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Through the darkness and the pain... Apr 01, 2009
Riot was a band very much before their time and they would have fit in very well if they hadn't hit their peak about 3 to 5 years too early in the American metal scene. They actually had a very commercial sound but very rarely had the benefit of a big record company push. Japan seemed to bite early which seemed to help them gain a larger following but it is still strange that a band from New York with an arena rock sound didn't become huge in the late `70's early 80's. `Rock City' was released in the summer of 1977 on a small label is a very good late 70's hard rock record. They would improve but you could see the potential in the songs and the performances. Mark Reale as lead guitarist showed a prowess in his chosen field of blistering hard rock and he had the perfect foil in the late Guy Speranza, as talented a vocalist as one could find. The title track featured a killer riff and top notch efforts from Reale, Speranza and their cronies who would not make it past album number two (inconsistent lineups may have been their biggest problem besides indifferent record labels. "Gypsy Queen", "This Is What I Get" and "Rock City" were insanely catchy while "Warrior" and "Overdrive" proved to be the metal monsters on the de but. Riot would continue to rise in quality with the next two lps but then one more major lineup change too many forever stalled the momentum of this woulda , shoulda contenda.
Great album!! Sep 13, 2008
This is a great look at early Riot and a must have for all Riot fans. the remaster returns this release to the prominence it deserves. I think it's far better than Narita but not quite at the level of Fire Down Under which was nothing short of brilliant. This album rocks though and is a worthy investment!
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 A solid debut May 15, 2003
Americans Riot released their debut, "Rock city" in 1977. That was indeed a diverse musical time - hard rockers Kiss were bigger than ever, Disco as a musical genre was very popular, and punk rock got a lot of attention. Old super groups like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath stood a bit outside the spotlight, and Deep Purple had even broken up.Riot's "Rock city" is a good album, starting off with a straight rocker "Desperation", built more on traditional rock than blues. This song points out the direction very well, and together with tunes like the up tempo "Warrior", the rock `n' roll inspired "Rock city", the heavy "Overdrive", and the melodic and light hearted "Tokyo rose" with its groovy chorus this album is sure worth having. Bits here and there even bare connections to Blue Öyster Cult's earlier efforts.
A Good Start Mar 26, 2003
This is pretty good for a first album, but it's not nearly as good as the ones to come after. I don't mind the primitive-sounding production, but the songwriting isn't quite there yet and the band isn't as crisp as it would be later. Guy Speranza and Mark Reale really elevate this album: Reale's leads are melodic and good, and Speranza- he's always been my idea of what a rock singer should sound like. He's got a voice like nobody else, and it's brimming with NYC attitude. This album's worth having just to hear him tear through some tunes.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Amazing Debut! Jan 26, 2002
It's hard to believe with the production on this disc how good the music is, but that just goes to show how good the band actually is at this point in their career. From looking at the list of tracks I can actually say I remember all of these songs even though I first heard them over 25 years ago! The weakest part of this disc is "Heart of Fire" and a few lyrics from "Overdrive". Then again I never sold a record, so, what do I have to gripe about. Despite those few weaknesses this is an excellent release, particularly for a first album on such a small label (Firesign/Attic). I must admit, I bought it because Triumph was on Attic records at the time. It was worth every penny, too! Classics include "Desperation", "Warrior", "Tokyo Rose" and "This Is What I Get (For loving You)". Truthfully, every song here is worth listening to over and over. This is the first of three great releases in a row for Riot, but good luck finding "Narita", I'm still listening to my album!
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