‘I’ll Get You Rockin’ meanwhile has enough quality to recommend it, just don’t expect results matching The Godz previous work.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: The Godz
ALBUM: I’ll Get You Rockin’
LABEL: Heavy Metal America
SERIAL: HMUSA 48
YEAR: 1985
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Freddie Salem – guitars, vocals * Steve Schuffert – guitars * Eric Moore – bass * Jimmy Clark – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Timeless – Chest Fever * 02 I’ll Get You Rockin’ * 03 Foolin’ Yourself * 04 Hey You * 05 Fool For You * 06 Fire * 07 Love Cage * 08 Mississippi * 09 We’re All Crazy
WEBLINKS: FB Page
Background
A band with a lengthy and very chequered history! The Godz initially made their mark as one of the premier biker bands of the late 70’s, led by eternal leader Eric Moore.. The band’s debut made considerable waves upon release in 1978, courtesy of unforgettable epic boogie efforts such as ‘Gotta Keep A Runnin’, rightfully regarded as a classic.
A follow-up ‘Nothing Is Sacred’ tanked amidst band discontent and by 1981 The Godz were no more. Four years later Moore reformed the band after doing a stretch in prison for a well-documented barroom shooting, this time joined by ex Outlaws man Freddie Salem with whom Moore had toured with in the late 70’s.
Salem was coming off his marvellous solo album, and on paper this pairing should have yielded some fiery results. On occasion they do, but as this was 1985, there is an obligatory nod to AOR, but still enough hard rock muscle that was in keeping with the original spirit of the band.
The Songs
Seasoned fans might have been forgiven for thinking they had inserted a copy of Giuffria‘s debut, such is the excellence of the opening keyboard solo ‘Timeless’, which leads straight into ‘Chest Fever’, which maintains the keyboards along with some tasteful guitar fills. Salem had proved to be a man of vast melodic wealth by this time, this is well crafted hard rock with AOR tendencies.
The title track harkens back to the glory days of the bands early years, sax infused boogie on a grand scale. ‘Foolin’ Yourself’ easily fits alongside Salem’s solo work, supreme harmonies with the odd massive guitar outbreak. ‘Hey You’ is a shout it out anthem, relatively long at six minutes, but rather staid, with barely any variation between verse and chorus the whole way through.
The band hits upon AC/DC styled riffs for ‘Fool For You’, sounding like ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ for all the world. A descent into AOR is just what is needed, delivered by ‘Fire’ in satisfying circumstances, unlike the generic ‘Love Cage’, a second rate Rods imitation at best.
‘Mississippi’ is a bonafide winner, especially the chorus where Salem spells out the great state’s name, glorious knuckle head rock. ‘We’re All Crazy’ attempts to recreate the charm of ‘Gotta Keep A Runnin’, succeeding slightly, the driving boogie nullified by the weak production.
In Summary
Despite flirting with greatness, this isn’t quite the blockbuster one might have expected. It fails to compare to Salem’s ‘Cat Dance’ and the early Godz work, perhaps a victim of its time, pandering to the general use of synthesizers and melody, while trying to maintain the forceful hard rock the band delivered in the 70’s.
Salem hung around for 1987’s ‘Mongolians’, which was basically ‘I’ll Get You Rockin’ with three new tracks, before splitting amicably to return to The Outlaws.. Moore has kept the band going ever since, with dozens of members coming and going, but with no signs of any new recorded output, Moore happy it seems to tour. ‘I’ll Get You Rockin’ meanwhile has enough quality to recommend it, just don’t expect results matching The Godz previous work.
The Godz on Video
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