Narita

Despite opening for some of the biggest names of 70's rock, and Rock City receiving plenty of praise from the five people who managed to buy a copy, Riot was still a soot-faced orphan holding out their seal flippers to a crowd of disinterested record companies that wanted nothing to do with them. It didn't matter how much Riot - or their fans - begged; a lack of a financial support and marketing looked like it was going to seal Riot's fate. That is, until a legend of NWOBHM caught wind of Rock City and demanded everyone stop being oblivious bellends. That man was radio DJ Neal Kay, who raved about their virile sound and essentially convinced Riot to give it another shot.

Full disclosure, I once described Narita as a "rushed album penned by a band desperate to capitalize on their potential big break". This was primarily due to the disappointing amount of filler, with a parade of uncharacteristically dull rock fluff like 'Do It Up', 'White Rock', and 'Here We Come Again'. Further compounding the issue was an unnecessary cover of the most overplayed anthem in the history of rock, 'Born to be Wild'. Can you name me a car company that hasn't used this hackneyed song to advertise their vapid grey sedan? Thusly I thought "Riot is better than this", and left it at that. But that wasn't particularly fair.

Some of Riot's all-time greatest songs are hiding behind that notoriously terrible artwork. Next to the mindbendingly acrobatic instrumental of a title track, the highlights are the anthemic '49er', and the speed metal menace of 'Road Racin''. The guitar solos are flawless in their execution, smoldering across Mark Reale's fretboard with a striking resemblance to USPM in a time when that acronym wasn't even close to existing. Furthermore, you're bound to hear similarities between the main lead of 'Road Racin'' and cherished USPM icons like Brocas Helm and Manilla Road.

Narita's futuristic power metal fretwork is not alone; the soaring melodies reached by vocalist Guy Speranza ascend far above the shackles of their time as well. Speranza effortlessly encompasses several octaves and unleashes hollars and howls with just as much conviction as Deep Purple's Ian Gillan; my favorite song is actually the major-scale opener 'Waiting for the Taking', in no small part due to Speranza's fiery, charismatic melodies. Speranza was a truly gifted vocalist, and one that I feel never got the credit he deserved. Shine on, Guy Speranza, and thank you for your part in making three exceptional Riot albums.

Riot's unflinching grit, Guy Speranza's solid gold pipes, and Mark Reale's prophetic songwriting unite to create some vivid and ambitious moments, effectively counterbalancing the smattering of dull songs. Out of Riot's classic "Big 3", I would still award Narita the bronze medal, but that point is moot. What's important is how Riot was given a new lease on life with this album, and how they needed to strike again while the iron was hot. Boy oh boy, what a strike it was.

At a time when heavy metal was more of an abstract concept than a type of music, Riot flew the flag for longhaired volume-obsessed degenerates looking for something heavier than Nugent or Kiss. Stuck in a bad record contract, the band is forced to record an album in a studio known for radio jingles. Considering all this adversity, creating an album as solid as Narita is nothing short of a miracle.

The speedy chug-happy mania of the first album is toned down somewhat for Narita. The album, (particularly the first side) is a little more radio-friendly than the debut. The choruses in opener “Waiting for the Taking” are sunnier than ever, and the cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” is chock with mad guitar action. The instrumental “Narita” is a jewel in the grand halls of Riot history, the harmonized guitars sound gorgeous, establishing the sound that would become so prevalent in later albums like “Thundersteel”, the track just packed to the gills with shit-hot guitar blowing up all over the place.

It’s side two that really blows up, particularly the classic “Hot for Love” with that iconic clean intro and those harmonized guitars syncopating the chorus. This juxtaposition of Speranza’s vocal and Reale’s licks nail down a distinctive style for the band on this record, this song. It’s as distinctive as Dianno and Murray/Smith or Lynott and Gorham/Robertson. Final track “Road Racin’” is just what it claims to be, a flash rockin’ adrenaline-pumping metal song for wind-in-the-hair highway speeding. Great basslines on that one too.

It’s an album that has become a metal classic over the last few decades, despite the odd circumstances of it’s creation. Adorned with the usual bizarre “baby seal” cover art, Narita is a bona fide sonic treasure from the early days of metal.

“…flying tigers above me appear, get me outta here….”

Regarded more or less as a B-level band at least during the time leading up to their hiatus starting around 1983, New York’s Riot were still nobodies despite a two year old debut stuffed with obviously animated, pulsating reverence for streamlined and playfully pushy hard rock that swung the genre’s sound around unlike many newly-hot commodities - Van Halen, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Meat Loaf, Boston etc. – of the day. This kind of thing happening is of course a lot like snow in Siberia, and that’s a helluva lot of snow. One could say Riot were even lucky to see a follow-up to Rock City that wasn’t in a dream sequence, and their earliest stuff trapped almost exclusively in the Japanese market did very little to help their rate of recognition. Radio coverage? What radio coverage?

Now, if an album as inconsequentially titled as Narita that accepted some of the most nonsensical artwork since someone’s acid trip wore off in the ‘60s for its jacket somehow finds itself walking outta record shops over other lps released around the same year, then nearly anything in the industry is possible. What I believe helped its overall sales was being released right off the bat across a pretty vast and comprehensive market, from Argentina, Italy and Germany to the usual larger arenas. So probably a lot more people got their hands on this over the debut, which in the long run is fine ‘cos if Narita winds up a tickler of their enjoyment centers, they’re bound to grab Rock City when they find it.

Like the debut, straight rockers “Do It Up”, “Here We Come Again”, “Waiting For the Taking”, underpowered “Kick Down the Wall”, and updated, not-yet-tired Steppenwolf cover “Born to be Wild” unsurprisingly influence much of Narita’s lifeforce, and the slick way the tracks perform keeps this foundation enthusiastically wet.

Chorus-heavy, slightly more multi-dimensional rocker “White Rock” and up ratcheted blues-romp “49er” bridge their more straightforward bruthas above with those below capable of overhauling the bridge’s stonework with a material that’s quite sturdier, reflects sunlight and, y’know, clangs when you bang yer head on it.

Speed-ripened rockers, the title track fluent in everything except verbal language and population favorite “Road Racin’”, are rare metal gems excavated from a decade that’s just about run its course. The latter is as its title suggests, aggressively pre-speed metal with a cool and natural vibe, but it’s the former that more strikingly presses the metal to the pedal. "Narita" is an American, pre-Brit invasion, gone-fer-broke, open flow valve spectacle, forged in unswerving forward momentum and vitality that’ll become synonymous with all that’s exciting about rock’s darker passenger and predisposes more than it predicts what will flower in the soil of not only the up-coming decade, but of this newer and heavier style of rock.

Then there’s double agent rocker “Hot Love”, fooling (I’ll speak for everyone) about three quarters through with a sudden detonation of pure n’ honest metal that blows apart the song’s up to that point tepid and sing-songy nature, tumultuously played and dashed with a rampant, feverish pace reminiscent of the moment hell kicks loose in Maiden’s “Genghis Khan” two years down the Mongolian trail.

Narita is an enjoyable album which advances the debut’s strong metallic whims of “Warrior”, “Overdrive” and “Desperation” by indulging in a darker-inked, prototype recipe few bands at the time seemed privy to. Riot, at this point in on the style’s ground floor while hovering perilously above their own recognizable sound, were in pretty good shape for the ‘80s.

To be fair, the same can be said about the recognizable sounds of those aforementioned hot commodity acts, as Meat Loaf’s epically-staged odysseys are too far flung to lump alongside Cheap Trick’s bar rag partiers, which don’t have a chance in meeting head-on with Boston’s perfect flow and execution, meanwhile Van Halen….

As much as I made Riot's 1977 debut, Rock City, out to be a PG-rated family fun affair, consider the New Yorkers' sophomore effort, the oh-so-randomly titled Narita from 1979 PG-13 as it ingenuously crosses the line from "heavy rock" to borderline heavy metal while ratcheting up the raunch factor with tracks like "Hot For Love" and "Do It Up", among other ditties. In any case, it's a solid and much vaunted release which courageously bridges the gap between the stand-out romp which is Rock City and the early metal masterpiece, 1981's Fire Down Below (possibly my second favorite Riot album though the jury's still out).

Right off the bat you've got a wicked opener in "Waiting For The Taking" - for all intents and purposes, an extensive, omitted track from Rock City as the production level, guitar & bass tones and overall class is on par with past beauties such as "Angel", Tokyo Rose" and "Gypsy Queen" with its Simon & Garfunkel-ish easy listening appeal soon giving way to some bold as heck, badass BOC style riffing and sassy, sexy solos on behalf of guitarists Marc Reale (may he rest in peace, along with front man Guy Speranza) and Rick Ventura, who replaces L.A. Kouvaris this time around. Jimmy Iommi (Tony's brother!) keeps pumping out thick, meaty bass lines on par with anything from Rock City; Peter Bitelli is still the man on the skins, serving up steady, rollicking beats and fills while Speranza continues to infuse Riot's songs with unbridled, unparalleled enthusiasm and at times, downright glee, such as on the head-boppin' "White Rock" and phenomenally fun closer, "Road Racin'". While Rock City has its "cruisin' down the highway" track in "Overdrive", "Road Racin'" is on par with the legendary "Highway Star" by Deep Purple (minus the hifalutin' keyboard solo of course!).  Based on a super cool, revolving blues riff and featuring killer leads, this invigorating album closer is definitely one of my favorite Riot tracks, Speranza's gripping "Rooooad racin'!" withstanding.

"Hot For Love" is a lot of fun too as it features loads more of Reale and Ventura's red-hot blues riffs and solos alongside more of Speranza's timeless, unforgettable magic - though I could do without the GN'R/ "Rocket Queen" overtures shadowing the lead break rundown, right up to Bitelli's final slam (hence Narita's PG-13 rating!). "Here We Come Again", "Do It Up" and "Narita" proper are respectable in their own right but somewhat humdrum next to the top rate material, which also includes the Foghat sounding romp "Kick Down The Wall". Iommis's bass line on this track slays with its quirky turns of phrase and all-around overt plumpness. Obviously, musical talent runs deep in the Iommi clan.

I don't mind "49er", with its California gold rush tales of foolery and greed, but I do have a slight issue with Riot's choice of a cover song, the Steppenwolf classic, "Born To Be Wild". It's well executed mind you - however, the production on this track alone stands out by its shoddiness (perhaps it was recorded at the last minute, as a lark or on a whim?) while hinting of unnecessary contrition. What I mean is, Narita rocks hard enough without it; it even detracts from the album's overall score (otherwise, I'd have rated this wonky release considerably higher). As for "White Rock" (which precedes "Road Racin'), it's also the name of a Vancouver B.C. township not far from here right on the U.S. border; whenever it plays I imagine all the cats and yeggs over there bopping out to this jubilantly groovy track.

Now, a teensy-weensy gripe is called for in regards to Narita's farcically horrendous cover. It looks like a Warlord-ish Tior's taking a leisurely squat over a pile of old skulls and bones wholly oblivious to the Lear Jet seconds from impact. It's quite juvenile, loony even - the colours are also weird and appear wrong, not to mention the oriental characters in the corner. I need to go over the lyrics to "Narita" again, see if I missed something. In any case, a friend of mine just loves it nonetheless (to each their own).

All told, I found Riot's Narita a fun album to review but a tough one to rate % wise. While not as addictive as 1977's Rock City (Riot's full-length debut - a darn good one at that!) it certainly has its moments - namely "Waiting For The Taking", "Kick Down The Wall", "Hot For Love" (minus the sleaze), "White Rock", and especially "Road Racin'", which California's Night Demon does a rad live cover of (check it out on youtube sometime). On the whole , while still adequately fiery, it falls short of matching its predecessor's glory. To be fair and objective, I'd rate it above average but not quite great - very good but not wholly memorable, aside from its highlights, which are on par with anything from Rock City. Even though I give it a modest score, don't neglect to check it out as it's still highly commendable. Just make sure the kids are tucked in…

"Road racin'
Movin' on down the line
Shiftin' gears,
Face into space
And time
Move so fast I can't explain
Hands on the wheel
I'm on the road again
Baby all the time
To my lovin' machine
Baby, radio's blastin'
Rockin' all night
Rollin' down the highway
Through the dead of night
Road racin'!"

I did not know a lot about Riot when I bought this album. I was already familiar with "Road Racin´", the final track of "Narita", because I possessed an obscure sampler that featured inter alia this song. It offered a heavy riff that was skilfully combined with remarkable vocal lines. In any event, it made me curious enough to buy the vinyl. Well, the cover looked ugly. But the ominous creature apparently had a strange fascination for me. It took years before I realised the meaning of "Narita". And it took another couple of years until I understood that the creature on the cover wears the sexy loincloth of a sumo wrestler.

However, the music interested me more than the incomprehensible cover. The musicians did their utmost in order to impress buyers of this vibrant album. It emanated an energizing aura due to the noticeable enthusiasm of the band. Riot´s style moved between hard rock and heavy metal while the main focus was on the latter. A German metal magazine made the bold statement that the title track of "Fire Down Under", the successor album of "Narita", was their first speed metal song. I am not sure whether this is really the case. Some pieces of the here presented full-length already pointed in this direction. Just listen, for example, to the rapid instrumental title track. The riffs, the up-tempo drumming, the guitar lines - honestly, from my point of view, this song appeared as a harbinger of the following speed metal explosion. The only thing missing was the professional vocal performance of Guy Speranza (R.I.P.). His expressive and emphatic voice ennobled the remaining songs. But irrespective of this, a lot of great tunes - in most cases with catchy choruses - were waiting to be discovered. Casual rocking numbers like "Here We Come Again" met my expectations as well as rebellious tracks such as the short "White Rock". Riot mastered them all in a very presentable form and almost each and every song had the necessary dose of energy, heaviness and liveliness. And let us not forget that they delivered strong and diversified guitar solos.

"Narita" does not represent a timeless work. But that is no drawback. The heavy metal aura of the album has the charm of the (so-called) good old days and breathes the spirit of a period of upheaval. Hard rock and heavy metal were developed further by young and hungry musicians and Riot played its part in supporting this exciting process. Their effort was absolutely convincing, not least because of their authenticity. Surely, the talented band was not free of commercial interests. Just listen to the well constructed "Hot for Love". Its chorus delivered a very memorable and emotional melody line which made the song radio compatible. But Riot were not the only band who wanted to earn money with its music. And however, this business intention seemed not to be the main thought of band leader Mark Reale (R.I.P.) and his comrades. Their joy of playing was the outstanding feature of this vinyl. Thus, with only one exception ("49er"), they delivered gripping songs. They were well produced, sounded credibly and enriched the arising metal scene. Of course, this scene was still manageable so that it was easy to make an independent contribution. But this was not the fault of the band. Therefore, fasten seat belts, Narita awaits you.

Riot has always been ahead of their time, both in their earlier incarnation in the 1970s and in their later Speed Metal dominated format in the late 80s up until today. Although their debut “Rock City” contained the first examples of a pioneering speed metal approach to the ever expanding spectrum of harder edged styles, “Narita” shines a bit more in the overall musical department, offering up a good mix of rock and early metal that hasn’t lost any of its punch with the passage of time.

Unlike the sound those who know this band are probably more familiar with, this album is essentially cut more from the Progressive Hard Rock mold than the Heavy Metal approach first pioneered by Black Sabbath. The songs tend to mostly be middle to upper mid tempo with a lot of blues and hard rock hooks. Songs such as “Waiting for the Taking” and “White Rock” are quite similar to what might be heard out of Queen and Blue Oyster Cult. Likewise more riff driven rockers such as “49er” and “Here we come again” take a swinging rhythmic approach that is reminiscent of Kiss classics like “Detroit Rock City”.

The highlights on this rather brilliant early opus are immediately obvious as they are the fastest and less Prog Rock influenced of the bunch. The cover of “Born to be Wild” is a vast improvement over the original, as the tempo has been ratcheted up quite a bit (to the point of early speed metal), the dual guitar attack gives the song a more punch oriented sound rather than the thin high end dominated atmosphere of the Steppenwolf version, and the guitar soloing is miles above it in the technical department. “Road Racing” is another fast one with a very heavy main riff when one considers that this was 1979. The title track “Narita” is the instrumental younger sister of original Riot speed classic “Warrior”, rivaling Motorhead’s “Overkill” in terms of speed and aggressiveness, and dwarfing it in terms of guitar work. If “Warrior” represents the birth of speed metal, then “Narita” clearly represents a giant leap closer to the ideal that gave birth to both Thrash and Power Metal.

To fans of Speed Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, and the old faithful of the NWOBHM, this is an absolute necessity for your collection. It is a major point in the history of each of these genres in every way that the early Motorhead albums were, and also a more enjoyable listen due to Guy Speranza’s superior singing ability and the whole bands greater command of the instruments they play.