Waysted was formed be former UFO bassist, Pete Way. Anyone who knows anything about Pete Way, knows that he was the coolest and the sweetest guy ever, but he loved to party. The name Waysted couldn’t be more fitting for this solo venture. Yet, it was a great band, that was always about five minutes away from making it big.
Waysted had everything going for them as far as talent, quality musicianship, and great songs, and yes even the party was always in a full swing. They've reached certain level of popularity, but couldn’t make that final step to the other side. Needless to say, they left behind some great music, and if you were close enough to their circle, some great stories as well.
This box combines the band’s records from 1983 to 1986. This happens to be the wildest, and the most productive time for Waysted. The number of people that played in Waysted over the years is long, but the core of the band was always very basic, and came down ¾ members.
Vices, Waysted, You Won’t Get Out Alive, and The Good The Bad The Waysted all include Fin Muir on vocals. It should be very obvious that Muir was the definite voice of Waysted. He brought in a certain charisma and style that allowed this band to fly. He was not a commercial sounding vocalist, and genuinely great hard rock frontman, who delivered again and again. The records mentioned above display various levels of excellence, and stylistically keep Waysted in one area. The band was able to have a great success in Europe, specifically in Great Britain, and were taking their first steps in America. Namely, opening for Motley Crue in 1984. Also, various UFO members were involved as well, namely Paul Raymond, Paul Chapman, and even Andy Parker.
By the end of 1985 Muir was gone, and Danny Vaughn was brought in on vocals. Vaughn was an American singer with a very radio friendly voice and a good image. The band made Save Your Prayers, their most commercial record to date, and by 1987 they embarked on a huge American tour opening for Iron Maiden. The exposure was massive, MTV was playing their clip, things could not go wrong. Only they did, the band split up that same year, and never quite materialized on all this hype from touring and MTV. Eventually, they reformed in 2003 with Muir back behind the microphone, but that’s a story for box volume two.
This box set is absolutely lovely. It combines all of the albums described above. All of them come in a remastered format and include multiple bonus tracks. They were all available individually at some point, but many of these editions show up once, and then disappear for a number of years. Having it all in one place is definitely a plus. Also, there is a nice booklet that explains the whole story in even greater detail.
In many ways this is a great tribute to Pete Way, Paul Chapman, and Paul Raymond, who are no longer with us. Pete Way was a true rocker who took it to another level altogether, yet he would make you laugh, and always deliver on stage. His stage antics, that’s another story as well. It was difficult not to love Pete Way, and that’s what makes this set of recording so special. There will never be another Pete Way, and another Waysted for that matter, so enjoy it here.
Mark Kadzielawa
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