Published on Mar 24, 2000
If Murphy’s Law could apply to any band, Britain’s Dirty Deeds
would probably have their picture placed next to the definition in
the dictionary. First, they launched into their debut American tour
supporting Iron Maiden, only to see the bulk of the tour cancelled.
Then, they had their debut disc
Danger Of Infection scheduled for release on Velvel, only to
see that label fold before it could see the light of day.
Now, with a label deal secured and their second disc
Real World out on the market,
Danger Of Infection is finally seeing the light of day in
the States – and while it has some great moments on it, the disc
also shows a band still working on getting their own unique sound
together. (Full disclosure: I’m working off the original copy
released on Beast Records – it’s now available in the States on
Sanctuary.)
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the band – lead
vocalist/guitarist Pete Franklin, lead guitarist Barry Fitzgibbon,
bassist Tony Newton and drummer Dave Cavill – perform on one of
those Iron Maiden show dates, and like numerous other bands, Dirty
Deeds is a group whose true power lies in the live performance. The
music takes on a life of its own when played before a screaming
throng, and the energy is unbelievable. It would be hard for any
band to translate that power into the studio setting.
Yet try they do, as they power through 11 cuts of vintage-style
hard rock that focuses on the melody more than the riff – a nice
change of pace. Tracks like “Nothing To Lose,” “Call Of The Wild”
and “I’m No Angel” show the promise that this type of rock music
has kept dormant while waiting for the commercial rebirth of the
genre. Frankly, it’s good to hear it again.
But
Danger Of Infection takes a little time building up to the
mother lode on the album. Tracks like “Cry Out,” “Dividing Line”
and “Promised Land” are by no means terrible, but they don’t have
the same kind of qualities that would draw the listener in like
flies to a no-pest strip as the killer tracks do. Still, with
repeat listens, even these tracks show some inert qualities that
you won’t get on a cursory listen.
If there’s anything that is underutilized on
Danger Of Infection, it’s the use of harmony vocals. All
four members of Dirty Deeds contribute some kind of vocals to the
album, and when they go to harmonies, it seems to work pretty well
– without compromising any of the music’s power. I’d like to see
what they could accomplish with a little more harmony thrown into
the mix. (Maybe they did on
Real World; at the time of this writing, it was still in the
“to be reviewed” pile here at the Pierce Memorial Archives.)
Danger Of Infection might have taken forever to hit these
shores, but there are moments on it that prove it was worth the
wait. But if you’re expecting a musical epidemic to pour out of
your speakers, you might be disappointed a little bit.