STUCK IN THE VINYL AGAIN - LOUDNESS - THUNDER IN THE EAST

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Good Tuesday morning to you all and welcome back to Stuck In The Vinyl Again . Today we remember drummer and record producer, Munetaka Higuchi, best known for his work with Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness, on this, the 13th anniversary of his death. He passed away in 2008, age 49, from hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. We honor his legacy by spinning Loudness'  fifth studio album, Thunder In The East. The LP was released June 9, 1985 on the ATCO label, making Loudness the first heavy metal band from Japan signed to a major American record label. The disc peaked at #74 on the Billboard 200 and Max Norman and Paul Cooper. Two singles were released ;  "Crazy Nights", which has become their signature song, and  "Never Change Your Mind". Their sound is somewhere between a more metalized version of KISS and a speed metal cross between Dio and Judas Priest. A highly enjoyable listen...

1. "Crazy Nights" 4:04

2. "Like Hell" 3:44

3. "Heavy Chains" 4:18

4. "Get Away" 3:53

5. "We Could Be Together" 4:35

Side two

1. "Run for Your Life" 3:59

2. "Clockwork Toy" 3:55

3. "No Way Out" 4:01

4. "The Lines Are Down" 4:57

5. "Never Change Your Mind" 4:09

Loudness :

Minoru Niihara – vocals

Akira Takasaki – guitars

Masayoshi Yamashita – bass

Munetaka Higuchi – drums

Production :

Max Norman – producer

Bill Freesh – engineer

Ray Leonard – assistant engineer

Bernie Grundman – mastering

Paul Cooper – executive producer

George Azuma – supervisor

Hiroyuki Munekiyo, Mikio Shimizu – coordinators