This is my kind of guitar driven band. Will have to listen to all the tracks...Just gave the debut album a quick listen and enjoyed the tracks so far. Look forward to getting into your newsletter deeply.
How did I manage to miss this (especially since I'm the one who got the nod for referring this band)
Where to begin with Badlands. They are a bit of a crossover band...or a bridge...from the overblown theatrics and glam of the 80s into a return to music and style rooted more in songwriting and substance over hairspray and spandex. I may be biased in my opinion because over the years I've gotten to know all the members of the band (yes including Jake E.Lee and Ray Gillen RIP). This album came out and I knew from the raw heaviness of the first notes in High Wire that they were digging into something new (and old). In my opinion they don't have a bad track across their entire catalog. The debut has a bit of the late 80s production style (Big gated reverb on the drums etc) and still a hint of the 80s metal vocal stylings (mainly because Ray had a hell of a range) but this band was drawing more from Free, Zeppelin, Cactus, early Jeff Beck Group and other 70s rock monsters that the members cut their teeth on. The whole band have stated many times they wanted to get back to their roots (so to speak) with this band and I think they more than succeeded. Tracks like "Winters Call" "Seasons" off the debut have much more in common with the aforementioned groups than they do with any of their 80s contemporaries. I was fortunate enough to see Badlands 3 times during their short career and I can say without a doubt they were one of the most amazing live straight ahead no frills rock bands I've ever seen. They tore the roof off with each show. Their second record "Voodoo Highway" was an even more raw stripped down chunk of high octane blues infused Rock than the debut. Gone are the triggered explosive snare sounds and really any of the "shiny" hints of late 80s "Hair Band" fatigue. The songs are tight and loose at the same time...the playing is off the charts (Jake E. Lee is in my opinion the best guitarist of this era) and he shows his chops all over their albums but he manages to make his technical prowess very apparent while still serving the strong songs. Ray Gillens voice is like a cross between Robert Plant/Paul Rodgers and Steve Marriott) and lyrically he dives deep into blues concepts and personal stories....over the drugs, cars and girls that more or less drove the knife into the other late 80s early 90s bands. On their posthumous release "Dusk" (originally recorded as a one take set of demo sessions ....Jake and Greg from the band both confirmed all but 1 or 2 of the songs were cut live in 1 or 2 takes) is essentially Badlands live and at their best.
Had this band come out in the 70s rather than the late 80s I think they would have been massive (and rightly so)...their songs are straight ahead Rock/Blues with a hint of funk and a tip of the hat to country bluegrass thrown in. Sadly though...they didn't come out in the 70s they helped usher in the 90s and I think they were part of the end of the Glossy 80s bands. So the albums didn't sell as the label hoped and they were quickly dropped or swept aside while the labels ran as fast as they could to Seattle to capitalize on the burgeoning "Grunge" scene.....and Badlands became a footnote (albeit a powerful foot note).
Over the years....Ive watched Badlands archive almost cult status...online this band is revered as being one of the best and a total "What if?" band. A band that should have been Huge....but they fell between the crack and unfortunately were too "rough" for most 80s fans and not "politically minded" or "self reflective" as most of the bands of the early 90s.
They were quite literally a band out of time.
I love all 3 albums....in fact they are 3 if my absolute favorites. As I said I got to know all the members (excerpt Eric Singer who quit after the first album) and they are/were all great guys.
If you want no BS rock and roll that will give you that same punch that the best Zeppelin/Sabbath/Bad Company gives you...treat yourself to all 3 Badlands albums.
Side note. To put to rest the ugly rumour about Ray Gillen. Yes Ray sadly passed away due to HIV complications in 1993....however....it has never been proven that Ray knowingly infected anyone with the HIV virus (and trust me they have tried). He did try and conceal his illness from the label etc because of the stigma surrounding HIV and because he was trying to make money for his family because he knew his days were numbered. The stories of "The Victims of Ray Gillen" has been told and retold in true internet fashion and as someone who knew him briefly and knew people close to him....There has never been one shred of proof that linked Ray to anyone contracting HIV due to his poor behavior....and as I mentioned...many have tried to seek damages and all accusations have been found to be baseless.
The bands first 2 albums are not streaming due to a massive falling out with the record label...NOT because the label feels it would be in poor taste to support an artist who didn't exexcise good judgement while having a serious contagious illness. In fact...IF Ray had actual "Victims" the label would try to push those albums immensely to try and make as much money as they could in order to compensate these "victims" of Ray Gillen. Fact is.....the internet loves to spread rumors and sadly those rumors gain far too much traction.
So....go seek out the Badlands catalog and be ready for some straight down the middle no nonsense Hard Rock music played by one of the best bands you've never heard of.
Brilliant but painful. Gillen intentionally slept with a lot of women after learning about his HIV condition. They used him and the band.things fell apart.
Not to start an argument but what you said about Ray is purely rumor and speculation. It has never been proven that Ray intentionally slept with women while he knew he had HIV. That story got a lot of traction based on a post in a chat room in the early 2000s. I've spoken to people very close to Ray and I've spoken to the other members of Badlands and a few people have tries to pursue these rumors with no luck...because no court or judge felt there was enough proof to justify the claims. Plus...Ray isn't here to defend himself and making comments like this based on rumors is really disrespectful to Rays daughter and other family members. Again...not trying to be a jerk or start an argument but don't spread rumors about things you don't have all of the facts on. None of us were there and we don't know what did or didn't happen....and the guy being accused isn't even alive to defend himself. Cheers man.
This is my kind of guitar driven band. Will have to listen to all the tracks...Just gave the debut album a quick listen and enjoyed the tracks so far. Look forward to getting into your newsletter deeply.
How did I manage to miss this (especially since I'm the one who got the nod for referring this band)
Where to begin with Badlands. They are a bit of a crossover band...or a bridge...from the overblown theatrics and glam of the 80s into a return to music and style rooted more in songwriting and substance over hairspray and spandex. I may be biased in my opinion because over the years I've gotten to know all the members of the band (yes including Jake E.Lee and Ray Gillen RIP). This album came out and I knew from the raw heaviness of the first notes in High Wire that they were digging into something new (and old). In my opinion they don't have a bad track across their entire catalog. The debut has a bit of the late 80s production style (Big gated reverb on the drums etc) and still a hint of the 80s metal vocal stylings (mainly because Ray had a hell of a range) but this band was drawing more from Free, Zeppelin, Cactus, early Jeff Beck Group and other 70s rock monsters that the members cut their teeth on. The whole band have stated many times they wanted to get back to their roots (so to speak) with this band and I think they more than succeeded. Tracks like "Winters Call" "Seasons" off the debut have much more in common with the aforementioned groups than they do with any of their 80s contemporaries. I was fortunate enough to see Badlands 3 times during their short career and I can say without a doubt they were one of the most amazing live straight ahead no frills rock bands I've ever seen. They tore the roof off with each show. Their second record "Voodoo Highway" was an even more raw stripped down chunk of high octane blues infused Rock than the debut. Gone are the triggered explosive snare sounds and really any of the "shiny" hints of late 80s "Hair Band" fatigue. The songs are tight and loose at the same time...the playing is off the charts (Jake E. Lee is in my opinion the best guitarist of this era) and he shows his chops all over their albums but he manages to make his technical prowess very apparent while still serving the strong songs. Ray Gillens voice is like a cross between Robert Plant/Paul Rodgers and Steve Marriott) and lyrically he dives deep into blues concepts and personal stories....over the drugs, cars and girls that more or less drove the knife into the other late 80s early 90s bands. On their posthumous release "Dusk" (originally recorded as a one take set of demo sessions ....Jake and Greg from the band both confirmed all but 1 or 2 of the songs were cut live in 1 or 2 takes) is essentially Badlands live and at their best.
Had this band come out in the 70s rather than the late 80s I think they would have been massive (and rightly so)...their songs are straight ahead Rock/Blues with a hint of funk and a tip of the hat to country bluegrass thrown in. Sadly though...they didn't come out in the 70s they helped usher in the 90s and I think they were part of the end of the Glossy 80s bands. So the albums didn't sell as the label hoped and they were quickly dropped or swept aside while the labels ran as fast as they could to Seattle to capitalize on the burgeoning "Grunge" scene.....and Badlands became a footnote (albeit a powerful foot note).
Over the years....Ive watched Badlands archive almost cult status...online this band is revered as being one of the best and a total "What if?" band. A band that should have been Huge....but they fell between the crack and unfortunately were too "rough" for most 80s fans and not "politically minded" or "self reflective" as most of the bands of the early 90s.
They were quite literally a band out of time.
I love all 3 albums....in fact they are 3 if my absolute favorites. As I said I got to know all the members (excerpt Eric Singer who quit after the first album) and they are/were all great guys.
If you want no BS rock and roll that will give you that same punch that the best Zeppelin/Sabbath/Bad Company gives you...treat yourself to all 3 Badlands albums.
Side note. To put to rest the ugly rumour about Ray Gillen. Yes Ray sadly passed away due to HIV complications in 1993....however....it has never been proven that Ray knowingly infected anyone with the HIV virus (and trust me they have tried). He did try and conceal his illness from the label etc because of the stigma surrounding HIV and because he was trying to make money for his family because he knew his days were numbered. The stories of "The Victims of Ray Gillen" has been told and retold in true internet fashion and as someone who knew him briefly and knew people close to him....There has never been one shred of proof that linked Ray to anyone contracting HIV due to his poor behavior....and as I mentioned...many have tried to seek damages and all accusations have been found to be baseless.
The bands first 2 albums are not streaming due to a massive falling out with the record label...NOT because the label feels it would be in poor taste to support an artist who didn't exexcise good judgement while having a serious contagious illness. In fact...IF Ray had actual "Victims" the label would try to push those albums immensely to try and make as much money as they could in order to compensate these "victims" of Ray Gillen. Fact is.....the internet loves to spread rumors and sadly those rumors gain far too much traction.
So....go seek out the Badlands catalog and be ready for some straight down the middle no nonsense Hard Rock music played by one of the best bands you've never heard of.
Cheers.
Brilliant but painful. Gillen intentionally slept with a lot of women after learning about his HIV condition. They used him and the band.things fell apart.
Not to start an argument but what you said about Ray is purely rumor and speculation. It has never been proven that Ray intentionally slept with women while he knew he had HIV. That story got a lot of traction based on a post in a chat room in the early 2000s. I've spoken to people very close to Ray and I've spoken to the other members of Badlands and a few people have tries to pursue these rumors with no luck...because no court or judge felt there was enough proof to justify the claims. Plus...Ray isn't here to defend himself and making comments like this based on rumors is really disrespectful to Rays daughter and other family members. Again...not trying to be a jerk or start an argument but don't spread rumors about things you don't have all of the facts on. None of us were there and we don't know what did or didn't happen....and the guy being accused isn't even alive to defend himself. Cheers man.