The one that got away from Ozzy
Mr C R Brennan | Ayrhsire, Scotland | 08/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's a well established fact that Ozzy Osbourne owes much of his success to surrounding himself with the best in the business. That's the main reason that I've always been puzzled by the departure of Jake E. Lee from the Ozzy set-up, but we can be thankful, otherwise this amazing Badlands album would never have graced our stereos.
The explosive intro of "High Wire" gives you just a smidgen of an idea of what lies in store in this Blues/Metal/Southern Rock epic journey.
There's a taste of classic Jake E. Lee on "Jade's Song" with more than a passing glance over his shoulder at the style which made "Killer of Giants" such an Ozzy classic.
And what of the late Ray Gillen? Another example of a great talent lost too soon. The fact that Black Sabbath sacked him and re-recorded the vocal tracks to "Eternal Idol" with another vocalist is just plain crazy. In Deep Purple in the 70s and indeed even on a late Whitesnake album, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes worked together to produce some of the finest vocal performances of the genre, but Ray Gillen is like a science lab combination of Coverdale/Hughes with a touch of Ian Gillan and Ronnie Dio thrown in. A truly classic voice that carries you through the soft melodies of "Winter's Tale" and rips through your ears on "Rumblin' Train" with equal devastating effect. Lee's song-writing abilities are best expressed in "Dreams In The Dark" where he goes off on a guitar-hero tangent for the middle eight, probably something he'd been itching to do on Ozzy records.
At the time of this album's release, average bands like Warrant and Winger were flying high on success. The fact that this band slipped through the net is one of the great mystery's of the music business. This album is total class!"
Rock n'Roll and Boogie Blues meet Metal and Explode
ntlacrobat | 05/14/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are looking for a melodic yet rocking good time, this album is your ticket. From the opener of "High Wire" you are off to a ride that includes some of the best blues-influenced hard rock and metal ever recorded. Jake E. Lee is just fantastic with his selection of riffs and tasteful, bluesy solos and licks. Eric Singer and Greg Chaisson lay down some killer rythyms, complementing each other perfectly. Ray Gillen's soulful voice is incredible. You feel each of the songs that he sings in his voice. These guys had a lethal combination and knew how to rock. Stand out tracks for me on the album are the riff oriented drive of "High Wire", the lament of "Winter's Call", the hard rocking "Streets Cry Freedom" and my favorite 2, "Devil's Stomp" and "Seasons." If you like good bluesy hard rock and want to hear the best, I recommend that you obtain this cd."
Killer Blues Rock
Raphael Jacoby | San Francisco, CA USA | 04/18/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jake E. Lee's first album after leaving Ozzy, "Badlands" is a killer blues rock album. Lee found a brilliant blues voice in the late Ray Gillen. Often unfairly characterized as a hair metal band. This remains one of my favorite albums."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1