Search - Mother's Finest :: Iron Age

This album could've easily went 10x platinum back in '81.

Manuel | California | 08/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THERE, I SAID IT! I'll even go as far as to say 'Iron Age' ranks right up there with AC/DC's 'Back in Black' and Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite For Destruction' for being among the best hard rock music ever laid down in the '80s. So it's really a downright disgrace for this band to not have made it after dropping this inspired effort on their part. If there ever was a breakthrough album waiting to happen for a band that could've sorely used one at that point in time, IT WAS THIS ONE!!! I mean every track on 'Iron Age' had the potential to be a big hit for Mother's Finest, especially the first 5 on the album (which are INCREDIBLE to say the least). Besides, there was NO rock band on the face of the earth that had two vocalists as talented and soulful as Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn Murdock, not by a longshot. They showed that one didn't necessarily have to rip their vocal chords to shreds in order to qualify as a rock singer-just possess a strong voice with sound technique and everything else will fall into place.



So what went wrong with Mother's Finest after this album was released over 20 years ago? Same reason as before it seems: record company just won't promote a predominantly Afro-American band playing straight-up hard rock no matter how talented they happen to be. It sounds pretty discriminatory, but I honestly can't see any other reason as viable as the one I've given here. Maybe if the band's A&R people weren't so busy trying to pass them off as just another run-of-the-mill R&B/funk/soul act, then history might've been a whole lot different concerning this sadly overlooked band that never was given a fair chance at having their moment of triumph on account of their SKIN COLOR.



Note: this is also why I no longer listen to the FM dial (save for a few public stations) or tune into MTV, VH-1, and especially BET for that matter. It's time for the madness to stop, the sooner the better."

A priceless classic for the (iron) ages

S. Trent | Alabama, USA | 07/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought Iron Age on vinyl when it was first released. Incredible! There are a relatively small number of truly great rock albums ever made. This is one of them.As more than one reviewer has noted, one of life's biggest questions is 'Why didn't this band achieve superstar status?' Perhaps they were simply ahead of their time -- primarily black rock musicians in what was then, at least, a primarily white music genre. But make no mistake: This band ROCKS. MF is unquestionably the most exciting live rock band I ever saw, and I've seen them all. MF was always a 'warm-up' band when I saw them (twice); never a headliner. But every group they opened for was a letdown after MF had finished wiping out the audience. If you are only going to get one MF CD, this is THE one to get. I've waited years to find this on cd. Each individual song is worth the price of the entire cd. Buy it with confidence, knowing that you're in for a treat. This is heavy metal with a heart of soul. Rock just doesn't get much better than this!"

A lost classic

glynenergy | United Kingdom | 07/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ive written 4 reviews on this site 2 of them I gave 1 star to, and the other I gave 2 stars. So I dont give stars away easily, only for absolute classics.I still believe this is one of the best, underrated and fun rock albums of all time. The songs are ridiculously strong, the production is fantastic. The stars are the band. Not only can each play individually well, but the dual vocalists work to make the best of a very strong set of songs.U Turn Me On, with its heaviness, Time, a personal favourite of mine with its riffed up ending, Evolution and Earthling are both rock heavy and a lot of fun. Hell, all the songs are so strong there is no need to pick some over others!From time to time over the decades, this lot have experimented as a rock band, a funk band and, gulp, a pop (ish) band. They are, and always will be, best as a hard rock band. And this is their shining glory.That more people didnt buy it, or dont know about it is one of life's mysteries. Especially with far weaker rock selling in truck loads. These guys had more classic rock tracks on one album here, than most rock bands have in their entire careers! AND they avoid the rock cliches. This is one incredibly talented bunch of musicians/writers.But dont listen to me, it dont cost much. Get it and impress your friends that you have it and they dont!"