Search - Four Horsemen :: Nobody Said It Was Easy

An Overlooked Gem

James F. Colobus | Pittsburgh, PA United States | 03/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Talk about bad timing. Nobody Said It Was Easy was released in August 1991, several weeks before Nirvana unleashed Nevermind on the world and changed the face of popular music as we know it. The Four Horsemen included every ingredient necessary for big-time success between 1986-1990: a long-haired charismatic frontman, a pair of deft axe men who tore off fierce riffs with a pop sensibility, and supercatchy songs. They just happened to release Nobody Said It Was Easy a little too late. There's an old story that back in the mid80s, Four Horsemen singer Frankie Starr came across newly arrived W. Axl Rose on the Sunset Strip and gave him an earful about how Frankie would be a star while Axl wouldn't amount to anything. Frankie didn't lack for hubris that's for sure - the line from the riff-tastic "Rocking Is Ma Business" goes "the book on rock and rock, MF, I wrote it!" Or how about this one from the scorching "Let It Rock"? - "Half a year from now we'll all be millionaires." It turned out that Frankie wasn't all that prescient - Axl became the mega-star and the Four Horsemen became anything but millionaires. Sadly, Frankie died in a motorcycle accident several years ago without the Four Horsemen achieving the widespread success they deserved. Along with, ironically enough, Appetite for Destruction, Nobody Said It Was Easy is one of the few albums from the pop metal era that today still sounds as good as ever. If you're into Junkyard's eponymous debut or Cinderella's Heartbreak Station, or if you think the idea of a band that blends the styles of AC/DC and Lynyrd Syknyrd sounds appealing, you have to get your hands on Nobody Says it Was Easy. In fact, there's no time to waste - this thing isn't exactly a big seller and could go out of print at any moment. Once you're "out on the open road", cranking "Rocking is Ma Business", "Can't Stop Rockin'", "Let It Rock", and "Hothead", you'll be really grateful you picked it up. Just don't blame me if those sirens in "Moonshine" have you checking your rear-view mirror. The closing track, "I Need a Thrill" provides a fitting epitaph for Frankie who seems to have been one of those people who lived life hard, always chasing the next thrill. Thankfully, his music lives on, providing more than a few thrills for those of us lucky to own some of it."

Great Rock Album With A Little Southern Feel

Jesse Trent | Chesterton, IN | 04/09/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rick Rubin was churning out this kind of AC/DC-influenced rock back in the late eighties, early nineties. Starting with the Cult's "Electric", Rick and his fellow producer, George Drakoulias, put out great rock albums by Masters of Reality, the Black Crowes, and these boys, The Four Horsemen.The gems here include "Rockin' is Ma Business" (which I heard during the summer of '92 on the radio, which surprised me, because they didn't edit out Frank, the lead singer saying in a break right before the solo, "Hey, if it's so good, why am I still f___kin' broke?"), "Can't Stop Rockin'", "Moonshine" and the country/Skynnard-influenced "I Need A Thrill/Something Good."Frank Starr's vocals go between a Brian Johnsony sound ("Can't Stop Rockin'") and a Skynnard-style vocal ("Tired Wings", "Moonshine", "Wanted Man") without the Jacksonville twang. The guitars are produced very well, and played well, too.If you like straight-ahead American boogie rock, you should dig this one."

One of my all time favorites.

K. Melville | michigan | 10/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't remember where I first heard this band but I am glad I did. I have both albums - "Gettin Pretty Good..." and "Nobody Said It Was Easy" I love them both. Hard rocking songs to get me motivated. Great CD for driving alone, volume turned way up!!! If you like Southern Rock, both of these should be in your collection."