LITA FORD – Out For Blood + Dancin’ On The Edge [2-in-1 BGO Records digitally remastered]

And here’s more requested LITA FORD classic albums, the very good two-fer CD digitally remastered BGO Records release including the Lita 1983’s debut “Out For Blood“ and follower ’84 “Dancin’ On The Edge“.
Both albums show Ford’s skill as guitarist and rocker, but she had to wait until later in the decade to score her first mainstream major hit singles.

Lita Ford’s debut album “Out For Blood” is an interesting one. We are all familiar – more or less – with the Lita Ford circa 1988, with the singles ”Kiss Me Deadly” and ”Close My Eyes Forever” that pushed her to major stardom.
This debut LP is a far cry from the polished Melodic Hard Rock Lita put out in the late ’80s to early-’90s. “Out For Blood” is raw hard rock / ‘metal’ as it was called back in 1983, with a feel similar to Quiet Riot or Twisted Sister.
However, Lita isn’t that heavy but more hard rockin’, and production on “Out For Blood” wasn’t that stellar.
This modern remastering job turn things much better.

Musically, there are some real gems here: the kickin’ title track ”Out For Blood”, the punchy ”On The Run”, and atmospheric midtempo ”Just A Feeling”. I’m surprised that ”Just A Feeling” wasn’t a big hit single, it’s a great ballad that probably would have definitely been huge three or four years down the line.
It’s obvious that these songs the building block that Lita will build her career on, the three aforementioned songs being a look into the future sound Ford would create.

Now seeing it in perspective, it is incredible how rapidly the ‘sound’ and production styles changed in the US Rock industry during the ’80s. “Dancin’ On The Edge”, recorded only one year after, is a quite different beast. The sonics here are much more polished, the the overall feeling, more ear candy.
“Dancin’ On The Edge” was produced by Lance Quinn, who also did Bon Jovi’s first two albums.

The connection doesn’t ends there; Ford’s new back up band included skilled drummer Randy Castillo (who later played for Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe), but the rest are Bon Jovi-related cats.

Bass player is Hugh McDonald, who is currently the bassist for Bon Jovi but also recorded (uncredited) on various songs on the early albums, on keyboards there’s talented Canadian Aldo Nova who also helped to shape Bon Jovi’s early sound, and with the name ‘Geoff Leib’ appears the great Jeff Paris, providing a ‘synthesizer background‘ for Lita’s “Dancin’ On The Edge”, updating her sound according to times (1984).

On “Dancin’ On The Edge” we get the smokin’ single ‘Gotta Let Go’ and “Lady Killer” (both videos in heavy rotation on MTV), the great melodic / rocking title track, “Fire In My Heart”, “Don’t Let Me Down Tonight” and “Hit And Run”, among the highlights.
Lita’s vocals are way more focused and powerful here. I think she also manages to somewhat establish her own guitar style as well.
“Dancin’ On The Edge” reached No. 66 of the US Billboard 200 chart, and resulted in Ford’s first nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 1985.

After all these years, hum, decades, there has never been any question with me that Lita Ford can sing and play some slick guitar licks. Any hard rock fan from this early ’80s era who says they never played some air guitar to a Lita Ford album is, well, their nose is growing by the second. It’s time to come clean, my fellow Metalhead air guitar brothers…
On these 2 first solo albums Lita Ford really lets loose some melodic leads and cool riffs while not being shy of laying down some psyche-you-out solos.

Regardless of anyone’s personal opinion to the contrary, Lita Ford’s 2 first albums represents an important and historic chapter in US Metal and Hard Rock history, in my humble opinion.
Back in 1983, there wasn’t an abundance of female Rock vocalists out there… especially one’s that played some lean and mean guitar like Lita.

I took to Lita Ford from the onset and no, it wasn’t all due to her looking so hot (well, it did help). Hey, a hot blooded seventeen year old Metalhead in 1983 is gonna have his fantasy crushes and Lita Ford caused quite abuzz amongst my buddies too back then.
Heck, with the likes of Ozzy, Angus, Lemmy and Cronos staring at me from the pages of mags and posters back then, seeing Lita Ford grace an album cover was much more easier on my eyes!
Lita Ford, along with her former Runaways band mate Joan Jett, (and I can never forget) Pat Benatar, all made me realize those many years ago, that yes, girls can really… ROCK.
HIGHLY Recommended

Out For Blood remastered:
01 – Out For Blood
02 – Stay With Me Baby
03 – Just A Feeling
04 – Ready, Willing And Able
05 – Die For Me Only (Black Widow)
06 – Rock & Roll Made Me What I Am Today
07 – If You Can’t Live With It
08 – On The Run
09 – Any Way That You Want Me
10 – I Can’t Stand It

Lita Ford – lead & rhythm guitars, lead vocals
Neil Merryweather – bass, harmony vocals, backing vocals, producer
Dusty Watson – drums, backing vocals

Dancin’ On The Edge remastered:
11 – Gotta Let Go
12 – Dancin’ On The Edge
13 – Dressed To Kill
14 – Hit ‘n Run
15 – Lady Killer
16 – Still Waitin’
17 – Fire In My Heart
18 – Don’t Let Me Down Tonight
19 – Run With The $

Lita Ford – guitars, vocals
Hugh McDonald – bass
Randy Castillo – drums
Geoff Leib – synthesizer, backing vocals
Robbie Kondor, Aldo Nova – synthesizer

BUY
www.amazon.com/Lita-Ford-Blood-Dancing-Edge/dp/B000PUB23Y