I guess it's about time I posted something this year, isn't it? I thought I'd start off with one of my favourite songs off of my favourite 54-40 album, "Come Here" from the band's second album Show Me (1987). Pictured at right is the cover of the cassette version of the record, because that's the version I had when I first bought it. The cassette release had a couple of extra songs on it, "Because Of You" and "Open Fire." "Because Of You" is also among my favourite 54-40 songs. I didn't realize for years that these were extra tracks. They weren't at the end of the album like bonus tracks usually are; they were in the middle of Side 2. The first time I heard a digital version of the album (see link below) I was like, "Where's 'Because Of You'??!!" It wasn't there! It was only then that I saw in very small print on the back of the cassette case that it was an "additional song."

54-40 was still touring behind their first album the first time I saw them live, in the summer of 1987 at the Diamond Club in Toronto. But Show Me was only a couple of months away from release, and the band was already doing songs from it in their set. The singles from this album -- "One Day In Your Life" and "One Gun" -- are a couple of their top tracks, while "Come Here", "Because Of You" and "Walk In Line" have always been personal favourites of mine.

The chord chart:
https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/crd/5440-comehere.txt

Audio ("Come Here" starts at 30:18 mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFAFo1spXAw

"Ready To Love Again" comes from Harlequin's third studio album One False Move (1982), an album that included the songs "Superstitious Feeling" and "I Did It For Love" as singles. While not released as a single, "Ready To Love Again" was included on the CD issue of the band's Greatest Hits (1988) album as a bonus track. The best-of album was originally released in 1986 as Radio Romances on LP and cassette, then later re-issued on CD in 1988 under a new title and with four bonus tracks.

Tabbed here is the song's Intro. There are actually two guitar parts on the Intro, one playing the riff and one playing lead parts, but since there's very little overlap, I've combined it into one part.


HARLEQUIN - "Ready To Love Again"     (G. Belanger/G. Willows)

https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/annesblog/canriffs.txt


Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZnAPalC38E

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"Going Under" is the opening track of Girlschool's fourth studio album Play Dirty (1983), their last album with Bronze Records in the UK. This album is generally noted for a significant change in the band's sound from punk-influenced metal to a more polished, radio-friendly sound, including the addition of keyboard on a number of the tracks. The overall sound and production is often compared to that of Def Leppard.

This change in direction resulted in the album drawing plenty of criticism. According to various reviews, some people rate this as Girlschool's worst album. I'm definitely not one of those people, I've always heard lots to like on Play Dirty. As Kelly Johnson's guitar playing goes, this album may be her best recorded work. Maybe the different style of this album even further showcased the great melodic sense, phrasing and vibrato Kelly had in her playing. Also, something about this album always reminds me of Queen. Some of the guitar playing has a Brian May-esque sound and stye, and the after-show party Outro of "Breakout (Knob In the Media)" is very reminiscent of the after-show party Outro of Queen's "Let Me Entertain You" from their Jazz album. (And in what is certainly a pure coincidence, "Let Me Entertain You" boasts that "We found the right location, Got a lot of pretty lights", while "Going Under" suggests to "Stow away the promise of pretty lights.")  Considering Play Dirty was produced by Slade's Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, it's probably not surprising to hear influences of other British glam rockers in the music.

"Going Under" has long been one of my favourite songs by Girlschool. It's a very well-constructed track with lots going on guitar-wise...arpeggios, power chords, lead lines and fills, layers of harmonized guitar on the Outro and an impeccably phrased, succinct guitar solo.

Unfortunately, Girlschool didn't play this song live. It's too bad because it would have made a great live number, giving people a chance to hear a more stripped down (by necessity), rawer version of the song. Lyrically, "Going Under" seems to foreshadow Kelly Johnson's imminent departure from the band and subsequent move to Los Angeles ("No time to stay, I've got to run", "I've found a city that burns my eyes".)

All in all, "Going Under" is the strongest track on Play Dirty and among the best in Girlschool's entire song catalogue.


The tab: https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/girlschooltab/goingunder.txt

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng-EETLzKj4

 
 
 The chord chart: https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/crd/lanoisdaniel-underastormysky.txt


 Audio (album version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzlpaz-8-j4


 Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFCjds--pJI