Artist: BADLANDS
Album: BADLANDS REMASTERED (CD)

Year: 1989/ 2010
Media type: CD

THE LIST OF bands that should have made the big time, set against those who actually did, is one of life’s great mysteries. Badlands are a prime example of a group that seemingly had it all in the palm of their hand yet somehow, through no fault of their own, managed to spectacularly underachieve. By rights, if acclaim and good fortune depended on sheer talent alone then Badlands really ought to have bathed in both gold and glory.

Formed at the tail end of the late 80’s by super-guitarist Jake E. Lee, fresh from a massively successful tenure with Ozzy Osbourne, together with hugely talented vocalist Ray Gillen, ironically a former vocalist with Ozzy’s old band Black Sabbath, drummer Eric Singer (also a one time member of Black Sabbath) and bassist Greg Chaisson (from Steeler, one of Yngwie Malmsteen’s first bands), Badlands looked set to become one of the brightest lights on the scene.

Signed to Atlantic Records and recorded in both Los Angeles and New York, the debut Badlands album is a blistering endorsement of the bands desire to resurrect the earthy blues rock sound of the early 70’s by taking their cue from such ground shakers as Led Zeppelin and Cream, yet adding a contemporary side-order of melody and muscle. The results were astonishing. This album, originally released in 1989, side-swiped the competition by a considerable margin, separating them from the run-of-the-mill hair-band milieu, whilst opening up a world of possibilities that should have propelled them to international stardom.

TRACKLIST:

All songs written by Jake E. Lee, Ray Gillen and Paul OґNeill, except where noted.

1."High Wire" (Jake E. Lee, Ray Gillen)
2."Dreams in the Dark"
3."Jade's Song" (Jake E. Lee)
4."Winter's Call" (Jake E. Lee, Ray Gillen)
5."Dancing on the Edge"
6."Streets Cry Freedom"
7."Hard Driver"
8."Rumblin' Train"
9."Devil's Stomp"
10."Seasons"
11."Ball & Chain" (Jake E. Lee, Ray Gillen)

LINE-UP:

Ray Gillen: Lead Vocals, Blues Harp
Jake E. Lee: Guitar, Keyboards
Greg Chaisson: Bass
Eric Singer: Drums