Walkin' the Razor's Edge | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 1984 | |||
Studio | Phase One Studios, Toronto Electric Lady, New York City Studio One, Atlanta | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:01 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | Tom Treumuth, Helix and Rodney Mills | |||
Helix chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Walkin' the Razor's Edge is the fourth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Helix. It was released on the Capitol Records label in 1984, reaching No. 27 on the Canadian RPM Album Chart, and selling 100,000 copies in Canada and 400,000 internationally. [3]
The video for its lead single, "Rock You", which was filmed in a quarry in Kitchener, Ontario, is perhaps best known for the image of guitar player Brent Doerner emerging from the water to play his guitar solo. [4] "Rock You" reached number 27 on the Canadian RMP Pop Singles Chart, although it was more popular on Canadian rock radio stations. The second single was the Crazy Elephant cover "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'". Two versions of its music video were filmed: One for music video channels, and the other being an "adult" version featuring topless models including a then 16-year-old porn star Traci Lords. This version was aired on the Playboy Channel in the United States. [3] The band also made a promotional video for their A Foot in Coldwater cover, "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want", with the song reaching number 44 on the Canadian RPM Pop Chart.
All tracks are written by Helix except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rock You" | Bob Halligan Jr. | 2:51 |
2. | "Young & Wreckless" | 3:22 | |
3. | "Animal House" | 2:57 | |
4. | "Feel the Fire" | 3:13 | |
5. | "When the Hammer Falls" | 3:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" (Crazy Elephant cover) | Joey Levine, Ritchie Cordell | 3:25 |
7. | "My Kind of Rock" | 2:54 | |
8. | "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want" (A Foot in Coldwater cover) | Paul Naumann, Danny Taylor | 4:07 |
9. | "Six Strings, Nine Lives" | 3:14 | |
10. | "You Keep Me Rockin'" | 3:38 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Young & Wreckless" (live, taken from Live at the Marquee promotional-only EP) | 3:25 | |
12. | "Rock You" (live, taken from Live at the Marquee promotional-only EP) | Halligan Jr. | 4:14 |
13. | "Animal House" (live, taken from Live at the Marquee promotional-only EP) | 3:32 |
Band members
Additional musicians
| Production
|
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [5] | 27 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [6] | 26 |
US Billboard 200 [7] | 69 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [8] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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.
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.
No Rest for the Wicked is the third studio album by the Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band Helix. It is also their major label debut, on Capitol Records.
Over 60 Minutes With... is the seventh album release by Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band Helix. Their first compilation, it collects music from their first three Capitol Records albums but includes nothing from Wild in the Streets (1987). It was released on cassette and CD. Along with past singles and album tracks, the compilation album also includes previously unreleased songs "Everybody Pays the Price" and "Give It To You". Also included is "Jaws of the Tiger", which had first been released in 1986 as the B-side of the "It's Too Late" single.
A Foot in Coldwater, also known as AFIC, was a Canadian rock band of the 1970s and 1980s.
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.
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.
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.
Live! in Buffalo is a live album by Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band Helix. It was recorded on September 29, 1983 in Buffalo, New York. It is their 14th official release. It includes several songs that were road-tested versions of new tracks that were written for 1984's Walkin' the Razor's Edge, but were yet to be recorded. It also features the song "Hot on the Heels of Love" that has never been released in any other form.
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.
Paul Wayne Hackman was a Canadian guitarist who performed with the rock band Helix from 1976 until his death in a road accident. Among the hits which contain his playing are the #32 Canadian single "Rock You" and the #20 mainstream Canadian rock single "Deep Cuts the Knife", which he co-wrote with Bob Halligan Jr.
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.
"Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" is a song written by Joey Levine and Ritchie Cordell and performed by Crazy Elephant. It reached #12 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in 1969, and was featured on their 1969 album, Crazy Elephant.