Search - Britny Fox :: Britny Fox (Reis)

Solid debut, solid reissue

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 02/02/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have something of a love/hate relationship with the 1988 self-titled debut album from Britny Fox. There are times when the band's stripped-down version of Cinderella's sound (which in turn was essentially bluesed-up AC/DC) seems way too familiar. I mean, you could just listen to Back in Black and cut out the middle man. On the flip side, I absolutely loved this album back in high school, and there is something to be said for the band's bar crawling rawk and Dean Davidson's screeching vocals. Let's face it, it's hard not to grin when a song like Girlschool is playing, and the band's first single Long Way to Love is still a great hair metal anthem. Their cover of Slade's Gudbuy T' Jane is a fun addition, although by that time Quiet Riot had pretty well staked that particular claim.



At worst, Britny Fox's debut is completely unoriginal hair metal. At best, it's completely unoriginal (but totally enjoyable) hair metal. There are times when it will make you cringe, but there are also times when it's exactly what you needed to hear.



NOTE: The 2007 reissue from American Beat Records features a pair of bonus tracks. The first is the single edit of Long Way to Love, and the second - Livin' on the Edge - was the b-side to that single. I had the Long Way to Love cassette single back in the day, so this is a real blast from the past. It doesn't hurt that you can now find Livin' on the Edge on a proper Britny Fox CD, instead of only on the ultra rare Iron Eagle 2 soundtrack CD. Unfortunately the album has not, as far as my ears can tell, been remastered. That's a bummer, because it would have been a nice bonus. Still, with the original CD out of print and the addition of bonus tracks, this is still a reissue worth owning."

Strong Debut

Greg Reece | u.s.a. | 07/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Britny Fox's Debut in 1988 was a strong one with three single/video releases with "Girl School", "Long Way To Love" & "Save The Weak". The rest of the album is just as strong with such tracks as "Kick 'N' Fight", "Fun In Texas" & "Rock Revolution". They also do a good cover job with "Gudbuy T' Jane" which is an old "Slade" song. I remember going and seeing these guy's open up for "Poison" when this album first came out. They did one more album with original vocalist "Dizzy Dean Davidson" after this called "Boys In Heat" which in my opinion was not as strong as this one. "Davidson" left the band after "Boys In Heat" to pursue other things such as a band called "Blackeye Susan" which really didn't pan out. Britny Fox would carry on though without Davidson with vocalist "Tommy Paris" for 1991's "Bite Down Hard" which saw them get back to the same formula as their debut although it didn't do as well. It's sad, most bands like Fox were nothing but a flash in the pan that came and went like a flash of lightning, but in the very short time they were around, they left behind some pretty good music. For myself, 1988 and being 21 years old at the time..ahhh those were the day's."

Good, solid hair metal.

Broken Window | Dallas | 05/29/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If 5 stars is a classic and 1 star is a Britny Spears record, this record scores about 3 or 3 1/2 stars.



This band is often compared to Cinderella, both because of the vocals and the southern rock vibe. Also I believe former members of Cinderella were once with this band. I haven't heard anything else they've done, but this record rocks. I actually prefer this to Cinderella's debut.



You have the hits -- Girlschool, Long Way to Love -- but the rest of the cd is solid (if unoriginal) as well. Everyone has their favorites. I actually think the two strongest tracks on the record are In America and Hold On. It's worth noting that the album version of Long Way to Love is different (longer) than what you hear on MTV/radio. For this reason, I highly recommend the "remastered" version that has this as a bonus track.



Forget what came after. Britny Fox's debut is a worthy addition to anyone's hair metal or 80's rock collection."