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 self-titled 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'd 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 with Sykes' vocals he had received earlier on.[11] At the same time, Sykes and Gillen were having disagreements over the songs' writing and 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, who he met 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. Former Whitesnake drummer Aynsley Dunbar also auditioned, but ultimately Sykes and Franklin felt that he wasn't the right fit for the group.[12][13] 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 they 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][14]

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 self-titled album.[7] Acting as engineer was Mike Fraser, who mixed the record as well. Keyboardist Nik Green was also brought in to play on the album.[15] 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][16] Among them were David Glen Eisley and Derek St. Holmes.[11] Unable to agree on a frontman, the band and John Kalodner persuaded Sykes to take up the role of lead singer.[7][12] Having had no proper vocal training, he initially struggled to sing the tracks, but eventually Sykes 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".[17] Their logo was designed by graphic artist Margo Chase.[18] The album’s packaging featured pictures 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 responded: "You know, now there are so many album covers with shiny photos of fashionable clothes; better pirate clothes then!"[19] Sykes also decided to dedicate the album to Phil Lynott to remind people what he meant to him as a person and a musician. While this wasn't planned initially, after the record was finished, Sykes felt "it was the right thing to do".[15]

Blue Murder was released on 24 April 1989.[23] To promote the record, the band made appearances on MTV's Hard 60 and The Big Al Show, hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic.[24] They then embraked 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.[25][26][27] Due to unspecified management issues, a European tour never materialized.[26]

Blue Murder debuted at number 172 on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually peaking at number 69 in June 1989.[28][29] On the UK Albums Chart, it reached number 45.[30] According to Carmine Appice, the album only sold around 150,000 copies in the United States.[25] Worldwide, the record sold approximately 500,000 copies, according to John Sykes.[31] 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 a new interview with John Sykes. The initial pressings listed a tenth song, titled "Cold Harbor", as a part of the track listing. This was, however, a misprinting and no such song appears on the album.[32][33]

Blue Murder's success fell short of expectations, as the sales for their debut album disappointed both the band and label.[9][31][34] 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.[15] 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.[35] John Kalodner felt that Blue Murder's failure boiled down to John Sykes not being a "star lead singer".[36]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[20]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10[40]
Guitar World	positive[33]
Raw	10/10[41]
Rock Hard	9/10[42]
Spin	negative[43]

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.[41] 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.[42] Spin's Jon Young, meanwhile, gave the album a scathing review, calling it a "disaster" and the band "aimless".[43] 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.[43]

Retrospective reviews for the album have been largely positive, and the record has garnered a small cult following.[15][31][33] 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.[20] Author Martin Popoff awarded the album seven out of a possible ten in his 2005 book Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal,[40] while guitarist Will Wallner, writing for Guitar World, called the record "phenomenal", with special praise being given to Sykes' playing.[33] Radio and television personality Eddie Trunk highlighted the album in his 2011 book Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal,[44] while White Wizzard's Jon Leon named Blue Murder one of his favourite obscure heavy metal records of the 1980s.[45] Ultimate Classic Rock named it the sixth best album produced by Bob Rock.[46]

All songs written and composed by John Sykes, except where indicated.[18]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[18][47]