Blue Murder (album)

In 1986, guitarist John Sykes was fired from the English hard rock group Whitesnake by the band's lead vocalist David Coverdale.[1][2] Sykes had recently finished recording the group's eponymous album, which he co-wrote with Coverdale.[3][4] The album would go on to achieve multi-platinum status and peak at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.[5][6] Sykes retreated to his home studio in Blackpool, England, where he started writing new material.[7] Eager to prove himself, Sykes began putting together a new band in February 1987.[1][8] First to join was drummer Cozy Powell, who had played with Sykes in Whitesnake from 1984 to 1985. Next came bassist Tony Franklin, formerly of The Firm. He was one of Sykes' top choices for the band and, as it happened, the husband of Franklin's cousin was working at Sykes' studio. Through him, they were able to get in touch with one another and, after a brief jam session, Franklin agreed to join the band.[7][9] Last was singer Ray Gillen, who had previously fronted Black Sabbath for a short time.[7][10] After solidifying their line-up, the band headed to Spain to record some demos, which were then sent to Geffen Records, with whom Sykes had worked with while in Whitesnake.[10][11] A&R executive John Kalodner was unimpressed by Gillen's performance, preferring the initial demos that Sykes had sung.[11] Kalodner also expressed doubts over Gillen's songwriting abilities.[12] At the same time, Sykes and Gillen were having disagreements over the vocal approach.[7] Ultimately, Gillen left after only a few months in the band.[11] In mid-1987, the group signed a recording contract with Geffen Records.[1]

As the band began their search for a new lead singer, Cozy Powell, who had become frustrated with the group's lack of progress, left to join Black Sabbath.[1][2] The band were then approached by drummer Carmine Appice, who had previously worked with Rod Stewart, Vanilla Fudge and King Kobra, among others. Eager to work with both Sykes and Franklin, Appice got in touch with them through music journalist Chris Welch after a Dio concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in December 1987 (Appice's brother Vinny was the drummer for Dio at the time). Appice was invited to Blackpool for a jam session, after which he formally joined the band. English drummer Aynsley Dunbar (ex-Journey, and Sykes' former bandmate in Whitesnake) also auditioned, but ultimately Sykes and Franklin felt that he wasn't the right fit for the group.[13][14] With a drummer now in place, the band continued their search for a new lead singer. Former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin was eventually chosen, but as the band were about to fly to Vancouver to begin recording their debut album in early 1988, Martin pulled out. The group decided to push forward, figuring they could always find a singer later.[7][15]

John Sykes (pictured in 1983) wrote the majority of the album.

The band entered Little Mountain Sound Studios in February 1988 to record their debut album. Bob Rock was chosen to produce, having previously worked with Sykes on Whitesnake's eponymous album.[7] Acting as engineer was Mike Fraser, who mixed the record as well. David Donnelly supervised the mastering process. Keyboardist Nik Green was also brought in to play on the album.[16] Due to Rock's prior engagements with Bon Jovi and The Cult, recording was halted after six weeks, which allowed the band to audition more singers.[7][17] Among them were David Glen Eisley and Derek St. Holmes.[11] Unable to agree on a frontman, Sykes was eventually persuaded by John Kalodner and the rest of the band to take up the role of lead singer.[7][13] Having had no proper vocal training, Sykes initially struggled to sing the tracks, but eventually eased into it, drawing upon what he had learned working with David Coverdale and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott.[7]

The band was named Blue Murder at Tony Franklin's suggestion, after the British idiom "scream blue murder".[18] Their logo was designed by graphic artist Margo Chase.[19] The album's packaging featured photographs of the band dressed in pirate attire. Originally, the group had wished for a simple black and white photo, but Geffen insisted on shooting in colour. When asked why they were dressed as pirates, Sykes jokingly responded: "You know, now there are so many album covers with shiny photos of fashionable clothes; better pirate clothes then!"[20] The album was dedicated to Phil Lynott, who died in 1986. While not initially planned, Sykes felt "it was the right thing to do" after the record was finished.[16]

Blue Murder was released on 24 April 1989.[28] To promote the record, the band made appearances on MTV's Hard 60 and The Big Al Show, hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic.[29] They then embarked on an American tour supporting Bon Jovi. Later they performed on a triple-bill tour with Billy Squier and King's X. Blue Murder also played several headline dates in America and Japan.[30][31][32] Due to unspecified management issues, a European tour never materialized.[31]

Blue Murder reached number 45 on the UK Albums Chart.[33] It debuted at number 172 on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually peaking at number 69 in June 1989.[34][35] According to Carmine Appice, the album only sold around 150,000 copies in the United States.[30] Worldwide, the record sold approximately 500,000 copies, according to John Sykes.[36] In 2013, Blue Murder was reissued by Rock Candy Records. The reissue featured a remastered version of the album, a 3,500 word essay by Malcolm Dome and an interview with John Sykes. The initial pressings listed a tenth song, titled "Cold Harbor", as part of the content. This was, however, a misprinting and no such song appears on the album.[37][38]

Blue Murder's success fell short of expectations, as the sales for their debut album disappointed both the band and label.[9][36][39] Sykes felt that Geffen did not properly promote the group, stating in 1999: "I think they were trying to get me and David [Coverdale] back together. They wanted me to get back with the 'winning formula'. But the wounds were too fresh. I stayed with the same label. In hindsight, I would have done better with a different label."[3] Sykes also speculated that the heaviness of the record and a lack of a clear hit single contributed to its failure.[16] Carmine Appice pointed to a lack of clear management as another contributing factor. Initially, the band were managed by a three-person team led by Sykes' stepfather. As Blue Murder were about to go on tour, however, they were fired. Eventually, the band hired Bruce Allen to manage them, but by this point Appice said "it was too late" and the album had already underperformed.[40] John Kalodner felt that Blue Murder's failure boiled down to John Sykes not being a strong enough frontman.[41]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[24]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10[45]
Hi-Fi News & Record Review	A:2[46]
Kerrang!	[47]
Raw	10/10[48]
Record Collector	[49]
Rock Hard	9/10[21]

Contemporary reviews for the album were mostly positive. Raw's Paul Suter gave Blue Murder a ten out of ten rating, and called it one of "the finest records in an age". He gave special praise to Bob Rock's production and commended the band's musicianship, particularly Sykes' guitar playing, which he thought elevated him to the same level as Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page.[48] Rock Hard's review was similarly voiced, with "Riot", "Valley of the Kings" and "Blue Murder" being singled out as particular highlights. The record was also described as a must-have for fans of rock music.[21] Warren J. Rhodes, writing for The California Aggie, called the album "excellent",[50] while Neil Jeffries of Kerrang! hailed it as a "masterpiece", giving it a perfect score.[47] Spin's Jon Young, meanwhile, gave the record a scathing review, calling it a "disaster" and the band "aimless".[51] He characterized Sykes' vocals as "shrill" and his guitar playing "hyperactive", while tracks like "Jelly Roll" and "Out of Love" were described as "bloated" and "weepy", respectively.[51] Hi-Fi News & Record Review's review pointed to the lyrics as a particular source of criticism: "Blue Murder are just heavy enough to let you ignore the words to 'Sex Child'".[46] Andrew Martin of Music Week compared the band's music to Cream by saying that "it's a full-on stomp of a heavy rock album."[52]

Retrospective reviews for the album have been largely positive, and the record has garnered a small cult following.[16][36][38] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic praised the band's musicianship, and remarked how the album has "endured far better than most similarly styled heavy metal albums of the era". He also touted the production as one of Rock's best alongside his work with Metallica. Rivadavia was, however, critical of the perceived Led Zeppelin influences found on some of the tracks.[24] Author Martin Popoff awarded Blue Murder a score of seven out of ten in his 2005 book Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal,[45] while Record Collector's William Pinfold gave the album four stars out of five.[49] White Wizzard guitarist Will Wallner, writing for Guitar World, called the album "phenomenal", with special praise being given to Sykes' playing.[38] White Wizzard's Jon Leon, meanwhile, named Blue Murder one of his favourite obscure heavy metal records of the 1980s.[53] Ultimate Classic Rock named Blue Murder the sixth best album produced by Bob Rock,[54] while MetalSucks included it on a list of essential hair metal albums not included on a similar list by Rolling Stone.[23] Radio and television personality Eddie Trunk also highlighted the album in his 2011 book Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.[55]

All songs written and composed by John Sykes, except where indicated.[19]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[19][56]

• Blue Murder at Discogs (list of releases)