Girlschool

A brief history lesson (stay with me here): after Girlschool made a half-hearted attempt to make an LA glam metal album, the band had a bit of an identity crisis. This was all resolved at around the time this album came out. After Running Wild they opted to go back to their heavier sound of past days, but it took a while for their line-up to stabilize again. They made two albums of straightforward heavy rock before this, trumping AC/DC in their own game; but here their classic sound truly returns for the first time. It is also the last album featuring guitarist Cris Bonacci, who joined the band in 1984 (replacing Kelly Johnson). She is one of the sadly overlooked musicians who brought Girlschool back to its original sound, meanwhile enhancing it with very personal touches. Jackie Carrera was also recruited as a new bass player before starting work on this album, but she left immediately afterwards. She did her job well.

The original drummer, Denise Dufort (sister of Dave Dufort from Angel Witch) and bandleader Kim McAuliffe stayed with the band from the very start. Kim had again taken up sole lead singing role by then; she still shared the vocals on Running Wild with one-album member Jackie Bodimead, but Jackie and the other commercially-orientated members became disillusioned and left after the return to the older Girlschool sound. (After this album lead vocal duties were shared by 3 and then 2 members again.) Original guitarist and singer Kelly Johnson returned after this album, while 8 years later the original bassist Enid Williams would return for the next album, a 21st anniversary special. That makes this album the last one not to feature the newly stabilized line-up for the new century. It is not a last transition album though; it is, rather, the first new, fully fleshed out album where everything comes together again for a first-rate effort. No wonder they made this the band's self-titled album! It came at a good time, as Girlschool had gone through a rough patch in the late 80s, nearly disbanding after their critically well-received but commercially unsuccesful previous two efforts. They spend a good amount of time touring after this album, establishing themselves once more and thereby escaping from the abyss of obscurity which they found themselves in. With a record this good, it's not difficult to understand how.

It opens with some amiably light and sweet guitar touches, amplified for a very serene and settling sound; it immediately makes you feel right at home – it tickles the fancy before the commencement.. And then the kickass riffing starts, and never lets up the entire disc! What a blast! The moment Kim's vocals kick in you will realize she too has developed immensely since the famous first few albums. The very effeminate vocal inflections were dropped for a deeper, inviting tone. It lets you know this is tough metal, to be respected, not cutesy hard rock. The vocals are utterly convincing, sincere and sensual (heh, sorry, it's true) throughout the record: a true highlight.

I have fallen in love with the guitar licks on this record too. If you have any qualms with Cris Bonacci, who did sadly join during the darkest age of the band, this record will wipe them out. I haven't heard this many catchy leads since AC/DC – except these girls rock harder and heavier! Singles like One More are easily on the level of their 80 singles, though the charming femininity of the earlier material has been replaced by a rougher attitude. Can't Keep A Good Girl Down must be the greatest single I've heard by them. Screw C'mon Let's Go, get "ready for love / 'cause you can't keep a good girl down"!

By the way, as the title of said song will show, the girls had.. sensual matters on their mind when they made this album, it seems. Just look at the lyrics for Can't Say No: "I want to watch / I want to see / Me touching you / You touching me / My eyes are open / My legs they shake / I'm so afraid of / The love we will make". You'd think this was a leftover from the glam era of the band, but surprisingly enough it actually isn't. This became big on the last album out of nowhere, with a few exceptions, to become a dominant theme here. You could find it bothersome, but to be honest the lyrics are so fun I don't really mind.

There are also some serious themes, accompanied by very serious singing, in Wild At Heart, which is a fine song, and We Came (all puns aside) so they make up ample for it as well. "We came, we saw and grew stronger" indeed. There are also a few general Rock songs, and all the lyrics are cool in that fun, fluent, easygoing and laid-back manner that only Rock 'n' Roll lyrics can be. On My Way is a lovably groovy on-the-road song about going home. The closing song is, eh, quite W.A.S.P.y, if you know what I mean: "Just let yourself go, I'll be twice as nice / Life's a game it takes two / I'll get over every inch of you/ Take me I'm yours". Sure... Eat that Tipper Gore: women can play that game too – and this isn't even close to what Butt Trumpet or Betty Blowtorch thought up!

Sexual invitations aside, what we have here is incredibly catchy, amiable, well-executed metal with attitude and personality. It may have come out of Girlschool's darker period, but this album rocks. They wouldn't cease rocking afterwards, as the last decade - even the last year - testifies either.