The Alarm - Raw

Wednesday 2nd January 2002
The Alarm - Raw
The Alarm - Raw

STYLE: Rock
RATING 6 6 6 6 6 6
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 4415-4543
LABEL: IRS 21C016
FORMAT: CD Album

Reviewed by Steve Best

The last Alarm studio album ever, 'Raw' from 1991was preceded by 1990's greatest hits package 'Standards'. Internal arguments resulted in the writing being split so that Mike Peters and bassist Eddie Macdonald would contribute three songs, guitarist Dave Sharp and drummer Nigel Twist would put in three and the remaining songs would be group compositions, with a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" - ironically the album standout track by far - making up the running order. Unsurprisingly the results were disjointed and the band grew collectively more and more disheartened as recording progressed. Poignantly this re-issue concludes with an acoustic version of "Walk Forever By My Side", the last song the band ever recorded together, and up to now, never released. A sad end for one of the great live and studio bands. Wales best ever export, bar none.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Sample Track Listing:
1. The Road [Listen]
4. The Wind Blows Away My Words [Listen]
5. Unsafe Building (1990) [Listen]
13. Up For Murder (1990) [Listen]
14. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) [Listen]
15. Walk Forever By Myself [Listen]

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.