The 1981 Listening Post - Russ Ballard & The Barnet Dogs - Into the Fire

Russ Ballard & The Barnet Dogs - Into the Fire 

#162

1981 Housekeeping

Russ Ballard & The Barnet Dogs

Into the Fire

Genre: This is Kiss…without the makeup, right? 

3.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Julie Wants a Rock and Roll Lover

Breakdown

Tonight

“Julie Wants a Rock and Roll Lover!” Is about as Kiss meets John Cougar as you can get. Russ is dripping in 80s cliches, his voice is dialed in thin and doubled just like a New Wave rocker should be, the drums are dry with emphasis on that snare, there’s a slathering of harmonies and requisite guitar solos.

That don’t make it not good. 

You get a little driving Thin Lizzy rock? Here’s “Breakdown” Miss Ace Frehley? “Guilty” comin’ right up. Like some lead licks punched in-between some cock-rock lyrics? May I offer you some “”Don’t Go to Soho”?

That’s this whole record. Everything sounds like someone else because Russ doesn’t really have a personality of his own. 

“Tonight”? That’s Kiss. “Strangers”? That’s like “Sure Know Something”, no? Maybe I’m misremembering. Doesn’t matter. This is the lost Kiss record. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/into-the-fire/1114620209

The 1980 Listening Post - Russ Ballard - Barnet Dogs

Russ Ballard - Barnet Dogs

#33

1980 Housekeeping

Russ Ballard

Barnet Dogs

Genre: Glam Rock

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Bad Boy

Working backwards with Russ makes me wonder if there is a classic at the top of his discography since this is better than his later works. 

He reminds me of Nick Gilder and this album is a Power Glam Pop Rock relic of a style going out of, soon. But, until then, it’s not half bad.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/barnet-dogs/1114619250

The 1985 Listening Post - Russ Ballard - The Fire Still Burns

Russ Ballard - The Fire Still Burns

#276/910

July 1985

Russ Ballard

The Fire Still Burns

Genre: Rock

2.25 out of 5

Summertime.  Kids are out of school, hanging at the mall, anxious to burn their babysitting money on some rock and roll and, what’s this? A new Russ Ballard record!?! Son of a bitch! I GOTTA HAVE THAT!

Flash: Not even members of Ballard’s family would say the above. 

My son has been on a Sesame Street kick. I don’t know what it is that’s making this happen, maybe he’s holding on to something as he gets ready to move on to the next grade. Maybe it’s soothing. Or maybe it’s just good stuff and makes him laugh. 

No matter. I’ve got this Ballard record going in the background and Zack INSISTS on showing me a scene where Ernie is getting tips on how to play the Saxophone in a song called “Put Down the Ducky”. 

The 30 seconds of watching a muppet band try to explain to Ernie that he should not squeeze his rubber ducky whilst attempting to play the saxophone is better than anything on Side One of this record. But “Searching” isn’t terrible. 

That’s the problem. Nothing here is unlistenable “terrible” but it’s also not really all that interesting. It’s not like we’ve unearthed a lost Bobb Trimble record and it’s weird and awesome. It just…exists. 

But, if you feel like it, go to “Your Time is Gonna Come”. Not because is great or anything. Just that it’s a perfect example of appropriating the gated drumming technique that was accidentally created by Phil collins and Hugh Padgham 4 years earlier. This is the technique Phil used on Adam Ant’s Strip. And on a host of other tracks he was called upon to produce after he invented it for his solo smash. 

It is employed here only because it’s a “sound of the time”. 

Already past it’s prime. Much like Ballard. 

Also, fuck you, Russ for biting Loverboy’s “Turn Me Loose” on the following track, “Dream On” (also with gated drumming).

https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-fire-still-burns/418494471

The 1984 Listening Post - Russ Ballard - Russ Ballard

Russ Ballard - Russ Ballard

#141

May 1984 Housekeeping

Russ Ballard

Russ Ballard

2 out of 5

Russ Ballard could tour with John Parr. Parr is the better songwriter but Russ is the better guitarist. This is every big 80’s mid tempo song you’ve ever heard. The songs wanna be Rick Springfield so bad they can taste it, but they don’t come close. My only wish is that they were sung by Dirk Diggler. His voice would’ve been better. It’s all mid tempo rock until late into the second half with “A Woman Like You”, by no means anything to call your radio station and beg them to play, but at least it shows that Ballard could keep up with a slightly quicker than ballad tempo. Why not open with something like this? Why do I care? This is bad Journey. Imagine that. Go ahead, imagine it.

https://open.spotify.com/album/3ngbXF98EIQM3wUpzJEAA0?si=xirT9GfkSxSv0se4X3L3sQ