Review - Legacy - Pitriff

Girlschool - LEGACY
SPV Records  ( from www.pitriff.com/)

Girlschool has always been one of the more well known bands out there that never really gained major commercial success, but proved their worth on the strength of a building a long career on the strength of their ungiving drive and their commitment to not accepting the “they rock for women” stereotype that has always been thrust upon them. Now, 30 years later they’ve outlived most of their peers that were around when they started. Not surprisingly, they are still better than most of them ever were.

LEGACY is an interesting listen from Girlschool. It is vastly different from the bulk of their catalog for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, it’s definitely a tribute album, of sorts, to their fallen guitarist Kelly Johnson. The song “Legend” basically spells out Johnson’s bio with the band, as well as exposing a rare feminine moment from the band as they grieve. It’s a somewhat touching song, although it’s not sappy or lame. On the album’s opener, “Everything’s The Same”, Johnson actually is featured on the track. This one seems like a more fitting tribute because her riff is big, and it’s really everything that she stood for as a member of Girlschool.

Another interesting aspect of LEGACY is that there’s some overtly blatant political rantings on this release. Not being a Girlschool expert by any means, I’m not really sure that hasn’t always been the case, but I’ve never heard them considered as a political band. Songs like “I Spy” and “Spend Spend Spend” are government attacking anthems that seem upset with the way government is currently working.

Finally, there’s a lot of guests appearing on this album. Motorhead, the band’s staunchest ally throughout the years, is well represented. Guitarist Phil Campbell plays on “Just Another Day”, while ex-Motorhead member “Fast” Eddie Clarke checks in on “Metropolis” and “Don’t Mess Around”. Of course, Lemmy himself sneaks in as well on “Don’t Talk To Me” and makes his presence felt. While the presence of Motorhead is everywhere, they aren’t the only name performers to show up. Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio pop up on the reworked version of “I Spy”, while Twisted Sister guitarist JJ French plays on “Spend Spend Spend”. Even legendary bassist Neil Murray stops by to play on “Legend” and “Whole New World”. It’s a star studded release, and worthy in every respect.

PITRIFF RATING – 8/10 - While there are a lot of names on this album, at it’s core it’s still a Girlschool album and the girls do what they do best – ROCK! Band leader Kim McAuliffe sounds as good as ever, and the music she makes with the band is straight from the band’s classic metal/punk hybrid sound. LEGACY is a very solid effort from Girlschool that has something for everyone on it. At it’s core, it’s Girlschool rockin’ hard. Peripherally, it’s got a lot of recognizable guests that may lead you to like it. All in all, it’s got something for everyone. Good stuff.

Sunday, October 05, 2008
Reviewer:  Chris Akin