Rock Candy Records released in remastered form the two albums by Welsh act LONE STAR some years ago but both sold out soon, and now are used copies are pretty hard to find. As requested, here’s the band’s second effort “Firing On All Six“, including 3 bonus tracks.
Lone Star’s debut LP had certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons when it came to unleashing one of the most impressive pomp / hard rock albums during the Seventies.
Applauded by all, the band looked set to join the upper echelons of rock royalty nudging shoulders with Led Zeppelin, Queen and Deep Purple. Sadly, although praised to high heaven, sales failed to match expectations, a situation not helped by the departure of vocalist Kenny Driscoll.
Fortunately, salvation was on hand with the recruitment of fellow Welshman, the previously unknown John Sloman (later in Uriah Heep and Praying Mantis) who was arguably an even better stylistic fit than his predecessor.
Musically, for “Firing On All Six” the band maintained a high calibre of creativity, crafting a record that was equal too, if not better than their debut. Indeed, in many respects Sloman’s appointment galvanised the band to be even more ambitious, attracting fervent comparisons to Led Zeppelin and Queen at their imperial best.
Featuring future UFO guitarist Paul Chapman and produced by Roy Thomas Baker engineer Gary Lyons (Aerosmith, Foreigner), the album boasts a number of superior tracks including “Hypnotic Mover”, “Lovely Lubina”, “The Ballad Of Crafty Jack” and the epic “The Bells Of Berlin”.
As with the previous album, this 24-bit remastering of “Firing On All Six” by Rock Candy taken from the source tapes is pristine and clear, features as bonus tracks a previously unreleased BBC Session, an interview with the band and lots of rare photos from the era.
Lone Star never made it big commercially, but these guys were incredibly talented. This is Pomp Rock in its maximum expression, so if you like Giuffria’s Angel, New England, Charlie and alikes, this CD is a must.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
01 – The Bells Of Berlin
02 – The Ballad Of Crafty Jack
03 – Time Lays Down
04 – Hypnotic Mover
05 – Lovely Lubina
06 – Seasons In Your Eyes
07 – Rivers Overflowing
08 – All Of Us To All Of You
BONUS TRACKS: Previously Unreleased BBC Session
09 – The Bells Of Berlin
10 – All Of Us To All Of You
11 – Lonely Soldier
John Sloman – lead and harmony vocals
Paul Chapman – guitars
Tony Smith – guitars, harmony vocals
Rick Worsnop – keyboards
Pete Hurley – bass
Dixie Lee – drums, percussion