Description

2011 double cd re-issue in rigid digibook with the ‘Live In The Raw’ live album as bonus While W.A.S.P. remained a gimmick-heavy live act (around this time, Blackie Lawless had a codpiece that would shoot sparks!), they attempted to grow musically with each successive release — most evidently beginning with 1986's Inside the Electric Circus. While Lawless was the band's main leader and songwriter from the beginning, he had even more of a say in the musical direction by switching to rhythm guitar from bass when original guitarist Randy Piper exited the band (ex-King Kobra member Johnny Rod joined on bass). By selecting a pair of early-'70s hard rock classics to cover — Humble Pie's "I Don't Need No Doctor" and Uriah Heep's "Easy Living" — it was clear that W.A.S.P. wanted their fans to pay more attention to the music. But it's not to say that the group completely abandoned their brash heavy metal roots — the U.K. single "9.5.-N.A.S.T.Y." and the album-opening title track packed plenty of scream-along excitement. Live In The Raw – 1987 Music critics have always pointed out the similarities between theatrical rockers Kiss and W.A.S.P. — Blackie Lawless' and Gene Simmons' blood spewing, makeup and costumes, high-decibel rock, and so on. (Ace Frehley even produced W.A.S.P.'s first demo!) Kiss used the live album format for their big commercial breakthrough, 1975's classic Alive!, and W.A.S.P. hoped the same would happen for them with 1987's Live…In the Raw. While it didn't work out that way, it served as a worthwhile document of the band' s live show — but the biggest problem is that W.A.S.P. concerts always relied mainly on visuals. Still, the band offers heavy versions of such fan favorites as "L.O.V.E. Machine," "Wild Child," "I Wanna Be Somebody," "Blind in Texas," "I Don't Need No Doctor," and "Sleeping (In the Fire)." Also included is a live version of a previously unreleased original, "Harder Faster," as well as the soundtrack-only studio cut "Scream Until You Like It" (from Ghoulies II). Track listing: 1. The Big Welcome 2. Inside the Electric Circus 3. I Don't Need No Doctor 4. 9.5.-N.A.S.T.Y. 5. Restless Gypsy 6. Shoot From the Hip 7. I'm Alive 8. Easy Living 9. Sweet Cheetah 10. Mantronic 11. King of Sodom and Gomorrah 12. The Rock Rolls On Disc 2: Live In The Raw – 1987 1. Inside The Electric Circus 2. I Don't Need No Doctor 3. L.O.V.E. Machine 4. Wild Child 5. 9.5.-N.A.S.T.Y. 6. Sleeping (In the Fire) 7. The Manimal 8. I Wanna Be Somebody 9. Harder Faster 10. Blind In Texas 11. Scream Until You Like It 12. Shoot It From The Hip 13. Widowmaker 14. Sex Drive