Grand Slam was the band that Phil Lynnot originally formed in the summer of 1983, when he took Magnum’s Mark Stanway, Downey and Sykes from Lizzy and guitarist Dois Nagle on a tour of Scandinavia. In September of that year Thin Lizzy broke up and the leader wanted to continue the project, but John Sykes joined Whitesnake, so Lynnot recruited a young guitarist who had played with Wild Horses whom he approached to replace Snowy White, but it didn’t work out then. That was Laurence Archer and this time they managed to work together.
Fast Forward almost 40 years later, Archer releases Grand Slam’s second studio album of original material, unlike the first “Hit The Ground”, released in 2019 and re-released in a new recording, mix and master this year!, which includes some older songs in new versions. Only one song on the new album comes from 1984, “Come Together (In Harlem)”, which is a variation of “Harlem”, which has occasionally appeared on official and mostly non-official releases.
So, what do we have here? A very good album of British classic rock with references to the great Thin Lizzy, mainly thanks to the voice of the excellent singer Mike Dyer, who unintentionally or not reminds us of Phil Lynnot here and there. I would say that this is not a bad thing, after all, inevitably when you see the name Grand Slam in front of you, your mind will always go to the legendary rocker, no matter how many years pass, no matter how many albums are released. But, here the work is authentic, no remixes, no covers, no copying. The references are obviously there and are inevitable when the main composer grew up with Lynnot’s songs, worked with him and spent a lot of time with him.
Laurence Archer on guitars gives a recital with fantastic playing and the solo is a highlight on most of the songs. On bass, the highly experienced Rocky Newton (MSG, Lionheart) and on drums Benjy Reid keep the rhythm section solid and fresh. The songs are very good too making up a very strong set, better than “Hit The Ground” if we had to make a comparison. “There Goes My Heart”, “Starcrossed Lovers”, “Come Together (In Harlem)” and “Afterlife” effortlessly make it into the best moments of the album.
