Although Riot were never part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they certainly sounded as if they were. Their independent label debut album, Rock City, had so much in common with the style that it caught fire as an import in England long before American audiences began paying attention. Eventually Capitol Records came sniffing around, and released their second album, Narita, in 1979. Things were looking up for the band, and they recorded what would become their best-selling LP, Fire Down Under, in 1981.
In a textbook example of record label stupidity, Capitol deemed Fire Down Under “commercially unacceptable,” and refused to release it. Elektra Records picked it up, and the album went on to become a sizable hit. It also became a major influence on many of the emerging metal bands of the early eighties.
It is hard to figure out what Capitol found so objectionable about this record, because there is not a bad track on it. At the time, the company’s line was that it was too heavy. But that is a ridiculous claim. Fire Down Under is a near perfect mix of tight songwriting with just the right amount of metal elements such as stinging guitar solos and soaring vocals. It is a bit heavier than what Def Leppard were doing at the time, but not quite as powerful as Iron Maiden - who by the way, were signed to Capitol themselves.
In short, Fire Down Under had commercial appeal written all over it. It is also a brilliant metal album. From the opening “Swords And Tequila,” all the way through to “Flashbacks,” this record rocks. The twin-guitar attack of Mark Reale and Rick Ventura never sounded better than on “Run For Your Life.” And the vocals of Guy Speranza on the likes of “Don’t Hold Back” are awesome.
Article comments