Vices (Kick Axe album)

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Vices
Viceskickaxe.JPG
Studio album by
Kick Axe
Released14 May 1984 [1]
RecordedThe Pasha Music House, Hollywood, California, USA, 1984
Genre Heavy metal
Length45:42
Label Pasha / CBS
Producer Spencer Proffer
Kick Axe chronology
Vices
(1984)		 Welcome to the Club
(1985)
Singles from Vices
  1. "On the Road to Rock" / "Stay on Top"
    Released: May 15, 1984
  2. "Heavy Metal Shuffle"
    Released: June 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Vices is the debut album by Canadian heavy metal band, Kick Axe. The album was released in 1984 in the format of vinyl and cassette album on producer Spencer Proffer's label Pasha Records and distributed by CBS.

Contents

The album was remastered and reissued, first time on CD, in 2000 as part of the "Sony Rewind" series.

In 2016, a UK label Rock Candy remastered and reissued the album on CD in a "De Luxe" version comprising a comprehensive booklet (loaded with vintage photos and a very detailed band history by Malcolm Dome) and a bonus track "30 Days in the Hole", which was originally placed on chromium dioxide cassette versions only of Vices album and on the Up the Creek movie soundtrack. [4]

The album was produced by Spencer Proffer, who was notable for producing Quiet Riot's multi-million selling 1983 album Metal Health . A music video was produced for the track "On the Road to Rock", which received moderate airplay on MuchMusic's weekly heavy metal showcase program the Pepsi Power Hour. The album contains a sterling selection of tracks that place the band center stage in the burgeoning mid-80s hard rock renaissance, and give vocalist George Criston room to impress at every turn. Kick Axe and producer Spencer Proffer skillfully blended here hard rock melodies with straight up metal riffs, attitude, and loads of money spent in the studio. The band had a knack for writing catchy yet hard-hitting anthems, and the musicianship and vocal power to make those anthems really stand out.

In Canada, the album reached #66, September 15, 1984. [5] The album's best Billboard 200 album chart position was #126 [6] reached on 8 September 1984.

Metal Hammer included the album cover on their list of "50 most hilariously ugly rock and metal album covers ever". [7]

Track listing

  1. "Heavy Metal Shuffle" (Kick Axe) - 3:15
  2. "Vices" (Kick Axe/Spencer Proffer) - 4:22
  3. "Stay on Top" (Kick Axe) - 4:06
  4. "Dreamin' About You" (Kick Axe) - 4:32
  5. "Maneater" (Kick Axe) - 3:21
  6. "30 Days in the Hole" (Steve Mariott) - 3:52 (cassette version only)
  7. "On the Road to Rock" (Kick Axe) - 4:22
  8. "Cause for Alarm" (Kick Axe) - 4:38
  9. "Alive & Kickin'" (Kick Axe) - 3:50
  10. "All the Right Moves" (Kick Axe) - 4:36
  11. "Just Passing Through" (Kick Axe/Spencer Proffer) - 4:48

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1984)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [8] 66
US Billboard 200 [9] 126

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [10] Gold50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Lethbridge Herald, 12 May 1984, p. A10: Band releases album by Terry Robert Fleming". 12 May 1984.
  2. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Kick Axe Vices review". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Howard (28 June 1984). "Kick Axe 'Vices'". Kerrang!. Vol. 71. London, UK: United Magazines Ltd. p. 9.
  4. ↑ "Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture Up The Creek". April 1984.
  5. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 15, 1984" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Billboard 200". 8 September 1984.
  7. ↑ Young, Simon (9 May 2023). "The 50 most hilariously ugly rock and metal album covers ever". Metal Hammer . Future plc . Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8532". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "Kick Axe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Kick Axe – Vices". Music Canada.
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