Having
so obviously worshipped at the altar of Mott the Hoople for much of their
career, it's little surprise that for their fourth album Hanoi Rocks went
straight to the source, getting both Dale Buffin Griffin and Pete
"Overend" Watts to produce Back to Mystery City. Whatever else they
brought to the sessions, the duo makes Hanoi Rocks sound like a much more
powerful band than before; compared to Self Destruction Blues, the riffs are
more explosive, the drumming pounding, and Michael Monroe is in full swing. The
aura of '50s rave-up, '70s glam party, and '80s hard rock chaos that the band
made their own sounds even better than before, but the production duo also made
even more room for intriguing experiments within the songs themselves. Thus,
the full-on glam stomp, mock-Burundi drums, and animal noises during the merry
romp "Tooting Bec Wreck" (one of many Hanoi Rocks songs paying homage
to home-away-from-home London), or the clearly obvious "Mony Mony"
steal from the title track, with reverbed vocals working wonders. One thing's
for sure: calling the first song "Strange Boys Play Weird Openings,"
and having it be a mock rustic folk song -- with acoustic guitars, flutes, and
chirping birds -- is a great way to have fun. More so, admittedly, when things
suddenly kick into the brilliant rocker "Malibu Beach Nightmare."
Other songs, like "Beating Gets Faster" and "Ice Cream
Summer" (gratuitous misogyny aside), may be more Hanoi Rocks
by-the-numbers, but it's a good enough pattern to follow. In their own way, they
weren't so much pioneers as followers of a style that not many attempted at the
time. They get extra points, as well, for having one of the more entertainingly
crude song titles around: "Lick Summer Love."
Ripped to MP3
1. Strange
Boys Play Weird Openings
2. Malibu
Beach
3. Mental
Beat
4. Tooting
Bec Wrecked
5. Until
I Get You
6. Sailing
Down The Tears
7. Lick
Summer Love
8. Beating
Gets Faster
9. Ice
Cream Summer
10. Back
To Mystery City
1. Strange Boys Play Weird Openings
2. Malibu Beach
3. Mental Beat
4. Tooting Bec Wrecked
5. Until I Get You
6. Sailing Down The Tears
7. Lick Summer Love
8. Beating Gets Faster
9. Ice Cream Summer
10. Back To Mystery City
Is it just me, or would Andy McCoy's right arm have to be freakishly long in order to do the "reacharound" and place his hand on Mike Monroe's belt buckle?
ReplyDeleteIs Andy actually lying down or leaning against something, with his head resting on his other hand? Is that why the white jacket looks like he nicked it from David Byrne?
Also the photo background is black, but is that white light between Andy's legs? Do light and gravity work differently in Mystery City?
It's a myth that living in Tooting Bec was a healthy existence for the boys from Finland...Andy McCoy's right arm is usual length, it's Mike Monroe's waist that is freakishly small. Same deal with Andy's regular jacket, again it's the skinny body underneath that makes the jacket look huge.
DeleteLying Down/Standing Up?? What's the difference? Alcohol
There is a place in us mere mortals where the sun doesn't shine...
I guess I was thinking of the Sly Stone "Fresh" album cover, which was photographed from under a glass table (but looks like Sly doing a flying karate kick). Sly was probably on the same diet as Hanoi Rocks...
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