Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two for the History books, 11 Aug 2002
I first listen to this music as a fifteen year old. It was a revelation just as Alex wanted it to be. Now there is tommorow. A subject dear to Alex's heart. In the 20th year since the sudden death of Alex Harvey from a cardiac arrest at Zeebrugge in Belgium, (it was a Friday, appropriately cold and wet in his native Glasgow, announced on late night radio in my student bed sit)Mercury has put out these exceptionally well timed compilations. This represents the last classic, SAHB stories, and a powerful hybrid Rock Drill where Hugh McKenna still provided writing credits yet was replaced by the journeyman keyboards player Tommy Eyre in person. The latter album mysteriously lost a track much awaited by the fans of the band called No Complaints Department. Said at the time to be one of the strongest tracks they had ever recorded (who knows!) it was pulled at the last minute in favour of a shoddy substitute Mrs Blackhouse (the original LP sleeves had a sticker to cover it as an original track). NCD did turn up on a recent (5 years) german compilation but has again been deleted. Mercury could have used this opportunity to pull out this lost gem but I guess it is now gone forever. Harvey, Cleminson, Glenn and the two McKenna's well, they will live on here with their other output well into the future. Enjoy masterful music from five men at their peak. AS he queried at so many performances, Alex we did indeed love you and continue to remember you with fondness even if the concept of a 67 year old Alex Harvey never did quite make sense. He would have been quite some old age pensioner! Best to hear him as here with a middle aged fire second to none and backed by some of the finest musicians the city of Greater Glasgow ever produced. One for any collector of significant rock music.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rock Drill - The Overlooked Classic, 22 Feb 2005
"Rock Drill" is the best SAHB album and its devalued reputation should be disregarded. Although there's some weaker tracks here, the title track, "Dolphins" and "Rock And Roll" are brilliant. Harvey's lyrics here are a whole cut above his previous comic book style. Other criticisms that "Rock Drill" is too keyboard heavy (repeated in the booklet notes)are unfounded. This finds Zal and co at their hard rocking best. Worth investigating...
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SAHB Gems, 16 Nov 2008
To a Alex Harvey fan the guy could do no wrong and with one of the most appreciated backing bands in the business, "musicians, musicians" you could say the music had to be pretty special. Reviewing these releases twenty years on proves that this is indeed the case. With hindsight and the passing of time The groups music is so inventive and ahead of other music around at the time. While the likes of Bowie, Roxy Music etc headed of in one direction SAHB stayed with the more rock side of the business. SAHB stories is the better of the two "wasted men feeding on the scraps, dogs of war waiting in the traps" the early vestages of punk, filled with thudding bass lines, crunching guitar and hammer driven drumming to more melodic keyboard pop a treat of a album. No bad tracks but i do like Dogs Of War, Amos Moses, Dance to your Daddy and the big single Boston Tea Party. If you feel a bit lazy and want to lie back for ten minutes, switch the light off and put on Sirrocco as loud as you can bare and be transformed.
Rockdrill is a totally differant style of album and it is the sort of album that every time you play it you will like a differant song for a differant reason, depending on your mood, wheter you are driving , on i-pod etc just listen and let it grow. Full of more popier hooks to the point that it almost becomes country in places. A good album and as explained you will like it, but for a totally diferant reason to me. buy this cd and enjoy. these guys were inovators and probably the most unsung heroes of british rock music. Sahb stories 7 out of 5, rockdrill 4.5 out of 5.
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~ The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
~ The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
~ The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
~ The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
![Hot City - The 1974 Unreleased Album [Digisleeve]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YhunuyK5L._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
~ The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
