Hardware (Album)
CD, MC: Arista
Hardware is the fifth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus. It contains the singles "Rock City," " Smelly Nelly " and " Winning Man".
Background
Hardware made up where its predecessor Metal Rendez -Vous had stopped. With the same line-up as the previous album was recorded in the Roundhouse Studios in London, which in turn brought a direct, no-frills hard rock with it. With this work Crocus consolidated their drafted by the previous position in the rock and metal circus. With the singles " Rock City ", " Smelly Nelly " and " Winning Man", which additionally released in the UK Industrial Strength EP and the video clips produced in London at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon to "Rock City," " She's Got Everything" and "Easy Rocker " in the back reached hardware in Switzerland Gold status. But in other countries, the album was recorded with benevolence: In Germany it peaked at number 56 on the charts in Sweden, number 50, UK number 44 and in Austria even space next to " Rock City " are 16th with "Easy Rocker," " Winning Man "and " Celebration "has also represented another band classics that still appear regularly in the live set. However, with hardware, also formed the first cracks in the band structure. The for a long time under drug problems suffering and often unreliable lead guitarist Tommy Kiefer was released immediately after the release of the album. With Mandy Meyer, the band presented once a replacement, among other things, all performances of hardware tour of Europe and North America, along with Mother's Finest, Nazareth, Ted Nugent, Rainbow, AC / DC, Pat Travers, Blackfoot, Blue Öyster Cult, Iron Maiden and April Wine, graduated. However, Meyer should not long hold at Crocus and so it came before the recording of the next studio album One Vice at a Time for another line-up change: Fernando von Arb took over from then on the lead guitar and the Swiss Mark Kohler was presented for the rhythm guitar. Hardware is thus the last album with founding member Tommy Kiefer on guitar and the single " Smelly Nelly " songwriter whose last contribution for crocus. According to information from Chris von Rohr, the album was not produced by the whole band, as can be read on the various recordings, but only by Fernando von Arb and him self Unlike the majority of the published versions of hardware has a special U.S. American variant of the LP a significantly different track list.
Title list
All CD and MC versions as well as most versions of the LP
Special U.S. version of the LP
Find out more
- "Winning Man" appeared in a re-recorded version on the album Heart Attack by 1988.
- " Easy Rocker " and "Celebration" were also published in 1981 in the film Mad Foxes: used fire on wheels ( Stingray 2).
- "Mr. 69 " is on the special U.S. LP as" Mr. Sixty -Nine " were printed.
- One to now unreleased song called "Love Me Like an Alligator " was recorded during production of hardware, but not used for the album.