LOVE/HATE – Before The Blackout [AorBlvd Records 500 copies / Japan Edition +2] *the Real one*

Some time ago LOVE/HATE in conjunction with AorBlvd Records released a collection of demos that they did in 1986-87 on a CD entitled ”Before The Blackout”. As its title implies, these are the songs / demos LOVE/HATE wrote and recorded before their major label debut LP ‘Blackout in the Red Room’.
If you never liked LOVE/HATE’s musical style, you better check ”Before The Blackout”, you’ll be surprised. and in a good way.
Many of the songs have a very mid-80s rock&pop, melodic feel. Indeed, at places, we’re talking an almost rough Duran Duran meets The Cult! Some of these never have been released before, others later recorded by the band with different arrangements.
On “Before The Blackout” we find ‘Why Do You Think’, the very early version of LOVE/HATE’s hit ‘Why Do You Think They Call It Dope’, as part of the bonus tracks on this now mega-rare Japanese Edition.
The sound quality is very good.

“Before The Blackout” looks back at the band’s formation and recording history that goes further back into the early ’80s starting off as Data Clan who recorded an extremely rare EP and even performed a short tour of Japan.
In the later half of the decade together with a hard working attitude, the band established a reputation on the tough Sunset Strip club gig scene, drafting in Ratt bassist Juan Croucier to produce working demos. This period saw the band influenced and transforming into some of the most innovative styles of rock music, with lyrical topics of lifestyle and self survival in CA with a deeper gritty dark side.

In 1990, the grunge scene is in its later stage of infancy, Love/Hate released their official debut ‘Blackout in the Red Room’ with producer Tom Werman (Cheap Trick, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister). Instantly well received and MTV rotation paid off as this led to supporting tours to AC/DC and Dio, as well as outstanding sales in the UK.

This collection “Before The Blackout”, as the name indicates is material recorded before the debut album, mainly recorded in 1986-87.
First up is ‘Date With Fate‘ which sounds nothing like Love/Hate especially with regards Jizzy Pearl’s vocals, which take on Ian Astbury feel! In fact The Cult comparison also holds for the song sounding like it could be on the Astbury & Co LP ‘Love’.

‘Extreme‘ opens up sounding even more like The Cult although the Jizzy voice I knew and loved starts to emerge. Next up is one of the songs that made it on to the second album Wasted in America. We are treated to an insight into how this song started as ‘Tranquiliser‘ emerges in a goth rock version. I loved this song on Wasted in America and it really rocks in its final version.
‘I’ve Got To Dream‘ is almost poppy, and while ‘Good Ship Dolly Rock‘ still has that 80s radio feel – laden with keyboards, yeah that’s right – keyboards on a Love/Hate song – here you can see the emergence of the sound that eventually got signed.
‘Reincarnated‘ returns to the familiar The Cult sound of the earlier songs and that UK’s 1984 vocal style.

‘Skid Row Gypsy‘ is the start of the material which is more recognisably Love/Hate. It’s a slow moving number with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars and Jizzy starting to sound like Jizzy! However, in the next number ‘Recognised‘, Jizzy sounds like a crooner, a dynamic song dance-style track with the funky bass and drums.

Next we do get to here the real early Love/Hate with ‘Soul House‘ which is a bluesy rocker with Jizzy raising the stakes with the vocals at last. The emergence continues with ‘The Outside‘ with the funky bass and heavy guitar, although it does have some keyboards.
‘Gypsy Love‘ sounds like it could have been a demo for ‘Blackout in the Redroom’ although much more melodic compared with the ferociousness of that album.

The next song ‘My Girl‘ has some great keyboards, a song with a real single potential for 1986 and is very cool – in fact it sounds a little like Loverboy and consequently nothing like Love/Hate.
We then are treated to the embryonic classic Love/Hate sound in ‘Love Burns‘. Musically and lyrically this is classic Love/Hate and starts and rocks along on a funky rhythm before changing into a driving chorus rhythm.

We then have the Japanese release bonus tracks; ‘Angel‘ an early version of the track ‘She’s An Angel’ from the Red Room album. Apart from the intro the song structurally is similar to that which eventually appeared.
The closing song is a classic Love/Hate number namely ‘Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?‘ … with keyboards! Again this early take sticks structurally to the arrangement from the Red Room album and I quite like the keyboard parts. It isn’t quite as ferocious as the album version but good none the less.

”Before The Blackout” is a must have for Love/Hate fans, but also very, very interesting for ’80s music listeners, and of course, collectors. This CD is impossible to find now.
Only at 0dayrox

01. Date With Fate
02. Extreme
03. Tranquilliser
04. I’ve Got To Dream
05. Good Ship Dolly Rock
06. Reincarnated
07. Skid Row Gypsy
08. Recognised
09. Soul House
10. The Outside
11. Love Burns
12. My Girl
13. Gypsy Love
Japanese Release Only Bonus:
14. Angel
15. Why Do You Think… (They Call It Dope)

Jim Wilkinson aka Jizzy Pearl (lead vocals)
Skid Rose (bass, keyboards, backing vocals)
Jon E. Love (guitar, backing vocals)
Joey Gold (drums)

out of Print