STAMPEDE - Hurricane Town
May 16, 2006, 18 years ago
(Rock Candy)
Back in the NWOBHM, there were a few bands valiantly trying to be a little radio-friendly. One was called Def Leppard, but there was also Shy, Chrome Molly, and at the heavier end, Wildfire and Glaswegians Heavy Pettin’. Stampede nestled in amongst them, but had an appealing ‘70s guitarishness to their pomp rock, courtesy of the band’s standout talent axe seducer Laurence Archer, who would play craps for UFO but not much else of radar-blipped merit. Hurricane Town was the band’s second of two albums, the first being a dodgy live spread. Shackled by artery-clogged production, the album nonetheless hums along at a hapless level of happy efficiency, Laurence’s stepdad Reuben Archer singing the thing out of a syrupy throat that was an acquired taste, unlike, well, syrup, which most people like straight off. And speaking of Reuben, he’s been collared to do the prologue to the killer liner notes (no less than three UK scribe legends chime in) for this typically info-rich Rock Candy reissue. Bonus tracks consist of four collectibles from steely, electric pre-Stampede band Lautrec. See www.rockcandyrecords.com for more. Or actually don’t – Derek Oliver and his boys amusingly don’t seem to want to do anything with it.
