| Oriental Beat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1982 | |||
| Recorded | November 1981 | |||
| Studio | Advision Studio, London, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Johanna Kustannus | |||
| Producer | Pete Wooliscroft | |||
| Hanoi Rocks chronology | ||||
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Oriental Beat is the second studio album by the Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, recorded in London and released in 1982. Oriental Beat also opened markets in the UK and Japan, where Hanoi eventually became very popular.
Recordings for Oriental Beat (then with the working-title, Second Attempt for Suicide) started in late 1981, at the Advision-studio in London. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Peter Wooliscroft who had worked with Frank Zappa for example. This album also marked the first time McCoy was not the sole songwriter, with Monroe being the second songwriter on the songs "Motorvatin'" and "Teenangels Outsiders". Many of the lyrics deal with typical rock n' roll topics like breaking the law ("No Law or Order) and teenage rebellion ("Teenangels Outsiders"). The album features backing vocals by Katrina Leskanich, the lead singer of Katrina and the Waves. There's also a legend that originally Nasty Suicide sang the song "Devil Woman", but when asked about it Suicide replied: "you know too much".
The previous album, Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks , was only released in Finland and Sweden, but this album opened the doors to an international career. British music magazine Kerrang! released their first article about Hanoi Rocks, when they reviewed Oriental Beat. Kerrang! since covered Hanoi Rocks career in the 80's extensively.
The artwork features the band covered in paint behind a glass panel with blue and red paint-pressed hand marks on it. The artwork was originally supposed to feature guitarist Andy McCoy's girlfriend's naked breasts painted blue and red with the legend "Hanoi Roxx" written across it. This was changed due to Castle Records' view that some record shops may refuse to stock the album due to the graphic nature of the cover. The record company was also worried that potential customers may get confused by the alternate spelling of the band's name. The original cover was used as the album's back cover.
Over the years, Hanoi Rocks members have stated their dissatisfaction with the mixing of Oriental Beat. The original multitrack recordings of the album were found in 2020 after being lost for over 30 years and a newly mixed version, labeled Oriental Beat - 40th Anniversary Re(al)mix was released on March 17, 2023. [2] [3] The new version peaked at #2 on the Finnish Albums Chart and #1 on the Finnish Physical Albums Chart. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [5] |
Even though Oriental Beat is considered a Hanoi classic, many of the band members have called the album a failure. Michael Monroe has called the album great, but blamed the producer, Pete Wooliscroft, of ruining the album's sound with all-around bad producing and mixing, claiming that Wooliscroft had mixed the album while Hanoi Rocks was on tour, didn't know what Hanoi Rocks was about, and had mixed it without understanding the band's aesthetic. Sami Yaffa called the album "a piece of shit" in a 1985 interview. Even with these comments, the album was voted the 91st best rock album in the "100 Greatest Rock Albums" poll by the Finnish radio station Radio Rock. Oriental Beat beat out such albums as Kiss' Lick It Up and The Doors' Morrison Hotel . The song "Fallen Star" features in the episode titled "Monkey Dory" of the 2022 TV-series Peacemaker. [6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Motorvatin'" | Andy McCoy, Michael Monroe | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Don't Follow Me" | Andy McCoy | 3:19 |
| 3. | "Visitor" | Andy McCoy | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Teenangels Outsiders" | Andy McCoy, Michael Monroe | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Sweet Home Suburbia" | Andy McCoy | 4:44 |
| 6. | "M.C. Baby" | Andy McCoy | 3:01 |
| 7. | "No Law or Order" | Andy McCoy | 3:41 |
| 8. | "Oriental Beat" | Andy McCoy | 3:09 |
| 9. | "Devil Woman" | Andy McCoy | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Lightning Bar Blues" | Hoyt Axton | 2:39 |
| 11. | "Fallen Star" | Andy McCoy | 2:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Devil Woman" (original version) | Andy McCoy | 2:49 |
| 13. | "Do the Duck" | Andy McCoy | 2:07 |
| 14. | "Hometown Breakdown" (demo) | Andy McCoy | 2:07 |
| 15. | "Willing to Cross the Ocean" (demo) | Andy McCoy | 2:07 |
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [7] | 3 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [8] | 90 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] | 2 |
Antti Hulkko, better known as Andy McCoy, is a Finnish musician. He is best known for his role as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the rock band Hanoi Rocks, but has also played with Iggy Pop and a variety of other groups. McCoy's works cover a wide range of music genres, including rock 'n' roll, punk rock, flamenco, glam punk, glam rock, blues rock and hard rock. He is also an avid painter.
Hanoi Rocks were a Finnish rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. By 1984, the band was considered to be on the verge of an international breakthrough when they released their first major label album for CBS and headed for their first US tour. The tour was however cut short when their drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a drunk driving incident with Vince Neil behind the wheel in December 1984. The band never recovered from the loss and announced their split in June 1985. After their initial break-up, lead singer Michael Monroe became the first Finnish artist to chart on the American Billboard 200 in 1989. Monroe and original lead guitarist Andy McCoy reunited in 2001 with a new lineup that lasted until 2009. Although musically closer to traditional rock n' roll and punk, Hanoi Rocks has been cited as a major influence in the glam metal genre for bands such as Guns N' Roses, Skid Row and Poison.
Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm, better known by his stage name Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist and saxophonist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23 and Jerusalem Slim.
Self Destruction Blues is the third album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1982. Although often listed as a studio album, Self Destruction Blues is a compilation of singles and B-sides that the band recorded in 1981 and 1982. None of the tracks on Self Destruction Blues, however, appear on their previous albums. Guns N' Roses were rumoured to have recorded a cover version of "Beer and a Cigarette" for their 1993 release "The Spaghetti Incident?". Of note is the fact that although Gyp Casino plays on the LP, his replacement Razzle actually appears on the cover.
Rock & Roll Divorce is the second live album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1985. It was recorded at the last concert before they split in May 1985 at the Rock Arena Festival in Poland. It is widely regarded as the sound of a great band falling apart. This is also the only Hanoi Rocks album to feature René Berg on bass and Terry Chimes on drums. Michael Monroe was going to leave the band before this album was released, but agreed to do a small tour in Poland, on the condition that a live record wouldn't be released. Rock & Roll Divorce was a half-official release. According to Hanoi Rocks' autobiography, the album was the last date of the Polish-tour recorded by Mick Staplehurst. Which isn't quite correct, it was actually taken from several shows but mainly from Gdansk and for that reason it should have been called 'The Solidarity Tapes'. It was originally put together for the amusement of band members only! Hanoi Rocks' former manager Seppo Vesterinen, has stated that: "Rock & Roll Divorce was an awful record that should have never been released."
Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks is the first studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1981.
Back to Mystery City is the fourth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1983. It was produced by ex-Mott the Hoople members Dale Griffin and Pete "Overend" Watts, and was the first with Razzle on drums. Besides Hanoi Rocks, the album also features keyboardist Morgan Fisher, and Miriam Stockley on backing vocals, who had also sung with Pink Floyd.
Two Steps from the Move is the fifth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1984. This is their last album to feature drummer Razzle, before he was killed in a car accident on 8 December 1984.
All Those Wasted Years is the first live album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1984. In initial pressing of this album's name was misspelled as "All Those Waisted Years", while correct spelling has been used with later releases of this album, but the original release with the misspelled title is very rare. The album was recorded in December 1983 at The Marquee Club in London, about a year before the death of Hanoi Rocks' drummer Razzle. The live engineer was Mick Staplehurst, the longtime FOH Engineer for Hanoi Rocks.
Sami Yaffa is a Finnish bass guitarist best known for his work in New York Dolls, Michael Monroe's bands, and Hanoi Rocks. He is currently the bassist for the Michael Monroe band and The Compulsions. He also plays guitar in his own band Mad Juana.
"Don't You Ever Leave Me" is a song by Finnish glam metal band Hanoi Rocks, released as the third and final single from their 1984 album Two Steps from the Move.
This One's for Rock'n'Roll – The Best of Hanoi Rocks 1980–2008 is a 2CD retrospective compilation album by Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks, and also the band's last album before their second breakup, released on 26 November 2008 in Japan and 17 December 2008 worldwide. The album features 33 songs from both the original incarnation of the band and the incarnation from the new millennium since the 2002 reunion.
"Underwater World" is single released in 1984 by the Finnish rock and glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. "Underwater World" is from the band's US-breakthrough album Two Steps From The Move, and was released as a single and as an EP in August 1984 in Finland and in November in the UK.
"Malibu Beach Nightmare" is a single and EP released only in the UK by the Finnish rock and glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. The song is from their 1983 album, Back to Mystery City, but the single was released just before the album in the UK. The song was written by the band's guitarist and primary songwriter, Andy McCoy.
"Until I Get You" is a single by the Finnish rock and glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. The band's guitarist and primary songwriter Andy McCoy wrote this song at the band's manager Seppo Vesterinen's house in Helsinki. McCoy hated the song but the band's drummer Razzle loved it, and wanted it on their next record. Ultimately McCoy also fell in love with the song. The song is a kind of ballad that explains Hanoi Rocks' own melodic style very well. Also, the arrangement for the song was inspired by Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen".
The Best of Hanoi Rocks is the first compilation album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The record was released in 1985, the same year the original Hanoi Rocks broke up. The band's founders, vocalist Michael Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy, would ultimately reunite in 2001 and reform Hanoi Rocks, until the band's final break-up in 2009.
"Dead by X-Mas" is a song by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The single was released prior to the band's 1982 album Oriental Beat but neither the A- or B-side were featured on an album until the band's third album, Self Destruction Blues.
Buried Alive is a concert music video by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The video was recorded at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki of the band's final show. This is also the band's last release. The DVD spent eight weeks at number 1 on Finland's DVD charts.
The Nottingham Tapes is the second concert video released by the Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. The first video released by the band was All Those Wasted Years, recorded at the Marquee Club in London. As stated in the title, this video was shot at the Nottingham Palais in Nottingham England. The video was shot on 23 April 1984, almost eight months before the death of the band's drummer Razzle.
"Million Miles Away" is a ballad by the Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks.
