Tuesday, February 5, 2019

The 1984 Listening Post - Lita Ford - Dancin' on the Edge

Lita Ford - Dancin' on the Edge


#119
May 28 1984
Lita Ford
Dancin’ on the Edge
2.5 out of 5


Highlights:
Dressed to Kill
Run with the $

Does anyone remember Betty Blowtorch? I loved them. Their only record, released before Bianca Butthole was killed in a car accident while on tour, was a close to the bone emulation of Lita. Both Lita and Joan have the same basic glam metal attack and they are both better solo than they were when they were in The Runaways. That’s more a condemnation of Kim Fowley than the women in that band. I think, had they dumped him and stayed together, we would be talking about The Runaways in the same breath as The Go-Go’s and The Bangles. 
Lita’s closer to Kiss than glam, however, and I think that is both the right move and her undoing. “Dressed to Kill” is big and shredtastic and made for an arena but it’s also a bit soulless, it’s eye on selling records. So, it leaves me cold. But it’s nowhere near as horrible as “Don’t Let Me Down Tonight”, which is a power ballad of insipidity. Unfortunately, most of the record sounds like someone trying to sound tough instead of organically and honestly being so. And that’s always been my problem with Lita. The posturing is all part of the show and the music. 


No comments: