THE KICK – Heartland ’87 [CD reissue] *HQ*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ 1 /// HQ 2

As requested, here’s British rockers THE KICK 1987’s album “Heartland“, originally released in Japan only and later appeared in Europe in the early ’90s. THE KICK was one of the many bands founded by Ten Years After bassist Leo Lyons (he has produced as well records for UFO, Magnum, Waysted, Frankie Miller, and many more.)
This time with THE KICK, which genesis was around 1983-84, the style of the moment was melodic hard rock and Lyons, alongside former Michael Schenker Group keyboardist Andy Nye, and singer / guitarist Tony Crooks wrote a bunch of infectious catchy tunes in the vein of China Sky, Dare, Roko, etc, however all done with a cool twist.
On drums there’s Dave Dowle (formerly in Magnum) and Kex Gorin (formerly in early Whitesnake), so expect seasoned musicianship, expert songwriting and a very polished production sound.
We mentioned above ‘a cool twist’, and THE KICK does here Melodic Rock but with a ZZ TOP’s “Eliminator” vibe. Just check out songs such as ‘This Can’t Be Love’ or the pumping AOR of ‘She’s Got It All’ – wow, that’s good!

‘Do You Know’, ‘Don’t Fool Around’, title track ‘Heartland’, ‘Louise’, etc, are very good too, from a band not so much known among fans of the genre but worth to discover. THE KICK first gig was a festival in Hamburg, playing in front of 12,000 people. Following this, they continued to tour extensively for several years throughout the mid 90s, during which time they released another album.
Lyons continued producing other artists and in early 2000’s Ten Years After reunited, and THE KICK split.
Highly Recommended

01 – Do You Know The Feeling
02 – This Can’t Be Love
03 – She’s Got It All
04 – Heartland
05 – Livin’ It Up
06 – See You On The T.V.
07 – Louise
08 – On The Beach
09 – Don’t Fool Around With Love
10 – Working In A Parking Lot

Tony Crooks – Vocals, Guitar
Leo Lyons – Bass (formerly in Ten Yers After)
Andy Nye – Keyboards (formerly in Michael Schenker Group)
Dave Dowle – Drums (formerly in Magnum)
Kex Gorin – Additional Drums, backing vocals (formerly in Whitesnake)

Out of print