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An '80s British hard-rock/heavy metal band originally formed by ex-Motorhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and UFO bassist Pete Way, thus the name FAST-WAY. Unfortunately Pete left before the first recording, at the time thinking he was going to become a permanent part of Ozzy Osbourne. Fastway also featured ex-Humble Pie drummer, Jerry Shirley and a young singer, David King. King went on to form Katmandu.
Fastway (Columbia) 1983
1. "Easy Living"
(2:48)
2. "Feel Me, Touch Me (Do Anything You Want)" (3:28)
3. "All I Need Is Your Love" (2:33)
4. "Another Day" (4:42)
5. "Heft!" (5:39)
6. "We Become One" (3:59)
7. "Give It All You Got" (3:02)
8. "Say What You Will" (3:21)
9. "You Got Me Runnin'" (3:05)
10. "Give It Some Action" (4:12)
11. "Far Far from Home" (5:30)
Excellent debut album from Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke. Add to the mix the soulful singing and harmonica playing of David King and you've got a monster album. King at times sounds very close to Robert Plant, but I would not label him a clone. His voice fits perfectly the bluesy heavy metal and boogie that Fastway pumps out. This particular album spawned two singles, "Easy Living" and the song with the simplest bass riff ever written "Say What You Will." The fact is though, that the whole disc is quite contagious. When I owned this on vinyl, I wore the grooves off it. Thank God for compact discs!
Fastway-Waiting for the Roar (Columbia) 1985
1. "The World Waits
For You" (6:24)
2. "Kill Me With Your Heart" (4:49)
3. "Tired Of Your Love" (3:57)
4. "Change" (4:52)
5. "Move Over" (4:05)
6. "Little By Little" (5:47)
7. "Rock On" (3:21)
8. "Waiting for the Roar" (4:01)
9. "Girl" (4:04)
10. "Back Door Man" (3:17)
It's amazing how much a band can change in just three albums. "Waiting For the Roar," despite it's heavy title, is no where near as heavy, as British, or as original as the band's debut. Where that album was pure British heavy metal, this album sounds more like keyboard saturated American AOR. Imagine that Fast Eddie Clark's guitars are barely audible under the presence of the keyboards. Even Dave King's Plant like howl seems to be harnessed. Several tracks seem like they were tailor made for hard rock radio in 1985. Just check out the sing-along chorus of "Tired Of Your Love" or the syrupy ballad "Change". "Little By Little" is probably the closest to their original sound as the guitars are more out front, the keys toned down and the vocals wail. "Rock On" also rocks a bit harder sounding a bit like some of the more radio friendly metal bands of the mid-80's. "Waiting for the Roar" is not Fastway's finest moment, although it's far from being a bad album. Even though the heavy metal thunder is no longer present, the band still knows how to write a hook and hold a listeners interest. So, while I would never claim this as my favorite Fastway release, it's also not one that collects dust on the CD shelf. This disc seems to be out of print, but was given to me as a gift from a fellow Fastway fan. (thanks James)
Fastway - Trick or Treat (Columbia) 1986
1. "Trick or Treat"
(2:47)
2. "After Midnight" (3:39)
3. "Don't Stop the Fight" (4:21)
4. "Stand Up" (4:04)
5. "Tear Down the Walls" (2:07)
6. "Get Tough" (3:30)
7. "Hold On To The Night" (3:22)
8. "Heft" (5:20)
9. "If You Could See" (4:36)
"Trick or Treat" is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name that starred Kiss' Gene Simmons as "Nuke" and a guest appearance by Ozzy Osbourne. The last two tracks on this disc were from the first two Fastway discs respectively. However, tracks 1 - 7 were new originals written specifically for this movie, although sparingly used as I recall. Can't say that these tracks hold up to the debut or follow-up, but they certainly are not as bad as I expected them to be. Stripped down power rock 'n roll, that is thankfully devoid of keyboards. Fast Eddie Clark letting loose a few choice solos, but really nothing matching his work with Motorhead or, as I already stated, the band's first two CDs.
Fastway - Live 'Say What You Will' (Receiver Records) 1991
1. "Easy Living"
(3:08)
2. "Say What You Will" (3:35)
3. "The World Waits For You" (4:50)
4. "Waiting For The Roar" (4:13)
5. "Girl" (4:07)
6. "Steal The Show" (3:32)
7. "All Fired Up" (2:40)
8. "Kill Me With Your Heart" (4:49)
9. "Feel Me Touch Me" (4:24)
10. "Sex Booze & Rock & Roll" (5:45)
Live 'Say What You Will' was recorded on Fastway's 1986 tour to support their "The World Waits for You" album. The material on that album is so different from the band's first two heavy metal classics. Three songs are featured from that album including "The World Waits for You","Waiting For The Roar" and "Kill Me With Your Heart". Personally I prefer the simplistic approach of songs like "Easy Living " and "Say What You Will" to the more melodic, pop metal approach of the aforementioned tracks. Still the overall feel of this live album is quite nice. This live album features extraordinary vocalist Dave King, although it was released after he had left the band. His voice, coupled with Fast Eddie Clark's riffs, were the heart and soul of this band, as is so obvious by listening to this raw live recording. The recording here is far from perfect, but is better than some of the bootlegs I have heard over the years. Personally, I don't mind the raw sound, but can understand how some might be disappointed by it.
Fastway - On Target Reworked (Receiver) 1998
1. "Trick Or Treat"
(2:40)
2. "The Answer Is You" (3:32)
3. "These Dreams" (4:28)
4. "Station" (2:54)
5. "Change Of Heart" (3:32)
6. "Two Hearts" (4:10)
7. "Make My Day" (3:20)
8. "She Is Danger" (4:39)
9. "Dead Or Alive" (3:48)
10. "Easy Livin'" (2:46)
11. "Let Him Rock" (3:53)
12. "Show Some Emotion" (4:55)
13. "Say What You Will" (3:16)
"On Target Reworked" freatures re-recorded versions of all eight cuts from the origingal 1989 Fastway release "On Target". Apparently during the recording of the original "On Target" Eddie Clark became disenchanted with the band due to the sound the label was forcing the band into. Years later he got the rights back to the album and reunited Fastway to re-record "On Target", along with some other Fastway classics including 'Say What You Will', 'Trick Or Treat', 'Station', 'Make My Day' and 'Easy Livin''. As of writing this, I have never heard the original "On Target" release, so I don't really know if the re-recording was an improvement or not. I can say that I like the "On Target" tracks quite a bit, but don't care as much for the re-recorded classic tracks. Lea Hart has an excellent voice, but those original tracks were perfect with original vocalist Dave King. However, the other eight tracks are a good listen. Simple, straight-forward rock and roll.
Related Collections:
Katmandu | Motorhead
| Fast Eddie Clarke