After the siren and the first riff ‘Demolition Boys’ you can almost smell the vintage leather of the NWOBHM on the backs of all girl band Girlschool who have just had their three first and, many would argue, most influential albums reissued. At the time (1980) all girl bands were seen as a bit of a novelty, though its through the music of pioneers like Girlschool, and maybe to a degree their hanging with Motörhead that they gained real acceptance.
DEMOLITION
Listening to the album almost 40 years later it still sounds fresh and wonderfully primitive – these were the days when bands still proclaimed ‘We play Rock and Roll’ as if even the tags of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal were too much.
Tracks like the opener and ‘Not For Sale’ still hit the spot but it’s live favourites like ‘Nothing to Lose’; ‘Emergency’ and the title track that meld Punk, Rock and a little pop together in a series of rather short, sweet bursts that really make it an album wroth having another listen to. If that’s not quite enough then the addition of a couple of Demos, B-Sides and a single take of ‘Take It All Away’ (the most mainstream track here) that add value to your purchase.
HIT AND RUN
Long before every Rock release used the obligatory ‘N’ rather than ‘and’ Girlschool probably put out their finest record. in 1981’s ‘Hit and Run’. Sonically it’s not a huge jump from their debut, but the constant touring seems to have sharpened the band to a point where they were not only riding the crest of the wave across the country performing they were making an impact on the charts. ‘Hit and Run’ itself made the Top 5 and the best track here is certainly that title track. It’s a song that not only pleased the rock fans it was accessible enough to get them on their own on the nations top music show – Top of the Pops.
The rest of the album holds up particularly well too, from the punky opener ‘C’mon Let’s Go’ to the searing ‘Watch Your Step’ and the well chosen cover of ZZ Top’s ‘Hush’. This reissue also adds the Girlschool tracks from the ‘HeadGirl’ ‘St Valentine’s day Massacre’ EP they did with Motörhead. this release also adds a live version of ‘Demolition Boys’ and B-Side ‘Tonight’ a great song in itself.
SCREAMING BLUE MURDER
By 1982 the band had lost founding member, bassist, Enid Williams, but the pace didn’t let up. At the time this was the album for me, it took their easily identifiable sound and gave it a little tweak. Looking back now it’s fallen behind those first two releases slightly if only because of a few dodgy tracks.
The title track kicks things off nicely and tracks like ‘Hellrazor’, ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘the Glam infused ‘It Turns Your Head Around’ and the expansive ‘Flesh and Blood’ all work. There’s a nice cover of The Stone’s ‘Live With Me’ too.
Commercially and artistically it may not have hit quite the heights of its predecessors but by then Girlschool were right up there with the cream of British Rock. From then though things commercially slipped a little more. Their next album ‘Play Dirty’ wouldn’t fare quite as well, foregoing the grit and taking a more melodic sheen. It’s interesting to note though that their release directly after Screaming Blue Murder was the EP ‘1-2-3-4- Rock and Roll’ – the title track of which was produced by Ramones’ producers Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin.
Remember back in the early eighties these ere truly groundbreaking releases and they stand up today as the real legacy of a great band in their own right not just because of their gender.
