16 and Savaged

Album review

Silverhead's second record, 16 and Savaged, finds the unit much tighter, yet like any great rock & roll band, they maintained that all-important swagger. The addition of guitarist Robbie Blunt gives the group an added punch, and he and Rod Davies proved to be one of glam's best twin-guitar attacks. Vocalist Michael Des Barres steps up as well, and his Steve Marriott-bumping-into-Rod Stewart rasp never sounded better, before or since. The boys come out blazing on the groovy opener, "Hello New York," nailing the Bolan strut and swiping the "Get It On" licks, while the gleefully sleazy "More Than Your Mouth Can Hold" has a definite Faces vibe, an intro borrowed from "Street Fighting Man," and all the subtlety of a Gene Simmons lyric. In fact, the near-metal crunch of the album may have been an influence on the still developing Kiss sound. The lights lower for "Only You," and while Des Barres shines, the song ultimately misses the mark. The newfound intensity of the group is most evident on "Bright Light," a glam rock boogie monster that chugs along for a few minutes, before bursting at the seams for a photo finish that, paradoxically, sounds very much like a punk Led Zeppelin. The second half of the LP contains some fine and engaging rockers in "Heavy Hammer," "Cartoon Princess," and "Rock Out Claudette Rock Out," but is in desperate need of a ballad to help with the pacing -- ideally one on par with Silverhead's "Wounded Heart" or "In Your Eyes." Unfortunately, the weaker final numbers are made all the more obvious by this lacking element, keeping the disc a notch below their debut. 16 and Savaged turned out to be their final studio album, and Silverhead have all but been forgotten. Though not without its faults, the album is still one of the most exciting records from the glam period, and it, along with the group itself, should be remembered as one of the era's finest.

© Bart Bealmear /TiVo