The Pack is Back?

Raven opened up for so many bands just as I was getting into metal.  So, when Stay Hard came out, I played the hell out it.  Not their best album, in retrospect, but my sentimental fav.  Then The Pack Is Back came out and I wanted to puke.  Not only because it makes me wanna drool hatred for Green Bay, but because of the awful choice of cover songs [that was an epidemic in 1986].  But I cranked it today, even Give Me Some Lovin', and other than that [<<<<] song, I enjoyed it.  Thoughts and/or votes.

If there was an option for "it's okay" then I would have chosen that.

I love the horn charts on the song "Hyperactive" performed by Tower Of Power.

4th choice is where I figured you would have gone, detuned.

 

I'm a Raven fanboy but this one ranks at the bottom of the pile for sure. The "Gimme Some Lovin'" cover sucks, and I can do without the two songs with the horn section (sorry, S.D.) but there are some decent tracks on it, like "Rock Dogs" and "Youngblood."

Never heard it. Not sure I've ever heard Raven, actually. Need to fix that (but not with this album).

Fer real Metallic. Start with Wiped out or All for One. Ween yourself into that catalog with the early stuff. Almost ALL of it gets good, once you get familiar.

UNCLE SAXON'S KICKASS CDS wrote:

Fer real Metallic.  Start with Wiped out or All for One.  Ween yourself into that catalog with the early stuff.  Almost ALL of it gets good, once you get familiar.

Sounds good. Thanks!

Never heard it!

Raven lost their tenuous grip on me with Stay Hard really, but I bought it. Took one look at the cover of TPIB and thought, nope!

I must have been a major fanboy because I loved it, even thou I admit I was disappointed, I wanted it to be 'All for One II' or even 'Stay Harder' .

It was the trend to do a pop metal album and IMO they did it better then most.

That being said it sits on the bottom of my pile as far as Raven discs, but I enjoy it, thanks to this thread I am going to throw in the disc right now

I have tried to forget that Raven ever released it.....

A horribly disappointing release from Raven that is ruined more by the production than it is for the songs or performance. I voted to remove Gimme Some Lovin and it would be listenable.

I met Eddie Kramer (Pack Is Back producer) at a KISS Expo in the early 1990s. I was tempted to ask him about this album and why it turned out to be such a mess... but eventually decided not to, cuz I figured he probably didn't have very pleasant memories of The Pack Is Back, if he even remembered it at all.

I've always loved this record. At the time I was perfectly fine with bands trying to appeal to the masses and chase hits. Everyone seemed to be doing it and I went happily along with them. I'll admit it might be more of a nostalgia listen these days. But honestly I've never had a problem with this record.

Never heard it. I only own Wiped Out.

Lari wrote:

Never heard it. I only own Wiped Out.

A good album, but you should check out Rock Until You Drop and All for One.

Yeah, I think I could get All for One at least.

But, I discovered the band late, and just take a wild guess why I don't already own it.

Clue #1: original pressing


original pressing

Clue #2:

re-issue

Wow! What the heck?

Lari wrote:

Yeah, I think I could get All for One at least.

But, I discovered the band late, and just take a wild guess why I don't already own it.

Clue #1: original pressing


original pressing

Clue #2:

re-issue

  I've never heard a cd that was worth that much!!!

Get Architect of Fear then.

That one I've seen cheap.

Damn. I had no idea All For One was goin' for such crazy prices. Glad I got it on CD when Spitfire reissued it back in 99 or '00.

Well these prices are of course far from reality. Here's a couple of examples of actually sold CDs on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAVEN-1983-All-For-One-CD-1999-Japan-Re-Issue-OBI-3-Bonus-Tracks-NWOBHM-Neat-/251371055082?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3a86e1e7ea

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAVEN-All-For-One-reissue-EXCITER-LOVERBOY-STREETHEART-/261332844415?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3cd8a6bf7f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAVEN-ALL-FOR-ONE-CD-1999-NEAT-RECS-RARE-HTF-OOP-UK-IMPORT-NWOBHM-/231084557761?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item35cdb685c1

^^ OK, so those prices are a little more in the realm of reality (though I am disturbed that one seller used Loverboy and Streetheart (?) as comparison bands....hahaha)

I'm friends with John Gallagher (Raven's bass/vox) on Facebook so just as a goof I sent him the link to those Amazon sellers with the crazy prices. I sez "Time for a reissue on these?" and he replied "Jeez! Time for me to start printing them up myself!"