PHANTOM BLUE – Phantom Blue [Japanese Edition] (1989) -HQ- *actual CD*

The REAL one

By the mid-Eighties, Rock was a genre primarily dominated by male musicians, but that started to change since then, especially in America, where all-female rockers were some kind of sensation. PHANTOM BLUE was perhaps the heavier from the lot, an all-female heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1988.
PHANTOM BLUE were the first and only female artists to be signed to Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records, only three months after forming. The label was looking for a different act with commercial potential, but still heavy. Guitarists Michelle Meldrum and Nicole Couch were students of Paul Gilbert & Bruce Bouillet of Racer X, and they arranged the Varney connection.

PHANTOM BLUE recorded their self-titled first album with the help of producer Steve Fontano and fellow Shrapnel label mate, Marty Friedman, released 1989. Roadrunner Records, who owned the bands European distribution rights, were responsible for the band shooting a video for the single “Why Call It Love?” and a successful European tour followed.
“Phantom Blue” rocks with a metallic edge, and despite the members’ looks on the cover art, all songs are pretty aggressive.
Be aware there’s a fake file floating the net claiming to be the Japanese CD Edition which in fact it’s a flat vinyl rip. This is taken from the actual, original Japanese pressing CD.

01 – Going Mad
02 – Last Shot
03 – Why Call It Love?
04 – Frantic Zone
05 – Slow It Down
06 – Walking Away
07 – Fought It Out
08 – Never Too Late
09 – Out Of Control

Gigi Haganach – vocals
Michelle Meldrum – guitars
Nicole Couch – guitars
Kim Nielsen – bass
Linda McDonald – drums

Mike Mani, Dan Meblin – keyboards
Jennifer Hall – background vocals

Produced by Steve Fontano and Marty Friedman

out of print