Today we are premiering the new W.A.S.P video Chainsaw Charlie
Watch Video Premier
In 1992 W.A.S.P. released “The Crimson Idol”. It’s the story of Jonathan Aaron Steele, an abused child looking for love. Discovering music years later, he rises to international superstardom. Later followed by a catastrophic fall.
2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the original release, which is still considered to be the best album of W.A.S.P.’s career, and one of the greatest concept albums of all times! “The Crimson Idol” undoubtedly belongs in every metal head’s record collection. The album about the anti-hero Jonathan Steele was originally intended to be accompanied by a movie, with several hundred hours of film that were shot to create approximately 50 minutes of movie footage.
This film has never been released – Until now!
Napalm Records proudly presents “REIDOLZED (The Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol)”, the 25th anniversary of the iconic hit album plus the original “The Crimson Idol” movie on DVD and Blu-ray! For the first time EVER as originally intended – film and soundtrack united – released as one product! pmfji
5 Responses
THE CRIMSON IDOL is a terrific record. The music is great, and I’ve always liked Blackies’ vocals. I will definitely be picking up this DVD.
I love WASP’s first few albums when Chris Holmes was in the band. I got to see WASP before they signed their major record label deal with Capitol Records. Awesome show, with all the blood and raw meat being thrown around by Blackie Lawless. Saw WASP a year or so later when they were no longer doing that stage gimmick. I met Blackie at an autograph session at Tower Records before their concert. I told Blackie I was gonna sneak in raw meat to the show and throw it on stage. Blackie replied “Just don’t throw it at me”. And I enjoy the story about their song “Fxxx Like a Beast” and how the label wouldn’t put it on their first album cuz the label thought it was nasty and controversial, while Blackie and the boys tried to persuade the label by telling them it was just a love song! :o)
While I enjoy WASP, I think this Press Release WAY oversells the “The Crimson Idol”. IMO, no way in hell is it WASP’s best album (Their best is either their first album or Headless Children) nor one of the greatest concept albums of all time. And IMO, the release of the “The Crimson Idol” effectively began the Blackie Lawless solo project band….To me, WASP died when Chris Holmes was no longer in the band.
Where’s the video? Also, great comment from Rattlehead, but I don’t agree; The Crimson Idol is (or, WAS, he gutted the thing by changing the lyrics to Chainsaw Charlie; thus, making it PC. Very disappointing). Sorry, that lyric change is just ironically offensive. Anyway, The Crimson Idol was Blackie’s scathing indictment on Hollywood and the music industry. And it was so dead on; just look at the array of suicides or “accidental” overdoses by these male rock stars. Look at what a head case Axl is. Now take a look at the predatory label owners and execs. This record marked a new plateau for Blackie lyrically, and that’s always been his greatest strength, even when he was acting like a hedonistic buffoon on his earlier records. God Bless the man, but, for God’s sake, put the lyrics back in because right now this new version has its vital organs missing.
…something else, this record employs sound painting, where the music itself tells the story. You have those swirling drums which are what’s going on inside the kid. The original better demonstrates this. And you have to hand it to Banali there, his drumming has so much emotion because he was putting that kid’s experience into his performance. Notice how confident the drums are on “I Am One,” and also notice how the music on “Arena of Pleasure” is slightly louder and more precise because that is the only time on the record where the kid is thinking clearly. Also notice the way the record ends; it is literally the sound of the kid’s neck snapping. This is all right out of 19th century Romantic opera. I always thought “Hold On to My Heart” would be his breakthrough hit single, but it didn’t get any promotion from his label, where Blackie actually sued Capitol over it.
The chord progression to “Invisible Boy” is turned inside out for “I Am One,” this all goes to the story. Blackie told me that making this record was incredibly difficult because he had to write the running order in a way that made the album flow; he couldn’t shuffle the songs around to get a running order he liked. This also might be Bob Kulick’s best guitar work on a record. It’s still a rock record, but, to hear everyone go in there like they were Olympian athletes is quite a change from the normal proceedings.