Black'n Blue

Black'n Blue is the debut, gathering clear riffs, thick choruses and youthful drive. The band was started in November 1981 in Portland, Oregon by high-school friends Jaime St. James and Tommy Thayer, initially under the name Movie Star. In 1982 Brian Slagel took to their demo of “Chains Around Heaven” and included it on the first Metal Massacre — the compilation that also introduced Metallica and Ratt. They moved to Los Angeles that year and signed to Geffen within six months; this album followed in August 1984. Tommy Thayer's guitar adds edge to the songs, and Jaime St. James's singing carries approachable melody straight. Produced by Dieter Dierks, known for the Scorpions, the sound is hard and well organized. From the opener “The Strong Will Rock” through “School of Hard Knocks” and “Autoblast,” and above all “Hold On to 18,” the songs work not just on flash but on the push of the beat and a run of hooks. That song reached radio and MTV and became a modest success. Carrying the feel of the LA metal era while showing the band's own pop sense — that's this record.