Oriental beat4/20/2023 ![]() ![]() While the changes aren’t terrible, they are at best jarring to anyone familiar with the original record, and at worst they disrupt the album’s flow. For slightly inexplicable reasons, a number of songs have been shuffled about. Where 40th Anniversary Re(al)mix does falter however is in its changes to the running order. The Re(al)mix really helps all the band’s performances shine in a way that was buried before. Add in the tight and pummelling rhythm section of Sami Yaffa and Gyp Casino and it becomes clear just how at the top of their game HANOI ROCKS were when they went in to the studio for Oriental Beat. His delivery across Oriental Beat is both more aggressively powerful and more tuneful, helping the songs retain a rougher edge even in their most melodic moments. Compared to the debut, Monroe in particular has come on leaps and bounds. Throughout, the bright jangly guitars of Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide provide just the right foil to the melodic shout of charismatic singer Michael Monroe. That’s not to mention the full throttle glam power pop of Don’t Follow Me, which turns into a charming duet with Katrina Leskanich of KATRINA AND THE WAVES fame (as an aside, definitely one of the most unexpected collaborations of the 80s right there). On the more menacing side is the tom-heavy swagger of Sweet Home Suburbia, a rumbling testament to self-destruction, and the urgent bounce and threat of Visitor. Baby leans further in to the classic rock ‘n’ roll vibes thanks to its slide guitars and rolling rhythms, whereas Teenangels Outsiders channels the swing of early 70s AEROSMITH into a singalong ode to misspent youth. ![]() There are some of HANOI ROCKS’ all time classics here Motorvatin’, with its huge power pop chorus feels more full of life than ever, and while the casual Orientalism of the title track has aged poorly, its shuffling guitars and BEACH BOYS backing vocals are still a winner.īeyond the well-known tracks though, Oriental Beat teems with highlights M.C. While it’d be a stretch to say it feels modern, this is the sound of HANOI ROCKS firing on all cylinders – this time captured properly with a mix that does their energetic performances justice.īut what’s the point of a new mix if the material itself isn’t up to scratch? While Oriental Beat isn’t necessarily the first album mentioned when HANOI ROCKS comes up, lead songwriter McCoy is at a creative peak on the record. Moreover, Michael Monroe’s vocals sit comfortably and clearly above the rocking and rolling riffs. There’s just enough punch to the chords, but still some space for Andy McCoy’s jangly riffs to dance about. The rolling thunder of the slinking bass lines cut through with just enough attack, while the guitars come across more crisply and full bodied than ever before. ![]() Enter Oriental Beat – 40th Anniversary Re(al)mix.įrom the get-go, the overall sound and production of this Re(al)mix is incomparably fuller than the original release. It’s a great sophomore album, but was always let down by a thin, listless mix that robbed the band of any musical heft – a bugbear of the band for the last four decades. Oriental Beat builds on the first record’s promising framework, leaning further into the big chorus hooks while offering more aggression in the delivery. While their debut (the charming but scrappily delivered Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, oozed character), it also felt like a bit of a work in progress. Oriental Beat, the band’s second album, feels like a microcosm of that nascent promise. But with their career cut short by the tragic death of drummer Razzle, HANOI ROCKS have always had an air of unfulfilled potential about them. They paved the way for glam and hair metal in the UK and US, but with a scuzzier underbelly than the bands they would go on to inspire. Their edgy-but-pretty take on NEW YORK DOLLS-styled punk mixed in elements of UK acts like THE CLASH, and bleak down-and-out lyrics to create something with a bit more bite than their glam appearance would belie. HANOI ROCKS occupy an important space in the history of rock. ![]()
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