Rick Medlocke And Blackfoot was originally issued in 1987. It was the last album they recorded for Atlantic Records. Fans have been screamin' for this one, so here it is! Wounded Bird Records. 2003.
Rick Medlocke And Blackfoot was originally issued in 1987. It was the last album they recorded for Atlantic Records. Fans have been screamin' for this one, so here it is! Wounded Bird Records. 2003.
"My suspicion is this album fulfilled a contract with Atlantic signed by Medlocke after the band essentially broke up. The title says it all - somewhere in the middle of the label wanting to be sure buyers saw Medlocke's name on it and including the Blackfoot name only to be able to file it with the other albums by the band. Whatever exactly happened to this band in the mid 80's that led to breaking up I understand some of them do not speak to this day. As other reviewers state, Medlocke is the only Blackfoot member to appear on this effort.As for the album, the lyrics are weak, the songs have some bright spots and excellent guitar work - oddly the best songs are ones Medlocke is not shown as a writer on - a couple of them might work better with a faster beat, but overall none of them have much of a hook to really grab you. Which is probably why everyone, Atlantic included, forgot about it for so long. It's not really bad, but it's not super great either - sort of a mediocre effort. Medlocke was probably tired, frustrated and I am sure under pressure from the label to keep the sound contemporary, thus the appearance of synthesizers and other 80's cliche. If you're a hardcore fan of 80's pop-rock or of Medlocke, you'll listen to it a few times. My suspicion is the folks who really dig this CD all own original Atlantic issue copies (yes, they do exist!) though. If you're not sure, scare up an LP copy for under $5 (paid $1 for each of mine and both were still in the shrink wrap) and play it before you spend the bucks on the CD."
Medlocke Music !!
Joan B. Montney | Glendale Az USA | 11/22/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"One look at Ricky Medlocke on the front cover and you know your in for some serious Medlocke Music !! He has one of the best blues rock voice's in the business. This is really a solo effort on the part of Rick Medlocke rather than a bonafide piece of work by Blackfoot. Whether we agree or not Rick has payed his dues and deserves the right to call this a Blackfoot album.
Even though no other original members of Blackfoot are involved in this recording it is still Blackfoot.
A very creative mix of style going on. Keyboards and female background vocals help to define the musical message we hear.
Wounded bird records does a Great job with the distribution of this Fine recording. The sound is awesome !! Clear and precise !!
I cannot understand the poor ratings. I like it when an artist decides to branch out and spread his wings. It shows how creative and versatile that artist can be without sacrificing the quality of the music. Die hard Blackfoot fans need to be more open minded. Rick and the new guys do an excellent job of expressing themselves through SSF, {SUBSTANCE,STYLE,FEELING}.
We get a surprising blend of musical influences from all the musicians involved.
A few favorites of mine are:
"Back On The Streets" "Saturday Night" "Silent Type"
"Closest Thing To Heaven" {a beautiful song about a mans Love,Respect and appreciation for the woman in his life}.
"Steady Rockin" and "Rock n Roll Tonight"
Rick Medlocke is a solid vocalist and Guitarist who gives a solid performance. He's a little different than were used to and this album is a little different than were used to. "But" when the two come together it makes for an enjoyable listening experience. Don't believe those poor reviews. Give this one a try. Fast fact: Ricky Medlocke was an early member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He co-wrote 4 songs and sang lead vocals on 2 of the songs from their album titled First And Last. He also played guitar for many of the bands he was in prior to Blackfoot."
No Blackfoot here! but Medlocke still rocks!
Thin Timmy | New Orleans, La. | 03/02/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"ok it's not Blackfoot but Medlocke still
sings and plays great. It's not as good
as Siogo which I feel it's brilliant and
doesn't get the attention it deserves. The
only thing is the slick production and too
much keyboards but overall the songs are
good. Back on the streets, Reckless Boy,
Steady Rockin, My Wild Romance and Rock n'
Roll Tonight are all Blackfoot type rockers.
The other songs are more 80's type songs and
I guess they were looking for a hit single. I
think it's a good album and worth a listen for
any Blackfoot or 80's music fan. If this was
released today it would be great compared to
what is our there now so give it a chance."
It's actually rather good
L. B. Ivarsson | Rock City | 05/16/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is more or less a solo album from Rick Medlocke, since he's the only remaining original member from the band. I have no idea if Medlocke wanted to go solo or if he wanted to form a new Blackfoot, but the fact is that this album was released under the Blackfoot banner (compare Black Sabbath's "Seven star" where Tony Iommi used a whole new line up) - maybe a demand from the record company in order to promote/sell the album.When Blackfoot relesed their masterpiece "Siogo", they changed musically from a raw southern approach to a more AOR radio friendly sound, something they took even further on the slick and in a way disappointing "Vertical smiles". The band split for some reason, and after a couple of years this one: "Rick Medlocke and Blackfoot" was released. I think this effort is better than "Vertical smiles" but not comparable to "Siogo". There's a couple of good rockers like "Back on the streets", "Reckless boy" and "Rock `n' roll tonight"; a beautiful ballad in "Closest thing to heaven" on which Liz Larin sings very emotional together with Medlocke, and some rather melodic and harmless tunes like "My wild romance" and "Silent type" with a fair amount of keyboards.Don't listen to those who claim this album is worthless because it's not. Maybe it's a bit time typical and of course it's more polished than the albums released in the 1970's, but Rick Medlocke could still rock back in 1987."
Not what you would expect.
Edwin Baeyens | Belgium | 05/08/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Well, if you're expecting a classic southern rock album, this isn't it. In fact, there's no southern rock at all to be heard on this album. So if you're into this music, this album won't do.
As a AOR/melodic rock album, it isn't too bad. I really like the duet on 'Closest thing to heaven' and 'Saturday Night' (although it doesn't even come close to the original by Dutchman Herman Brood). There isn't one song that really makes me go 'WOW', but only 'Private Life' is really annoying.
Not a great album, but not as bad as some people would have you believe either."