Rock Goddess: Rock Goddess album review

For a band whose heyday was the best part of 40 years ago, the announcement that Rock Goddess is retiring from the live circuit – having played very few shows in the past 30 – has been met with an amount startling with apparent disappointment. But it’s a true reflection of the affection with which the south London trio were held.

Coming to the fore as NWOBHM began to lose momentum, Rock Goddess performed with Def Leppard, Y&T and Iron Maiden and signed with A&M for their debut album. Produced by Vic Maile – whose work on Motorhead’s Classic No sleep till Hammersmith proved that even the loudest releases can top the charts – rock goddess show the group was more cutting edge than the equally pioneering Girlschool, with vocalist Jody Turner, owner of a voice as raw as it was powerful.

“The thing that remains completely unchanged is metal fans,” Turner said. classic rock. “Once you’re part of the metal family, it’s for life, and it means so much! I like this. That’s how I felt when I discovered metal: I knew it was a lifetime membership. The power of passion for music is always green.

Each week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on its quality, and publishes our findings, with the goal of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community an opportunity to contribute.

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Other albums released in February 1983

• Porcupine – Echo & The Bunnymen
• Mommy’s Little Monster – Social Distortion
• Somewhere in Africa – Earth Band by Manfred Mann
• Kilroy was there – Styx
• War – U2
• Borders – Travel
• Confusion is Sex – Sonic Youth
• Kihnspiracy – The Greg Kihn Group
• Contact – UFO
• Money and Cigarettes – Eric Clapton
• Underground Jungle – Ramones
• Youngblood – Carl Wilson

What they said…

“Rock Goddess is equal parts Mötley Crüe and Girlschool with just as much energy, if not more. barely stop between songs. Stars from the goddess’ debut album include Heartache, Start Running and Heavy Metal Rock ‘n’ Roll. (all music (opens in a new tab))

“Jody Turner’s vocals are dark, gritty and raw, as if she’s been bellowing all night before. It also has a slightly nasal sound, which is oddly unsettling but also indefinitely appropriate. The vocals match the lyrics, evoking a girl who , indeed, likes to get dirty, but also has a more sensitive side.” (Metallum Encyclopedia (opens in a new tab))

“The 1983 debut album of South London’s answer to The Runaways is guaranteed to bring a smile, though that probably wasn’t the band’s intention. Sadly, the joke of three teenage girls trying to gross Lemmy out fast enough. It’s not that they can’t switch, just that they need better hardware than this.” (Uncut (opens in a new tab))

What you said…

Mike Canoe: Honestly, I wanted to like this album more than me. After the revelation which was that of Girlschool Demolition first year at this club i listened to a few rock goddess songs and described them as girlschool with a better female vocalist.

Now that I’ve listened to a whole album, I realize that this description is too simple. They certainly have good songs. Satisfied then crucified, start runningand opener Sorrow come out.

Overall, however, the album is quite derivative and raw. Even at 40 minutes seems too long. It has nothing to do with them being women and probably everything to do with the fact that they were still teenagers, despite having spent half a decade together under their collective ball belts. They obviously played the kind of music they liked – and were good at it – but didn’t really improve the formula.

Who knows what might have happened had they continued to gain momentum and gain experience? I realize the Rock Goddess releases continued but, according to their Wikipedia page, Rock Goddess’ early career arc began to stall when their then bassist quit on the eve of a US tour after announced her pregnancy. Something Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith never had to worry about.

Alex Hayes: You can add me to the list of people who wanted to enjoy this album much more than I actually did. As a group, Rock Goddess clearly had the musical chops, but, sadly, not the tunes. It was a rather bland and generic listen that failed to whet my appetite.

Kudos to those ladies though. They sometimes manage to cause a storm here with an intensity and intelligence that largely belies their young age. Had Rock Goddess had the chance to marry their obvious talents with decent management and better material, their story might have been very different.

Unfortunately, it’s just not a strong enough collection of songs. It’s really an album for which you had to “be there at the time”. 5/10

Chris Elliot: The problem in 1983 was that NWBHM was finished. It was all the same, it just got bland and dull very quickly. It’s just ho-hum. They were too young to have developed their own ideas. It’s not terrible, but it’s not worth remembering.

Bill Griffin: I really wanted to like it when the first track, Sorrow, started but it quickly became hard work. The problem is Jody Turner’s voice. A crossover, I’m thinking of Pat Benatar and Joan Jett, it seems she unfortunately chose to focus on the Joan Jett aspect. She can sing and has a good voice but screamed throughout the album instead.

The songs, while decent, aren’t memorable and give me no reason to review the album. The only song I really liked is start running reminiscent of Black Sabbath Junior’s eyes.

There is however a part of the album that I liked: the bass sound of Tracy Lamb.

Martin Wooliscroft: Retirement ? Shit, that makes me feel old. Remember meeting them after a gig around 1983 and they signed my denim jacket (because that was how we rode back then) with their menacing dad in the background because the Turner sisters were basically schoolgirls at the time.

John Bridgehouse: I must admit that I had not heard of it until this morning. But after watching this earlier (opens in a new tab) it looks like I missed something pretty darn good.

Adam Ranger: Hearing the name took me back to a time in the early 80’s where this type of Rock/Metal never came out of my turntable or tape deck. I haven’t listened to them for ages. So what am I thinking now?

To be honest, it’s not as good as I remember. Should have been there, I guess! That said, it’s not a bad album. Beautiful guitar riffs and riffs, tight bass and drums. But maybe, as some have said, singing doesn’t really suit me anymore. Nobody wants perfect vocals on their heavy rock, and I’m very fond of the screaming punk in its place, but I think the vocals detract from the whole record a bit.

That said, it’s a great rock record with great playing. I enjoyed seeing it again and my youth!

Philippe Qvist: The beauty of this Facebook group; you discover bands and albums that you may have completely missed, and Rock Goddess is one of those bands.

So why didn’t this band and their eponymous debut catch my attention? Because 1983 was a year of brilliant albums; for example, you had the choice of Pyromania, Peace of Mind, The Crossing, Synchronicity, War, Holy Diver, Eliminator, Let’s Dance and The final cut – and I’m only scratching the surface here.

In other words, 1983 was a year when an average LP went unnoticed by most of the music-buying public – and Rock Goddess’ debut was nothing special, unfortunately. It’s certainly not a bad record, but it’s not a classic either.

So all that said, what’s my verdict on this album after my first tour? It’s actually a decent record and a pleasant surprise. Jody Turner is a pretty cool guitarist and songwriter, his sister Julie (all 16 at the time) is a pretty solid drummer, and the same could be said for bassist Tracey Lamb. So a good package, with a good set of songs – with Heartache, Start Running, Heavy Metal Rock ‘n’ Roll and make my night my pieces that stand out.

The problem is Jody’s singing. It’s not bad, but clearly average, sometimes turning to screeching. Maybe they would have been better off with another singer leading the band.

Still, while it wasn’t one of the great albums of 1983, it certainly wasn’t the worst either. Good effort but one that won’t appear on my “Must Buy” list.

John Davidson: No nonsense, no heavy rock frills. It’s competent, but it’s not very inspired. A grittier sound than Pat Benatar, but some similarities in vocal style at least. 5/10.

Final score: 6.51 (45 votes cast, total score 293)

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