Spotlight - Hybrid Ice
In the eight years that I've been writing about rock 'n' roll music,
most of what I've written about Hybrid Ice wasn't official.
I wasn't in touch with any of the band members during the early part
of my writing career, back when I was doing the cheap little, black and white,
xeroxed, fanzine thing...none of which exist anymore except for the
master copies of three issues, which are buried deep in my "junk" room
on the third floor of my house.
Since I had this album on record...although it was a recorded cassette
copy that I was listening to...I thought, well, some of these people I'm
in touch with outside of Pennsylvania probably aren't familiar with Hybrid
Ice and I felt that it was my duty to inform them. After all, every state
that I had connections in all had their "big thing" at the time.
Anyway, since the Hybrid Ice reunion is now in full swing, now
is a good time to take another look at what really made this band
what they are today...their original music.
What can be said about their self titled, debut release that
hasn't already been said? It's a legendary album that still
holds up well even after twenty years. That was obvious
when this record only release finally made it on to compact
disc two years ago. It was clear that these songs held up
exceptionally well. The two additional bonus tracks, "Looking Glass"
and "Test Of Time," which featured Bernie Garzio, who is
also taking part in the reunion tour, offered us a look
into what Hybrid Ice would have sounded like if they
would have made album number three.
The debut album is mostly known for the tune "Magdelene," which
Boston later re-recorded. Personally, I think the track
that made this album was "Do You Believe In Rock 'N' Roll" because,
after all, that's what Hybrid Ice was...a rock 'n' roll band.
Okay, they might have been considered a bit in the progressive
vein, which is something you can't really argue with.
But, still, no matter what label you wanna stick 'em with,
it all boils down to rock 'n' roll. Kiss had their
"Rock 'N' Roll All Night," AC/DC had "Highway To Hell,"
Ozzy Osbourne had "Crazy Train," Rush had "Tom Sawyer,"
Alice Cooper had "School's Out" and Hybrid Ice had
"Do You Believe In Rock 'N' Roll." Of course, if you dig
deeper into the album, there's quite a lot to take in.
The other straight forward rock song was, of course,
"Rock 'N' Roll Forever" and the other ballad,
besides "Magdelene," was "Please Tell Maryann."
How about the epic, keyboard driven "Castle Walls,"
you've gotta admit, that was a cool song. So was the rest
of the album..."On We Go," "Think It Over," "Wounded" and
"Heart Of The Night." This album will forever be a part of
the musical history of Pennsylvania and the music that
Rusty Folke, Robert Scott, Rick Klinger, Jeff Willoughby
and Chris Alburger created together will live on...forever.
Now, when you mention Hybrid Ice, it's usually that first album
that people always seem to remember. But, as I'm sure most of
you know, there was a second album and, in my opinion, "No Rules"
was just as good as the first one. But, this release isn't held
in the same regard as the first one. You never hear anyone
talking about that classic or legendary second album. I think
the reason "No Rules" didn't quite have the same impact is
because it was released on record, cassette and compact disc
where as "Hybrid Ice" was only available on record.
Anyway, as I said, I feel this album was just as good as the
debut. I mean, really, let's take a look at it. It had the
same style and sound as the debut. I mean, come on, when you
hear these songs, you know it's Hybrid Ice. But, it's not a
carbon copy of the debut. There's really no "Magdelene" here.
The closest you get to a ballad is ""I'll Be Waiting" or
"I Won't Be Far Away." As for the rest of the album, I could
see every one of these songs as a number one single. "Never Comin' Back,"
"Fallen Angel," "Scars On My Heart," "Fool Me Twice,"
"The Night Is Still Young," "It's Only Love" and "Poor Little Rich Girl"
are all cool songs. There's not a bad song on the entire album.
"No Rules" also featured a cover of "Secret Dreams," which
was from the second Bon Jovi album. It almost sounds as if this
song was made for Hybrid Ice. All in all, this was another solid,
well rounded album that still holds up rather well today.
If you wanna see just how well these songs hold up, be sure to
catch one of the reunion shows and whoever said that you can't go
home again, well, they can go to hell. Hybrid Ice is back in
action once again and one thing's for sure, the magic is back!
On the web:
http://www.hybridice.com