Year : 1987 (Line Records Edition 1992)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 94 mb
Bio:
The Kick was one of the many bands founded by Ten Years After bassist Leo Lyons (he has produced as well records for UFO, Magnum, Waysted, Frankie Miller, and many more.)This time with THE KICK, which genesis was around 1983-84, the style of the moment was melodic hard rock and Lyons, alongside former Michael Schenker Group keyboardist Andy Nye, and singer / guitarist Tony Crooks wrote a bunch of infectious catchy tunes in the vein of China Sky, Dare, Roko, etc, however all done with a cool twist.On drums there’s Dave Dowle (formerly in Magnum) and Kex Gorin (formerly in early Whitesnake), so expect seasoned musicianship, expert songwriting and a very polished production sound.The Kick first gig was a festival in Hamburg, playing in front of 12,000 people. Following this, they continued to tour extensively for several years throughout the mid 90s, during which time they released another album.Lyons continued producing other artists and in early 2000’s Ten Years After reunited, and THE KICK split.
Tony Crooks (vocals, guitar) singer/guitarist who has spent the past 15 years working with Plain Loco.I began playing the guitar at the age of 9, and after several years learning the basics, progressed to classical guitar, after which at the age of 12, I decided that I simply had to have an electric guitar in order to become a successful, famous (and no doubt, rich) musician! I began to meet other budding local musicians, played in the ‘school group’ of course, and at the tender age of 14, joined my first working band. With more than a little help from my parents, I began playing around my home area of North Wales in clubs, hotels and holiday camps (weekends only of course!).This was the late 70ʼs - and we played whatever was in the charts at the time - pop, rock, blues, soul, a diverse mix which was a great overall grounding for a young musician. As time went by, I began to work with older, more experienced musicians and by the age of 19, I was working 4 nights per week all over the North West, whilst still holding down a day job.After progressing to more original ideas with several local bands, In 1986 I moved to London in order to follow a more ambitious musical path and eventually auditioned as lead singer/guitarist for a new band being formed by Leo Lyons, a founder member of the late 60s Rock band Ten Years After - who had been a hugely successful part of the British Rock & Blues scene of that time, with several gold albums, many American tours and an appearance at the famous 1969 Woodstock festival to their credit.Our band was called The Kick and we worked together for 8 years, recording several CDs which were released in Europe & Japan, with tours and festival appearances in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Belgium. In this area of the music scene, work is irregular and between these trips I worked as a printer, platemaker, driver, painter, whatever was necessary to secure an income when the band weren’t travelling.The Kick eventually disbanded, but Leo and I continued to write songs together, mostly for the Nashville market, having become interested in Country music over the years. One of the songs we wrote became the title track of Plain Locoʼs 2001 CD, Blue Memory. After some recording and writing work for 60ʼs singers such as Chris Farlowe, and Colin Blunstone, I then spent 2 years working with a London-based rock band called Never the Bride who were signed to the major MCA recording label and with whom I recorded, and also toured in the UK, Europe and the USA.
Album:
Here’s British rockers The Kick 1987’s rare album “Heartland“ originally released in Japan only and later appeared in Europe in the early ’90s.The Kick does here Melodic Rock but with a ZZ TOP’s “Eliminator” vibe. Just check out songs such as ‘This Can’t Be Love’ or the pumping AOR of ‘She’s Got It All’ – wow, that’s good!‘Do You Know’, ‘Don’t Fool Around’, title track ‘Heartland’, ‘Louise’, etc, are very good too, from a band not so much known among fans of the genre but worth to discover.This british band does offer a blend of reasonable AOR. You have to listen a few times, but it's a grower. Not on the same hights as Magnum, FM, Strangeways, Heartland etc., but also well worth a listen.
Line Up:
Tony Crooks – Vocals, Guitar - See also: ex-Plain Loco
Leo Lyons – Bass - See also: ex-Ten Yers After
Andy Nye – Keyboards - See also: ex-Michael Schenker Group
Dave Dowle – Drums - See also: ex-Magnum
+ guest:
Kex Gorin – Additional Drums, backing vocals - See also: ex-Whitesnake
Production:
Recorded at Butts Green Studio, Oxfordshire, England
Tracklist:
01. Do You Know The Feeling
02. This Can’t Be Love
03. She’s Got It All
04. Heartland
05. Livin’ It Up
06. See You On The T.V.
07. Louise
08. On The Beach
09. Don’t Fool Around With Love
10. Working In A Parking Lot
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
