Stephen
I was in awe with Jimi Bell's thunderous playing when I first listen to House of Lords "World Upside Down" disc back in 2006 and when I heard that Retrospect discovered his old project, Joined Forces, a compilation of songs recorded in the midst of 80s, I'm ecstatic like a kid getting his favourite candy. What you'll get inside this package is ten solid tracks in the veins of classic Lynch Mob meets XYZ, and you can even taste some Whitesnake ingredient. Jimi Bell is clearly the highlight of the record, but I'm surprised to listen to a wonderful voice of Livio. His pipe has the mix of Coverdale and Larry Baud of Red Dawn's fame.
"Love Reaction" is a superb opener, they surely pick the right song to start the album. The uptempo hard rock was packed with infectious hooks and tremendous solo, this track alone is worth the whole album. The groove in "Alone Tonight" reminds me of Whitesnake and the chorus is just beautiful. "When The Lovin's Good" and "Don't Get Me Started" have splendid riffs and beefy composition. "Sad Boy Blues" is a bluesy heavy metal that's influenced by Led Zep's "Rock And Roll", a bit contrary to the title, this is a breathtaking uptempo tune guaranteed to shake your body from top to bottom. "Angel" and "One More Time" are two mandatory ballads, both are in very good shape, nothing's extraordinary but you can't go wrong with the blissful compositions.
The production is surprisingly great which is quite rare to see in an old compilation songs like this. I can't find any weak songs inside, perhaps couple of between-okay-and-good tracks, but overall, "Joined Forces" met my whole expectation. An excellent discovery by Retrospect, a truly hidden gem of the 80s, a sheer joy to the fans of glam.