Seventh Star - Song by Song

[Zzzptm]

Terence Stamp played General Zod! He can do baddies! Pfeh on you for making him play the rescuing uncle!

(He wasn't my first choice, but Klaus Kinski was busy doing a crappy movie in the Philippines, that actor is so busy because he never says no to a script...)

Wait, what thread is this?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

It's ok we're just bulking out the thread because it's a little sparse at the moment!

[Jack the Stripper]

You’s must be thinking of that cheesy 80’s song by Kenny Loggins because Danger Zone from Seventh Star is awesome. Has a great groove and great melody to it. Very catchy song and have always liked it a lot. Could've done with a better solo as the one Tony plays is the weakest on the album and doesn’t fit the song all that well. That’s the only knock I have on it. Awesome song.

You guys are weirder than I thought.

[Zzzptm]

No, I was listening to the Iommi-Hughes number. It never resonated with me, still doesn't. I have problems with the whole of side two of this album...

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Now we come to long track Heart Like A Wheel. I don't mind the song but I need to be in the mood to really like it. A blues number which maybe doesn't quite hit the mark, but Tony's guitar work is fine and Glenn sings it well. Ultimately, it is less than the sum of its parts, they did the blusey stuff much better on subsequent albums.

[Zzzptm]

The original on the album is competently done, but the drums are just way too metal for the blues sound that the track deserves. As a result, I don't get a connection with the song because it doesn't know what it wants to be. It's competently done, but that's that.

It's also about a minute to 90 seconds too long.

I went to hunt up a live version of the song and found Glenn and Tony doing it in 1996:

Zero pressure to be doing metal-up-your-ass work, Tony can let go and cut loose, this is magic to listen to. Glenn is more dynamic in his vocals and the whole thing comes together much better in my ears. 6 minutes in, and I was ready for still more. So go figure that... 6 minutes and I want more on the live version, but it's too long for the studio version from the label-dictated album of the 80s.

[Jack the Stripper]

Heart Like A Wheel is a heavy blues song with a sludgy doomy undercurrent. Tony’s soloing is sublime on this track, I could listen to him solo like this all day long, whilst Glenn delivers his most emotive & soulful performance on the album. I have nothing to fault about this song.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Next up is Angry Heart. I rather enjoy this song despite a couple of issues. A nice chugging riff from Tony, a mostly good vocal performance from Glenn... but where's the solo? where's the extra verse which would make the song a lot longer... and better!

[Zzzptm]

Angry Heart / In Memory I treat as one song, and again I've got a song on my hands that's competently done, but which fails to inspire a reaction, good or bad. It's lukewarm to me on this album.

[Jack the Stripper]

Angry Heart is just a good solid song to close out the album but like a lot of songs on this album isn't anything remarkable or particularly memorable to make it stand out, in saying that, it’s a song that has always stuck with me for its striking resemblance with Gary Moore’s Wishing Well. It’s not a rip off or anything but the vocals and main riff in Angry Heart have just always reminded me off it.

And just to finish off, In Memory is just a short dirging type song that could almost just be part of one song with Angry Heart it flows that well with it, however, I think its a tribute to Tony’s father or something from memory? Good heart felt vocals from Glenn.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Of course that's a cover the Free song, but Moore's version is a little heavier.

=========

As others have done In Memory already I'll complete the album now. I find it a little throwaway, too short to be a genuine emotional tour de force, but played well and sung well but ultimately it falls a little short.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My ranking of the songs are:


1. Turn To Stone
2. Sphynx / Seventh Star
3. Angry Heart
4= In For The Kill
4= Danger Zone
4= Heart Like A Wheel
7= In Memory
7= No Stranger To Love

[Jack the Stripper]

My song rankings

1. Turn To Stone
1. Danger Zone
2. Sphinx/Seventh Star
2. Heart Like A Wheel
3. In For The Kill
4. Angry Heart
5. No Stranger To Love
6. In Memory

Overall Rating 6/10

[Zzzptm]

It's really not all that bad... I think it's overall more listenable end-to-end than Born Again or Technical Ecstasy or NSD.

[Jack the Stripper]

^^^I agree it’s more listenable than Born Again, hence me giving it and extra rating point.