Waking Up The Neighbours (1991) Review by Steven Stanley

Volume turned up to 11 never was more appropriate. In your face over the top Mutt Lange rock never felt so good. True, the heavily over programmed drums etc may have dated this album over recent years while 'Reckless' has a more timeless sound, but there's still no denying it's energy and guitar laiden epicness.

I got into Bryan by listening to my Dad's 'Reckless' LP... but 'Waking' was the first record of anybody I went out and bought by myself. I remember it like it was yesterday at that Woolworths store in Scarborough when I got the cassette... the family went to the beach but I slammed this in the stereo in my Dad's red Ford Sierra and turned it up to the max. People walking past were loving it. It may not have quite the same effect today but I was 9, and I knew what I liked. From that summer onwards I couldn't get enough of Bryan and no matter how many times that tape got flipped it never EVER got old... still doesn't.

To run through every last guitar hook on this 74 minute beast would take an age, Keith really is on fire on this record, if only he was showcased like this on Bryan's newer records. 'Can't Stop This Thing We Started', 'Hey Honey', 'House Arrest', 'If You Wanna Leave Me (Can I Come Too?)', 'There Will Never Be Another Tonight', 'Touch The Hand'...all superb fun rockers - and plenty of them.

Due to the Robin Hood song 'Everything I Do' many outsiders thought this would be an album full of ballads, fairies, archery and wonderment... how wrong they were! Even the ballads on here rock the shit out of any other ballads he's done before or since. 'Do I Have To Say The Words' is bordline epic with Keith Scott shining through throughout the 2nd half of the song. 'Vanishing' has a beautiful and worldly feel during the outstanding verses before Bryan rocks it up to take the song to the next level.

A brilliant end to the album in the form of 'Don't Drop That Bomb On Me'... similar in sentiment to 'Way of The World' that was a bonus track on the '11' album. Full of heart and passion for the environment and the way the world is turning nowadays it fades out to an amazing axe-wielding guitar show by the superb Keith Scott.

If I were to criticise any songs, I would say 'Not Guilty' is lyrically inferior to the rest of the songs and kind of lame. 'Depend On Me' would have worked better with maybe BA on a solo strat arrangement like he did with 'Into The Fire' on the 'Live! Live! Live!' CD. He played 'Depend On Me' acoustically a few times, and it sounded brilliant. Infact it was the only song from the 'MTV Unplugged' sessions not to be officially released... a real shame. Of course, as already mentioned, the production now seems a bit dated but it's nothing to detract from a well deserved 5 star outing.

Key Tracks:
Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven
There Will Never Be Another Tonight

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