The Metal Voice recently spoke to W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless spoke about the bands upcoming North American tour, celebrating the bands 40th anniversary of their debut album.
W.A.S.P. for the first time in 40 years, will play the entire album, start to finish, on their North American tour, dubbed “Album ONE Alive”, this fall. Support on the trek will come from DEATH ANGEL and UNTO OTHERS.
When asked if he will be sitting down (as he did at Sweden Rock Festival) on the upcoming tour as he is recovering from back surgery
“I told the people at Sweden Rock I’m on probation. The doctors told me you can do the show but we don’t want you running any marathons. We want to make sure that this this thing heals completely and totally and you don’t have any setbacks. So that was the compromise that we had to make to do it. But I’m fully expecting that they’ll give me the green light anytime now. I see the doctors again this week and I’ll know more then.”
When asked about the upcoming tour celebrating the release of the debut album “The date August 17th 1984 was significant cuz that was the day that first album was released so we have not done the album in its entirety since that original tour. People had asked for it before and quite honestly you know a lot of times when you’re the person that creates something you don’t ever really see it like other people will see it because you’re on the inside of that bubble. When I tested this idea on a half dozen people that I trust, different promoters around the country, the reaction was not just positive. I mean basically the word I kept hearing over and over was holy- [ __ ]. It wasn’t just positive it was almost one of those visceral reactions. I thought huh maybe we got something here. The artists a lot of times can be naive to that is we’re on the inside and we just don’t see it like someone else would. I had a friend of mine who’s a promoter that I trust a lot and he was telling me you know that this needs to be done or when you do it that they need to be done in chronological order the way they are the running order is on the album. And I argued him up and down on that. I go well listen that means you know we need to start with I want to be somebody (song) we’ve never done that before., you’re throwing a monkey wrench into my whole plan here. And he says listen he goes if Zeppelin got back together and they did Zeppelin 4 do you want to hear that album in it’s proper running order? So I sit there and I say, yeah. I came to the conclusion if you’re going to do it in its entirety you need to do it in its proper running order.”
When asked the possibility of bringing former guitarist Randy Piper and Chris Holmes on stage as special guests since it is the Album ONE tour ‘If the climate were right you would be correct but that climate is not right. There’s water under the bridge that I could not see that ever happening. But allow me to say this what I’m attempting to do here with this show is create an environment not dissimilar to what we did in the beginning. I want to take you back to that moment (early touring years of W.A.S.P.) because most of the audience that are at these shows never lived through it. I don’t want to just have you listen to to an older record. I want to take you back to where that time and space was and for the two hours that we’re in there I want to turn that clock back to make you think you’re actually living through it and with what we’re doing.”
When asked if they will perform any other W.A.S.P. songs on this tour along with the debut album and where does Animal (F like a beast) fit in? “There’ll be a part one (Debut album performance) and a part two. So there’ll be an intermission in between about five -six minutes and then we’ll come back and we’ll do the second part which will be like our greatest hits type of presentation. Now Animal was never part of that debut record. I would say that any of that stuff that could potentially be done if it’s going to be played would be played in the second half but it’s not going to be part of the original album because it was never part of the original album. ‘
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon of The Metal Voice recently spoke to Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. in a multi part series interview.
In part 3 Blackie discusses his religious convictions and songs, friendship with Ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and the use of backing tracks live.
Do you struggle with your religious convictions and the songs of your past “No, that’s all part of the growth period. Everybody does that. Anybody that really comes to Faith, it’s just all part of the growth process. It gives you contrast and I don’t mean to go into a Biblical analogy here but you’re literally going from the dark to the light but that creates that contrast. And from a writing perspective it really is a kind of a cool thing because it gives you a different way of looking at things. It enables me to get into more in-depth ideas. As a songwriter how many times and how long can you write songs about your girlfriend’s red high heel shoes before it starts to get a little mundane. It’s nice to have a fresh perspective. “
When asked about his connection with Ace Frehley of Kiss in his early years “We were just kids, I met him right around the time the band got started. It was just one of those things, more of a meeting of the minds. And you develop a friendship because they’re kindred spirits. So it was really no more than that. And we’ve been able to maintain that friendship for many many years.”
Then asked if they in the same gang together “No, let’s put it this way. I can remember him and I collecting Coke bottles to cash in for deposits and going and buying .25 cent beers at happy hours. So that gives you an idea how far it goes back.”
When asked if he is getting tired people asking him about W.A.S.P. using backing tracks live No. The conclusion that I came to was this. Up until about five years ago we did everything. It was literally a four-piece band. What you heard is what you got. And I came to the conclusion that when we did the anniversary tour for the Crimson Idol, we then brought in all that orchestration and I stood in the middle of the room and I listened to that in rehearsal for the first time and it was like an out-of- body experience. I mean it was unbelievable. And I remember thinking I’ve never heard this sound like this other than the record and I thought this is what I want to do from now on. I want this. I want it to sound exactly like the record. If you listen to a record like ‘Live at Leeds’ The Who. That’s a rock band doing a three-piece musical version of Tommy or some of the other earlier songs. It’s great for what it is but it doesn’t sound like Tommy. What they do now with all the pieces that they take out, those performances sound like the record. So you have to make a decision as an artist what do you want that performance to sound like? Now as a singer, I take a lot of pride in what I do. When you’ve been given a gift like I’ve been given most singers I know want to show that thing off and I’m no different. So yeah, that’s me singing out there but as far as any other Orchestra tracks or backing vocal tracks, I’m sorry there’s just not enough of us on stage to make it sound like that record it’s impossible. So again, the artist has to make the decision of what they want to sound like when they go out. And from that first time, like I said I, stood in the middle of the room and I listened to that orchestration, it blew me away and I thought this is what I’m doing from here on out.”
When asked about the meaning of half speed on the new W.A.S.P. The 7 Savage Box set “Well when they do half speed Masters that’s what we use to make the Press copies from in the factory. So in other words it is the closest thing to the original recording you’re ever going to hear. It’s the final product that we make that goes from the multitrack down to what’s called a half inch master and it’s a pristine copy.”
W.A.S.P. announce ‘The 7 Savage: 1984-1992’ deluxe 8LP boxset from their ‘Capitol Years’, with studio album half-speed mastering, LP of bonus tracks, 60 page book, posters and numbered certificate. The 7 Savage: 1984-1992 will be released Friday 27th October 2023 on Madfish and is strictly limited to 2000 copies worldwide.
Compiled with the full cooperation of Blackie Lawless, the box set also includes a 60-page book with exclusive and rare pictures from legendary metal photographers (including Ross Halfin, Tony Mottram, David Plastik and Paul Natkin), along with extensive liner notes from Amit Sharma (Kerrang!, Planet Rock). Also included is an exclusive Blackie Lawless poster, plus an individually numbered circular saw shaped certificate.
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon of The Metal Voice recently spoke to Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. in a multi part series interview.
In part 2 Blackie discusses the passing of former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley, the PMRC hearings and free speech, plus gives an update on the progress of new W.A.S.P. album and a whole lot more’
When asked about the passing of former W.A.S.P. Drummer Steve Riley “I wrote a thing for him, the day that it happened because that came as a big shock to all of us because none of us saw that coming. When something like that is so sudden, it catches you flat-footed, there’s no other way to describe it. I lost my dad four years ago this month and in an 18 month period I lost 11 people and not one of them to COVID. It was just you know one thing after another and 11 people in that short period of time. I start thinking to myself what’s going on here? I mean this is a wave that personally I’d never seen before. And to be honest to write eulogies over and over again it gets it’s draining because one of the conclusions I came to and I don’t mean for this to sound insensitive but death sucks. There’s no other way to describe it. I learned and as a writer there’s no words that we have that we can say that we can assemble together to make sense out of those losses. It’s like love, they say love is the most beautiful of all frustrations because there’s no words to describe what it really is. Death is the same way, there are no words that we can assemble or group together that really is going to change what it is but what do you say to someone to comfort them. So like I said in Steve’s case that that caught us all flat-footed, we did not see that coming. I wrote that in that eulogy (Official Statement on social media). One of the things that I said in there is that those songs that he played on Wild Child, Blind in Texas, I Don’t Need No Doctor, those songs cemented our Legacy (W.A.S.P.) and he’s a big part of that.”
When asked if it was a mistake having just him on the album covers, from album two to three “No because that was a conscious decision. What happened Tony Richards (Drummer), was forcibly removed from the band and I don’t really like to use those terms but it was against all of our will. I mean Tony had an alleged drug problem that EMI felt very strongly about. We signed the largest deal in history for any previously unsigned band, it was for $2.5 million we won the lottery overnight. But they had such a huge investment in us they were nervous. They (label) did not feel comfortable and they literally forced our hand to remove him and replace him and that’s where Steve Riley came in. But the problem with us was and Chris (Holmes) and I fought it tooth and nail because we understood how valuable Tony was to us. When Tony was there, we were a real band and we promoted ourselves as such but when Tony was gone we felt like we were mortally wounded and we were no longer the band that we once were. So as a band we made a decision to put me on the next two covers but even that didn’t feel right and if you’ve noticed ever since the band has never been on the cover from that time forward. “
When asked to give an update on the new W.A.S.P. Album “There are a number of subjects that I am looking at right now that are knocking on the door of what we are talking about. We’re pretty far into it right now but when this thing happened (Back Issues) on the tour and I blew a gasket, then all that got put on the back burner. But we’re pretty far into the writing process right now and we’re excited about it. It just looks like we won’t be able to get back to it until after the new year. Nobody makes money making records anymore, so if you’re going to make (New) records now you’re doing it because of your legacy. And if you’re going to do that then you really have to make sure that it’s as strong as it can be because it’s always going to be measured against what you did to begin with. All bands make their bones the first five years they’re together, the first five or six records they make their whole Legacy. Their Legacy is cemented there. It doesn’t mean you can’t make good records later on down the line but everything’s going to be constantly compared to that early stuff. So for it to get an honest review or a fair shake so to speak that new record has to maybe be even better than the original stuff because people have had so many years to romance those older songs in their heads.”
W.A.S.P. announce ‘The 7 Savage: 1984-1992’ deluxe 8LP boxset from their ‘Capitol Years’, with studio album half-speed mastering, LP of bonus tracks, 60 page book, posters and numbered certificate. The 7 Savage: 1984-1992 will be released Friday 27th October 2023 on Madfish and is strictly limited to 2000 copies worldwide.
Their first five studio albums (W.A.S.P., The Last Command, Inside the Electric Circus, The Headless Children & TheCrimson Idol) contributed enough on their own for W.A.S.P. to be considered one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. Those LPs are all presented in this set, mastered half-speed at Air Studios, London for a superior, sharper, more direct and engaging sound.
Packaged within a deluxe red leatherette effect double slipcase, ‘The 7 Savage: 1984-1992’ is completed on vinyl with two more LPs: 1987’s Live… in the Raw and new compilation Bonus Tracks & B-Sides featuring the controversial breakthrough anthem ‘Animal (F**k Like a Beast)’.
Compiled with the full cooperation of Blackie Lawless, the box set also includes a 60-page book with exclusive and rare pictures from legendary metal photographers (including Ross Halfin, Tony Mottram, David Plastik and Paul Natkin), along with extensive liner notes from Amit Sharma (Kerrang!, Planet Rock). Also included is an exclusive Blackie Lawless poster, plus an individually numbered circular saw shaped certificate.
DISC 1 – W.A.S.P. (Half-speed Master)
A.1. I Wanna Be Somebody [03:44] A.2. L.O.V.E. Machine [03:52] A.3. The Flame [03:42]A.4. B.A.D. [03:57] A.5. School Daze [03:35] B.1. Hellion [03:39] B.2. Sleeping (In The Fire) [03:56] B.3. On Your Knees [03:49] B.4. Tormentor [04:11] B.5. The Torture Never Stops [03:56]
DISC 2 The Last Command (Half-speed Master)
A.1. Wild Child [05:12] A.2. Ballcrusher [03:28] A.3. Fistful Of Diamonds [04:14] A.4. Jack Action [04:17] A.5. Widowmaker [05:18] B.1. Blind In Texas [04:21] B.2. Cries In The Night [03:42] B.3. The Last Command [04:11] B.4. Running Wild In The Streets [03:30] B.5. Sex Drive [03:12]
DISC 3 Inside the Electric Circus (Half-speed Master)
A.1. The Big Welcome [01:22] A.2. Inside The Electric Circus [03:33] A.3. I Dont Need No Doctor [03:26]A.4. 9.5. - N.A.S.T.Y. [04:48] A.5. Restless Gypsy [04:59]A.6. Shoot From The Hip [04:38] B.1. Im Alive [04:22] B.2. Easy Living [03:12] B.3. Sweet Cheetah [05:16] B.4. Mantronic [04:10] B.5. King Of Sodom And Gomorrah [03:50] B.6. The Rock Rolls On [03:52]
DISC 4 The Headless Children (Half-speed Master)
A.1. The Heretic (The Lost Child) [07:23] A.2. The Real Me [03:20] A.3. The Headless Children [05:46] A.4. Thunderhead [06:50] B.1. Mean Man [04:48] B.2. The Neutron Bomber [04:10] B.3. Mephisto Waltz [01:28] B.4. Forever Free [05:09] B.5. Maneater [04:47] B.6. Rebel In The F.D.G. [05:08]
DISC 5 The Crimson Idol (Half-speed Master)
A.1. The Titanic Overture [03:31] A.2. The Invisible Boy [05:13] A.3. Arena Of Pleasure [04:15] A.4. Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue) [08:43] B.1. The Gypsy Meets The Boy [04:15] B.2. Doctor Rockter [03:54] B.3. I Am One [05:24]
DISC 6 The Crimson Idol (Half-speed Master)
C.1. The Idol [08:40] C.2. Hold On To My Heart [04:22] C.3. The Great Misconceptions Of Me [09:44] D.1. The Story Of Jonathan (Prologue To The Crimson Idol)[16:35] D.2. Phantoms In The Mirror [04:36] D.3. The Eulogy [04:16]
DISC 7 Live… in the Raw
A.1. Inside The Electric Circus (live) [04:31] A.2. I Don`t Need No Doctor (live) [03:40] A.3. L.O.V.E. Machine (live) [04:27] A.4. Wild Child (live) [06:02] A.5. 9.5. – N.A.S.T.Y. (live) [05:11] A.6. Sleeping (In The Fire) (live) [05:27] B.1. The Manimal (live) [04:44] B.2. I Wanna Be Somebody (live) [06:43] B.3. Harder Faster (live) [07:19] B.4. Blind In Texas (live) [05:41] B.5. Scream Until You Like It (Theme from Ghoulies II) [03:25]
DISC 8 Bonus Tracks & B-sides
A.1. Animal (F**k Like A Beast) [03:07] A.2. Show No Mercy [03:48] A.3. Paint It Black [03:28] A.4. Savage [03:33] A.5. Mississippi Queen [03:22] A.6. Flesh And Fire [04:38] A.7. D.B. Blues [03:25] B.1. Locomotive Breath [03:00] B.2. For Whom The Bell Tolls [03:48] B.3. Lake Of Fools [05:33] B.4. War Cry [05:33] B.5. When The Levee Breaks [07:06]
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon of The Metal Voice recently spoke to Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. in a multi part interview.
In part 1 Blackie Lawless gives a detailed health update and talks about the new W.A.S.P. Box set ‘The 7 Savage: 1984-1992’ deluxe 8LP their ‘Capitol Years’.
When asked about his current health situation “It’s been a long long road. You know when you start dealing with compound injuries which I mean I’ve had over the years doing what we do, it’s fairly common. I’ve had the same orthopedic guy for over 30 years and I’m not joking. At the end of every tour I crawl up on his table and say fix me. Any band that does a lot on stage that you know, runs around, is pretty active. Any band, any athlete, any dancer you’re all gonna have injuries and it happens and this is just part of it. But it’s the first time I’ve had a compound situation like this and it’s been an eye opening experience and it’s been a struggle there’s no two ways about it. But I’ve got probably the best people in the country working on me and I don’t say that lightly. I mean these guys they’re fantastic and we’re getting where we need to go. So all things considered we’re doing good.”
When asked if he sees himself back at it in 12 months “Less. The pace they’ve got me on right now, well let’s put it this way. They (doctors) tell me they’re thrilled. I mean, I get frustrated because I want to run literally before I’m able to do it and there’s things that I want to do that I ask them can we accelerate this? And they just shake their head, no you’re not ready for that yet. And it’s like I’m chomping at the bit to go and it’s like no they’re telling me no, you got to stay with the program here and you’ll get you’ll get where you want to go just trust us. “
“I’ve had two surgeries and the first one was in mid August and then the second one was two weeks later. So then you have a preliminary healing period you have to go through, which is about four weeks and then you go into physical therapy and then that’s when the real fun begins. I don’t know of any other way to put it but anybody that’s ever been through serious rehab before it’s challenging. I’ve been a gym rat my whole life. I’ve constantly lived in a gym. But there’s a difference between doing this and doing what you do in a gym because when you’re in a gym you’re usually concentrating on repetitions, this is not that. This is a combination of Yoga, Pilates and what you would normally do in a gym and the movements are considerably slower and it’s designed to target specific muscles. You’ve heard the expression you’re using muscles you didn’t even know you have, that is really what this is.”
When asked about trying to finish the last 40th anniversary tour, in pain “The first thing that happened was I was doing or seeing chiropractors and they were literally coming to the shows. To give you the full scope of it 10 years ago I broke my right femur. I broke it really badly, I got knocked out of the back of a truck and fell into a pile of bricks and it was like falling into jagged knives and the femur snapped on the right side about two inches below the hip and it split lengthwise all the way down to the knee. I mean it was a nasty nasty break. I’ve got an 18 inch titanium rod in there right now that is going to be with me for the duration. Problem was it took about a year for that to heal. I wore a quarter of an inch van inch lift in my left or excuse me in my right shoe for nine years after that. Well we went and did a CT scan last summer and the two legs were less than a millimeter of difference from each other so it was determined I didn’t need that lift anymore. So on a doctor’s advice I took that lift out which was a major mistake because what had happened in those nine years the body will compensate for anything foreign that you tried to use it to make adjustments with and in this case my pelvis rotated forward from wearing that lift. And then when I took the lift out, the body didn’t know what to do and it’s trying to readjust and so what it did is my back kept going out and I’m seeing chiropractors for it. We get to Madrid in Spain and I get a chiropractor that comes in and this kid was I mean he was unbelievably strong . Honestly I thought a gorilla had all of me and he didn’t speak any English. I’m trying to get this kid to stop and I’m literally, I had to start fighting him to get him to lay off. He ruptured one of the discs in my back and so now I’d never had a ruptured disc before and I didn’t know what nerve pain was about. I’d heard about it but until you’ve gone through it you can’t imagine what it’s like. And the pain goes from your lower back all the way down your leg into your ankle. The best way I could describe it would be to imagine the worst tooth ache you’ve ever had but it goes all the way from your lower back down your leg into your ankle and you can’t get it to stop and it’s just excruciating beyond belief. So we found another Sports Medicine place in Berlin (Germany) and they started treating me and they started giving me epidurals over the course of the tour. I had eight epidurals to get me through that tour but they recommended that I stop the tour. I really didn’t want to do that. I mean you have people that buy tickets, people wait a long time, a lot of them make travel plans, they fly, they do all kinds of things. You want to do your best to not disrupt that. Not to mention it’s 40th anniversary tour, I’m only going to get one time to do this in my life. And quite honestly I got about 30 families that are dependent on me between the band and the road crew and office workers and things like that. So how do you go to people and say you know what my back hurts, I don’t feel like playing? You can’t really do that so they advised me in Berlin to stop the tour and I said well how bad can it be? I said you do your thing and I’ll do my thing and I’ll kind of cool it on the movement and you just keep me going and they said no you don’t understand this is going to get worse if you don’t stop. And I thought they’re just being, you know, overly cautious. Well what happened I ended up rupturing a second disc and I ended up breaking my back and so we got through the tour except for the last five shows and I literally had to sit in a chair the last five shows to get through cuz I couldn’t stand up anymore. We got home from the tour and immediately I went in with the orthopedic guys and they told me they said you got to do this and you got to do this now because if you don’t you’re going to be in a wheelchair in a month. And so within the span of two weeks I had had two major surgeries and that brings us pretty much to the point where we are now. So getting it all straightened out is a good thing, you know the doctors that have worked on me are the best in the country. So I’m really really thankful for that.”
When mentioning how people have committed suicide over severe back pains “It’s funny you say that because they (Doctors) warned me about that in Berlin (Germany). I’m going to give you the facts, this is the facts anybody that might hear this interview it could be of of help to them because one of the things they warned me they said people commit suicide over this. It’s so bad and until you’ve been through it which I never had been, you can’t understand the excruciation (pain), that’s one word to describe it but it’s worse than that. It’s just something you can’t escape and it’s like I’ve broken all kinds of bones and had all kinds of injuries nothing compares to this. Over the course of that tour I took 340 opium tablets to get me through it. And there were times I was taking five a night. And what happens is I do the shows and that nerve would get all irritated again and there would be times I couldn’t sleep until noon the next day and that was that was a fairly common occurrence. There’s no position you can get in that stops it and you’re laying there and it’s like the pain’s off the charts and in your head you’re hearing what those doctors are saying about people committing suicide over this and you start to understand. What got me through it was I knew that eventually I would get better but if it was a situation where someone had no hope and that that’s what it was going to be I don’t think you could live your life like that it just wouldn’t be worth it. And I’m somebody that’s a great lover of life but when you’re dealing with something like that that’s inescapable. I could certainly understand how somebody would look at the alternative.You know what sucks about it? I’m not a recreational drug taker, I never have been, you know. I’m the kind of person that I like my wits about me and I like to think clearly And to just to constantly have to stay doped up because that’s what it comes down to just to be able to get through it. They (doctors) told me when I came out of the first surgery they said all the pain is going to be gone and I found that really hard to believe because I’d been about 3 months in that process. 3 months is an eternity when you’re going through that. I woke up in recovery and they were right, the pain was gone and it was just like wow what a concept to be normal again. And then the bad news was they came in the recovery and said well you know this surgery went fine and we’re very happy but you’re going to have to have another one. It’s like that’s not really what you want to hear while you’re in recovery because you’re thinking okay we’re over this hurdle now we’re into recovery. So like I said all things considered uh I’ve been pretty blessed.
When asked what fans can expect in sound quality of the new WASP Box Set compared to older versions of the albums “Obviously they’ve remastered, everything which can enhance the process. I’ve heard it before where it’s actually hurt recordings before but if you take your time and you do it correctly what it does is it freshens up the recording and you end up hearing things that maybe you didn’t hear on the first pressings. Plus technology’s changed now, if the mixes are correct to begin with you can hear spaces on them that you just didn’t hear before and I know that I’m getting into kind of a technical world here but for the average person out there what it means is it sounds better and it sounds richer. So that’s the whole bonus of doing that.”
W.A.S.P. announce ‘The 7 Savage: 1984-1992’ deluxe 8LP boxset from their ‘Capitol Years’, with studio album half-speed mastering, LP of bonus tracks, 60 page book, posters and numbered certificate. The 7 Savage: 1984-1992 will be released Friday 27th October 2023 on Madfish and is strictly limited to 2000 copies worldwide.
Their first five studio albums (W.A.S.P., The Last Command, Inside the Electric Circus, The Headless Children & TheCrimson Idol) contributed enough on their own for W.A.S.P. to be considered one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. Those LPs are all presented in this set, mastered half-speed at Air Studios, London for a superior, sharper, more direct and engaging sound.
Packaged within a deluxe red leatherette effect double slipcase, ‘The 7 Savage: 1984-1992’ is completed on vinyl with two more LPs: 1987’s Live… in the Raw and new compilation Bonus Tracks & B-Sides featuring the controversial breakthrough anthem ‘Animal (F**k Like a Beast)’.
Compiled with the full cooperation of Blackie Lawless, the box set also includes a 60-page book with exclusive and rare pictures from legendary metal photographers (including Ross Halfin, Tony Mottram, David Plastik and Paul Natkin), along with extensive liner notes from Amit Sharma (Kerrang!, Planet Rock). Also included is an exclusive Blackie Lawless poster, plus an individually numbered circular saw shaped certificate.
DISC 1 – W.A.S.P. (Half-speed Master)
A.1. I Wanna Be Somebody [03:44] A.2. L.O.V.E. Machine [03:52] A.3. The Flame [03:42]A.4. B.A.D. [03:57] A.5. School Daze [03:35] B.1. Hellion [03:39] B.2. Sleeping (In The Fire) [03:56] B.3. On Your Knees [03:49] B.4. Tormentor [04:11] B.5. The Torture Never Stops [03:56]
DISC 2 The Last Command (Half-speed Master)
A.1. Wild Child [05:12] A.2. Ballcrusher [03:28] A.3. Fistful Of Diamonds [04:14] A.4. Jack Action [04:17] A.5. Widowmaker [05:18] B.1. Blind In Texas [04:21] B.2. Cries In The Night [03:42] B.3. The Last Command [04:11] B.4. Running Wild In The Streets [03:30] B.5. Sex Drive [03:12]
DISC 3 Inside the Electric Circus (Half-speed Master)
A.1. The Big Welcome [01:22] A.2. Inside The Electric Circus [03:33] A.3. I Dont Need No Doctor [03:26]A.4. 9.5. - N.A.S.T.Y. [04:48] A.5. Restless Gypsy [04:59]A.6. Shoot From The Hip [04:38] B.1. Im Alive [04:22] B.2. Easy Living [03:12] B.3. Sweet Cheetah [05:16] B.4. Mantronic [04:10] B.5. King Of Sodom And Gomorrah [03:50] B.6. The Rock Rolls On [03:52]
DISC 4 The Headless Children (Half-speed Master)
A.1. The Heretic (The Lost Child) [07:23] A.2. The Real Me [03:20] A.3. The Headless Children [05:46] A.4. Thunderhead [06:50] B.1. Mean Man [04:48] B.2. The Neutron Bomber [04:10] B.3. Mephisto Waltz [01:28] B.4. Forever Free [05:09] B.5. Maneater [04:47] B.6. Rebel In The F.D.G. [05:08]
DISC 5 The Crimson Idol (Half-speed Master)
A.1. The Titanic Overture [03:31] A.2. The Invisible Boy [05:13] A.3. Arena Of Pleasure [04:15] A.4. Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue) [08:43] B.1. The Gypsy Meets The Boy [04:15] B.2. Doctor Rockter [03:54] B.3. I Am One [05:24]
DISC 6 The Crimson Idol (Half-speed Master)
C.1. The Idol [08:40] C.2. Hold On To My Heart [04:22] C.3. The Great Misconceptions Of Me [09:44] D.1. The Story Of Jonathan (Prologue To The Crimson Idol)[16:35] D.2. Phantoms In The Mirror [04:36] D.3. The Eulogy [04:16]
DISC 7 Live… in the Raw
A.1. Inside The Electric Circus (live) [04:31] A.2. I Don`t Need No Doctor (live) [03:40] A.3. L.O.V.E. Machine (live) [04:27] A.4. Wild Child (live) [06:02] A.5. 9.5. – N.A.S.T.Y. (live) [05:11] A.6. Sleeping (In The Fire) (live) [05:27] B.1. The Manimal (live) [04:44] B.2. I Wanna Be Somebody (live) [06:43] B.3. Harder Faster (live) [07:19] B.4. Blind In Texas (live) [05:41] B.5. Scream Until You Like It (Theme from Ghoulies II) [03:25]
DISC 8 Bonus Tracks & B-sides
A.1. Animal (F**k Like A Beast) [03:07] A.2. Show No Mercy [03:48] A.3. Paint It Black [03:28] A.4. Savage [03:33] A.5. Mississippi Queen [03:22] A.6. Flesh And Fire [04:38] A.7. D.B. Blues [03:25] B.1. Locomotive Breath [03:00] B.2. For Whom The Bell Tolls [03:48] B.3. Lake Of Fools [05:33] B.4. War Cry [05:33] B.5. When The Levee Breaks [07:06]
W.A.S.P. recently wrapped up the European Leg of the 2023, “40th Anniversary World Tour”. Blackie Lawless shared a post on the official W.A.S.P. website WASPnation.com looking back at some of the spectacular moments from the tour. Blackie commented, “These gigs were “rockin” and everyone there, including the band could feel it. We would come off stage for the encore and there were times it was so loud we could not communicate with each other.”
Read Blackie Lawless’ entire recap at this location.
Now W.A.S.P. are preparing for the U.S. tour that begins on August 4th in San Luis Obispo, CA, making stops across North America in Vancouver, BC, Omaha, NE, New York, NY, Memphis, TN and more before wrapping up on Saturday, September 16 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA. Special guest Armored Saint will join the band across all dates of the tour. The U.S. tour is followed by visits to South America and Mexico. Tickets and VIP packages to meet Blackie Lawless are available at WASPnation.com.
Below are just some of the many incredible reviews of the W.A.S.P. European Tour.
They delivered top-notch and unforgettable entertainment. – Rockline.si
40 years of uncompromising heavy metal. – Grimmgent.com
Tonight was a celebration of not just W.A.S.P., but a celebration of our youth, – Overdrive.ie
A show that captured this seminal band at their best, and indeed probably better than I have ever seen them play before. – Ever-metal.com
Tonight was a truly joyous Heavy Metal celebration. – Metaltalk.net
When you’re putting on a show as enjoyable as this, it’s no surprise why people keep coming back. – Moshville.co.uk
Ladies and gentlemen, that is most certainly how you put on a rock show. – Backseatmafia.com
We definitely recommend catching this tour! – Tuonelamagazine.com
All of us who were there went out with a smile from ear to ear, because what W.A.S.P. offered us that night was the best and most electric of all circuses. – Mariskalrock.com
Sell out crowd prove the demand for W.A.S.P. is still high – Therazorsedge.rocks
THE 40TH NEVER STOPS WORLD TOUR 2023 DATES: Fri Aug 04 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theatre * Sat Aug 05 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live Sacramento Mon Aug 07 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater Tue Aug 08 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre * Thu Aug 10 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre Fri Aug 11 – Spokane, WA – The Podium Sat Aug 12 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House and Event Center Sun Aug 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot Tue Aug 15 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha Wed Aug 16 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus Thurs Aug 17 – Moline, IL – The Rust Belt * Fri Aug 18 – Eau Claire, WI – RCU Theater * Sat Aug 19 – Clive, IA – Horizon Events Center * Sun Aug 20 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana Tue Aug 22 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live @ 20 Monroe Wed Aug 23 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre Thu Aug 24 – Wheeling, WV – Capitol Theatre * Fri Aug 25 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater * Sat Aug 26 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom Sun Aug 27 – Hampton, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Tue Aug 29 – Wallingford, CT – The Dome At Oakdale Theatre Wed Aug 30 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia Thu Aug 31 – Warren, OH – Packard Music Hall * Fri Sep 01 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall Sun Sep 03 – Montreal, QC – Mtelus Tue Sep 05 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center Thu Sep 07 – Memphis, TN – The Soundstage at Graceland Fri Sep 08 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall Sat Sep 09 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom Sun Sep 10 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion Wed Sep 13 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre * Thu Sep 14 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues Sat Sep 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
*Not a Live Nation Date
W.A.S.P. THE 40TH NEVER STOPS WORLD TOUR 2023 Promo video.
For The Metal Voice Kenny Kessel reporting at W.A.S.P. Blackie Lawless fan Q and A on Nov 18, 2022 at The Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York. Check out the fan Q and A and the answers from Blackie Lawless.
Blackie talks about death threats and getting shot at after the 80’s PRMC hearings and how it changed his life; the changing music industry with technology; if he would ever do another complete album live(other than the crimson Idol) and his recollections of Hear n ‘Aid experience plus a lot more.
During the Q and A Blackie was asked by a fan what happened after PMRC debate and how it affected the band and if the PMRC tried to shut the band down at the time. Lawless responded,” it changed my life, if that’s what you mean. It made me more of a recluse. A couple thousand death threats and bomb scares and getting shot at a couple of times usually has a tendency to alter your outlook on life a little. Also we were exposed to extreme pain very early and fame is kind of like this. If this table is a smorgasbord, it’s like an evil Genie stands down at the end of the the smorgasbord and says you can take anything you want but if you take one thing you take it all. You do not get to pick and choose, so all the good stuff that you like in the smorgasbord that’s wonderful but you got to take the bad stuff too. So it ends up being a life-altering experience but one I don’t think you can ever really go back at least I haven’t too. “
The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. The committee was founded by four women known as the “Washington Wives”—a reference to their husbands’ connections with government in the Washington, D.C. area. The women who founded the PMRC are Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. The PMRC eventually grew to include 22 participants before shutting down in the mid-to-late 1990s.
One of the actions taken by the PMRC was compiling a list of fifteen songs in popular music, at the time, that they found the most objectionable. This list is known as the “Filthy Fifteen” and consists of the following songs along with the lyrical content category for which each song was considered objectionable. W.A.S.P “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)” was number 9. (Wikipedia)
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