I saw RIOT play live in Lakeland, Florida somewhere around 1980 or 1981, I can't remember the exact year. They were the opening band for...that's just it. I have no idea. I can't remember who the headliner was that night. It says a lot about a band who was relatively unknown in Florida at the time, opening for another band that you can't remember at all. RIOT took the stage hungry that night and ate it alive!
This cut "Swords and Tequila" is from one of the best hard rock albums from that decade, Fire Down Under which was released in 1981 on Electra/Asylum Records. Fire Down Under was their 3rd album and one of two RIOT albums I still have on vinyl. The line-up for this album is Mark Reale / guitar, Sandy Slavin / drums, Rick Ventura / guitar, Guy Speranza / vocals, and Kip Leming on bass. "Swords and Tequila" is written by Guy Speranza and Mark Reale. Give it a shot!
This album is still in my top ten metal albums of all time.
ReplyDeleteRemember this taken home from the library, putting it on tape.
Years later I found a CD version of it, with some live material too.
On the cover, it says "Promotional copy: NOT for sale".
I know about the re-releases by High vaultage records (With bad mixing), from 1997, and one from Metal blade records, in 1999.
Both have different bonus tracks, and both are not the same version as the one I own.
It's been a mystery to me until I found out that the company who released my copy (Unforgotten Jewels) just printed the words promotional copy on the cover, but in reality, it isn't.
Well.....
Thanks for the comment, Seafields. I had no idea this album went through so many incarnations. It's too bad they didn't get support from the label that they deserved.
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