Second Heat
Second Heat is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Racer X. It was released on February 11, 1987 through Shrapnel Records.[1]
| Second Heat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Guy Aitchison | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 11, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | November–December 1986 | |||
| Studio | Prairie Sun Recording Studios in Cotati, California | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 35:51 | |||
| Label | Shrapnel | |||
| Producer | Steve Fontano, Mike Varney | |||
| Racer X chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 5/10[3] |
| Rock Hard | 9.0/10[4] |
In a contemporary review, Rock Hard defines Second Heat "a thoroughly convincing piece of work, which can also boast an unusually impressive production" and predicted that Paul Gilbert would be "the first Shrapnel guitarist, who will make a name for himself beyond the circle of guitar freaks."[4]
Andy Hinds at AllMusic considered Second Heat superior to its predecessor and described it as having "some of the most amazing dual-guitar work ever recorded" thanks to the addition of second guitarist Bruce Bouillet in accompaniment with Gilbert. The rhythm section of drummer Scott Travis and bassist John Alderete was also praised as being "one of the most formidable around." Highlights listed included "Hammer Away", "Living the Hard Way" and the instrumental "Scarified". However, criticism was directed at the band's cover of "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie: Hinds dismissed it as a "backdrop for (you guessed it!) more shredding" at the expense of "all the charm and subtlety of the original".[2] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff found the album "hobbled by the rudimentary, cloddish, New Jersey rock club tones" and cited as the "most memorable thing about this album" the cover of Judas Priest's "Heart of a Lion", "apparently given to the band by Halford without Downings's or Tipton's knowledge."[3]
In 2005, Second Heat was ranked No. 480 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sacrifice" | Jeff Martin, Paul Gilbert | 4:03 |
| 2. | "Gone Too Far" | Martin, Gilbert | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Scarified" (instrumental) | Gilbert, Scott Travis | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Sunlit Nights" | Martin, Gilbert, Bruce Bouillet | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Hammer Away" | Martin, Gilbert | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Heart of a Lion" (Judas Priest cover) | Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Rob Halford | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Motor Man" | Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Moonage Daydream" (David Bowie cover) | David Bowie | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Living the Hard Way" | Dave Gonzales, Gilbert | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Lady Killer" | Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 35:51 | ||
Personnel
- Racer X
- Jeff Martin – vocals
- Paul Gilbert – guitar
- Bruce Bouillet – guitar
- Juan Alderete – bass
- Scott Travis – drums
- Additional musicians
- Mike Mani – keyboards on tracks 4 and 6
- Production
- Steve Fontano – producer, engineer
- Dino Alden – assistant engineer
- George Horn – mastering at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
- Mike Varney – executive producer
- Guy Aitchison – cover art
References
- "Music: Second Heat". Racer X Band.com. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
- Hinds, Andy. "Racer X - Second Heat review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
- Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 277. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- Stratmann, Holger (1987). "Review Album: Racer X - Second Heat". Rock Hard (in German). No. 23. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
- [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 15. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
