by the classic lineup and the Tygers never sounded this raw [or good] again. The now-out-of-print CD re-issue added a ton of welcome bonus tracks that rabid fans of the Jess Cox years can sink their teeth into. In summary: If you can find it, buy it.

With raw raucous vocals, energetic riffing, great wah solos and and a crisp. tight rythmn section, this record reflected the best qualities of the NWOBHM. Much like the similarly straght ahead rock of Riot's "Fire Down Under", this album proved that 80's hard rock did not need to be overblown and cheesy. It is their only studio album featuring the unique raspy vocals of Jess Cox. I highly recomend it. I convinced Metallica nicked at least a few riffs off of this.

With raw raucous vocals, energetic riffing, great wah solos and and a crisp. tight rythmn section, this record reflected the best qualities of the NWOBHM. Much like the similarly straght ahead rock of Riot's "Fire Down Under", this album proved that 80's hard rock did not need to be overblown and cheesy. It is their only studio album featuring the unique raspy vocals of Jess Cox. I highly recomend it. I convinced Metallica nicked at least a few riffs off of this.

Tygers of Pan Tangs debut is fairly heads down, riff driven bar room metal. NWOBHM values are to the fore here, rocking alongside the punters, workmanlike musicianship with decent riffs and non singer Jess Cox rasping away like he's the roadie filling in for an ill singer. But for all that his voice fits like a glove for this fiercely proud, numbskull blast.

And darn it all but this is a very consistent album, riff rockers sprinkled the length and breadth of the sonic landscape, personal faves being Euthanasia, Don't Touch Me There, Money and Killers though I do have a soft spot for the persistent, if unimaginative, riffs of Suzie Smiled and Badger Badger

Given it's age I've no idea what sort of prices you might get this for. But I will say that if you see it for a decent price then snap it up. NWOBHM fans really need to find out about this band who reside in the second tier of WNOBHM identities. But once your past Leppard, Maiden, Samson and Saxon you will be rewarded for delving deeper.

And just before I go - this album is the re-released Edgy Records version with extra tracks. Get this verion if you can as it has (count 'em) eight bonus tracks. They aren't life altering but it's a heck of a lot of extra bite for your buck.

Also, if you like this album and hate the later ones with the different vocalist you can oft-times track down an album called First Kill. It was actually a full length demo by the band with Jess Cox and was subsequently given a full release, initially in 1986, on Neat records.

Tygers of Pan Tang was one of the more noteworthy (and yet highly underappreciated) acts from the legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene. With their hard charging, melodic style, Tygers of Pan Tang leaned more towards the Diamond Head end of the NWOBHM spectrum. In today's music scene, they probably wouldn't qualify as a "metal" band, but at the time they were a vital part of a scene that helped define the heavy metal sound.

1980's Wild Cat is the band's debut album, and they definitely come out fighting. Between original vocalist Jess Cox's raspy delivery and the band's snarling, streetwise rock sound, this is a hard rock album with a lot of punch and an amazing NWOBHM energy. There's a strong Thin Lizzy vibe to most of the songs on Wild Cat. "Don't Touch Me There" was the big single from this one, but for sheer grit it's hard to beat songs like "Killers" and "Slave to Freedom."

Wild Cat is a much rawer album than the later Tygers of Pan Tang releases, but it's still a classic debut album that just oozes the NWOBHM spirit. It's a must-have for any serious NWOBHM collector, and is well worth checking out for anyone who is into the `80s hard rock and heavy metal sound.

Edition Notes: The Metal Nation reissue of Wild Cat features digitally remastered sound and a hefty eight bonus tracks, including various b-sides and a cover of ZZ Top's "Tush." The Tygers back catalog seems to go in and out of print with some regularity. If you can't find this album for a reasonable price at the moment, you may want to give it some time and see if it comes around again.

At the time the Tygers of Pan Tang entered London's Morgan Studios in the spring of 1980 to record their debut full length "Wild Cat," the NWOBHM was arguably at its absolute peak. That year would also see debut slabs of vinyl from the likes of Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Diamond Head and Girlschool, and the Tygers added their own brand of dirty, lean, mean rock 'n roll to the fold that they had already been showcasing in local pubs since their formation in 1978. Listening to early Tygers you can hear influences of late '70s Motorhead as well as the U.S.'s Riot, but packed with their own unique style and energy.

Historically, the Tygers are often remembered as the band to first feature on second guitar a young John Sykes, later of Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, but here they were still a four piece consisting of vocalist Jess Cox, drummer Brian Dick, bassist Rocky and guitarist Robb Weir, the latter of whom was able to hold down the fort musically on his own with some mindblowing highwire riffs on A-side songs such as "Money" and "Killers," the latter of which I first heard on Lars Ulrich's 1990 "NWOBHM: '79 Revisited" compilation. Rocky's strumming basslines also pack an added punch to these tracks. The flipside of the original LP features stunning cuts such as the title track "Wild Catz," which must have been the ideal song for speeding down the freeway (with hopefully the Tygers blaring on an eight-track), as is described in the lyrics. One more stellar selection from the record's B-side is "Badger Badger," which contains one of the album's strongest and most instantly memorable riffs. Classic stuff here.

My copy of the CD is from the 2006 pressing on Metal Nation Records, and this is the definitive version to have, as it contains the full 45 minute LP, plus no less than eight bonus tracks from the early singles, and great packaging -- the tray card of the CD looks exactly like the reverse of the original LP and the booklet contains lyrics, rare photos and liner notes from Jess Cox himself, who has the class to rate highly even the three Tygers LPs that came after this (the ones he didn't appear on).

There is a decent Tygers compilation on the market called "On the Prowl" and while that's a good start for listeners unfamiliar with this band's greatness, it will probably make you want to order the complete original four albums, all of which will cost you a bit but it seems they are still in print so I wouldn't hesitate to snap them up. "Wild Cat" marked the beginning of this string of classic releases from one of the brightest stars the NWOBHM had to offer and comes highly recommended to any fan of this essential era of music.

If you were around in Europe in the late 70's/early 80's and metal was your thing, or maybe if you had a killer import store in your neighborhood, this album should bring back some smiles, especially if you kept up with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) which launched the careers of bands like Maiden, Saxon and Def Leppard to name a few. The Tygers are represented here with their first vocalist and while this album is not as polished or produced as later efforts, it's that rawness that endears fans to this album to begin with. Crank it up loud, the remaster rocks! It's getting harder to find so I consider it a worthy investment for metal collectors.

TYGERS OF PAN TANG was always a pedestrian British band from the beginning of the eighties, one of the dozens of bands that soon disappeared after the New Wave of British Heavy Metal began to lose momentum. (and, like dozens of others also, attempted a late comeback in the nineties).

Anyway, at least their debut was fresh and energetic, and not compromised by sell outs. This freshness led the singer to be fired, and things were never the same again...

Although the Tygers went on to more technically accomplished classics like Spellbound and Crazy Nights, most hardcore NWOBHM enthusiasts prefer their 1980 debut album Wild Cat. Granted, original lead vocalist Jess Cox can barely carry a tune however his more dead pan delivery fits this great lethal dose of raw primitive hey day metal. The band themselves are also more simpler then what would come on the follow up albums via guitar god John Sykes. But somehow, it also works, the lyrics although nothing classy, won't really matter since Jess Cox delivers them in such a way you won't notice. Euthinasia, the grooving Don't Touch Me There, Money, Badger Badger and the punk-ish Wild Catz are all great songs, but real metal purists will find some of the common running metal themes in more lengthier monster songs like Slave To Freedom, Killers, and Insanity. The occasional time change, lots of solo'ing, and a huge level of engery, this is an amazingly fun album to hear, no matter how simple and raw it is. The keyword is raw, there's nothing clean about this album and thats what early 80's Britsh metal was all about. To put it simply, this is one of the best albums of it's era for hard rock/metal. A must have jewel from a period where few are given their due. The Tygers other 2 records with more melodic vocalist Jon Deverill and guitarist John Sykes are also enjoyable in a different way. This debut has something over those 2 however. It's simplicity is it's key. It never fails to rock and rock hard. The bonus tracks are great, especially Alright On The Night, make sure to get the remastered edition on Edgy records, with the 8 bonus cuts, and bio written by former singer Jess Cox. 1980 had many landmarks (Back In Black, Women & Children First, Blizzard Of Oz, Ace Of Spades, British Steel, Iron Maiden's debut, this one is among them.