For day number two, I have to go back to the summer of 1984. I can’t remember the magazine, but they had a write up of Stryper. I was in a band with some high school friends and we coukdnt wait. When that album came out we were waiting at the record store. OMG, dual guitars, crazy high vocal screams… Literally a godsend.
We were all listening to Ratt, Queensryche, Dokken, etc. But when this album came out, it pushed everything aside. It was like the best of one band, with the best of all the others, smashed into one. The bumble bee colors were a little cheesy, but hey, it was the 80’s!!
They aren’t really on the rotation any more, but I listened to this album so much, I can recall just about every element when it does get played (which I’m thinking needs to be today!)
Robert Sweet changed how I play. He was not a superstar drummer. But everything got bigger. Arm swings, stick spins… I turned my drums sideways and played like that for years so people could see what was going on behind my set. For some reason I connected more with Robert Sweet than Tommy Lee. But hey, it was a choice between Shout at the devil and To Hell With The Devil… Hands down, he could go to hell, it’s not a shouting match. 😉
Anyway, I’ll keep digging in the archives and find another one that will be another game changer. No singing drummers yet, but we will see. With 8 left, I migh make it to one yet!
Play with passion, sing with heart
