There are some albums from the 80’s like the Giuffria debut which many people rate, while others wonder what all the fuss is about, for me, Giuffria’s ‘Silk And Steel’ is one such album.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Giuffria
ALBUM: Silk And Steel
LABEL: MCA
SERIAL: MCA-5742
YEAR: 1986
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: David Glen Eisley – vocals * Lanny Cordola – guitars * Gregg Giuffria – keyboards * David Sikes – bass * Alan Krigger – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 No Escape * 02 Love You Forever * 03 I Must Be Dreaming * 04 Girl * 05 Change Of Heart * 06 Radio * 07 Heartache * 08 Lethal Lover * 09 Tell It Like It Is * 10 Dirty Secrets * 11 Say It Ain’t True (Bonus)
Background
There’s something to be said about the late great 80’s. Some bands sounded great, and still do to this day. While others.. Well, they are best left in the past. Then there are some albums which many people rate, while others wonder what all the fuss is about. For me, Giuffria’s ‘Silk And Steel’ is one such album.
I gotta say, this album passed me by for some unknown reason. Now, the debut album did enough to tweak my interest, but it was only just a passing glance admittedly. Some good songs on that one though. Perhaps the main reason this band remained a non-event for me was the singer.
David Glen Eisley’s vocals are a bit coarse for my liking. He’s certainly no Mark Free, perhaps described as a rougher version of Jimi Jamison. The irony of it is: most people think his voice is great. Um yeah.
The only saving grace for ‘Silk And Steel’ is that the arrangements are pretty good, plus they’ve got a great album title and cover. And then of course there’s that keyboard player by the name of.. The band have undergone two changes in their lineup: Lanny Cordola coming in for Craig Goldy, while David Sikes steps in for Chuck Wright on bass.
The super-melodic elements are retained it must be said. The Journey like arrangements are oh so evident, and in some cases the results are superb, but for part of the time, the songs hold the attention span of kid in a candy store. And that is, not for very long. A shame really because the musicianship shines out, as you would expect from musicians of this calibre. As for the songs, a couple really stand out!
The Songs
The opener ‘No Escape’ starts off with helicopter effects, before bursting onto the soundscape with fire and brimstone. This one is great, the chorus and solo holding it together. ‘Radio’ is the genuine rip-snorter on the album! Hard-edged like White Sister at their most rampant. I only wish the rest of the album was like this. They would’ve been onto a bonafide winner!
Jumping on the L.A hair-metal bandwagon is the aggressive ‘Lethal Lover’ which isn’t bad, while ‘Tell It Like It Is’ has some lovely true AOR moments. The bonus track ‘Say It Ain’t True’ is quite radio friendly, and one wonders why it wasn’t heard at the time of the initial release.
Elsewhere, the album has a number of ‘less intense’ moments. ‘Love You Forever’ has that soaring ballad aspect about it, followed by ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ which builds in energy as it plays through and contains some neat melodies within.
There were only a couple of tracks that could be considered filler. For instance, ‘Heartache’ has an insistent annoying chorus which surely cries out ‘my ear-ache’ instead! ‘Girl’ was sort of pointless, as was ‘Dirty Secrets’ with it’s heavier staggered approach.
In Summary
The album was proposed for a re-release on CD in 2000 through the French Axe Killer label, though I understand that deal fell through. The only versions available on CD was the Japanese release. A collectors item it might be for some, but for many others, it’s a case of leave it rather than take it.
For me, I’m non-plussed about it, thinking there must be some other unknown gems out there to buy instead. I think I still prefer the Giuffria debut, however, to be fair, ‘Silk And Steel’ is not the worst melodic rock album you’ll ever hear, but conversely, it is no classic either.
Giuffria on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
