Grand Slam's 'Hit the Ground' - Album Review

Grand Slam are one of those interesting small chunks of rock history. After Thin Lizzy came to an end in 1983, vocalist, bassist, and songwriter Phil Lynott put together a new band in an effort to move on from the demise of Thin Lizzy and his own demons. By this point, the Irish musician was heavily dependant on drugs - the use of which was probably part of the reason Thin Lizzy came to a rather abrupt end. The band in general were in a bit of a sorry state by the turn of the decade and, despite a strong closing statement in 1983's Thunder and Lightning, it was probably for the best for all concerned that the band was laid to rest before any true damage to their reputation could be done. Alongside the last few years of Thin Lizzy, Lynott had been undertaking a fairly low-key solo career which resulted in the Solo in Soho and The Philip Lynott Album albums in 1980 and 1982 respectively. It was during a 1983 solo tour, not long before the breakup of Thin Lizzy, that the idea for Lynott's new band was formed - and a year later Grand Slam was born. Formed around the songwriting triumvirate of Lynott, guitarist Laurence Archer (Stampede; UFO), and keyboardist Mark Stanway (Magnum) Grand Slam started to write new material and toured fairly heavily throughout 1984. The band, and the new material, was well-received by the rock world - but Grand Slam failed to really attract any genuine interest from record companies. It is rumoured that Lynott's heavy drug use put many labels off, despite the band's popularity, and following a year of touring the band came to an end at the beginning of 1985. A year later, Lynott died aged 36 so any hope of Grand Slam blossoming into something greater faded away. Over the years, both Archer and Stanway oversaw releases of various demo collections and live recordings of Grand Slam - but it seemed that neither had any real desire to relaunch the band without Lynott. That was so until 2016, when Archer and Stanway put together a new version of Grand Slam to play a handful of live shows. The shows were well-received, but nothing ever really came of that iteration of Grand Slam either. Fast forward three years however, and the first ever Grand Slam album has been unleashed into the world - 34 years after the band's original run came to an end. Now led exclusively by Archer, an all-new Grand Slam recorded Hit the Ground earlier in the year - mixing Grand Slam classics from the 1980s with newly-written songs by the current four-piece. Joining Archer in Grand Slam now is frontman Mike Dyer, bassist Dave Boyce (Samson; The Quireboys), and drummer Benji Reid (Praying Mantis) - with the four collaborating well on the hard-hitting new material and breathing new life into the old forgotten classics. Stanway contributes keyboards to some of Hit the Ground's songs, but is no longer part of the band - which is a shame to see considering he was one of the band's original driving forces.

Considering that half of the album was co-written with Lynott, it is perhaps surprising that the most Thin Lizzy-esque track here is one of the new efforts. Lead single Gone Are The Days kicks the album off with Archer's soaring dual guitar lead, a pure Lizzy homage, before Dyer starts singing the laid back verse. He has a strong voice, with enough soul to do Lynott's songs justice without ever sounding like he is imitating the late musician. He shines throughout this album, and seems to be the perfect voice to take Grand Slam forward - and he teams up perfectly with Archer, the two complimenting each other perfectly. Those who love mid-period Thin Lizzy will also love this track, with Dyer's storytelling vocal style really capturing the spirit of Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox, while Archer's laid back power chord riffing and bursts of lead add to the tale. While the song might sound a little too close to Thin Lizzy for some, especially considering the fact that Grand Slam was originally conceived to be different to Lynott's previous band, it is undeniably a strong lead-off track and those who love great lead guitar and soulful vocals should find plenty to enjoy. 19 is the first of five old tracks here, with Stanway's Hammond organ adding some depth and Archer's machine gun riffing creating weight. The old Grand Slam tracks here show that Lynott wanted to take his music in a slightly heavier direction, perhaps taking cues from the success of Thunder and Lightning, and 19 is a perfect example of this. Archer's guitar playing throughout is much riffier than any previous Thin Lizzy effort, with stuttering power chords appearing throughout and particularly bulking out the verses. The more prominent keyboards add a real depth too, with Stanway's use of the organ really giving the track a retro heaviness. There is a strong 1970s classic rock vibe here, but with plenty of grit and heaviness - with Dyer almost spitting out the repetitive choruses and Archer finding plenty of time to lay down some shredded solos. One of the new songs follows, and it is the album's title track. It follows on from the heaviness of the previous song, and uses the same chugging guitar riffing style throughout - after opening up with a distant-sounding vocal and guitar intro. A few Lizzy-esque guitar harmonies surface throughout, but they are much more in the background and used more sparingly here. Their occasional bursting through the mix is really effective, and they do not dominate as they do during the opening track. I prefer this use of the technique actually, as it helps Grand Slam to retain its tougher approach to hard rock, and stops the overt comparisons to Thin Lizzy. Despite the weight, there is still plenty of melody to be found here, with a strong chorus that brings out the best of Dyer's soulful vocals.

Military Man is an old Grand Slam classic, a version of which Lynott actually sung on Gary Moore's 1985 Run for Cover album not long before his death. The song opens with a marching drum beat before a bass-led riff kicks things off proper - with a staccato verse following. It is a great example of the direction that the original Grand Slam wanted to take, with heavy guitars and droning Hammond organ really dominating. The song has a great groove throughout, with the rhythm section really pulling their weight here. Boyce's bass drives the main rhythms, but Reid's drumming really helps to keep the song interesting. He rarely sticks to one beat for too long here, often breaking into swing-influenced fills that power through the mix and help to break up the heavy verses without sacrificing any of the song's power. While most of the song is fast-paced and heavy, there is a slow-paced mid section that starts out with some simple piano melodies before Archer launches into an emotionally-charged guitar solo that contrasts well against the toughness of the rest of the piece. Crazy keeps up with the pace of the previous track, but reigns in the overt heaviness somewhat with a simple chugging guitar pattern and a punchy drum beat. It is not one of my favourite tracks, but it has a great energy about it that keeps the album moving along nicely. There is a little bit of a punk spirit to be found in the song's simplicity, as it never really deviates far from its early template. The short, main guitar solo is the only real change of pace - with the song instead just existing to whip up a bit of mid-album old-fashioned hard rock energy. Dedication is another old song, a version of which was actually released as a posthumous Thin Lizzy song with overdubbed guitar and drum parts - which led to legal action between Thin Lizzy and Archer. The Thin Lizzy version had a bit of an upbeat disco vibe, but I imagine this version is more in line with how Lynott and Archer originally wrote the piece back in the 1980s. It is much heavier, and a little slower - with strong emphasis placed on Archer's muscular riffing. The vocal melodies, while still catchy, do not grab hold as much as they did on the Thin Lizzy version however. Dyer does a great job still, but I think the way this version has been put together is to emphasis the riffing rather than the melodies. I imagine this is how Lynott originally envisioned the song however, so it is nice to hear it in this state - with the new Grand Slam all pulling together to make the song work. Long Road is the album's only true ballad, and it sticks out somewhat due to its drastically-different style. The song is largely based around a folky acoustic guitar melody, with a subtle string arrangement adding colour throughout. It is not a bad song at all, but it sounds so different from the rest of the album that each time I listen to the album I am thrown a little bit. I do not know why really, as many albums include rare acoustic tracks, but for some reason this one just seems somewhat out of place. Dyer is the star of the show here however, with his soulful vocals really suiting the stripped-back nature of the song.

Of the three songs left by this point, two are Grand Slam classics. The first up, Sisters of Mercy, is the longest track here and easily the band's more epic composition. It opens slowly, with Stanway's piano and some bluesy guitar licks - before Dyer starts crooning over everything. It is a song that builds up very slowly, with Reid occasionally adding some percussion early on - before the whole band kicks in after the first chorus, with some folky guitar harmonies and plenty of heavy rhythms. There is certainly something of Thin Lizzy's Black Rose era here, with heavy folk melodies and tough rhythms really driving everything. When the song ramps up, it never really slows down again and instead keeps powering along with a strong mid-paced beat and plenty of thick bass and keyboards to deepen the sound. The vocal melodies throughout are very memorable, with Dyer doing a great job, but Archer also gets a chance to show off with a melodic, emotional guitar solo that is different from many of the fast-paced efforts found throughout the album. It is easily one of the album's best tracks, and it is a crime that a proper version of the track was never recorded with the original band. Sisters of Mercy is a hard song to follow, and as a result Crime Rate falls a little flat. It is not a bad song, before after the tour-de-force of the previous number the laid back track with slight jazzy overtones feels a little weak by comparison. I like the different approach that the song takes, with Stanway's keyboards placed front and centre, with some jazzy piano melodies throughout as well as some weighty Hammond during the song's heavier chorus. The chorus is typical Grand Slam, but it is the verses where the song differs, with the aforementioned jazz influences dominating as well as Boyce's walking bassline. It is an interesting song, and one that shows how Lynott was experimenting with his songwriting in Grand Slam - but in my opinion it should have come before Sisters of Mercy - as it sounds a bit limp in comparison despite all of the interesting musical ideas found within. The album comes to a close with the self-titled instrumental piece, that is mostly just a showcase for Archer. I am not convinced that it really adds much to the album, and to me it seems like a strange way to close things out - as it is a fairly mid-paced piece without any of the blistering guitar work that you might expect. In my view Sisters of Mercy should have closed out the album, with Crime Rate and maybe a condensed version of this track appearing earlier in the tracklist. As things stand, the album seems to somewhat peter out, which is a shame after so many strong tracks appearing early on. It does not ruin the experience, but in my view the overall experience could be improved by moving things around. Overall, Hit the Ground is a strong and long-overdue album from a band that never really got going originally. It is great to hear proper versions of the old classic Grand Slam songs after so many years, with many of the newly-written tracks also proving to be very enjoyable.

The album was released on 22nd November 2019 via Marshall Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Gone Are The Days.