Blue Murder
Studio album by
Blue Murder
Released24 April 1989
Recorded1988–1989
StudioLittle Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver
Genre
Length52:01
LabelGeffen
ProducerBob Rock
Blue Murder chronology
Blue Murder
(1989)		 Nothin' But Trouble
(1993)
Singles from Blue Murder
  1. "Valley of the Kings"
    Released: 1989 (promotional)
  2. "Jelly Roll"
    Released: 1989

Blue Murder is the debut album by English hard rock band Blue Murder, released on 24 April 1989 by Geffen Records. It was produced by Bob Rock. The band was formed by guitarist John Sykes after his dismissal from Whitesnake. He was eventually joined by bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. The band entered Little Mountain Sound Studios in early 1988 to begin recording their debut album. After several unsuccessful attempts at finding a lead singer, John Sykes took up the role, having already sung the band's first demos. Following the record's release, Blue Murder embarked on tours supporting Bon Jovi and Billy Squier.

Despite a positive reception from music critics, who touted the band's musicianship and Rock's production, the album underperformed commercially, only peaking at number 45 in the UK and number 69 in the US. Its failure has since been attributed to a variety of internal problems, including a lack of proper promotion, mismanagement and poor business decisions by the band. However, the record has garnered a small cult following since its release. In 2013, it was reissued and remastered by Rock Candy Records.

Background

In 1986, guitarist John Sykes was fired from the English hard rock group Whitesnake by the band's lead vocalist David Coverdale.[1][2] Sykes had recently finished recording the group's eponymous album, which he co-wrote with Coverdale.[3][4] The album would go on to achieve multi-platinum status and peak at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.[5][6] Sykes retreated to his home studio in Blackpool, England, where he started writing new material.[7] Eager to prove himself, Sykes began putting together a new band in February 1987.[1][8] First to join was drummer Cozy Powell, who had played with Sykes in Whitesnake from 1984 to 1985. Next came bassist Tony Franklin, formerly of The Firm. He was one of Sykes' top choices for the band and, as it happened, the husband of Franklin's cousin was working at Sykes' studio. Through him, they were able to get in touch with one another and, after a brief jam session, Franklin agreed to join the band.[7][9] Last was singer Ray Gillen, who had previously fronted Black Sabbath for a short time.[7][10] After solidifying their line-up, the band headed to Spain to record some demos, which were then sent to Geffen Records, with whom Sykes had worked with while in Whitesnake.[10][11] A&R executive John Kalodner was unimpressed by Gillen's performance, preferring the initial demos that Sykes had sung.[11] Kalodner also expressed doubts over Gillen's songwriting abilities.[12] At the same time, Sykes and Gillen were having disagreements over the vocal approach.[7] Ultimately, Gillen left after only a few months in the band.[11] In mid-1987, the group signed a recording contract with Geffen Records.[1]

As the band began their search for a new lead singer, Cozy Powell, who had become frustrated with the group's lack of progress, left to join Black Sabbath.[1][2] The band were then approached by drummer Carmine Appice, who had previously worked with Rod Stewart, Vanilla Fudge and King Kobra, among others. Eager to work with both Sykes and Franklin, Appice got in touch with them through music journalist Chris Welch after a Dio concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in December 1987 (Appice's brother Vinny was the drummer for Dio at the time). Appice was invited to Blackpool for a jam session, after which he formally joined the band. English drummer Aynsley Dunbar (ex-Journey, and Sykes' former bandmate in Whitesnake) also auditioned, but ultimately Sykes and Franklin felt that he wasn't the right fit for the group.[13][14] With a drummer now in place, the band continued their search for a new lead singer. Former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin was eventually chosen, but as the band were about to fly to Vancouver to begin recording their debut album in early 1988, Martin pulled out. The group decided to push forward, figuring they could always find a singer later.[7][15]

Production and composition

John Sykes (pictured in 1983) wrote the majority of the album.

The band entered Little Mountain Sound Studios in February 1988 to record their debut album. Bob Rock was chosen to produce, having previously worked with Sykes on Whitesnake's eponymous album.[7] Acting as engineer was Mike Fraser, who mixed the record as well. David Donnelly supervised the mastering process. Keyboardist Nik Green was also brought in to play on the album.[16] Due to Rock's prior engagements with Bon Jovi and The Cult, recording was halted after six weeks, which allowed the band to audition more singers.[7][17] Among them were David Glen Eisley and Derek St. Holmes.[11] Unable to agree on a frontman, Sykes was eventually persuaded by John Kalodner and the rest of the band to take up the role of lead singer.[7][13] Having had no proper vocal training, Sykes initially struggled to sing the tracks, but eventually eased into it, drawing upon what he had learned working with David Coverdale and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott.[7]

The band was named Blue Murder at Tony Franklin's suggestion, after the British idiom "scream blue murder".[18] Their logo was designed by graphic artist Margo Chase.[19] The album's packaging featured photographs of the band dressed in pirate attire. Originally, the group had wished for a simple black and white photo, but Geffen insisted on shooting in colour. When asked why they were dressed as pirates, Sykes jokingly responded: "You know, now there are so many album covers with shiny photos of fashionable clothes; better pirate clothes then!"[20] The album was dedicated to Phil Lynott, who died in 1986. While not initially planned, Sykes felt "it was the right thing to do" after the record was finished.[16]

Music and lyrics

Blue Murder has been described by music critics as hard rock[21] and glam metal.[22][23] Sykes described the band's sound in an interview with Raw magazine as having elements of both Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, as well as the blues.[7] Tracks such as "Sex Child", "Valley of the Kings" and "Ptolemy" have also drawn comparisons to Led Zeppelin.[24] Sykes' intent with Blue Murder was to create a heavier record than Whitesnake's eponymous album, while still retaining some of the same groove and vibe.[16] In an interview with Metal Shock magazine, Sykes referred to the band's music as "heavy funk".[20] The song "Billy" was described by Sykes as his "Thin Lizzy track", with lyrics inspired by the 1949 film White Heat.[7][20] The album's title-track he characterised as a "police story". He also remarked how the song reminds him the most of his time with Thin Lizzy.[25] "Valley of the Kings" draws from Egyptian culture, while "Jelly Roll" was inspired by a former relationship of Sykes'.[20][25] When asked to name his favourite track from the album, Sykes chose "Jelly Roll" as it was one of the easiest ones to write. By contrast, "Sex Child" took approximately five weeks to complete.[26] Despite being credited as a co-writer on "Valley of the Kings", Tony Martin has stated that he actually co-wrote a significant portion of the record with Sykes, but was not credited.[27]

Release and promotion

Blue Murder was released on 24 April 1989.[28] To promote the record, the band made appearances on MTV's Hard 60 and The Big Al Show, hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic.[29] They then embarked on an American tour supporting Bon Jovi. Later they performed on a triple-bill tour with Billy Squier and King's X. Blue Murder also played several headline dates in America and Japan.[30][31][32] Due to unspecified management issues, a European tour never materialized.[31]

Blue Murder reached number 45 on the UK Albums Chart.[33] It debuted at number 172 on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually peaking at number 69 in June 1989.[34][35] According to Carmine Appice, the album only sold around 150,000 copies in the United States.[30] Worldwide, the record sold approximately 500,000 copies, according to John Sykes.[36] In 2013, Blue Murder was reissued by Rock Candy Records. The reissue featured a remastered version of the album, a 3,500 word essay by Malcolm Dome and an interview with John Sykes. The initial pressings listed a tenth song, titled "Cold Harbor", as part of the content. This was, however, a misprinting and no such song appears on the album.[37][38]

Blue Murder's success fell short of expectations, as the sales for their debut album disappointed both the band and label.[9][36][39] Sykes felt that Geffen did not properly promote the group, stating in 1999: "I think they were trying to get me and David [Coverdale] back together. They wanted me to get back with the 'winning formula'. But the wounds were too fresh. I stayed with the same label. In hindsight, I would have done better with a different label."[3] Sykes also speculated that the heaviness of the record and a lack of a clear hit single contributed to its failure.[16] Carmine Appice pointed to a lack of clear management as another contributing factor. Initially, the band were managed by a three-person team led by Sykes' stepfather. As Blue Murder were about to go on tour, however, they were fired. Eventually, the band hired Bruce Allen to manage them, but by this point Appice said "it was too late" and the album had already underperformed.[40] John Kalodner felt that Blue Murder's failure boiled down to John Sykes not being a strong enough frontman.[41]

Singles

"Valley of the Kings" was released as a promotional single from the album. A music video, directed by Mary Lambert, was also shot for a reported $150,000.[42] The video was later featured as MTV's "Hip Clip of the Week".[2] The initial plan put forth by John Kalodner was to release "Valley of the Kings" first to "get a buzz going". This would have then been followed up by "Jelly Roll", which would have received a greater push on MTV and radio. However, as the band were on tour, they began demanding a greater push for "Valley of the Kings".[42] In retrospect, Carmine Appice called this a "dumb mistake", as the song was deemed "too long" and "not commercial enough" for MTV.[15] The single was not available to purchase by the general public, something Tony Franklin felt also hurt its success.[39]

"Jelly Roll" was released as the second single from the album. A music video, directed again by Mary Lambert, was shot over the course of two days in North Los Angeles.[29] The video featured model Meg Register, who had a small role in the 1986 film Running Scared.[43] The song became a minor hit, reaching number fifteen on the Album Rock Tracks chart.[44] However, due to the failure of "Valley of the Kings", MTV refused to play the video for "Jelly Roll", which Franklin felt prevented it from becoming a crossover hit.[39][42]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[45]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA:2[46]
Kerrang![47]
Raw10/10[48]
Record Collector[49]
Rock Hard9/10[21]

Contemporary reviews for the album were mostly positive. Raw's Paul Suter gave Blue Murder a ten out of ten rating, and called it one of "the finest records in an age". He gave special praise to Bob Rock's production and commended the band's musicianship, particularly Sykes' guitar playing, which he thought elevated him to the same level as Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page.[48] Rock Hard's review was similarly voiced, with "Riot", "Valley of the Kings" and "Blue Murder" being singled out as particular highlights. The record was also described as a must-have for fans of rock music.[21] Warren J. Rhodes, writing for The California Aggie, called the album "excellent",[50] while Neil Jeffries of Kerrang! hailed it as a "masterpiece", giving it a perfect score.[47] Spin's Jon Young, meanwhile, gave the record a scathing review, calling it a "disaster" and the band "aimless".[51] He characterized Sykes' vocals as "shrill" and his guitar playing "hyperactive", while tracks like "Jelly Roll" and "Out of Love" were described as "bloated" and "weepy", respectively.[51] Hi-Fi News & Record Review's review pointed to the lyrics as a particular source of criticism: "Blue Murder are just heavy enough to let you ignore the words to 'Sex Child'".[46] Andrew Martin of Music Week compared the band's music to Cream by saying that "it's a full-on stomp of a heavy rock album."[52]

Retrospective reviews for the album have been largely positive, and the record has garnered a small cult following.[16][36][38] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic praised the band's musicianship, and remarked how the album has "endured far better than most similarly styled heavy metal albums of the era". He also touted the production as one of Rock's best alongside his work with Metallica. Rivadavia was, however, critical of the perceived Led Zeppelin influences found on some of the tracks.[24] Author Martin Popoff awarded Blue Murder a score of seven out of ten in his 2005 book Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal,[45] while Record Collector's William Pinfold gave the album four stars out of five.[49] White Wizzard guitarist Will Wallner, writing for Guitar World, called the album "phenomenal", with special praise being given to Sykes' playing.[38] White Wizzard's Jon Leon, meanwhile, named Blue Murder one of his favourite obscure heavy metal records of the 1980s.[53] Ultimate Classic Rock named Blue Murder the sixth best album produced by Bob Rock,[54] while MetalSucks included it on a list of essential hair metal albums not included on a similar list by Rolling Stone.[23] Radio and television personality Eddie Trunk also highlighted the album in his 2011 book Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.[55]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by John Sykes, except where indicated.[19]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Riot" 6:22
2."Sex Child" 5:51
3."Valley of the Kings"Sykes, Tony Martin7:51
4."Jelly Roll" 4:44
5."Blue Murder"Sykes, Carmine Appice, Tony Franklin4:54
6."Out of Love" 6:44
7."Billy" 4:12
8."Ptolemy" 6:30
9."Black-Hearted Woman" 4:48
Total length:52:01

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[19][56]

Blue Murder
Additional musicians
  • Nik Green – keyboards
  • John Webster – additional keyboard programming
  • Marc LaFrance – additional backing vocals
  • David Steele – additional backing vocals
Technical
  • Bob Rock – production
  • Mike Fraser – engineering, mixing
  • Chris Taylor – assistant engineering
  • Ken Lomis – assistant engineering
  • Jim Champagne – mixing assistant
  • David Donnelly – mastering supervisor
  • Dan Hersch – compact disc mastering
  • John Golden – album mastering
Management
  • Pro Rock Management Ltd. – management
  • Murder Music Ltd. – publishing
  • John Kalodner – A&R
Design
  • Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction, design
  • Maria DeGrassi – design
  • Margo Chase – logo
  • Aaron Rapaport – photography
Reissue
  • Steve Hammonds – product management
  • Jon Astley – remastering
  • Julia Melanie Goode – creative direction

Charts

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Halberberg, Elianne (December 1988). "Murder, He Wrote". Kerrang!. No. 217. London, England: United Newspapers. p. 8.
  2. 1 2 3 Levitan, Corey (31 August 1989). "Blue Murder's John Sykes: success on his own terms". Circus. New York: Circus Enterprises Corporation. p. 47.
  3. 1 2 "June 1999 Interview with Tony Nobles of Vintage Guitar Magazine". 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Whitesnake – Guitarist John Sykes Discusses David Coverdale – "I Have No Interest In Ever Talking To Him Again"". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Whitesnake". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "Billboard 200 - The Week of June 13, 1987". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Suter, Paul (19 April 1989). "Fatal Attraction". Raw. No. 17. London, England: EMAP Publishing Limited. pp. 50–53.
  8. ↑ Larkin 1995, p. 59.
  9. 1 2 "Tony Franklin, Carmine Appice & Eric Blair talk John Sykes 2020". blairingoutshow. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  10. 1 2 Assenmacher, Peter (November 1987). "Ray Gillen & John Sykes". Hit Parader. Derby, Connecticut: Charlton Publications. pp. 52–53.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "2001 Interview with Troy Wells of Ball Buster - The Official Underground Hard Music Report". John Sykes. Archived from the original on 19 December 2009.
  12. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2006, p. 191.
  13. 1 2 Popoff 2015, p. 160.
  14. ↑ Appice & Gittins 2016, p. 193.
  15. 1 2 Appice & Gittins 2016, p. 194.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Dome, Malcolm (2013). Blue Murder (booklet). Blue Murder. London, England: Rock Candy. pp. 1–9. CANDY181.
  17. ↑ Newton, Steve (16 June 1989). "Ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes on Blue Murder, Bob Rock, and the Little Mountain sound". Ear of Newt. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  18. ↑ Heydt, Adam (8 October 2011). "Mike Portnoy & John Sykes". That Metal Show. Season 8. Episode 68. VH1.
  19. 1 2 3 Blue Murder (booklet). Blue Murder. Geffen Records. 1989. GED24212.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. 1 2 3 4 Giannini, Massimo (July 1989). "Blue Murder". Metal Shock. No. 50. Milan, Italy: Bramori Music. pp. 10–14.
  21. 1 2 3 "Blue Murder – Blue Murder". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Return to the Sunset Strip: 10 Underrated Glam & Hair Metal-Era Albums". VWMusic. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Friday 5: What 5 (More) Hair Metal Albums Are Essential?". MetalSucks. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  24. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Blue Murder – Blue Murder". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  25. 1 2 Solca, Alex (1989). "Blue Murder - Delitto Perfecto". HM - Il Primo nell'Heavy Metal. No. 74. Rome, Italy: Athena 2001. pp. 6–9.
  26. ↑ Miller, Geri (May 1989). "John Sykes - Blue Murder's Axe Killer". Metal Edge. New York, United States: Zenbu Media. p. 82.
  27. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2006, p. 217.
  28. ↑ "Blue for you". Kerrang!. No. 229. London, England: United Newspapers. 11 March 1989. p. 3.
  29. 1 2 "Blue Murder at MTV". Metal Edge. New York: Zenbu Media. December 1989. p. 34.
  30. 1 2 Appice & Gittins 2016, p. 195.
  31. 1 2 Douglas, Nick (1993). "Blue Murder". Metal Hammer. Vol. 10, no. 9. Berlin, Germany: ZAG Zeitschriften-Verlag. pp. 128–129.
  32. ↑ "Carmine Appice - The full in bloom Interview - Guitar Zeus, Vanilla Fudge, Ozzy, Book, Blue Murder". full in bloom. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  33. 1 2 "Blue Murder". Official Charts. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  34. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Week of May 13, 1989". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  35. 1 2 "Billboard 200 - Week of June 24, 1989". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  36. 1 2 3 "Interview with John Sykes, July 1999". Melodic Rock. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  37. ↑ "Blue Murder's Debut Album Remastered By Rock Candy Records". Eddie Trunk. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  38. 1 2 3 Wallner, Will (29 April 2013). "Bent Out of Shape: Blue Murder Remastered and Reloaded". Guitar World. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  39. 1 2 3 "Blue Murder Bassist Talks John Sykes, the Breakup & Whitesnake". full in bloom. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  40. ↑ Popoff 2015, pp. 162 –&#32, 163.
  41. ↑ Popoff 2015, p. 165.
  42. 1 2 3 Popoff 2015, p. 163.
  43. ↑ Wuench, Kevin (10 November 2016). "For Blue Murder, revenge is a dish best served with ... a jelly roll?!?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  44. 1 2 "Mainstream Rock Songs - Week of August 26, 1989". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  45. 1 2 Popoff 2005, p. 54.
  46. 1 2 "Review: Blue Murder — Blue Murder" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 8. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. August 1989. p. 113. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  47. 1 2 Jeffries, Neil (22 April 1989). "Blue Murder – Blue Murder (Geffen WX245)". Kerrang!. No. 235. London, England: United Newspapers. p. 20–21.
  48. 1 2 Suter, Paul (19 April 1989). "Blue Murder – Blue Murder (Geffen WX245)". Raw. No. 17. London, England: EMAP Publishing Limited. p. 28.
  49. 1 2 Pinfold, William (18 June 2013). "Blue Murder – Blue Murder". Record Collector. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  50. ↑ Rhodes, Warren J. (31 August 1989). "Sykes turns in a 'killer 'debut". The California Aggie. Davis, California. Retrieved 12 August 2021 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  51. 1 2 Young, Jon (August 1989). "Kingdom Come / Blue Murder / Badlands". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 5. New York. p. 81.
  52. ↑ Martin, Andrew (6 May 1989). "Review: Blue Murder – Blue Murder" (PDF). Music Week. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 26. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022 – via World Radio History.
  53. ↑ "White Wizzard's Top 5 Obscure '80s Metal Albums, Part II". Decibel. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  54. ↑ "Top 10 Bob Rock-Produced Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  55. ↑ Trunk 2011, p. 206.
  56. ↑ Blue Murder (booklet). Blue Murder. Rock Candy Records. 2013. CANDY181.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

Book sources

  • Larkin, Colin (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-8511-2656-1.
  • Appice, Carmine; Gittins, Ian (2016). Stick It!: My Life of Sex, Drums, and Rock 'n' Roll. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-6137-3552-7.
  • Popoff, Martin (2015). Sail Away: Whitesnake's Fantastic Voyage. Soundcheck Books LLP. ISBN 978-0-9575-7008-5.
  • Popoff, Martin (2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  • Sharpe-Young, Garry (2006). Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: The Battle for Black Sabbath. Zonda Books. ISBN 978-0-9582684-2-4.
  • Trunk, Eddie (2011). Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. New York: Abrams Image. ISBN 978-0-8109-9831-5.
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