RECKLESS: No Frills LP. a la MAMAS BOYS, KING KOBRA, HELIX. The LP cover is not dirty, the artwork is like that. Twisted Sister produced. Check audio + video.

Description

EASILY ONE OF THE BEST HARD ROCK RELEASES OF 1987 , SOUNDING LIKE A MIX OF MAMA BOYS, AXTION, KING KOBRA, HELIX. GET THIS NOW!!!

SAMPLES (90 seconds from each song):  http://chirb.it/C3xCwN

1. Nitty Gritty 3:22 (probably the worst of all songs)
2. Wild in the Streets 3:38
3. Deadly Game 3:19
4. Voices in the Night 4:03
5. Crazy Over You 3:19
6. Breakin’ Up 3:38
7. Night After Night 2:51
8. Railroad Alley 3:19
9. Eye For And Eye 3:22
10. Holdin’ On 2:45
Total duration: 33 min 52 sec

This Canadian pop metal act was formed by guitarist Steve Madden with Jan Melanson (vocals), Gene Stout (bass) and Gil Roberts (drums), originally under the name Harlow. Reckless emerged to a generally positive reception, with commercial guitar-led metal in a Van Halen vein given individual identity by Melanson’s quirky vocal delivery. Coupled with the frontwoman’s striking blond looks, this seemed to give Reckless a chance to stand out from the crowd. However, the album bombed, and the band broke up. Madden tried again with a new line-up featuring Doug Adams (vocals), Todd Pilon (bass) and Steve Wayne Lederman (drums), but while Heart Of Steel was another good effort based around Madden’s stylish guitar work, it lacked the distinctive qualities of its predecessor, and the band faded.

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic melodic rock album that nobody has heard of.

No Frills was the 1987 album from US-based melodic rockers Reckless (not to be confused with the Canadian band Reckless or the Swedish band Reckless). This Reckless band probably counts as hair metal, but their sound was way too polished and melodic for the Sunset Strip.

No Frills is an incredible melodic rock album that brings to mind King Kobra, Mama Boys, White Lion, Dokken and Fifth Angel (Time Will Tell, not so much the debut). Blistering guitar riffs matched with amazing melodies and powerful, dramatic vocals make the album stand out from the hair metal pack. Aside from a couple of more typical rockers like “”Nitty Gritty”” and “”Crazy Over You,”” Reckless was bringing a kind of polish and precision that made No Frills one of the `80s melodic rock scene better albums. The quality production job by Twisted Sister Jay Jay French and Mark Mendoza also helps.

If you’re a fan of `80s era melodic rock, No Frills is a must-own album. Once you hear it you’ll wonder how a band as good as Reckless didn’t become a household name at the time. It just that impressive.

Edition Notes: No Frills was reissued by Wounded Bird in 2010. I believe this was the first time this album was (officially) released on CD. It a typical Wounded Bird reissue – no bonus tracks, bare liner notes etc. Very disappointing re-issue.

5.0 out of 5 stars great LP from an obscure band!
Produced by a couple of the guys from Twisted Sister. Typical heavy metal band though a little heavier than most. The song Wild In The Streets is my fav and probably the best on the disc.
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No fingerprint marks on cover, it is part of the artwork, so don’t worry it is a dirty cover or anything like that.

Reckless “No Frills” was released in 1987. I was pretty happy to have it. Music kept me sane! This is chocked full of great hard rock, not far from bands like Dokken, AC/DC, and Twisted Sister, with the latter playing a role in the band in a roundabout way. The album was produced by Mark Mendoza And J.J. French Of Twisted Sister. It’s my honest opinion that there is not a bad song on this release. You get exactly what the album title says, “No Frills”. So, with so many great rockers on hand, I’ll offer my choice of the best:
 The first song is “Nitty Gritty”, a straight forward “no frills” hard rocker. With a drum beat similar to something like an AC/DC song, it has a great rhythm. Lead singer Chris Cintron (real name Cristobal Cintron) delivers his lyrics with conviction and passion. Track 3, “Deadly Game” has a very strong Dokken vibe. With lyrics like, “So many nights I’ve stayed up late, and stared into the dark”, and “It’s a deadly game, when you play with feelings, it’s a deadly game, when you cast your spell on me”. Lyrics like this make you wonder if maybe the singer has been crushed in a few relationships. Track 5, “Crazy Over You”, is another straight forward rocker. The title sums it up, the singer is going crazy over someone he loves. Track 6, “Breakin’ Up”, shows more heartache, but this time to a rock solid drum beat provided by drummer B.Smith (real name Brian Smith). In fact, his drumming throughout the entire cd is nothing short of excellent. And lets not forget that bassist Gary Kriss is a solid bassist that knows his way around a rhythm. And guitarist Bob Gam definately had the chops that it took to make this album shine. Reckless was a great rock and roll band.Track 8, “Railroad Alley” is a great song, with great vocals. In fact, this song gets my vote for the best vocal on the entire cd. This is a tough, “no frills”, hard rocker. The way the song comes accross, meeting them at “railroad alley” would be a bad idea. I’ve chosen 5 songs that I like the best. However, this album/cassette/cd for me is a solid 10 out of 10. All 10 songs sound like a band on fire. This is definately a lost classic. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re forgiven. The unfortunate thing is the band made the one album and then disappeared from the rock and roll radar.

Here’s a little update on the guys in the band. Chris Cintron now performs under the name of Cristobal Cintron in a band with his brother, The band is called “Los Cintron”. He also auditioned for Dream Theater before James LaBrie got the gig. As for bassist Gary Kriss, he has a facebook page, but I’m not sure what he’s doing musically. Same for B.Smith (aka Brian Smith), he has a facebook page. Although his page would make one believe he has continued to play in various bands. And as for guitarist Bob Gam. I can’t find any information on him at all. Which is sad. If anyone reading this has any info to add, leave a comment. Peace.

Reckless was:
Chris Cintron – Lead Vocal
Gary Kriss – Bass Guitar
Bob Gam – Guitar
B.Smith – Drums