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I'd not heard any BRMC until I borrowed this from my brother a couple of weeks ago.There's no doubt that they have written some good songs for Baby 81 but it's what you do with them after you've written them that makes the difference between a good album and a brilliant one. Brilliant albums,in my opinion, keep the listener 'hooked in' by way of good quality production and mixing. When U2 recorded 'The Joshua Tree'they left the production and mixing to people who are good at that sort of thing, namely Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite.
BRMC have produced Baby 81 and have clearly had a lot of influence with the mixing.I think the album would have benifited from them looking for production expertise elsewhere.
Reading the sleeve notes suggests they have some type of contractual agreement with Gibson. Given that they are a 3 piece guitar band I think they could have enhanced this collection of fine tunes using Fenders, Rickenbackers and other guitars from time to time.
The highlights are 'Took Out A Loan'( a match for some of Zeppelin's finest) and 'American X'
My track rating :-

Took Out A Loan 9/10
Berlin 8/10
Weapon Of Choice 7/10
Windows 8/10
Cold Wind 8/10
Not What You Wanted 8/10
666 Conducer 8/10
All You Do Is Talk 8/10
Lien On Your Dreams 7/10
Need Some Air 8/10
Killing The Light 8/10
American X 9/10
Am I only 7/10

Overall rating 8/10

Well worth a listen and wouldn't be out of place in any serious rock music collection.


Rating: 4 out of 5

This is a fantastic album, there isn't a bad song on it. I love this band because they are not a fancy frilly guitar band. Their music is genuine and well thought out without being over complicated. I love their sound and their image and they are also a great live band so I wish they would release a live DVD sometime. This album is a perfect progression from their other albums. I would recommend this band to anyone.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I went about getting into BRMC the wrong way around. After hearing "Weapon of Choice" on MTV2 I had to check them out, so I bought Baby 81 that very day.

I then got Howl (which is excellent by the way) and the debut album.

I haven't got round to the 2nd album yet but ive heard "Stop" which is fantastic.

This for me is the best of the lot.

First Track "Took out a loan" is a grinding guitar heavy track, cool as you like, it starts the album off very well. Then comes 2nd single "Berlin", a bit more poppy than track 1 but never the less catchy and very worthy of a single release.
"Weapon of Choice" is just majestic, a thumping 3 minute anthem which i challenge anyone to dislike. "Windows" is something different altogether, piano driven and kind of ballady it brings the pace of the album down a bit after the frantic opening, it nevertheless a brilliant track.
"Cold Wind" them brings the temperature up again, at 1st i wasn't so sure about this track, but now I'm hooked. This is followed by 2 accoustic numbers, the breezy "Not what you wanted" and "666 Conducer", both important to the album in their own right.
So 7 killer tracks out of 7, perfect so far. After this "Lien on your dreams" and "Am I only" are highlights, but the epic "I am the resurrection" esque "American X" steals the album, it's one of them tracks when you hear it for the 1st time you just have to repeat it because you know its that good.

Overall this is almost as perfect an Indie album that you will see this year, if you liked the best parts of BRMC and Howl and combine them, this is kind of what you get. I just hope they do another one.


Rating: 5 out of 5

compared to their other albums this one is on a different plane alltogether. it is the definition of rock and blues rock. cannot suggest a better buy for the genre, thanks brmc!
highlights include - windows - a mellow track compared to the others but fits in perfectly, 666 conducer which has such a deep driving backbone which is great for nodding to. American x which is a powerful song. period.
All of the tracks are brilliant, cant find a fault

Rating: 5 out of 5

The best thing about the release of "Baby 81" is that that the correct answer now to the trivia question "what was Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's third album" is "who cares?" (Not that it was a total howler of a record of course...)

- A bold statement, amigo, so back it up.

My pleasure... Driving guitars and thumping drums. Lyrics sung with a snarl. Tales of uncertain love. An album of smooth consistency, despite each track being readily distinguishable. Anthems to beat the band.

- Okay, honcho, this does sound like BRMC back on form.

You better believe it. After a promising opening number in "Took Out A Loan", we are straight into one of the best tracks on the album in "Berlin", which hits all the classic BRMC characteristics described above. Moreover, it's a lung-burster to sing along to live. With barely pause for breath, "Weapon of Choice" is in a similar mould and contains the controversial line for an American band of "I won't waste my love on a nation".

"Windows" is a change of pace, but touches on the BRMC obsession with uncertainty over what love is ("So how's it going to feel / When you don't know what's real / You tell yourself its love / Then tear your insides up"). "Cold Wind" takes a different perspective and seems to sing about someone who has been in so many relationships ("I've been here a thousand times I know") that he is no longer sure that he can love at all ("There's nothing left of this / They steal your innocence"). It has a very Stone Roses-sounding ending. "Not What You Wanted" then sings of repressed emotions, while "666 Conducer" is a tale of vulnerability and exploitation.

A little out of place, then, in terms of how it sounds is "All You Do Is Talk", which could easily have The Edge (circa 1987) guesting on lead and Bono then sneaking in, at some stage, to do the vocals. If it is intended as a single, then this could well be a mainstream commercial success for the band.

Not that they are done there and then. "Lien on Your Dreams", "Need Some Air" and "Killing the Light" are all fine tracks that get back to the snarl, drive, and thump, before the 9-minute epic "American X" is revealed - a fine but harsh song about the modern American spirit ("your open arms / they only seem to surrender / all that matters"). Evocative of The Doors at times, it feels a fraction of its length and leaves any number of similar criticisms of contemporary America floundering in its wake. There is then the dignified and poignant ending in "Am I Only".

If there is a criticism of this album, the lyrics are not always the smartest (e.g. "666 Conducer"). However, having seen this album played live, that criticism seems a little churlish. The words to these songs are utterly invigorating just to simply belt out.

In all, so, a tremendous back-to-basics record of booming sound, instantly memorable lines, and unashamedly leather-clad and shades-wearing rock music.

- Hasta la revolucion so, compadre?

You know you want to.


Rating: 4 out of 5