Sea Hags – S/T (1989)
Back in the late 80’s, just about every record company on the planet was looking for a new sleaze rock sensation in the vein of Guns N’ Roses. Chrysalis Records found theirs with San Francisco transplants, Sea Hags. Back when the band’s debut came out, I originally picked this up on cassette, and only replaced this on CD recently. The only thing I could remember about this band is that I didn’t care for them very much. It had been years since I heard their music, so I decided to give them a second chance.
Mike Clink who produced the infamous Appetite for Destruction album for Guns N’ Roses, also produced this disc. It had to be great right?! Well, not really. The Sea Hags are better than I remembered them to be, but this isn’t what I would call a great disc either. It just seems to be missing the big hit tracks to push it over the edge. “Half the Way Valley” is pretty cool, as is “Doghouse”, and “Back to the Grind”.
Frank Wilsey shows off some really cool guitar licks on this disc. In fact, the music overall is pretty good. Singer Ron Yocum’s voice is kind of cool. It reminds me of a cross between Phil Lewis from L.A. Guns, and Davey Vain from VAIN. He has a familiar sound, but quite frankly, I don’t think he is quite as good as either of those singers. The biggest issue I think this CD has, is the songs lack the really big chorus that is needed to push them over the edge. The music is good, but is just isn’t memorable enough to stick with you.
Overall, I am glad I gave the Sea Hags a second chance. This isn’t the best CD in my collection by any means, but it is definitely worth a few plays now and then.
This CD was reissued by Rock Candy Records in 2007, but is still somewhat hard to find. You can purchase this disc from CD Inzane.com. You can listen to music from the Sea Hags, at the band’s myspace page here.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Half the Way Valley
2. Doghouse
3. Too Much T-Bone
4. Someday
5. Back to the Grind
6. Bunkbed Creek
7. In the Mood for Love
8. Miss Fortune
9. All the Time
10. Three’s a Charm
11. Under the Night Stars
Sea Hags are:
Ron Yocum – Vocals
Chris Schlosshardt – Bass, Vocals
Adam Maples – Drums
Frankie Wilsey – Guitars
this was a fantastic album in it’s day, I played the snot out of this album.