Kix, 1981

If you live in a state besides California or New York then perhaps there has been a local band with a huge following in your area, but not so much of a following outside of that area. Well, Kix were that kind of band in my area. If you grew up in central or western Maryland in the 1980's then you were probably handed a copy of this album when you started high school. Actually that didn't happen, but Kix were played heavily on the radio and they were big in this area. This was their debut and it's pretty good overall. A little silly at times with singer Steve Whiteman having a voice that sounds somewhat mechanical. Song titles like "Kix are for Kids", "Contrary Mary" and "Yeah, yeah, yeah" should tell you that these guys aren't exactly on the level of say Rush or Iron Maiden when it comes to lyrics. Still it's fun and the songs are catchy for the most part. This album came out on Atlantic records in 1981 which is a little odd because that means that while Motley Crue and Ratt were forming that Kix were already signed to a major label. They also didn't have to move to a big city to get the deal either as they were based out of Hagerstown, Maryland. So if they had a debut on a major in 1981 then how come they never got that big? I think one of the major reasons was that their second album "Cool Kids" was a real misfire that had the band doing a bizarre mix of pop and a little hard rock and I think it set them back quite a bit. Anyway their debut is pretty decent with most of the album being memorable and it's my favorite of theirs. Last summer in the middle of the night I had to chase off a pick up truck that had slowed down at my mail box and I am guessing they had hoped to bash it in. Anyway they were blasting this album at the time so it looks like young people of today still listen to this album as much as I did back in the 1980's.