| Bastard Of The Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 5, 2014 | |||
| Genre | Hard Rock, Blues | |||
| Length | 44:52 | |||
| Label | Perris Records | |||
| Producer | Aaron Murray, Sean Kelly and Brian Vollmer | |||
| Helix chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| BraveWords | 7.0/10 |
| MetalKaoz | 7/10 [1] |
| MyGlobalMind | 5/10 |
Bastard Of The Blues is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian band Helix, released May 5, 2014.
Reception of the album has been mostly positive. BraveWords gave it a positive review, stating that "Although Bastard Of The Blues has its faults, Vollmer & Co. continue to crank out new tunes after 40 years." [2] The online magazine My Global Mind gave it a decent review, mentioning that it's "rather flat and lacking much to keep the listener interested. And the songs are somewhat redundant, each having the same basic vibe." Despite being inconsistent and lacking a punch, they did praise vocalist Brian Vollmer’s voice as "perfectly suited for this kind of sound", and lead guitarist Brent Doerner’s solos were "top-notch." [3]
All tracks are written by Brian Vollmer, Sean Kelly.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bastard of the Blues" | 5:42 |
| 2. | "Even Jesus (Wasn't Loved in His Hometown)" | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Winning Is the Best Revenge" | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Screamin' at the Moon" | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Metal at Midnight" | 3:05 |
| 6. | "Hellbound for a Heartbreak" | 3:30 |
| 7. | "When All the Love Is Gone" | 5:09 |
| 8. | "Axe to Grind" | 3:12 |
| 9. | "Skin in the Game" | 4:50 |
| 10. | "The Bitch Is a Bullet" | 3:11 |
| 11. | "Sticks & Stones" | 3:35 |
Helix is a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band. They formed in 1974, and are best known for their 1984 single "Rock You". The original lineup was formed by drummer Bruce Arnold, and consisted of lead vocalist Brian Vollmer, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick "Minstrel" Trembley, keyboardist Don Simmons, and bassist Keith "Bert" Zurbrigg. However, their most well known lineup, and the one that recorded "Rock You", was the 1980s version of the band: Vollmer on vocals, accompanied by guitarists Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman, bassist Daryl Gray, and drummer Greg "Fritz" Hinz. The history of the band has been marked by many lineup changes, with Vollmer being the sole constant member and only remaining member of the original lineup. Although Hackman was killed in a tour bus accident in 1992, the surviving members of the 1980s lineup reunited in 2009 for an album and have continued to tour since 2011. Watson died in 2019. Simmons died in 2021.
Wild in the Streets was the sixth album by the rock band Helix, released in 1987.
Sean Kelly is a Canadian musician living in Toronto, currently playing guitar with Nelly Furtado and Lee Aaron. He founded the Toronto-based glam rock band Crash Kelly, and is the band's lead singer and guitarist. Kelly was a member of Canadian rock band Helix, playing bass guitar. He stayed with them for most of 2009 at which time joined Furtado's band on guitar. He is also guitarist for the Toronto rock group 69 Duster, which he co-founded with the ex-singer for Images in Vogue, Dale Martindale. He has done session guitar work for other bands as well, including Neil Leyton's 2003 album, Midnight Sun, and was a member of Jeff Pearce's band Rye. Kelly has also collaborated with Gilby Clarke, Rough Trade, Rudy Sarzo, Coney Hatch, and Canadian Brass.
Long Way to Heaven is the fifth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Helix. This album was their third for Capitol Records, and there were bigger expectations from the band after the success of the previous Walkin' the Razor's Edge. The first single was "Deep Cuts the Knife", co-written by Paul Hackman and Bob Halligan Jr. The song received heavy airplay in the U.S., gaining "double breaker" status, and in Canada was added to heavy video play on MuchMusic. Q107 in Toronto had the song riding at number 1 for several weeks on their "Top Ten at Ten". Their first tour to kick off the album was in Sweden where they became the first Canadian rock band ever to tour that country extensively. For this they achieved their first number 1 album in that country.
White Lace & Black Leather is the second studio album by Canadian hard rock band Helix. Recorded at Springfield Sound in Aylmer, Ontario with producer Lachlan MacFadyen, it was released in 1981 on the band's own label H&S Records. The release was the group's first to feature bassist Mike Uzelac and their only to feature drummer Leo Niebudek, the pair of whom replaced Keith "Bert" Zurbrigg and drummer Brian Doerner, respectively.
Breaking Loose is the debut studio album by Canadian hard rock band Helix. Recorded primarily at Springfield Sound in Aylmer, Ontario with producer R.A. "Bob" Morten, it was released in 1979 on the band's own label H&S Records. The album features all original material, written by the band's frontman Brian Vollmer, and two guitarists Paul Hackman and Brent Doerner. It was supported by the release of Hackman's "Don't Hide Your Love" and Doerner's "Billy Oxygen" as singles.
Back For Another Taste is the seventh Helix studio album and eighth album altogether. It was also their last album of their original Capitol Records contract. In a fall 1987 interview on MuchMusic with Erica Ehm, lead vocalist Brian Vollmer jokingly stated that this album would be titled Blood, Sweat & Beer. One of the album's singles, "Running Wild in the 21st Century", reached #1 on the RPM Cancon chart.
It's A Business Doing Pleasure was the eighth Helix studio album and tenth album altogether. It was their only release on Aquarius Records. It's A Business Doing Pleasure followed the death of lead guitarist Paul Hackman and the departure of temporary guitarist Denny Balicki. In their stead, guitarist Brent "The Doctor" Doerner returned to Helix after a 4-year absence, and Greg Fraser joined on guitar as well.
A Heavy Mental Christmas is a CD released by heavy metal band Helix in 2008. It is Helix' 11th full-length studio album and 20th album released overall. It is a Christmas album featuring both standards and original music. It was released in Walmart stores in Canada in October 2008 through Universal Music and GBS Records.
The Power of Rock and Roll is a CD released by heavy metal band Helix in 2007. It is Helix' 10th full-length studio album and 19th album released overall. It compiled all 7 tracks from their previous independent release, the EP Get Up! and four new songs. It was released by EMI Records on July 21, 2007, in Canada, August 20 by Sanctuary Records in the UK, and September 4 by Perris Records in the United States. This is the band's only album on EMI in Canada and also the last for a major label. The title track was chosen as the theme song for the 2007 Sweden Rock Festival.
half-ALIVE was the first official live album by Canadian heavy metal band Helix, following the promotional-only Live At The Marquee. It was also their 11th album altogether and featured five new studio songs. It was their only release on DeROCK Records and was recorded at various gigs throughout the 1990s.
Vagabond Bones is a studio album by heavy metal band Helix, released on November 17, 2009. It is Helix' 12th full-length studio album and 21st album released overall. It contains performances from members of the 1980s Helix lineup: Brian Vollmer, Brent Doerner, Daryl Gray and Greg Hinz, as well as former member and co-producer Sean Kelly. Kelly departed Helix during the production of Vagabond Bones, prompting the reunion of the 1980s band. Kelly remained on hand to finish the record before leaving to tour with Nelly Furtado.
Brian Vollmer is the lead singer and only remaining original member of Canadian hard rock group Helix. Since the band's inception in 1974, Vollmer had gone from lead singer to de facto leader of the band, weathering numerous lineup changes. Vollmer was born in Listowel, Ontario before relocating to Kitchener. He currently resides in London, Ontario with his wife, Lynda.
Deep Cuts is a compilation album by the Canadian hard rock band Helix. It is their 12th official release, and their third compilation album. It collects music from both their early indi career as well as their catalogue with Capitol Records and rare tracks.
"Rock You" is a hard rock song written by Bob Halligan, Jr., and the first track from Helix's 1984 album Walkin' the Razor's Edge. It is best known for its call and response refrain of "Gimme an R, O, C, K." It peaked at number 27 on the RPM Pop Chart in Canada, although it received much higher levels of play on Canadian rock radio stations, but no national rock track chart exists for Canada for this time period.
B-Sides is a compilation album by the Canadian hard rock band Helix. It is their 13th official release and their fourth compilation album. Despite the title, it actually consists of no B-sides. It was released in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Helix and featured a reunion of surviving members of the "classic" 1980s lineup on three tracks. It also compiled previously unreleased tracks from 1989 to 1998. As a bonus, it included two unreleased songs from the Helix independent years.
Rockin' in My Outer Space is a CD released by hard rock/heavy metal band Helix on May 24, 2004. It is Helix' 9th full-length studio album, and 15th official album release. It is also their first studio album since 1993's It's a Business Doing Pleasure, an 11-year gap and the longest gap between studio albums in Helix history.
30th Anniversary Concert is a DVD release by Canadian hard rock band Helix. It is a live concert recorded on July 17, 2004 at the Brantford, Ontario Sanderson Centre. It is a complete concert and it features appearances from band members past and present to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. The concert is interspersed with interviews, studio recordings and photo montages.
Smash Hits...Unplugged! is an acoustic studio album by the heavy metal band Helix. It was released in November 2010 via the band's official site and at shows, with a wider release via EMI in January 2011. It is composed of acoustic versions of Helix hits from albums past as well as a new cover version of "Touch Of Magic" by the late Canadian singer, James Leroy. It is the first studio recording by the current Helix lineup of vocalist Brian Vollmer, guitarists Brent Doerner and Kaleb Duck, bassist Daryl Gray and drummer Greg Hinz. It also features guitar performances by ex-member and co-producer Sean Kelly. It is Helix' 13th full-length studio album and 22nd album released overall.
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