Atlanta’s Mothers Finest are another popular outfit among the GDM brethren. Who would’ve thought their hard rock breakthrough album from 1981 ‘Iron Age’ would set tongues a wagging throughout the industry.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Mother’s Finest
ALBUM: Iron Age
LABEL: Atlantic
SERIAL: SD 19302
YEAR: 1981
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Joyce Kennedy – vocals, percussion, vocals * Glenn Murdock – vocals * Moses Mo – guitars vocals * Jerry ‘Wyzard’ Seay – bass * BB Queen – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Movin’ On * 02 Luv Drug * 03 Rock n Roll 2 Nite * 04 U Turn Me On * 05 All The Way * 06 Evolution * 07 Illusion * 08 Time * 09 Gone With The Rain * 10 Earthling
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Mother’s Finest Background
Atlanta’s Mothers Finest are another popular outfit among the GDM brethren. Who would’ve thought their hard rock breakthrough album from 1981 ‘Iron Age’ would set tongues a wagging throughout the industry.
Not a band to follow trends, Joyce ‘Baby Jean’ Kennedy and her team were brave enough to follow their own fortunes. And if that mean’t jumping out of the disco, soul, R&B bucket – then so be it.
‘Iron Age’ really is a heavy album, and quite convincingly so., They left their mellow past behind them on this exceptionally bruising album. After a long stint with Epic Records, ‘Iron Age’ was their first (and only) album with Atlantic Records.
The suits at Atlantic must have wondered what they hooked, a predominantly black band with a mind of their own. If they were thinking more of the same from the band’s Epic days, then Ertegun and co would get a rude interruption.
The Songs
Joyce Kennedy leads from the front with the power rock of ‘Movin’ On’. It’s a stomping introduction with big guitar riffs, AC/DC like rhythms and a relentless back-end of bass and drums.
So too the energetic ‘Luv Drug’, the U.S equivalent of Shakin’ Street but without the punkish attitudes. ‘Rock N Roll 2 Nite’ is a groove-laden rocker that never slackens off the pace.
‘U Turn Me On’ pushes their rock sound further into hard rock territory, by now, there is no turning back. Joyce is the star of the show on the incredible ‘All The Way’, a hot smoker and heavy bruiser combined} P.
‘Illusion’ is a simplistic but engaging rocker, while ‘Time’ has a T-Rex vibe a la ‘Get It On’. The band finishes up with the power rock of ‘Earthling’, another in the helter-skelter style of Shakin’ Street.
In Summary
As we found out later on in the band’s career, Mother’s Finest were outcasts. Both from the R&B community and not quite fitting into the hardcore 80’s metal brigade either. Too this, too that, hence skirting around the fringes.
Mostly though, this was a band that fitted to the HM scene like a hand fits glove. And so it proved from this point onward, as most of their albums are hard rockin’. Other than the 1983 and 1989 efforts which were move hi-tech R&B.
As a history-piece, ‘Iron Age’ is a fantastic slice of hard rock and is right up there among the best LP’s of 1981. Now available on CD thanks to Wounded Bird and Rock Candy.
Mother’s Finest on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
