The RIOT Discography and Listening Party Thread: Now Playing-Armor Of Light

[TAC]

A few final things on Rhett Forrester before we move on if anyone is interested...

The first is one of my favorite albums. I actually got this when it came out in 1984.


Jack Starr-Out Of The Darkness (1984)




Here is the link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/53aWUUjzGCpWpon86XFMLe?si=wMFWs-idSFmRjFcjZOIZrQ

This is real nice East Coast metal featuring Virgin Steele guitarist Jack Starr, Rhett, and the Rods Carl Canedy and Gary Bordonaro.

My favorite song here is probably Let's Get Crazy Again. It's a cool party song referencing the "summer of '79". The song stands out because it's not nearly as heavy as the rest of the album. The first two tracks, Concrete Warrior and False Messiah absolutely scorch.

I flat out love this album.


Gone With The Wind (1984)




Also recorded with The Rods' rhythm section alongside guitarist Paul Kayen. I actually found this on vinyl in an obscure used record shop in downtown Boston in 1988. I think I paid $6 for it. I still have it. It's pretty hard to find. Even youtube doesn't have the entire album uploaded. I did recently find the files to this and downloaded it.

It's really for Rhett fans only. The song writing just isn't there. The Riot material is much stronger.

Here is the title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OYhkk5-7jM


Even The Score (1988)



Along side guitarist Paul Kayen, Rhett would issue his second solo album in 1988. I actually had this on cassette back in the day. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as heavy, or as good, as Gone With The Wind. Again...the songs? A lot of this is cliché double entendre 80's hair rock style.

Many of these songs are on youtube. Here is the title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoo6iQge0GA

Also notable is a song I've referenced a number of times, See You In My Dreams, which seems to be a carbon copy of Dokken's Alone Again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR3D1xhCuB4

Urban legend also has it that Ritchie Blackmore plays a number of solos on this album.


Hell Or High Water (1996)



This was released posthumously and is basically a career retrospective. Some quite rare stuff on this.

Included are songs from one of his bands, Dr. Dirty, and these songs are fantastic. Easily better than both of his solo albums.
Here's the full album:
https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Rhett_Forrester/Hell_or_Highwater/109322

At the end of Track 17, Hard Drivin' Woman, there is an unlisted recording of Rhett singing Amazing Grace at his grandmother's funeral.
Here it is: https://youtu.be/te-Jvttkyqc?t=247




Lastly...

Rhett Forrester was murdered on January 22, 1994 in Atlanta. Apparently he was the victim of an apparent carjacking.
He was just 37 years old.




 

[jjrock88]

I looked into the Jack Starr Out of the Darkness album. Tim did you know it was re-released and remastered with six bonus tracks. Listened to Eyes of Fire. Great song but I noticed that Rhett does that scream that David DeFeis always does with Virgin Steele lol.

[TAC]

I looked into the Jack Starr Out of the Darkness album. Tim did you know it was re-released and remastered with six bonus tracks. Listened to Eyes of Fire. Great song but I noticed that Rhett does that scream that David DeFeis always does with Virgin Steele lol.

I have the remaster on CD. The 6 bonus tracks unfortunately are instrumentals. I was quite disappointed when I got it.

Yeah total Defeis at the beginning.

You should try and get through the whole album. It's awesome!

[wolfking]

Ok, that live EP fucking rips.

[wolfking]

Moved on to Born in America.  Didn't get around to that live album yet.

This was another solid 40 minutes of heavy metal.  First few songs ripped, but the Devil Woman cover took me by surprise and didn't need to be here IMO.  Heavy Metal Machine was very cool too.

[TAC]

Ok, that live EP fucking rips.

 

Check out the Jack Starr album.

[wolfking]

Ok, that live EP fucking rips.

 

Check out the Jack Starr album.

You love giving out homework don't you.

[max_security]

Wow , so I'm hearing some of this stuff for the first time. I'll wait for the OP thread format before saying any more however. It does remind me of just how quickly things were changing in heavy rock music back then.

[TAC]

Thundersteel




Released March 24, 1988


1. Thundersteel
2. Fight Or Fall
3. Sign Of The Crimson Storm
4. Flight Of The Warrior
5. On The Wings Of Eagles
6. Johnny's Back
7. Bloodstreets
8. Run For Your Life
9. Buried Alive (Tell Tale Heart)



Tony Moore-Vocals
Mark Reale-Guitars
Don Van Stavern-Bass
Bobby Jarzonbek-Drums

Mark Edwards plays drums on Fight Or Fall, Sign Of The Crimson Storm, On The Wings Of Eagles, and Bloodstreets.

After the Born In America cycle, Riot goes on hiatus and Mark Reale returns to San Antonio. He's jamming with the SA Slayer guys, and they form a band called Narita. They even get Steve Loeb to go down and see them. Shortly thereafter Sandy Slavin, who moves to LA, calls Reale to get back together. With Kip Lemming not wanting to return, Reale takes Van Stavern with him to LA. Van Stavern becomes a featured songwriter during this time, along with Reale. Heck, they even cowrote almost half of Born In America. With Van Stavern's influence, it is decidedly more metal. With Rhett tied up during much of the year, they have Jag Panzer's Harry Conklin sing with them. He's ultimately let go, and Rhett finally rejoins them in LA. They even do a couple of shows.

Here is Reale, Van Stavern, Slavin and RHETT FORRESTER doing an early version of Sign Of The Crimson Storm

Loeb has them return to NYC, but Slavin doesn't want to relocate, so he bows out. Once in NY, Rhett decides that this metal direction is not really for him. He amicably splits from the band. Tony Moore, a friend of Loeb's studio manager's, is asked to tryout for the band. They are also short a drummer. They ask Mark Edwards, who played on the Steeler s/t with Yngwie and Ron Keel to join. He is able to cut 4 tracks while his band Lion is on break. Midway through recording, Lion calls him back. Van Stavern calls in a friend from the San Antonio circuit. Enter Bobby Jarzombek.

[max_security]

They lost the marsupial on the cover is the good news.

I really like this album so far. They hold onto enough old school - Priest sound with improved vocals. The guitar is not over the top like I expected ( and why I would not have liked it back in the day ). I would think that most " critics " at the time viewed it as " dated " ( I would have said that in 1988 ). But at this point in time I feel like I'm hearing it at the right time for a first spin. In some ways they remind me of a more modern Y and T  looking back on this.

[TAC]

Huh..I would've never connect Y&T to this at all.


I actually only got Thundersteel about 10 years ago. I was not in on this back in the day. I think I looked at it and saw a whole new band, except for the guitar player, who didn't even look anything like he used to. I figured, you can't change the entire band with poofed up hair, and try and sell it to me as Riot. Riot, to me was sacred. This, honestly seemed like a joke. I never gave it a chance.

When I did get it, I guess it was still hard to connect with it. During this deep dive, I've really taken the time to learn these songs, and I've thoroughly enjoyed them.




Oh, and here is some live footage from 1988.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgM1LqHSx5w

[Zoom E]

Thundersteel was the last Riot album I bought. It was okay, but the sound was too different from their previous incarnations and, for me, it just wasn’t Riot anymore.

[max_security]

More " situational " than anything ( YT reference ). Dave M kept that going longer than I would have I guess.

[wolfking]

 

Will grab the cd out and spin this bad boy.

[Stadler]

I think you might have sent me a Jack Starr song in a roulette; is that possible?

Also, you didn't say:  do you think that was Blackmore on that Rhett solo album?   

[TAC]

I think you might have sent me a Jack Starr song in a roulette; is that possible?

Also, you didn't say:  do you think that was Blackmore on that Rhett solo album?

I certainly may have sent a Jack Starr song.


I can't tell if it's Blackmore. I Must Be Crazy is obviously a guitar solo duel.
@Lowdz or Wolfking, can you guys pick out Blackmore? If so, I post the songs in question.


Obviously Riot opened most of the Straight Between The Eyes US tour, and also at times played festivals...notably the Donnington show that Zoom posted the album cover for.

Also, before joining Riot Mike Dimeo apparently even demoed tracks for The Battle Rages On, but the record company insisted Gillan be part of the band. So not only does DiMeo replace Joe Lynn Turner, but JLT does a guest spot on The Privilege Of Power, the next Riot album to be featured.




Stadler, I hope you took my advice and checked out the DiMeo albums. Specifically Brethren Of The Long House. HOLY RAINBOW BATMAN!

We'll get there soon enough...

[TAC]

Thundersteel was the last Riot album I bought. It was okay, but the sound was too different from their previous incarnations and, for me, it just wasn’t Riot anymore.

I hear you. It was anything but Riot to me, and I never even checked it out.

The next album is quite similar, but I hope you'll hang with the thread because the DiMeo albums that follow come across a bit more familiar than the two Tony Moore albums.

[wolfking]

I youtubed I Must Be Crazy, cool song.  Didn't sound like Blackmore at all to me.  Went to look in the comments where there was none but in the description is says it's Paul Kayen on guitars.

[TAC]

Yeah, Paul Kayen played on both of Rhett's albums.


Here's where I saw that:

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Rhett_Forrester/Even_the_Score/109319/Ritchie_Black_Iommi/280576

[wolfking]

Ah, interseting.

[TAC]

I'm not posting the next album until JJ posts on Thundersteel.

[wolfking]

Flight of the Warrior! 

[TAC]

Flight of the Warrior! 

Kade, have you heard The Privilege Of Power yet?

[wolfking]

Flight of the Warrior! 

Kade, have you heard The Privilege Of Power yet?

I have not.

[wolfking]

Great solos on this album.  Never really realised the chops that Mark had truthfully until this thread.  Title track and Eagles also rip in the guitar departement.

[TAC]

Kade, have you heard The Privilege Of Power yet?

I have not.

Three words.

Dance. Of. Death.

(The actual music starts about 1:26 into the track)

[TAC]

  Never really realised the chops that Mark had truthfully until this thread. 

If just one person gets something out of this thread than it'll have been worth it.

Literally.

[Podaar]

Had my first ever listen to Thundersteel today. Like Wolf says, great lead guitar but the change in style isn't my cup of beer. The singer has a great voice but the screeching seemed gratuitous.

Tim, over the years, you've made much of not liking 2 Minutes to Midnight calling it a ripoff of Swords and Tequila. I never once made that connection to those two songs in real time as those albums came out, nor indeed in all the years prior to meeting you on this forum. While I've compared them at your behest and see the similarities I, nonetheless, still feel the differences are profound enough to reject the ripoff label. But Run For Your Life off Thundersteel is so amazingly close to 2MtM that when the first verse started I literally started singing, "Kill for gain, or shoot to maim." 

Who ripped off who?

[TAC]

Had my first ever listen to Thundersteel today. Like Wolf says, great lead guitar but the change in style isn't my cup of beer. The singer has a great voice but the screeching seemed gratuitous.

Once we get past The Privilege Of Power and into the Mike DiMeo Era, I think you'll find that way more palatable.

Tim, over the years, you've made much of not liking 2 Minutes to Midnight calling it a ripoff of Swords and Tequila. I never once made that connection to those two songs in real time as those albums came out, nor indeed in all the years prior to meeting you on this forum. While I've compared them at your behest and see the similarities I, nonetheless, still feel the differences are profound enough to reject the ripoff label. But Run For Your Life off Thundersteel is so amazingly close to 2MtM that when the first verse started I literally started singing, "Kill for gain, or shoot to maim." 

Who ripped off who?

So I see the Run For Your Life comparison.


Powerslave just feels so rushed to me. When I first heard 2M2M, the riff was so crystal clear considering it was straight off of four song off my favorite albums at the time.

Swords & Tequila
Flash Rockin' Man
Power And The Glory
Stand Up And Shout

I like 2M2M, don't get me wrong, but I truly felt, at the time, that using a rehashed riff like that was beneath them. I still do. But then again, the whole album was pretty much a letdown to me.

[max_security]

I completely agree with the Powerslave thoughts. But I think I saw them twice on the World Slavery Tour and got my face melted both times.

[TAC]

I completely agree with the Powerslave thoughts. But I think I saw them twice on the World Slavery Tour and got my face melted both times.

Hah! I believe I'm in the minority on Powerslave. It's what I felt at the time. It's so cliché ridden. I mean, it's aged well enough. I saw the tour once and Accept was absolutely amazing.

[max_security]

Piece Of Mind ... and twice on Sunday right here !!! Accept was great on that tour , I think Twisted Sister opened the first one that year that I saw.

[TAC]

I grew up in southeastern Mass, and Maiden came to Worcester in January of '85 with Twisted Sister. My parents wouldn't let me go out to Worcester yet. It was quite a bit further than going to Providence, so when Maiden came back in June, I saw that show.

Fun fact..the night Maiden played the Civic Center, Madonna was playing at Shaeffer Stadium in Foxboro. Not sure why I remember that.



I did see Twisted Sister open for Dio the previous summer though and they were great.

[max_security]

I grew up in southeastern Mass, and Maiden came to Worcester in January of '85 with Twisted Sister. My parents wouldn't let me go out to Worcester yet. It was quite a bit further than going to Providence, so when Maiden came back in June, I saw that show.

Fun fact..the night Maiden played the Civic Center, Madonna was playing at Shaeffer Stadium in Foxboro. Not sure why I remember that.



I did see Twisted Sister open for Dio the previous summer though and they were great.

DC - Baltimore . The first show was in the winter Capital Center. TS brought it man I was surprised. They are one of those bands that you have to see live to understand.

The summer show was Merriweather Post Pavilion w Accept. UDO was freaking AWESOME , I swear he launched the bass player 10 feet in the air man , lol.

[TAC]

Other than Dream Theater opening for Maiden in '92, Accept turned in the greatest opening set I've ever seen that tour.