Fresh from his time with the
David Byron Band, and still in the grip of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal,
Robin George followed up the release of his
Dangerous Music solo album by taking the whole package on the road in 1985, beginning with a gig on the BBC's In Concert series -- four bonus tracks recapture highlights from that performance, Starting at the BBC's Paris Theatre (not located in Paris, as the liner notes claim), the band toured ruthlessly, cutting this album following outings with
REO Speedwagon and
Uli Jon Roth -- neither of whom could truly stand to be in the same room as
George when it came to metallic pounding. And it's still a brutal performance, the natural melodicism of
George's playing and songwriting merged with the sheer punch of the rhythm section --
Magnum drummer Kex Gorin nailing anything and everything to the wall; and bassist
Jon Camp vacuuming up the survivors. The result is an album that rocks like whatever analogy you like, but it's also an album that confirms what
Robin George's fans already know. The '80s did not have many better guitarists than him. ~ Dave Thompson