Rat Race (Child's Play album)
Rat Race is the debut studio album by hard rock/heavy metal band Child'ƨ Play, released in 1990 through Chrysalis Records[1]. It was produced by Howard Benson, who would later go on to produce for Motörhead, Sepultura, and Seether. It is the first album to feature new bassist Marion Idzi, going by the mononym Idzi. It is also the first album to feature Brian Jack on lead vocals, as previous vocalist Lawrence Hinshaw left the band in 1988, who only appeared on the band's 1986 EP, Ruff House. The band released three singles from the album, the title track which was the only song to have an MTV music video[2], "Wind", and "Capricorn/Bang Bang".
| Rat Race | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 10, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 - 1990 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | heavy metal, glam metal, hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 45:28 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | Howard Benson | |||
| Child'ƨ Play chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Rat Race | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Richard Egan at AllMusic gave Rat Race four and a half stars out of five, saying that it is "One of the finest Glam metal albums that 99.99% of you have probably never even heard of." He praised the band members' skill as musicians, saying that "Brian Jack's vocals put Don Dokken and Vince Neil to shame", "Nicky Kay's guitar work on this album is some of the most underrated guitar work in any Hard Rock or Heavy Metal band/album ever. Some of the most impressive guitar riffs and solos are featured by Kay on this album", "John Allen's drum work is undeniably great, but there are a couple songs where he reuses the same drum beat and it comes off as somewhat lazy (see also "Knock Me Out" and "Pay Your Dues"). But on songs such as the title track or "Capricorn/Bang Bang" he unleashes his true skills", and that the addition of Idzi on bass added some "interesting hooks" on some songs. He finished off by calling the album "Glam Metal GOLD"[4]
The album was a regional success in the band's hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, and they toured nationally opening for the band, Cold Sweat. However the album was unable to make national sales and as a result, Brian Jack left the band in 1991 to pursue a solo career.
The album was ranked at #2 on a Top 10 Underrated Heavy Metal Albums list.[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Child's Play.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Good Ol' Rock And Roll" | John Allen, Nicky Kay | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Day After Night" | Brian Jack | 3:28 |
| 3. | "My Bottle" | Nicky Kay, John Allen | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Rat Race" | Nicky Kay, John Allen, Marion Idzi | 3:28 |
| 5. | "Wind" | Marion Idzi | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Evicted" | Lawrence Hinshaw | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Knock Me Out" | Nicky Kay, John Allen | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Girl Like You" | Marion Idzi, John Allen, Nicky Kay, Brian Jack | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Capricorn/Bang Bang" | Marion Idzi, Nicky Kay, John Allen | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Pay Your Dues" | John Allen | 3:13 |
| 11. | "Damned If I Do" | Lawrence Hinshaw, John Allen | 3:49 |
| 12. | "When Hell Freezes Over" | John Allen, Brian Jack | 3:34 |
| Total length: | 45:28 | ||
Personnel
Child'ƨ Play
- Brian Jack - lead vocals, guitars
- Nicky Kay - guitars, backing vocals
- Idzi - bass, backing vocals
- John Allen - drums, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Evicted" and "Pay Your Dues", co-lead vocals on "Rat Race"
Production
References
- Chrysalis Records at Discogs
- Child's Play - Rat Race Music Video at YouTube
- "Child's Play - Rat Race review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- Egan, Richard. "Child's Play - Rat Race review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- "Top 10 UNDERRATED Heavy Metal Albums". YouTube. Retrieved November 3, 2017.