Jake E. Lee is one of my 10 favorite guitarists of All Time but you are wrong. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. The drumming is a push between Carmine and Eric Singer but Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. The Blue Murder debut album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
Pete you made my day with this one. Two of my personal favorites, both so underrated. Tough to go against the epic power of those Blue Murder tracks, but I'm going to give Badlands the edge because of Ray's iconic vocals.
I'll go with Blue Murder. No one thought Sykes had a chance on his own. Coverdale probably laughed at the thought & perhaps a bit miffed Geffen signed Sykes to a deal. Badlands was excellent as well and kinda sad that you can't buy the first 2 cd's new anymore because of the Ray Gillen situation. I wouldn't mind Jake E Lee re-recording those 2 albums with a new singer, honestly.
Who would you recommend as the singer? Tough to match Ray's vocals. Maybe Chas West, who's worked with Jake some? Jay Buchanon of Rival Sons would be ideal, but he kinda has a pretty good gig right now lol.
This is a great battle choice. Have both on vinyl & CD and loved them both so much back in the day (still to this day too)...Badlands for me though is marginally the better release. Ray vocals are just killer, and Jake and the band are so tight, immense! Blue Murder also rate very highly. Coming hot on the heels after the post JS Whitesnake break up. John is almost wanting to make a point with these songs of how much his contribution on 1987 was...Great selection.
Wow, these are 2 titanic albums that need to be in every rockers collection! Huge Sykes fan, with that undeniable note bending and tone, the man can shred....and sing....and write! Blue Murder is a killer head banging good time! But perhaps because I proudly own Bandlands and Voodoo Highway (Dusk is also very good and available on streaming sites, unlike the first two), and I've seen Badlands in small clubs in Brooklyn and NYC, I got to go with Badlands. Ray Gillian's voice is as stellar live as it is on the CDs, and Jake's intricate and bluesy guitar work was just other worldly. You didn't hear too much truly great heavy blues, and Badlands songwriting was just masterful. Nice war picks!
Another thing about Blue Murder Glenn Hughes was brought in and sang melodies to sykes on the spot. sykes taped the session and used the melodies Ray Gillen sang the melody and lyrics to last time, the first time Jake played it on the vocal audition. Jake was stunned, because that never happened before! Ray Gillen and Glenn Hughes are the most influential free spirited singers of all time. Sykes is an amAzing guitar player. cold sweat , he was right hand tapping before van halen and as for his image , in 1978 he looked like it was 1988 . Sykes is an innovator and a super talent as well no doubt
I'd go with Blue Murder, because it's the one that I own. Also, the production by Bob Rock. Jelly Roll is a cool song. It starts out as a bluesy song, then goes into a power ballad. Btw, that sucks that there will be no Badlands reissues because of Ray. Why must the dead be punished? I believe that Rock Candy did briefly reissue Badlands, but I was quickly deleted. Speaking of Rock Candy, the Blue Murder cd that I have is the Rock Candy reissue.
Tough one today for sure!.. Jake vs John... Love them both as blues rock guitarists... I would say on song quality and writing BADLANDS by a nose. Thanks for another good matchup Pete!!!
Excellent contest Pete, possibly the hardest to call so far. I’m going with Badlands by a very small margin because I think the songwriting is slightly stronger. Funnily enough when I think of these two bands I also think of Kingdom Come, three of the best new bands during that era.
The same Led Zeppelin who ripped off ever blues artist in history and the same Gary Moore who in the later part of his career also ripped off every blues artist in history?
@@iangillard1763 LZ pretty much established their own sound. Though I did find it odd that they did give credit for the inspiration of the blues tunes they borrowed from. Gary Moore gave credit for his blues inspirations all the time. He even had some blues greats in his music videos th-cam.com/video/J6oDdgrbmeE/w-d-xo.html
Very few bands can claim to be totally unique, I think we all know where Airbourne’s inspiration came from.Some artists like David Bowie spent their entire career changing styles depending on what was popular at the time, his dalliance with metal for example with Tin Machine was an unmitigated disaster. Just because a band sounds similar to something that’s gone before doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad as long as it’s done well. This debate has reared its ugly head again recently with Greta Van Fleet ironically a bad I’m not particularly fond of. The more things change the more they stay the same I suppose.
Kingdom Come debut album is an absolute classic, the vocals are insane. It has hints of Zeppelin but sounds nothing like Zeppelin as far as the song writing goes.
Both really great albums, but i would go for Blue Murder... Better compositions and more memorable songs. Jake is phenomenal, but Sykes more phenomenal and he is ripping on guitar here as always. The big voice of Ray here is undeniable, but Sykes has a sexy voice here + better songs and of course the talents of the beast Carmine and the fretless monster bass of Franklin is the winner!!! You can't go wrong with this one...
Badlands without a doubt!!!! Amazing lineup, killer songs, vocals par excellence, amazing musicians across the board all make for perfection. I recently listened to Blue Murder and always thought it was great, but on the relisten found it very one dimensional and boring. Sykes is a great player, but I think he needs a person to reel him in like coverdale,
Blue murder had a massive rythm section but Sykes. ..you hit the nail exactly for me,very one dimensional and...couple strong song but the rest not more than ok.Badlands easy for me,the songwriting much stronger, production and the great Ray Gillen...one of the greatest bluesy hardrock albums of the eighties and it stood the test of time very well
I agree. I like John Sykes quite a lot ( although, he's no Randy Rhoads, but I digress... lol ) but found the Blue Murder Project overrated and pretty commercial and slick for my taste. Too bad, really. With all those great Musicians in the group, they could have really knocked it outta the Park.
You are absolutely wrong. Jake E. Lee is one of my 10 favorite guitarists of All Time but you are wrong. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. The drumming is a push between Carmine and Eric Singer but Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
Few may know that Ray Gillin of Badlands had tried out to be the lead singer for Blue Murder and had even cut a few demo tracks with them. But his vocals were not a good fit with Sykes style so Sykes ended up doing the vocals himself. That left Ray available for Jake’s band Badlands. Rays vocals were perfect for Badlands bluesy style. We’re blessed to have them both. ❤️
If there's folks out there that haven't heard either album where have you been ? I was looking on Spotify for the Badlands album and the the Blue Murder album today to play on my bike ride, Sadly the Badlands album isn't there but the Blue Murder album was so i listened to that then the first 2 albums from Kingdom Come, also great albums to
These two albums are in my top 10 greatest rock albums of the 80's along with Back In Black, Whitesnake 87, Guns Appetite, and Leppard Hysteria/Pyromania.
I bought the Badlands album because I instantly loved "Dreams in the Dark" when I first heard it. It's the best Whitesnake song they never recorded. However , the rest of the album just sounded like alot of the same blues-rock that was saturating the radio at the time. When I bought the Blue Murder album I loved every song on it besides "Sex Child". Thats a cringe-worthy stinker track! "Riot", "Black Hearted Woman" and the excellent ballad "Out of Love" are excellent tracks! Plus no one knew John Sykes could sing! Blue Murder gets my vote!
I would be hard pressed to pick even a small number of albums better than Badlands debut! Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face! Jake was never better.....groove and tone for miles-and Ray's ass kicking vocals just put it in a league all it's own! Blue Murder is essential, though, no doubt!
I think Blue Murder is a more solid album top-to-bottom. But I have and like both. Fun fact: Ray Gillen was originally the singer in Blue Murder, but John Sykes' vocals were a better fit. There's a demo out there with Gillen and Blue Murder. The song ("Too Late") didn't make the album. Also, Tony Martin was in consideration at some point, and co-wrote Valley of the Kings with John Sykes.
A little bit of trivia, I believe Ray Gillen was a member of one of the earliest incarnations of Blue Murder. I don't know what happened but he was gone before they ever recorded an album. (Kind of like Black Sabbath, Act II.) It was at some point thereafter that Gillen joined Badlands. As to the battle, can't say, not real familiar with either band.
John Sykes had recorded the demos with his vocals for producer Bob Rock telling him that he wanted Gillen to sing on the album. Rock, digging John's vocals, convinced Sykes to sing instead. Gillen's schedule was busy then and they wanted to move on. As I believe John did an excellent job, I can't imagine how awesome Gillen would've sounded on this album.
Both albums are fantastic but I have to say Blue Murder would be my preference cause I always loved that Whitesnake sound that Sykes had on the 1987 album and Whitesnake are one of my favorite bands so I naturally deviated towards Blue Murder more than Badlands even though I still love Badlands.
Oh wow, great battle. First time I'm viewing this series, looking forward to it because I am a huge fan of both records. Both are legendary in my opinion and if I had to pick 1 song, it'd probably be Valley of the Kings. I just love those epic, 5+ minute tunes about ancient Egypt or mythology in general. However, looking back I probably have to give the edge to Badlands but the margin is so slim. I think it's just a bit stronger top to bottom. I understand why you'd pick Blue Murder, Sykes was all over that eponymous release - the first CD I ever bought, FYI. Sad he never got the proper recognition he deserved before he and the rest of the lads were unceremoniously canned. Still can't understand why John was let go, but you are the WS expert, you know. For a first time viewer of this series you could not have made it any more difficult. Thanks Pete, hope the next I view is a little easier because this was nearly impossible.
Nicely done. I think I pretty much can agree with all of your points except songwriting. I still think the Badlands record was solid top to bottom, no filler.
You are 100% wrong. Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. He outperforms Jake and Ray by himself on guitar and vocals. The drumming goes to Carmine. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
J ai acheté les 2 le même jour à virgin. Un peu Déçu par bleu murder. Par contre, blown away Par Badlands. RAY GILLEN.. INCROYABLE CHANTEUR. SON DE GUITARE ÉNORME. COMPOSITIONS SUBLIMES.
I knew you were going to pick Blue Murder (although there's no doubt you dig them both). How did I know? Well, imho you have a soft spot for Euro hard rock/heavy metal. Blue Murder has that Euro feel in spades due to Jon Sykes. Badlands is about as American as hard rock gets. If I was going to do a comparison I'd say Blue Murder reminds me of a slightly less commercial Whitesnake or early Rainbow while Badlands fits more in the Montrose (or even Van Halen) oeuvre (nickel word of the day). I bought both CD's when they 1st came out and both of them knocked me out. However, Badlands was the one I had to get everyone I knew to listen to, because it was a totally fresh throwback. I hadn't heard a hard rock guitarist with Jake E Lee's chops in a long time. His style hit my sweet spot so hard it blew my mind. Jon Sykes was (and still is) the epitome of a rockstar. He not only totally shreds on the guitar but he writes the songs AND sings them well. Badlands was a bit more of a band effort imo. Regardless, I can say with certainty that both of those CD's would have been monsters in the 70's and/or established Jon Sykes and Jake E Lee as two of the best axe-slingers around, bar none. I can imagine arguments about who was better; Jon Sykes or Richie Blackmore; Jake E Lee or Johnny Winter. I just thought of an idea for you Pete; top ten guitarists of your teens, 20's, and 30's and however far you want to go or parse it vs what you think now. I'm talking about what you believed at the time you were those ages compared to what you think now that you're older and wiser. I know my lists have changed.
Interesting match up Pete. I think I would pick Badlands. I think their sound is perhaps more retro, but it hasn't dated like Blue Murder which feels a little more rooted more to the 80s and has dated because of that. I enjoy both albums, but with Ray Gillens vocals, it is Badlands for me.
Pete, This was my favorite of your "Classic Album Wars" series! Both great albums and two of my all-time faves. How about: Michael Schenker Group self-titled album (1980) versus Gary Moore "Corridors of Power" (1982)? Each featured a guitar hero trying to establish themselves on their own (though Moore had several albums out before this one)..
I love both but Blue Murder wins for me. The vocals and guitar from Sykes, Carmine’s drums and the killer bass work from Tony Franklin makes it one of my favorite albums of all time.
Sykes KO's the entire Badlands band by himself. Jake E. Lee is one of my 10 favorite guitarists of All Time but you are wrong. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. The drumming is a push between Carmine and Eric Singer but Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
I give the win to BLUE MURDER, due to fact that Sykes had dual role as lead singer and lead guitar, Carmine's drums are a monster, as is Franklin's fretless bass playing and sound. Great production from Bob Rock.
Hands down the 2 most umderrated bands and albums of that decade. I saw Badlands twice and they blew the roof off both shows. Gotta go with Badlands for the win but you cannot lose with either one.
I'm a fan of both albums and owned both of them at the time. Jake was my favorite player at the time, but I was also a Sykes fan and still am. Both bands were top notch. As vocalists John and Ray are very different animals. John is what i'd call more of a power vocalists. He's got enough range but otherwise has a very good, better than average voice. Ray was of course more dynamic. Also, consider that John was doing double duty, but Ray was just a frontman, putting everything into his voice and stage presence. As far as bass players go, Chaisson is great, but Franklin is more dynamic, much more of a Jaco kind of player. His fingers just fly. When it comes to drums Eric and Carmine are great, but Carmine was just a total machine, a legend for a reason. What I loved about Badlands was I got to hear another side of my favorite guitar player. I knew of Jake as primarily a hard rock/metal player up till that first Badlands album. Now I got to hear my hero really exploring the roots rock influences that made him what he is. It demonstrated to me how much of a box Jake was stuck in with Ozzy. In Ozzy's band, everything revolves around Brand Ozzy. Sames goes for Whitesnake aka Coverdale, Inc. I love what John did with Blue Murder. Like Jake, he got to spread his wings and do something special. Definitely two of the best albums of 1989.
Never posted my own opinion to these classic album wars before so I'm gonna give it a go this time. I had both of these albums when they were newly released. Blue Murder has been a personal favourite since day one. Maybe because I was not a huge fan of the blues influenced heavy rock (as I am today). But I will still easily choose Blue Murder over Badlands although I hate the muddy and noisy production of that album. Badlands sound much better. But the songs, the arrangements, the mood and the heavy groove of the songs on the Blue Murder album has rarely been heard since that record came out. Although there are some filler tracks there, too, at least in my opinion, the best tracks are still epic. Riot, Valley of the Kings (what a song!) and Ptolemy being my favourite tracks. On the Badlands album I used to listen to Winter's Call over and over again. Phenomenal tack with a killer guitar riff that I just looooove. So 1-14 1-16... no sorry, those numbers still don't make any sense to me. Sorry Pete! ;) I appreciate your attempt to explain but you only talked about 10, 9 and 8 points. Where did those 14 and 16 come from? But don't worry, I think we all get your point. “They are very close” seem to be the average conclusion.
I own six debut BADLANDS c.d.'s & one on lp record- my vote goes to bad ass BADLANDS....GOD BLESS ALL THE REAL MUSIC OF THE PAST- ROCK ON🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Sykes basically crushes Badlands by himself. Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. He outperforms Jake and Ray by himself on guitar and vocals. The drumming goes to Carmine. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
Love 'em both. John Sykes is a beast. But so is Jake E. Lee and I think the Badlands debut is the stronger album and is therefore going with me to the desert island.
Wow. I feel really lucky to have bought the first 2 Badlands CD's for like $3.00 a piece (!!) in the discount bin at Streetlight Records in San Jose in the '90s before people realized what they were missing.
man, here's two one doesn't think of every day, but i have both. First reaction is Badlands was more consistent with Blue Murder having half a disc of go to tunes. BUT those tunes (Valley Of The Kings, Blue Murder spring to mind) were anthemic, mainly because of John Sykes, great vocals and off the charts guitar playing. This disc got daylight in the last 10 years. Badlands, all i really remember is Dreams In The Dark and on this, its the vocals i like best. ahhh, a tie.
Great to see both of these bands get some attention. I enjoy both, but Badlands gets my vote. The highs seem higher. “High Wire” and “Streets Cry Freedom” are epic and intense. Blue Murder has a nice, lush sound and great playing, but the songs don’t stand out to me as much; just really solid.
Blue Murder for me. Two very good albums from 1989, and two bands that should have been way bigger, but IMO it has to be Blue Murder (kicks the ass off Slip of the Tongue that Mercenary Whitesnake made around the same time) , Sykes work is incredible all over Blue Murder as is Franklin and Appice's, and Bob Rock's production is killer.
I love both, yet Badlands is something I still listen to today. Would of probably loved that Blue Murder record more if Ray Gillen would of stayed in the band.
I bought these two on the same day and I loved them both. I was amazed how good Sykes' voice was, but it was a little slick and over-produced for me (I knew they wouldn't be able recreate that sound live, which they got criticised for). Badlands though definitely my cup of tea, loved Jake's playing and Ray's voice was amazing. Upset when I found out the reason that the back catalogue is no longer available, and whilst Ray's behaviour was deplorable I try not to let it ruin my enjoyment of the albums. So, Badlands wins the day for me.
I have both on cassette still from back in the day as they came out my senior year in High school in 1989. Both had great songs and chemistry within thier respective members. Blue Murder has the mystique and Badlands the bluesy backbone. Too hard to select.
Just wanted to put in two more cents. I don't think either band really had a chance because both kind of came from the same place. While Blue Murder had a more contemporary sound, both bands hearkened back to a 70s world, which is not what record labels wanted in 1989. So it's a miracle either band, nevermind both, got deals with major labels. Had Badlands or Blue Murder started out maybe four or five years earlier, maybe they would have had more of a chance to catch some wind in their sails. But that was not to be. Also, consider that part of what got these acts record deals was the legacy of the players involved. Jake was arguably the star of Badlands, fresh of a five year stint with Ozzy, while Sykes had a rep as a great player going back to Tygers of Pan Tang, which grew with this one-year Thin Lizzy stint, then was solidified with his Whitesnake run of Slide it In and the 1987 album. Even if Sykes didn't have a falling out with Coverdale and did the massive '87-'88 tour, I still don't think that would have put enough rocket fuel in his career to make much of a difference. Had Jake done one more album and tour with Ozzy before embarking on Badlands I think the difference would have been negligible. As I said, the music industry just wasn't that accommodating to legacy collaborations of this nature. Although Whitesnake as a project had plenty of this DNA, Coverdale thoroughly adapted the 80s big hairband aesthetic and ditched the bluesy roots of his career. Jake and Badlands were clearly focused on the music. Blue Murder was too, but they were more willing to crank up the Aqua Net while Badlands was trying to get away from it.
Gut wrencher pick. I love Jake but John absolutely kills it here. I gotta go Blue Murder. Slightly stronger album overall. Agree, both bands should have been huge. Better than anything else going on at the time.
I think that the Blue Murder album is the better studio album but they couldn't quite reproduce the sounds in a live setting. For me, the killer punch is Black Hearted Woman, Sykes' best vocals saved for last--the best Whitesnake song never made! I loved seeing Badlands live, this album much easier to duplicate in a live setting--and easier to improv upon, if and when necessary.
Badlands in a landslide....
Every guy in that band is stellar.
Killer vocals...
Great songs...
Gritty greasy production...
Love that record.
Jake E. Lee is one of my 10 favorite guitarists of All Time but you are wrong. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. The drumming is a push between Carmine and Eric Singer but Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. The Blue Murder debut album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
I totally agree... Badlands debut and Voodoo Highway are 10's
oooooh! that's a tough one!!! BADLANDS 1000% though - one of the 90s BEST.
I bought these both on vinyl in 89 at the same time! BLUE MURDER!
Has to be Blue Murder. Soaring vocals, screaming guitars, infectious bass grooves, swinging drums. Can't go wrong.
I saw the title and went with Blue Murder before I hit play. Love both albums, but Sykes is a god.
Pete you made my day with this one. Two of my personal favorites, both so underrated. Tough to go against the epic power of those Blue Murder tracks, but I'm going to give Badlands the edge because of Ray's iconic vocals.
I'll go with Blue Murder. No one thought Sykes had a chance on his own. Coverdale probably laughed at the thought & perhaps a bit miffed Geffen signed Sykes to a deal. Badlands was excellent as well and kinda sad that you can't buy the first 2 cd's new anymore because of the Ray Gillen situation. I wouldn't mind Jake E Lee re-recording those 2 albums with a new singer, honestly.
Who would you recommend as the singer? Tough to match Ray's vocals. Maybe Chas West, who's worked with Jake some? Jay Buchanon of Rival Sons would be ideal, but he kinda has a pretty good gig right now lol.
Good battle both very good albums. Badlands is my pick for this battle. Great album full of killer songs.
Boy...that is tough to pick between those albums. They're both incredible and full of great performances.
Yeah I'm going to have to go Badlands on this one. A stellar group with a album that is all killer and no filler!
Great taste with all of the calories? lol :)
Badlands. All three of their albums are incredible.
This is a great battle choice. Have both on vinyl & CD and loved them both so much back in the day (still to this day too)...Badlands for me though is marginally the better release. Ray vocals are just killer, and Jake and the band are so tight, immense! Blue Murder also rate very highly. Coming hot on the heels after the post JS Whitesnake break up. John is almost wanting to make a point with these songs of how much his contribution on 1987 was...Great selection.
I couldn't choose between the 2. both are awesome
Wow, these are 2 titanic albums that need to be in every rockers collection!
Huge Sykes fan, with that undeniable note bending and tone, the man can shred....and sing....and write! Blue Murder is a killer head banging good time!
But perhaps because I proudly own Bandlands and Voodoo Highway (Dusk is also very good and available on streaming sites, unlike the first two), and I've seen Badlands in small clubs in Brooklyn and NYC, I got to go with Badlands. Ray Gillian's voice is as stellar live as it is on the CDs, and Jake's intricate and bluesy guitar work was just other worldly. You didn't hear too much truly great heavy blues, and Badlands songwriting was just masterful.
Nice war picks!
Love em both, I couldn’t choose either...thanks
Yes sir 👍
2 epic albums. I say both!!!
I’d pick Badlands because I think the songwriting and vocals are stronger
No way in hell. Sykes out sings Ray Gillen while playing unbelievable lead guitar.
SlippingintoFiction I suppose it’s just preference bro, but I love both
@@SlippingintoFiction no one ever out sang Ray Gillen that is not possible.
Another thing about Blue Murder Glenn Hughes was brought in and sang melodies to sykes on the spot.
sykes taped the session and used the melodies
Ray Gillen sang the melody and lyrics to last time, the first time Jake played it on the vocal audition.
Jake was stunned, because that never happened before!
Ray Gillen and Glenn Hughes are the most influential free spirited singers of all time.
Sykes is an amAzing guitar player.
cold sweat , he was right hand tapping before van halen and as for his image , in 1978 he looked like it was 1988 . Sykes is an innovator and a super talent as well no doubt
I love both bands, don’t get me wrong.
I'd go with Blue Murder, because it's the one that I own. Also, the production by Bob Rock. Jelly Roll is a cool song. It starts out as a bluesy song, then goes into a power ballad. Btw, that sucks that there will be no Badlands reissues because of Ray. Why must the dead be punished? I believe that Rock Candy did briefly reissue Badlands, but I was quickly deleted. Speaking of Rock Candy, the Blue Murder cd that I have is the Rock Candy reissue.
badlands for me love jake e lee do u like his fine pink mist album pete
I agree with you Pete.
There are no loosers here.
Both are excellent albums!
Got both albums but Blue Murder being a Sykes fan.
Two of my favorite CDs! Blue Murder gets the slight edge for me.
Two of my most favorite bands! Hard for me to choose but if I had to pick one it would be BADLANDS!!!
Tough one today for sure!.. Jake vs John... Love them both as blues rock guitarists... I would say on song quality and writing BADLANDS by a nose. Thanks for another good matchup Pete!!!
Excellent contest Pete, possibly the hardest to call so far. I’m going with Badlands by a very small margin because I think the songwriting is slightly stronger. Funnily enough when I think of these two bands I also think of Kingdom Come, three of the best new bands during that era.
Kingdom Come? You gotta be kidding. Gary Moore wrote a song about them. It's titled Led Clones. th-cam.com/video/qWAW_jsFb64/w-d-xo.html
The same Led Zeppelin who ripped off ever blues artist in history and the same Gary Moore who in the later part of his career also ripped off every blues artist in history?
@@iangillard1763 LZ pretty much established their own sound. Though I did find it odd that they did give credit for the inspiration of the blues tunes they borrowed from. Gary Moore gave credit for his blues inspirations all the time. He even had some blues greats in his music videos th-cam.com/video/J6oDdgrbmeE/w-d-xo.html
Very few bands can claim to be totally unique, I think we all know where Airbourne’s inspiration came from.Some artists like David Bowie spent their entire career changing styles depending on what was popular at the time, his dalliance with metal for example with Tin Machine was an unmitigated disaster. Just because a band sounds similar to something that’s gone before doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad as long as it’s done well. This debate has reared its ugly head again recently with Greta Van Fleet ironically a bad I’m not particularly fond of. The more things change the more they stay the same I suppose.
Kingdom Come debut album is an absolute classic, the vocals are insane. It has hints of Zeppelin but sounds nothing like Zeppelin as far as the song writing goes.
Wow I always liked Badlands,such a great band,who know what could of been,the sky was the limit. Both great albums. Badlands for me. Thanks Pete.
What a killer albums pete.rey gillen one of the best vocalist
Both really great albums, but i would go for Blue Murder... Better compositions and more memorable songs. Jake is phenomenal, but Sykes more phenomenal and he is ripping on guitar here as always. The big voice of Ray here is undeniable, but Sykes has a sexy voice here + better songs and of course the talents of the beast Carmine and the fretless monster bass of Franklin is the winner!!! You can't go wrong with this one...
So true Pete,awesome guitar work by Jake.
Badlands without a doubt!!!! Amazing lineup, killer songs, vocals par excellence, amazing musicians across the board all make for perfection. I recently listened to Blue Murder and always thought it was great, but on the relisten found it very one dimensional and boring. Sykes is a great player, but I think he needs a person to reel him in like coverdale,
Blue murder had a massive rythm section but Sykes. ..you hit the nail exactly for me,very one dimensional and...couple strong song but the rest not more than ok.Badlands easy for me,the songwriting much stronger, production and the great Ray Gillen...one of the greatest bluesy hardrock albums of the eighties and it stood the test of time very well
I agree. I like John Sykes quite a lot ( although, he's no Randy Rhoads, but I digress... lol ) but found the Blue Murder Project overrated and pretty commercial and slick for my taste. Too bad, really. With all those great Musicians in the group, they could have really knocked it outta the Park.
You are absolutely wrong. Jake E. Lee is one of my 10 favorite guitarists of All Time but you are wrong. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. The drumming is a push between Carmine and Eric Singer but Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
Great showdown. Back in the day I would have said Badlands. Today, I'd definitely pick Blue murder.
Few may know that Ray Gillin of Badlands had tried out to be the lead singer for Blue Murder and had even cut a few demo tracks with them. But his vocals were not a good fit with Sykes style so Sykes ended up doing the vocals himself. That left Ray available for Jake’s band Badlands. Rays vocals were perfect for Badlands bluesy style. We’re blessed to have them both. ❤️
Both awesome!! I wore these out back then
Love both albums, but the hard rock ‘87 feel of Blue Murder, is my pick!!!
I love Badlands but that 1st Blue murder is nuts! Thin Lizzy's Thunder and lightning & The Firm changed my life. John, Tony & Carmine were magic!
This is a Tough One, I love Jake but got to go with Blue Murder
About time they make this Badlands album available again. Hello Rock Candy? Had the vinyl once...damn!
If there's folks out there that haven't heard either album where have you been ?
I was looking on Spotify for the Badlands album and the the Blue Murder album today to play on my bike ride,
Sadly the Badlands album isn't there but the Blue Murder album was so i listened to that then the first 2 albums from Kingdom Come, also great albums to
These two albums are in my top 10 greatest rock albums of the 80's along with Back In Black, Whitesnake 87, Guns Appetite, and Leppard Hysteria/Pyromania.
Gotta add Mr. Big debut as well. I spent the entire summer of 89' playing these 3 albums back to back to back. Love them all equally.
I bought the Badlands album because I instantly loved "Dreams in the Dark" when I first heard it. It's the best Whitesnake song they never recorded. However , the rest of the album just sounded like alot of the same blues-rock that was saturating the radio at the time. When I bought the Blue Murder album I loved every song on it besides "Sex Child". Thats a cringe-worthy stinker track! "Riot", "Black Hearted Woman" and the excellent ballad "Out of Love" are excellent tracks! Plus no one knew John Sykes could sing! Blue Murder gets my vote!
No contest Blue Murder.2yrs ago I learned the solo to Valley Of The Kings.The neighbors loved it.
Both really good albums. Blue Murder today. Badlands tomorrow.
I would be hard pressed to pick even a small number of albums better than Badlands debut! Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face! Jake was never better.....groove and tone for miles-and Ray's ass kicking vocals just put it in a league all it's own! Blue Murder is essential, though, no doubt!
I think Blue Murder is a more solid album top-to-bottom. But I have and like both. Fun fact: Ray Gillen was originally the singer in Blue Murder, but John Sykes' vocals were a better fit. There's a demo out there with Gillen and Blue Murder. The song ("Too Late") didn't make the album. Also, Tony Martin was in consideration at some point, and co-wrote Valley of the Kings with John Sykes.
Wow,absolutely savage battle !! Badlands by a nose,on the strength of Gillen's singin' and Jake's pickin'.
Badlands for me.... Blue Murder is cool, but hasn't dated as well. Badlands is timeless classic rock.
Wore both cassettes out. Both are awesome.
A little bit of trivia, I believe Ray Gillen was a member of one of the earliest incarnations of Blue Murder. I don't know what happened but he was gone before they ever recorded an album. (Kind of like Black Sabbath, Act II.) It was at some point thereafter that Gillen joined Badlands. As to the battle, can't say, not real familiar with either band.
John Sykes had recorded the demos with his vocals for producer Bob Rock telling him that he wanted Gillen to sing on the album. Rock, digging John's vocals, convinced Sykes to sing instead. Gillen's schedule was busy then and they wanted to move on. As I believe John did an excellent job, I can't imagine how awesome Gillen would've sounded on this album.
Both albums are fantastic but I have to say Blue Murder would be my preference cause I always loved that Whitesnake sound that Sykes had on the 1987 album and Whitesnake are one of my favorite bands so I naturally deviated towards Blue Murder more than Badlands even though I still love Badlands.
Oh wow, great battle. First time I'm viewing this series, looking forward to it because I am a huge fan of both records.
Both are legendary in my opinion and if I had to pick 1 song, it'd probably be Valley of the Kings. I just love those epic, 5+ minute tunes about ancient Egypt or mythology in general.
However, looking back I probably have to give the edge to Badlands but the margin is so slim. I think it's just a bit stronger top to bottom.
I understand why you'd pick Blue Murder, Sykes was all over that eponymous release - the first CD I ever bought, FYI. Sad he never got the proper recognition he deserved before he and the rest of the lads were unceremoniously canned. Still can't understand why John was let go, but you are the WS expert, you know.
For a first time viewer of this series you could not have made it any more difficult.
Thanks Pete, hope the next I view is a little easier because this was nearly impossible.
PRODUCTION: Blue Murder
SONGWRITING: Tie.
DRUMMING: Blue Murder(barely)
BASSWORK: Badlands
VOCALS: Badlands
GUITARWORK: Tie.
COVER ART: Blue Murder
ORIGINALITY: Badlands
Nicely done. I think I pretty much can agree with all of your points except songwriting. I still think the Badlands record was solid top to bottom, no filler.
You are 100% wrong. Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. He outperforms Jake and Ray by himself on guitar and vocals. The drumming goes to Carmine. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
Badlands for me ! Love Jake 🤘😜🤘
Blue Murder. Absolutely
J ai acheté les 2 le même jour à virgin.
Un peu Déçu par bleu murder.
Par contre, blown away Par Badlands.
RAY GILLEN.. INCROYABLE CHANTEUR. SON DE GUITARE ÉNORME. COMPOSITIONS SUBLIMES.
I knew you were going to pick Blue Murder (although there's no doubt you dig them both). How did I know? Well, imho you have a soft spot for Euro hard rock/heavy metal. Blue Murder has that Euro feel in spades due to Jon Sykes. Badlands is about as American as hard rock gets. If I was going to do a comparison I'd say Blue Murder reminds me of a slightly less commercial Whitesnake or early Rainbow while Badlands fits more in the Montrose (or even Van Halen) oeuvre (nickel word of the day). I bought both CD's when they 1st came out and both of them knocked me out. However, Badlands was the one I had to get everyone I knew to listen to, because it was a totally fresh throwback. I hadn't heard a hard rock guitarist with Jake E Lee's chops in a long time. His style hit my sweet spot so hard it blew my mind. Jon Sykes was (and still is) the epitome of a rockstar. He not only totally shreds on the guitar but he writes the songs AND sings them well. Badlands was a bit more of a band effort imo. Regardless, I can say with certainty that both of those CD's would have been monsters in the 70's and/or established Jon Sykes and Jake E Lee as two of the best axe-slingers around, bar none. I can imagine arguments about who was better; Jon Sykes or Richie Blackmore; Jake E Lee or Johnny Winter. I just thought of an idea for you Pete; top ten guitarists of your teens, 20's, and 30's and however far you want to go or parse it vs what you think now. I'm talking about what you believed at the time you were those ages compared to what you think now that you're older and wiser. I know my lists have changed.
Interesting match up Pete. I think I would pick Badlands. I think their sound is perhaps more retro, but it hasn't dated like Blue Murder which feels a little more rooted more to the 80s and has dated because of that. I enjoy both albums, but with Ray Gillens vocals, it is Badlands for me.
Pete,
This was my favorite of your "Classic Album Wars" series! Both great albums and two of my all-time faves.
How about: Michael Schenker Group self-titled album (1980) versus Gary Moore "Corridors of Power" (1982)?
Each featured a guitar hero trying to establish themselves on their own (though Moore had several albums out before this one)..
your awesome pete great vid
I love both but Blue Murder wins for me. The vocals and guitar from Sykes, Carmine’s drums and the killer bass work from Tony Franklin makes it one of my favorite albums of all time.
Badlands by knockout early first round!
Sykes KO's the entire Badlands band by himself. Jake E. Lee is one of my 10 favorite guitarists of All Time but you are wrong. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. The drumming is a push between Carmine and Eric Singer but Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
I give the win to BLUE MURDER, due to fact that Sykes had dual role as lead singer and lead guitar, Carmine's drums are a monster, as is Franklin's fretless bass playing and sound. Great production from Bob Rock.
I LOVE them both. It depends on my mood in that moment. To say ONE is better than the other would be disingenuous of me; or anybody else really.
BADLANDS for the Win
2 cracking albums
both albums are great. bandlands have some great tunes and blue murder got some killer tunes as well.
Arghhh!! What a battle!!! Two titanic releases. John Sykes, Jake E Lee!!! If must pick one I take Badlands debut album.
Awesome picks!!
Never seen Blue Murder, but in Austin, Tx Badlands and Bang Tango at the Basement. Fucking awesome!!!!!
Hands down the 2 most umderrated bands and albums of that decade. I saw Badlands twice and they blew the roof off both shows. Gotta go with Badlands for the win but you cannot lose with either one.
I'm a fan of both albums and owned both of them at the time. Jake was my favorite player at the time, but I was also a Sykes fan and still am. Both bands were top notch. As vocalists John and Ray are very different animals. John is what i'd call more of a power vocalists. He's got enough range but otherwise has a very good, better than average voice. Ray was of course more dynamic. Also, consider that John was doing double duty, but Ray was just a frontman, putting everything into his voice and stage presence. As far as bass players go, Chaisson is great, but Franklin is more dynamic, much more of a Jaco kind of player. His fingers just fly. When it comes to drums Eric and Carmine are great, but Carmine was just a total machine, a legend for a reason. What I loved about Badlands was I got to hear another side of my favorite guitar player. I knew of Jake as primarily a hard rock/metal player up till that first Badlands album. Now I got to hear my hero really exploring the roots rock influences that made him what he is. It demonstrated to me how much of a box Jake was stuck in with Ozzy. In Ozzy's band, everything revolves around Brand Ozzy. Sames goes for Whitesnake aka Coverdale, Inc. I love what John did with Blue Murder. Like Jake, he got to spread his wings and do something special. Definitely two of the best albums of 1989.
I have to go with Blue Murder. I'm a huge Badlands fan, But, my love for Sykes is way up there.
Never posted my own opinion to these classic album wars before so I'm gonna give it a go this time.
I had both of these albums when they were newly released. Blue Murder has been a personal favourite since day one. Maybe because I was not a huge fan of the blues influenced heavy rock (as I am today). But I will still easily choose Blue Murder over Badlands although I hate the muddy and noisy production of that album. Badlands sound much better. But the songs, the arrangements, the mood and the heavy groove of the songs on the Blue Murder album has rarely been heard since that record came out. Although there are some filler tracks there, too, at least in my opinion, the best tracks are still epic. Riot, Valley of the Kings (what a song!) and Ptolemy being my favourite tracks.
On the Badlands album I used to listen to Winter's Call over and over again. Phenomenal tack with a killer guitar riff that I just looooove.
So 1-14 1-16... no sorry, those numbers still don't make any sense to me. Sorry Pete! ;) I appreciate your attempt to explain but you only talked about 10, 9 and 8 points. Where did those 14 and 16 come from? But don't worry, I think we all get your point. “They are very close” seem to be the average conclusion.
I own six debut BADLANDS c.d.'s & one on lp record- my vote goes to bad ass BADLANDS....GOD BLESS ALL THE REAL MUSIC OF THE PAST- ROCK ON🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
I LOVE Blue Murder, but Badlands was an unstopple, unmatched band. Their three albums are all perfect.
Sykes basically crushes Badlands by himself. Tony Franklin on fretless bass destroys Greg Chaisson of Badlands. It's not even debatable. Sykes is a man among boys on lead guitar and lead vocals. He outperforms Jake and Ray by himself on guitar and vocals. The drumming goes to Carmine. The Blue Murder album is a 9.5 /10 and Badlands debut album is a 9/10 rating.
Jelly roll crazy song love it.
Two great flash-in-the-pan bands that should have been huge...
Love 'em both. John Sykes is a beast. But so is Jake E. Lee and I think the Badlands debut is the stronger album and is therefore going with me to the desert island.
Hahaha...I love it. Badlands is also going to my island as well. A must-have album, definitely!!!!
Wow. I feel really lucky to have bought the first 2 Badlands CD's for like $3.00 a piece (!!) in the discount bin at Streetlight Records in San Jose in the '90s before people realized what they were missing.
I’m thanked in the credits for the Badlands album (was a v young music journalist)
man, here's two one doesn't think of every day, but i have both.
First reaction is Badlands was more consistent with Blue Murder having half a disc of go to tunes.
BUT those tunes (Valley Of The Kings, Blue Murder spring to mind) were anthemic, mainly because of John Sykes, great vocals and off the charts guitar playing. This disc got daylight in the last 10 years. Badlands, all i really remember is Dreams In The Dark and on this, its the vocals i like best. ahhh, a tie.
Great to see both of these bands get some attention. I enjoy both, but Badlands gets my vote. The highs seem higher. “High Wire” and “Streets Cry Freedom” are epic and intense. Blue Murder has a nice, lush sound and great playing, but the songs don’t stand out to me as much; just really solid.
In my opinion Blue Murder had one of the best debut Hard Rock albums of all time!
i had both but badlands was the one that i kept going back too.
Damn! This is so close. I love both of these albums but, gun to my head, I think I'd go Badlands.
Blue Murder, just for Sykes guitar playing, let alone his awesome vocals and the rest of the band
For me Blue Murder by a mile.
Both are GREAT! I might give the edge to Badlands, by a fraction. If you add Voodoo Highway, Badlands smokes ‘em.
Blue Murder for me. Two very good albums from 1989, and two bands that should have been way bigger, but IMO it has to be Blue Murder (kicks the ass off Slip of the Tongue that Mercenary Whitesnake made around the same time) , Sykes work is incredible all over Blue Murder as is Franklin and Appice's, and Bob Rock's production is killer.
The Badlands album is top notch but that Blue Murder album is incredible.
I love both, yet Badlands is something I still listen to today. Would of probably loved that Blue Murder record more if Ray Gillen would of stayed in the band.
He was also in Blue Murder, Black Sabbath, Savage, and Sun Red Sun.
I bought these two on the same day and I loved them both. I was amazed how good Sykes' voice was, but it was a little slick and over-produced for me (I knew they wouldn't be able recreate that sound live, which they got criticised for). Badlands though definitely my cup of tea, loved Jake's playing and Ray's voice was amazing. Upset when I found out the reason that the back catalogue is no longer available, and whilst Ray's behaviour was deplorable I try not to let it ruin my enjoyment of the albums. So, Badlands wins the day for me.
I have both on cassette still from back in the day as they came out my senior year in High school in 1989.
Both had great songs and chemistry within thier respective members. Blue Murder has the mystique and Badlands the bluesy backbone. Too hard to select.
Just wanted to put in two more cents. I don't think either band really had a chance because both kind of came from the same place. While Blue Murder had a more contemporary sound, both bands hearkened back to a 70s world, which is not what record labels wanted in 1989. So it's a miracle either band, nevermind both, got deals with major labels. Had Badlands or Blue Murder started out maybe four or five years earlier, maybe they would have had more of a chance to catch some wind in their sails. But that was not to be. Also, consider that part of what got these acts record deals was the legacy of the players involved. Jake was arguably the star of Badlands, fresh of a five year stint with Ozzy, while Sykes had a rep as a great player going back to Tygers of Pan Tang, which grew with this one-year Thin Lizzy stint, then was solidified with his Whitesnake run of Slide it In and the 1987 album. Even if Sykes didn't have a falling out with Coverdale and did the massive '87-'88 tour, I still don't think that would have put enough rocket fuel in his career to make much of a difference. Had Jake done one more album and tour with Ozzy before embarking on Badlands I think the difference would have been negligible. As I said, the music industry just wasn't that accommodating to legacy collaborations of this nature. Although Whitesnake as a project had plenty of this DNA, Coverdale thoroughly adapted the 80s big hairband aesthetic and ditched the bluesy roots of his career. Jake and Badlands were clearly focused on the music. Blue Murder was too, but they were more willing to crank up the Aqua Net while Badlands was trying to get away from it.
Never knew or heard any of these Pete, are they still available? I will have to look around.
Gut wrencher pick. I love Jake but John absolutely kills it here. I gotta go Blue Murder. Slightly stronger album overall. Agree, both bands should have been huge. Better than anything else going on at the time.
Pete, what did you think of the Kownacki-Arreola fight on Saturday at Barclays?
Badlands for me. But Blue Murder is incredible too.
I think that the Blue Murder album is the better studio album but they couldn't quite reproduce the sounds in a live setting.
For me, the killer punch is Black Hearted Woman, Sykes' best vocals saved for last--the best Whitesnake song never made!
I loved seeing Badlands live, this album much easier to duplicate in a live setting--and easier to improv upon, if and when necessary.
Love badlands
Good vid🤘Ashamed to say I dont own BlueMurder😔Gonna have to get that one.👍
Both killer. Hard to call.