Lone Star were (and are) one of my all time favourites from the New Wave of British heavy Metal era. Arguably not strictly NWOBHM however they were around at the time and they rocked so that’s good enough for me.
Heavy riffs, strong melodies, soaring keyboards (oooerrr, pomp rock) funk bass and rock solid drumming. Plus the emerging talent of Paul “Tonka” Chapman and John Sloman. Just a short two album career – but what fantastic two albums they were.
Not a weak track on either and the Bells of Berlin/Ballad of Crafty Jack opening salvo on Firing On All Six (second album) still makes the spine tingle.
So who were Lone Star? Well they came out of Wales in the mid-70s. Vocalist Kenny Driscoll, the dual guitars of Paul Chapman and Tony Smith, Pete Hurley on bass, Rick Worsnop on keys and Dixie Lee behind the drums.
That was the line-up who cut their debut self-titled offering produced by the legendary Roy Thomas-Baker and issued on CBS. Great stuff it was too – some particularly crunching (yet melodic) riffs on cuts such as Spaceships, Lonely Soldier and Flying in the Reel for example. Totally top notch stuff though I never really took to Driscolls singing style. Way too high. Still a five star album and I’d wager their’s never been a more unusual cover of a Beatles song than Lone Star’s cover of She Said She Said.
That debut saw some success making the UK album charts and a spot as support to Mott the Hoople and a tour with “Uncle” Ted Nugent.
Here’s a grainy video of the boys belting out From All Of Us To All Of You from the old days. Great stuff.
Better was to follow with Firing On All Six. This saw the departure of Driscoll to be replaced by John Sloman. Such a powerful voice full of range. Not unlike Robert Plant in many ways in my opinion. And it was a fine realse. As above, the Bells of Birlin/Crafty Jack opener is quite remarkable. Thumping drumming/keyboard lead intro when Sloman hits top gear for an epic. This melds in to The Ballad of Crafty Jack and away we go. Eight classic cuts all a mixture of the heavy, melodic and funky. Ahead of its time.
The success didn’t arrive in the bucketloads it should have though despite major critical recognition. Chapman got the call from UFO when Michael Schenker wobbled and although work started on a third album it never saw the light of day and Lone Star was no more.
Chapman and Sloman enjoyed high profile careers and the remainder gigged here and there with various bands though the classic Lone Star were lost. Chapman did “discover” the demos of what was intended to be the third album and this was released under the title of Riding High.
It is rough and ready (as you’d expect being a demo) though that said you can hear the unmistakeable sounds and had it seen a proper label release it would have been another lost gem.
Lone Star had it all going for them bar the breaks any band needs to make it big. And that’s a shame. I highly recommend you get your ears around their first two albums – both of which were reissued on one CD. Essential listening. Get it!