Racer X debut: an '80's metal album tribute..there I said it

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shedshrine
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Racer X debut: an '80's metal album tribute..there I said it

Post by shedshrine » Sun Jan 31, 2016 12:20 am

A tribute to an eighties metal album. There, I said it...

(apologies to anyone clicking on this thread expecting to find a link to an album of covers of '80s metal tunes by "modern" indie alt jangle dirge entries. If so, there may be a need for such.. )

Growing up a town away from Shrapnel Records, I recall coming alongside a late model Mercedes traveling southbound Highway 101 driven by a guy wearing a German WWII officer cap, torn tank top and fingerless black gloves and obviously rocking out. Singing at the top of his lungs as he shot down the road, I laughed when he happened to look over in full on rock scowl mode. The guy was into it. It wasn?t til later discovering Racer X that I realized that had been their singer, I imagine maybe working up parts while listening to a work in progress cassette from practice.

80?s metal eventually played out as does every ?new thing?. Everyone climbs aboard the train, and the music becomes predictable and loses its exiting edges. I didn?t know who I was listening to when I first heard Nirvana?s ?Smells Like..? come through mall speakers in Japan in 1991, but I dug it and you just knew there was no way that sound was not going to be the next welcome new thing.

Regardless of the times or the genre, a well honed talented hungry band is a force to be reckoned with. Shredding done well was/is exiting when it rises above wanking and conveys some truth, ie the honest emotions of driven players.

On this debut, you?ll hear the influences of Van Halen, Dokken?s George Lynch, Judas Priest?s Halford and Yngwie?s neoclassical riffing, as well as Paul Gilbert and Racer X kicking it hard with their own heavy rock shred thing..come for the alternate picking, stay for lyrics like "hotter than fire" ;)

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Last edited by shedshrine on Fri Feb 12, 2016 11:32 am, edited 8 times in total.

lyman
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Post by lyman » Mon Feb 01, 2016 7:01 am

Oh man, that's a blast from the past. My brother was way into racer x/paul gilbert. I remember he even bought a racer x (not the band but the character from the speed racer cartoon) t-shirt! He was into to a lot of the other shred guys from that era...shawn lane, satriani, yngwie, via. He started playing guitar a couple years ahead of me and so I sort of absorbed that shred approach or at least didn't feel like there was anything wrong with it. That was just what you strive for when learning the instrument.

But also, I was starting high school and fell in with some kids who were into the alternative scene. This was the early 90's, so I was getting REM, sonic youth, and catherine wheel thrown at me (the band, not the torture device) at the same time. Pretty different schools of thought when it comes to approaching the guitar! Probably explains why I can't do anything well.

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Post by vvv » Mon Feb 01, 2016 9:59 am

I preferred Mr. Big.

But now, Shawn Lane - he was a great player, RIP - loved his stuff with Jonas Hellborg, still listen to that, often.
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shedshrine
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Post by shedshrine » Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:09 pm

Thanks guys, that was really good.

Shawn Lane Jonas Hellborg - Hell Is Other People

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Post by shedshrine » Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:02 pm

I guess what got me started on this thread was time catching up with us and all these "classic rock" icons dropping like flies this last month or so.
Started thinking about earlier stuff that got me exited about music, like this guy, specifically this album...

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shedshrine
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Post by shedshrine » Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:05 pm

Just to clarify, Mr. Schenker is still with us. Don't want to start any rumors with that last post.

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