Oriental Beat

Oriental Beat is Hanoi Rocks' second album, on which they strengthened their own street sensibility by mixing the sharpness of punk with the glamour of glam. Around this time the band moved its base to London and recorded the album at Advision Studios. They stepped into a more urban, raw rock'n'roll, though the band would later look back on it as a record left unsatisfying by the producer's mix. Even so, McCoy's songwriting is sharp, and their completeness as a glam-punk band steadily grew. Around this time the band moved permanently to London. Incisive songs like "Motorvatin'," "Oriental Beat" and "M.C. Baby" line up. McCoy's songwriting and Monroe's charismatic vocals shine clearly even within the rough sound. Despite the dissatisfaction on the production side, it is a record that captures the raw energy of early Hanoi Rocks. An important work marking the band's progress toward the world. After this album, the drummer changed from Gyp Casino to Razzle, and the so-called definitive lineup fell into place. It is a record with the rough-hewn charm unique to their early works.