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Diesel & Power

Backyard Babies - Diesel & Power Audio CD

A fair review of the Backyard Babies "Diesel & Power" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Backyard Babies reviews here, or go back to the Backyard Babies tabs.

Band: Backyard Babies
Title: Diesel & Power
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-01-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Smell the Magic 2: Bad to the Bone 3: Strange Kind of Attitude 4: Diesel and Power 5: Love 6: Wild Dog 7: Fly Like a Little... 8: Electric Suzy 9: Kickin' Up Dust 10: Should I Be Damned 11: Fill Up This Bad Machine 12: Heaven in Hell 13: Shame 14: Lies [*] 15: Electric Suzy [Multimedia Track]

Sweden's Finest Hard Rock

The album is not perfect, it starts out with a long intro "Smell The Magic/Bad To The Bone" that is to me tiresome and boring, but song 2 "Strange Kind Of Attitude" kicks into gear and only the 3rd song "Diesel And Power" lets you down again, although it's not that bad of a song it slows the pace too soon for me and I usually skip over it. This one from '94 (their proper debut) is one of my fav BB Cd's, very raw and just great hard rock on the verge of punk, but more often than not I refer to them as a sleaze type hard rock band, more along the lines of Guns 'N Roses, or a band that put out a great Cd in '94 - Tesla at this point of their career.
"Love" is a great song complete with horns and an upbeat feel. "Wild Dog" is a rocker for sure with a shout along chorus. "Fly Like A Little. . . " is another fav on this one; a groove along song that blooms into a great bridge to chorus section. "Electric Suzy" is the punk vibe shining through a bit, love this song also. "Kickin' Up Dust", and "Fill Up This Bad Machine" are 2 others near the latter half of the Cd that are favs and full of energy. "Should I Be Damned" in another great hard rocker full of guitars and a great chorus. "Shame" is another song I could do without, perhaps similar to the Diesel and Power song, but this was recorded back when they were very young, and still you get 8 or 9 great songs here (and it's only the beginning for them!)

The reissue features the song "Lies" which I already have on the Demons box, it's a nice little song that they did around this time that's a nice addition to the reissue. I would have also liked the reissue to include a couple other songs addded or redone like "God's Favourite", "Juicy Lucy", or "Like A Child" which were on the Demons box also in place of track one, or tacked on at the end; but overall a nice repackage of a great hard rock album that came out long before the so called "rock revival" of the late 90's into 2000 and perhaps still going on. These guys along with The Wildhearts were overlooked and still are as great rock bands IMO. .

The Perlis of rock n roll decadence!
It's more bluesy sounding than their follow-up, Total 13 but still has those raw punk elements too. Simply the greatest album that Guns N' Roses didn't release! As a long time BYB fan I've been listening to their albums for about 6-7 yrs now and this one is without doubt my favourite.
7/10. Smell the Magic: Insturumental, leads into next track.
9/10. Bad to the Bone: Slow, Powerful, Bluesy, balls-out rocker.
10/10. Strange Kind of Attitude: Catchy lyrics, sweet solo's
10/10. Diesel and Power: Slow bluesy number that takes no prisoners! (2nd fave for me)
8/10. Love: Really catchy great little song.
8/10. Wild Dog: Good solid rocker
6/10. Fly Like a Little. . . If this album has a weak point then here it is.
7/10. Electric Suzy: this one would fit right in on Total 13
7/10. Kickin' Up Dust: Another great traditional rnr number
10/10. Should I Be Damned: Solid gold! (best song for me)
9/10. Fill Up This Bad Machine: Trasitional fast and slow rocker.
10/10. Heaven in Hell: Hard but ballad like gem.
9/10. Shame: Probably the 2nd heaviest, bit of en epic to close the album
8/10. Lies: Bonus Track but just as worthy as any other,certinly not a b-side.

Basically if you love Appetite For Destuction, buy Diesel and Power, you won't be dissapointed. You may just discover your new favourite band!!
.

Great Great Great
While we Americans got that grunge crap that I never & will never like, Sweden was getting BYB! I should have moved! American rock is such crap compared to what other countries have to offer. Steven you are correct. Backyard Babies is by far the best band around doing real rock n roll in your face kick ass music! This is a great debut record. I got into BYB when I saw them play Coney Island High in NYC & I heard Look At You & that was it I have been hooked ever since. I have tried looking for Diesel & Power everywhere with no luck. I finally found it on Amazon & I had to have it. I just got it & I can't stop playing it! My favourites are Love, Electric Suzy & Fill Up This Bad Machine & the Lies version on here reminds me of Hanoi Rocks' Don't Ever Leave Me. But in a class all by itself. Nicke Borg again great vocals! Jani Lane, Bret Michaels & Jon Bon Jovi all laying there wishing & praying they could sound this great! Nicke blows them all away & with Dregen on guitar an unbeatable combo. This ain't no Warrant you got that right, this is real blow your clothes off music from real men that know how to play & write songs! Those bands are long gone & BYB are still here tells you something doesn't it? Great band, every record just gets better & better. Buy everything you can find on this band you won't be disappointed. This is a great debut record & thanx to Amazon I finally got it!!!!! I love it & will cherish it forever. I can't stop playing it!! Neither will you, go buy it!.

THE RETURN OF ROCK!
from start to finish, this album has great stuff on it. this album rules! it doesnt quite beat the Babies' 2nd album, Total 13, but theres no denying that with this debut lp the world was in for some serious rocking! theres definite hero worship all over this one, with a lot of the vocals sounding very much in the GunsnRoses and Dogs D'Amour vein. my personal faves being Strange Kind of Attitude, Love, and of course Electric Suzy. but honestly, this whole cd is a gem of a recording. i urge anyone who really LOVES rocknroll to pick this up!.

And This Came Out in '94?
They were still pretty young when this was released. Unbelievable! The BB's debut. . . around early 20's perhaps? To me, this was a good place for them to start as far as putting out a debut full length album. They seemed bent on heading in the right direction, just refining their sound and getting to the next level with good hard rock.

I got into this band after reading their name in a Spaceage Playboys review in Metal Edge Magazine, and on a whim bought Total 13. . soon I had to have Diesel and Power! This CD is loaded with guitars, hooks, sing along chorus's. I like to it just as much as the newer BB's releases, it has a more gritty hard rock sound, perhaps not as polished production wise as the later albums by them, but it still has Backyard Babies written all over it. There's probably 4 or 5 singles I hear, but what do I know, huh? ! "Strange Kind of Attitude", chugging along at a furious pace. Then along comes "Fly like a. . . " kinda a Drivn' and Cryn' type hook heavy chorus galore gem that sounds great at 60 MPH on the highway. "Electric Suzy" is almost punk and is the most electric song out there . . "Kickin' Up Dust" is also one of my favs from the album. "Should I be Damned" is another radio friendly miss and at the end of the CD I love "Heaven in Hell" kinda a ballad/rocker type thing that does work.

Overall it's one of my favorite albums of 94, and here I was ready to declare Tesla's Bust a Nut as the champion, go out and get this , order it , enjoy it loudly.

You can see a complete list of all Backyard Babies discography, or go back to the Backyard Babies tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.