1982 private
Skywalker were a hard rock band from Chicago, and High Flyer is their sole release, and quite scarce today. Despite being from 1982, the band sound every bit like they're from the 1975-76 era. The songs are straightforward hard rockers, with excellent breaks and great guitar solos. The vocals are high pitched, and FM radio is where he wants to be heard. The real anomaly here is the keyboard of choice - the trusty Hammond B3. Not a lot of bands in the early 80s still lugging that thing around, and it's what makes the album special. And that's all they used too - no synthesizers! Even the one throwaway track 'So Hard Baby' is saved by a nice organ solo. 'Rock the Night Away' is the highlight of Side 1, with some great riffing, and by looking at the track titles and song lengths of Side 2, I was certain to have an excellent album to witness. It wasn't to be. 'Disco Queen' is a lot like the opener on Side 1, which is solid. 'Living Free' on the other hand comes dangerously close to that old chestnut 'Free Bird' at times, and the mid section which promises to unleash, never quite does. And the vocals here are strained and cringe-worthy. 'High Flyer' is another good hard rocker, but again, one wishes for a bit more steam to motor ahead with. All in all, a very good entry for hard rock genre fans. But one whose immense potential was not met on the whole.
Priority: 3
3/4/25 (new entry)
No comments:
Post a Comment