Money & the Magic 2

Hated by the media in general, Girl may have folded after only two albums, but they have certainly leant some colorful characters to the Metal world throughout the Eighties. Phil Collen to Def Leppard, Phil Lewis to LA Guns, and now it's the turn of guitarist Gerry Laffy, who, what I believe is his debut solo LP, looks set to be a rising British start of the Nineties.

	*"Definitely one to watch."* -Jerry Ewing Metal Hated by the media in general, Girl may have folded after only two albums, but they have certainly leant some colorful characters to the Metal world throughout the Eighties. Phil Collen to Def Leppard, Phil Lewis to LA Guns, and now it's the turn of guitarist Gerry Laffy, who, what I believe is his debut solo LP, looks set to be a rising British start of the Nineties.	Working alongside bass player Tony Forsythe and drummer Bryson Graham, with Laffy handling guitar and vocal duties, "Money and the Magic" is a strong affair with much to offer, but so far he's remained largely unnoticed by the British public. Featuring the guesting talents of Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats), John Taylor (I presume Duran Duran) and brother Simon Laffy (also from Girl), "Money and the Magic" represents a fine blend of melodic AOR style rock, a smattering of glam, and the more hard driving rock perveyed by the likes of UFO. The title track itself sets a general trend with it's catchy hookline and quirky vocal sounds from Laffy, whose nasally vocals gain character as the album
			progresses. Strong rockers like "Search and Destroy", "Secret Mission" and "Shoot 'Em Down" are off set by the funky "Love You" and the ballads "Mr. Man" and "Mandy", all proving Laffy is no dumb hand when it comes to penning classy material. The fact that there has been little to promote "Money and the Magic" I find particularly odd, considering just how good it is. The production isn't bad at all, but I do wonder just what Laffy would've come up with given the backing of a major label. Whatever, Laffy has certainly got himself off to a decent start musically, and even at this stage is deserving of more than his present status suggests. Definitley one to watch. -Jerry Ewing Metal
In my capacity as occasional tea boy in Shades a customer - a fellow Angel fan - asked me whether Gerry Laffy's solo album was any good. I couldn't honestly tell him, because with a massive influx of hot import albums to deal with nobody had bothered to find out. Wherever he is now I hope that man with taste got something out of buying this record 'blind', because former Girl and London Cowboys guitarist Laffy has put out a really good record.'Money And The Magic' is full of melodic hard rock with a heavy flavoring of mid-'70s Glam. 'Mandy', for instance, is definitely from somewhere in the Ziggy-era Bowie area, and the throwaway rock 'n' roll of 'Search and Destroy' reeks of '72 Alice, possibly as a result of guest vocals supplied by Steve Dior. But the album's title track alone is worth the purchase price, adventurous guitars up and at 'em, charging at the guns like 17th/21st Lancers in the Crimean War, Laffy's non vocals strangely addictive. Add to this the LA Guns-with-brains-like riffing of 'Secret Mission' and 'Can't Leave You' and the Ultra Pop sounding 'Shoot 'Em Down' and you've got a great little package that competes strongly with any of these bloody imports. This is a seriously good record. * * * * Dave Reynolds *Kerrang!*