Just who in the world is Billy Squier? That is a question some of you may be asking yourselves and if you are then you are obviously too young to remember the heyday of MTV when they actually played videos. Billy Squier was a staple of MTV as he was named the most played artist of the 1980’s. It would be the Boston born and bred guitarists second album Don’t Say No that would kick everything off for him. The album’s release in April of 1981 coincided with the launch of MTV and as we know some artists became bigger than they were due to the fact people could put a face to the music. Billy’s band was made up of Alan St. John (Keyboards), Cary Sharaf (Guitar), Mark Clarke (Bass), and Bobby Chouinard (Drums). Billy had approached Queen guitarist Brian May about producing the record, but ultimately he couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. So, May suggested that Billy use Reinhold Mack who was known for producing everyone from T-Rex, ELO, Deep Purple, and Queen’s The Game. Billy agreed and the rest as they say is history, but this was a good one. The album was a smash hit as it hit the top five on the Billboard charts and stayed there for 111 weeks.
In The Dark kicks off the album with it’s epic Zeppelin like fade in and blues rock infused with the keyboards to add texture. Billy’s raunchy rock hit The Stroke is the next track on the album and the song was a bigger hit on the radio then it was on the Billboard charts if that makes any sense. The song has remained a cultural icon as it’s been covered and sampled by many like Eminem (samples it in Berserk) and Buckcherry (who has performed it live). My Kinda Lover is another track on the record that I felt had a heavy Zeppelin/Deep Purple influence to it with the epic choruses and the keyboards. You Know What I Like is next on the album and it has that real Classic rock sound to it with a Heart like Barracuda riff, but during the track Billy manages to make it his own. Too Daze Gone is a real bluesy rock song with a lot of swagger. Lonely Is The Night is one of my favorite tracks on the record that has that Zeppelin like rock epiciness to it.
Whadda Want From Me is a classic rock and roll/ rhythm and blues track that can compete with the likes of Chuck Berry or even Jerry Lee Lewis. Nobody Knows is the ballad like/acoustic track that will eventually go electric. After listening to it, you can see where Tesla got a lot of their influence from for some of their tracks. I Need You is another blues/hard rock song on the album that has a real grooving bass line in the song. Don’t Say No is the last track on the record and it takes influence from just about every great rock and roll band in history to make a great track. This was one heck of an album from Billy Squier that brought him fame. Billy had some unbelievable success all throughout the 80’s until he reached the 90’s. This happened to a lot of artists from the 80’s thanks in large part to grunge. This still remains my favorite album from Billy and that is why I am giving it four stars out of five for a final grade.
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