Is THIS The female answer to Motorhead?
Michael Thomas Pazera | 03/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having heard Girlschool being called the female version of Motorhead (at least on GS first two lps), I could'nt agree more until I realised that maybe Rock Goddess fits the bill more accurately (at least on this, their first lp).Rock Goddess are a power trio like Motorhead. The lyrics are'nt like Motorhead at all (with Rock Goddess, 99% of the time it's about being hurt by love or angry with a former lover). Musically, however, I keep thinking how similar this is to Motorhead's Ace of Spades. Usually not as fast as Girlschool, the guitar riffs are crunchier and the soloing sounds more like Fast Eddie Clark than Kelly Johnson. As far as the vocals, Girlschool sounds like, well, girls (defineatly not a bad thing). Nor does Jody Turner of Rock Goddess sound like a man (and certainly not like Lemmy!),but at times has a rough edge to her voice that you won't find on a Girlschool lp. But nor does she sound like Angela Gossow from Arch Enemy (that kind of "singing" does'nt do a thing for me). The thing that really made me think of Motorhead, however, is the drumming of sister Julie. I don't know if this was the influence of producer Vic Maile, who produced Ace of Spades (and Girlschool's first 2 lps for that matter), but the sound of the drums really stand out. They drive the music, and they are not buried beneath the bass and guitar. In fact, the mix between all the instruments is just right. But there are times when the percussion has the same elements as on Ace of Spades. Okay, there are no songs like The Hammer or Bite the Bullet as far as speed go, but minus maybe those two, these two lps could stand side by side. Their follow up Hell Hath No Fury (produced by Chris Tsangarides) has a little less bite. This is the heavier of the 2, so I'd recommend this one first (If it's feasible, the 2 disc set is the way to go as each disc has a couple bonus tracks from singles. Of the two singles I bought on vinyl over 20 years ago, 2 b-sides are included on disc one, but a third, "One Hot Night" does'nt appear). I heard bits of their third "lost album" but I passed on getting it (low quality of material, high price). Their first, however, was one of those that I HAD to get on cd. And so should you."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1