POINT BLANK
Point Blank - Second Season (Wounded Bird) 1977
1. "Part Time Lover" (3:43)
2. "Back In The Alley" (4:14)
3. "Rock And Roll Hideaway" (3:16)
4. "Stars And Scars" (8:18)
5. "Beautiful Lover" (4:06)
6. "Uncle Ned" (3:51)
7. "Tattooed Lady" (4:13)
8. "Nasty Notions" (3:19)
9. "Waiting For A Change" (4:46)
I was at work when a co-worker played me a song and asked me who it was. It was familiar with the song but couldn't remember who the artist was. A bit of investigating revealed it was "Nicole" by Point Blank. I had all but forgotten about this hard driving, blues-based, Southern rock band from Texas. "Nicole" was their hit from the early 80's and was mostly a pop rock hit, sounding more like Toto or late .38 Special than anything Southern fried. However, the song did manage to peak my interest in the band again, so I began to see what from the band was available on CD. "Second Season" was the first CD I managed to score, finding it for a mere $1.75 on LaLa.com. Sweet! "Second Season" was originally issued on Arista Records in '78 and was not one of the band's hits, but it is a solid rock 'n' roll record that sports a tight rhythm section, some killer twin guitar work and even some bluesy harmonica jams. The sound on "Second Season" was a hyrbid mix of crunchy blues guitar riffs and classic Southern rock. They have a raw energy and hard edge that placed them outside the more traditional Southern bands like Skynyrd, Outlaws and Allman Brothers and put them more in line with bands like Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot and especially ZZ Top. This is helped by the fact that Bill Ham, who had worked with ZZ Top, produced "Second Season". Also, "Back in the Alley" has a striking resemblance to ZZ Top's "A Fool For You're Stockings" (which in all fairness did come out a couple years AFTER this album.) The band also pulls off a great cover of "Beautiful Loser" by Bob Segar. A quick scan on the internet for other reviews revealed very little. AllMusicGuide.com basically said that "Second Season" was "...for die-hard fans and Southern rock fanatics only." Indeed! I guess then, that I am one.
Point Blank - Reloaded (DixieFrog) 2007
1. "Back in the Alley" (4:13)
2. "Moving" (3:15)
3. "Nasty Notions" (3:29)
4. "Bad Bees" (2:49)
5. "Uncle Ned" (4:11)
5. "Stars & Scars" (6:56)
7. "Lonely State Fool" (4:11)
8. "Free Man" (5:43)
9. "Mean to Your Queenie" (5:03)
10. "Nicole" (3:45)
11. "Let Her Go" (4:04)
12. "How Blue Can You Get" (9:34)
13. "Thank You Mama" (1:42)
Recorded live in Forth Worth, Texas at the Ridglea Theater on
September 17, 2005. "Reloaded" marks the return of one of the more
underrated bands from the 70's Southern Rock scene. Thirty years later and this band sounds as good as ever. The recording is spotless, yet they don't lose and ounce of the hard n heavy rock and roll. The album starts of with one of the band's hardest rocking songs, "Back in the Alley". A brilliant song with a blues based song not unlike Blackfoot. One of the big standout cuts here is the melodic, country rock song "Stars & Scars". A beautiful track that easily could have been a hit in the 70's, had this band had a bit more exposure and some radio push. Of course, one of the tracks I was looking forward to hearing the most was "Mean to You Queenie", a classic Southern rock track that is brought to life on this live platter. "Nicole" is probably Point Blank's most well known track, and the closest they ever came to writing a song for the radio. Frankly, I've always loved the studio version of this track, with the layered vocals and studio sheen. The live version doesn't quite hold up, but it's not bad either. One of the things I love about Southern rock is the extended guitar jams. On "Reloaded" we get, "How Blue Can You Get" a slow Southern blue jam. Sometimes when bands get back together after an extended period of time, it's sounds like they haven't played together in years. That is not the case here. Actually, I think "Reloaded" would be an excellent CD to introduce someone to Point Blank. I know it rekindled my interest in the band.