Mama’s Boys – Runaway Dreams 1980-1992 (HNE Recordings Ltd.)

 

Mama’s Boys were a hard rock trio from Ireland.  All three members of the band were brothers, and they even used a traditional Irish fiddle in their music.  The McManus brothers were extremely creative, and their approach to hard rock was unique.  Many dismissed this band based on their name or the Iron Maiden font logo, but they were certainly one of the hidden treasures of the genre.  Mama’s Boys toured on both side of the Atlantic, and they always managed to win the crowds over with their music and enthusiastic shows.

What we have here is a set of five discs, and a detailed look into Mama’s Boys golden years.  Official Bootleg was released back in 1980, and it was the band’s demo pressed on vinyl.  For many years this release was impossible to find, and when it did show up, it was rather an expensive buy.  The sound leaves a lot to be desired, but the spirit captured here is priceless.  Official Bootleg rocks hard.  The second disc is Plug It In, another self-financed album from the band.  This one truly got the ball rolling, got some great exposure for Mama’s Boys.  The next disc is Turn It Up, and this was the big breakthrough album for the boys, it opened a lot of doors.  Mama’s Boys never made it huge, but it was enough for the industry and the fans to take a serious notice.  It got the band to tour Europe, and eventually lead to deals that would allow the band to be visible in America.  The next two albums, Power and Passion and Growing Up the Hard Way, are not represented here.  They were most likely on a different label, and not available due to contractual ownership.  The fourth disc is the band’s final album Relativity from 1992.  Once again, the addition of Relativity was very thoughtful as this album is difficult to track down.  By 1992, traditional hard rock/heavy metal bands were put on a backburner in favor of grunge groups.  Relativity is a great record, but it wasn’t heavily promoted at the time its release.  Many of the fans may not even be aware it existed.  The final disc is a compilation of singles, b-sides, live, and rarities.  It complements this set very nicely.  As always with such releases, it is accompanied by a very informative booklet.

Runaway Dreams 1980-1992 is a nice partial summation of band’s beginnings and its final step.  The music still holds up, and sounds actually quite charming.  Mama’s Boys were definitely an original bunch, and the Irish accent in their music does set them apart from other bands.  They were a solid group that was reliable and consistent.  Sadly, Thomas McManus (drums) is no longer with us, and this is a great tribute to his legacy.  All this writer can say, that getting through those recordings was a lot of fun.

Mark Kadzielawa

Trojan -The Complete Trojan & Talion Recordings ’84-’90 (Dissonance Productions)

 

It’s about time someone put this Trojan/Talion mess in one place!  Having said that, what a marvelous release!  Trojan and Talion are literally the same band, and they’ve made two very distinctive records under each moniker.  The band changed their name because of the dispute with their former management.  When the group regrouped in 2019, they came back as Trojan/Talion, but eventually went back to using the name Trojan.

This box has all you could wish for that involves both versions of the band.  It includes 5 discs of music.  Now can you believe that?  Trojan’s album, Chasing the Storm, was originally released back in 1985, the next disc is a live show, Capturing the Storm-Live at the Dynamo Club from 1986.  This is already hot, and it’s only getting hotter.  The third discs is the Talion’s Killing the World album from 1989.  While Trojan’s album was reissued a few years back, Talion’s disc was a lot harder to come across.  Next disc is a combination of live recording from Bulgaria in 1990, and some demos.  The final disc combines all of the demos the band made in the early days.    All of this is being accompanied by a very informative booklet.  It has text, images, and lyrics.  A treasure trove indeed.

Trojan was definitely a heavy metal band.  They started out during the NWOBHM time-frame, but continues to progress and branch out.  There are elements of speed metal in their music as well.  They simply reflected the times in which they existed.  Underneath it all, there is a very strong British feel, and in many ways it’s what makes them very unique.  All of the discs sound great, and guarantee a listening pleasure.  The music this band plays captures certain spirit and atmosphere that will never be duplicated again.

All in all, this box is absolutely wonderful.  It connects all of those recordings in one place, and adds some great bonus features as well.  Everything about this release spells out a true labor of love.  A long time Trojan/Talion fans will cherish this whereas the new fans will be thrilled to discover a truly great band.

Mark Kadzielawa