here’s “The Complete Discography“, the 3CD box-set including trio of albums from the sorely underrated Hard Rock super-group MOTHER’S ARMY, digitally remastered and released in America for the first time.
Mother’s Army was the brainchild of top class songwriter / bassist Bob Daisley and former Night Ranger guitarist Jeff Watson, a ’90s melodic hard rock outfit rounded out by the reliable talents of Joe Lynn Turner on vocals and Carmine Appice on drums (Aynsley Dunbar is recruited for album # 3).
Playing with huge names and top experience, Mother’s Army released three complete albums in all over the decade; self-titled ‘Mother’s Army (1993)’, ‘Planet Earth (1997)’ and ‘Fire On The Moon (1998)’, all showcasing varied songs and great musicianship. Blending the talents of Daisley and stupendous Appice, it’s hard to top the essential fusion that sets the base of the band. With hard guitar riffs & virtuoso solos from Watson and the soaring vocals from Turner, the music sounds straight from the ’70s/’80s, the real glory-days for arena rock.
ALL 3 albums were never officially released ever in the USA until this box-set – this type of rock wasn’t fashionable in America during that decade – but fortunately the Japanese marked embraced Mother’s Army’s music with open arms.
Watson and Daisley are responsible for all the writing on the first 2 discs, showcasing their versatility. There’s hard rock, fusion, progressive, with a lot of time changes. The musical diversity disoriented some fans of all members previous bands, but there’s where Mother’s Army turns interesting; the did something different.
Watson does pull off some great solos, Turner’s vocals are impressive at times, and Appice delivers his unique drumming / percussion.
Carmine Appice quit for the third album due some busy agenda, to be replaced by another drumming legend, Aynsley Dunbar. Which brings us to “Fire On The Moon”, the more accessible Mother’s Army LP.
This time around, Joe Lynn Turner took a hand in the songwriting process, and it was no surprise when it turned into a more melodic hard rock oriented album. There are some really good songs on offer here, with ‘Way Of The World’, ‘The Code’ and the title track falling into the category of lost gems.
It’s a little bit rougher around the edges than most of the records Turner has been involved with, and it’s an album worth owning for fans of his style.
That’s an interesting sticker on this 3CD box set: “Three never before released albums” – in America. The LP’s didn’t get a particularly widespread release first time out, living under the cloud marked “Big In Japan”.
So having all three in a box, fully remastered, and at the price of 1 CD, is great.
Tracklist
CD1: Mother’s Army
1-1 Mother’s Army 1:20
1-2 Darkside 4:15
1-3 Dreamtime 4:19
1-4 One Way Love 4:15
1-5 Second Nature 4:42
1-6 Memorial Day 6:18
1-7 Get A Life 4:54
1-8 By Your Side 4:42
1-9 Voice Of Reason 4:45
1-10 Anarchy 4:39
1-11 Save Me 5:11
1-12 Mother’s Army (Reprise) 1:32
CD2: Planet Earth
2-1 Circle Of Hands 4:47
2-2 Cradle To The Grave 5:46
2-3 Misery Me 5:32
2-4 Planet Earth 4:51
2-5 For The Moment 6:10
2-6 Seas Of Eternity 5:18
2-7 The Child Within 4:57
2-8 One Common Law 4:21
2-9 Mother Earth 3:07
CD3: Fire On The Moon
3-1 N.D.E. 5:49
3-2 Way Of The World 4:13
3-3 A Day In The Night 4:01
3-4 Fire On The Moon 3:57
3-5 Do What I Like 3:18
3-6 Common Ground 5:48
3-7 No Religion 4:00
3-8 Moruroa Atoll 4:08
3-9 The Code 4:39
3-10 The Lonely 5:55
3-11 Another Dimension 4:14