Release Date: April
6, 2015
Label: Cherry Records
There is nothing like the sound of some good hard rock to
start the day. Founded in 1969 when
British singer John Lawton moved to Germany and met the other founding members
of Lucifer’s Friend, Peter Hesslein, Dieter Horns, Peter Hecht, and Joachim
Reitenbach. With a career that spanned
the seventies and early eighties, this hard rock band was not afraid to
experiment with their sound, by incorporating progressive rock, heavy metal,
and jazz into their music. After decades
of silence, they have reunited with John Lawton (vocals), Dieter Horns (bass),
and Peter Hesslein (guitar) of the original line-up returning, and Jogi
Wichmann (keyboards) and Stephan Eggert (drums) round out the band.
Awake
ning is a two-disc compilation album featuring ten songs from their former albums, and four songs of new material. This album gives a nice overview of Lucifer Friend’s career. There are songs from 1970’s Lucifer’s Friend (“Ride the Sky,” “Toxic Shadows,” “Keep Goin’,” “In the Time of Job”), 1972’s Where the Groupies Killed the Blues (“Burning Ships”), 1974’s Banquet (“Dirty Old Town”), 1976’s Mind Exploding (“Moonshine Rider,” “Fugitive”), and 1981’s Mean Machine (“Hey Driver,” “Mean Machine”).
ning is a two-disc compilation album featuring ten songs from their former albums, and four songs of new material. This album gives a nice overview of Lucifer Friend’s career. There are songs from 1970’s Lucifer’s Friend (“Ride the Sky,” “Toxic Shadows,” “Keep Goin’,” “In the Time of Job”), 1972’s Where the Groupies Killed the Blues (“Burning Ships”), 1974’s Banquet (“Dirty Old Town”), 1976’s Mind Exploding (“Moonshine Rider,” “Fugitive”), and 1981’s Mean Machine (“Hey Driver,” “Mean Machine”).
“Ride the Sky” is the perfect song to start this
compilation album. The opening screams
act like a call to attention that is completed by the thundering horns, which
have me thinking of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” It is one stellar rock song with weighty
guitar parts, powerful vocals, and that booming horn to round out the
sound. With its heavy opening riff, “In
the Time of Job” is a lively, spacey hard rock song, with a sound that is both
memorable and jarring. The surreal atmosphere created during the instrumental
parts is definitely a plus. Changing up the tempo is “Keep Goin’”. The sound is
slower and heavier than the previous two songs, with a sweet guitar solo in the
middle of the song.
“Toxic
Shadows” is a guitar-driven rock extravaganza.
It is a sweet jam that has seventies hard rock written over its long
instrumental parts. Next up is the acoustic “Burning Ships”. Its sound is sweet and sobering and conjures
up images of watching a setting sun on the beach, complete with wave sound
effects. “Fugitive” is a fun, funky song, with a sound slightly reminiscent of
the classic “Shaft” theme song. The song
runs about a minute too long, as the music gets a little weird at the end and
sounds out of place.
“Moonshine
Raider” has lots of energy and a nice beat.
Its catchy chorus is the song’s strong point, but the music tries to do
too much in between and I find myself waiting for the chorus to come back
around.
“Dirty
Old Town” is a fantastic acoustic song.
The music is pleasant and controlled, as it moves toward a brilliant
chorus that makes for a memorable experience.
It rivals “Ride the Sky” for best song on the album. “Fire and Rain” dazzles with its early eighties
rock sound. “Hey Driver” is a solid way to finish the disc. It is a hard rock song with plenty of energy
and attitude that would feel right at home in an eighties action movie.
The
second disc features four new songs and they are so-so. The first one, “Prey,” is one that I like. The song rocks pretty hard with its pulsating
bass line and the vocal performance is very solid, even after all these
decades. “Riding High” is okay, but it
could use some tightening up, as it takes too long to get going and too long to
end. The final two songs, “Did You Ever”
and “This Road” are fairly average, as well.
It sounds like they are trying to recreate their seventies sound, it is
just not the same and ends up being forgettable.
All in
all, Lucifer’s Friend’s Awakening is
a fine compilation and a solid introduction into their diverse sound that they
experimented with throughout the seventies and early eighties. This is the type of band whose music is just
waiting to be rediscovered. Lucifer’s
Friend should definitely be given a look at by any fan of hard rock music, with
Awakening being a good place to
start.
4/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Ride the Sky, Dirty Old Town, Hey Driver
Tracks:
Disc 1
01.Ride the Sky
02.In the Time of Job
03.Keep Goin’
04.Toxic Shadows
05.Burning Ships
06.Fugitive
07.Moonshine Raider
08.Dirty Old Town
09.Fire and Rain
10.Hey Driver
Disc 2
1.Pray
2.Riding High
3.Did You Ever
4.This Road
Tracks:
Disc 1
01.Ride the Sky
02.In the Time of Job
03.Keep Goin’
04.Toxic Shadows
05.Burning Ships
06.Fugitive
07.Moonshine Raider
08.Dirty Old Town
09.Fire and Rain
10.Hey Driver
Disc 2
1.Pray
2.Riding High
3.Did You Ever
4.This Road
Brian McKinnon - Write A Music Review Sr. Staff
July 16, 2015
Review
Provided By Write A Music Review
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