On the Prowl (album)
Encyclopedia
On the Prowl is the ninth studio album
of Japan
ese heavy metal
band Loudness
. It is also their second and last album with American vocalist Mike Vescera, before his leaving to join Yngwie Malmsteen's band for the album The Seventh Sign
. On the Prowl is mainly a compilation of self-covers of songs from early Loudness' albums, containing only three new songs written by the band (♠). However, Mike Vescera translated and adapted the lyrics of the old songs written by Minoru Niihara
, to be sung in English.
All music by Akira Takasaki
. The lyrics for all the new songs written by Mike Vescera, except for "Love Toys" by Vescera/Dearnley. Other lyrics by Niihara.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Loudness
Loudness (band)
is a Japan-based heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United States, releasing twenty-three studio albums...
. It is also their second and last album with American vocalist Mike Vescera, before his leaving to join Yngwie Malmsteen's band for the album The Seventh Sign
The Seventh Sign (album)
The Seventh Sign is the seventh studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released in 1994 through Music for Nations and Pony Canyon, Inc...
. On the Prowl is mainly a compilation of self-covers of songs from early Loudness' albums, containing only three new songs written by the band (♠). However, Mike Vescera translated and adapted the lyrics of the old songs written by Minoru Niihara
Minoru Niihara
is the original and current lead singer of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.His first band was Earthshaker, in which he played bass and sang. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers, but he adapted quickly his voice to the high pitch tones requested in a heavy metal act...
, to be sung in English.
Track listing
- "Down 'n' Dirty" ♠ - 4:36
- "Playin' Games" ♠ - 3:47
- "Love Toys" ♠ - 4:02
- "Never Again" - 5:01 (cover of "Silent Sword", b-side of the single "Risky Woman")
- "Deadly Player" - 4:47 (cover of "Lonely Player", from the album Devil SoldierDevil SoldierDevil Soldier is the second studio album by Japanese band Loudness. It was released in 1982. The American Daniel McClendon was called to engineer the sound of this album, because there was no Japanese technician experienced enough in heavy metal records at the time. The album won the award for...
) - "Take It or Leave It" - 4:31 (cover of "Milky Way", from the album Disillusion)
- "Girl" - 4:20 (cover of "Girl", from the album Devil SoldierDevil SoldierDevil Soldier is the second studio album by Japanese band Loudness. It was released in 1982. The American Daniel McClendon was called to engineer the sound of this album, because there was no Japanese technician experienced enough in heavy metal records at the time. The album won the award for...
) - "Long Distance" - 4:15 (cover of "Long Distance Love", from the EP JealousyJealousy (Loudness EP)Jealousy is an EP by Japanese band Loudness. It was released in May 1988 only in Japan, a market that the band felt to have neglected in favour of American audiences. It would also mark the final recording with the classic line-up, until Spiritual Canoe in 2001. In fact singer Minoru Niihara would...
) - "In the Mirror" - 3:34 (cover of "In the Mirror", from the album The Law of Devil's LandThe Law of Devil's LandThe Law of Devil's Land is the third studio album by the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1983 only in Japan and later distributed in Europe by Roadrunner Records. The CD reissue of 2005 contains two extra songs coming from the English version of the band's third single.-Track...
) - "Sleepless Nights" - 4:39 (cover of "Sleepless Night", from the album The Law of Devil's LandThe Law of Devil's LandThe Law of Devil's Land is the third studio album by the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1983 only in Japan and later distributed in Europe by Roadrunner Records. The CD reissue of 2005 contains two extra songs coming from the English version of the band's third single.-Track...
) - "Find a Way" - 7:31 (cover of "To Be Demon", from the album The Birthday EveThe Birthday EveThe Birthday Eve is the first studio album by Japanese band Loudness. It was released in 1981 only in Japan. The 24bit digitally remastered Japanese limited edition CD includes two additional tracks not on the original release, coming from the first single of the band...
)
All music by Akira Takasaki
Akira Takasaki
is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.-Career:He started his career as a guitarist, winning a TV contest for young music talents at the age of 14. He was rapidly put under contract to be part of the pop-rock band Lazy, of which drummer Munetaka Higuchi...
. The lyrics for all the new songs written by Mike Vescera, except for "Love Toys" by Vescera/Dearnley. Other lyrics by Niihara.
Band members
- Mike Vescera - vocals
- Akira TakasakiAkira Takasakiis the lead guitarist and founding member of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.-Career:He started his career as a guitarist, winning a TV contest for young music talents at the age of 14. He was rapidly put under contract to be part of the pop-rock band Lazy, of which drummer Munetaka Higuchi...
- guitars - Masayoshi YamashitaMasayoshi Yamashitais the original and current bass guitarist of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.He first started playing bass in a band called Black Rose...
- bass - Munetaka HiguchiMunetaka Higuchiwas the original drummer of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.Since very young, he was considered a talented drummer. During his high school years, Higuchi played in seven bands. But he was not happy with this situation, wanting to focus his time on only one band...
- drums
Additional musicians
- Jim Vilkas - keyboards
- Nat, Gary and Chris Vescera, Marty Earley - backing vocals
Production
- Mark Dearnley - producer, engineer, mixing
- Charles Paakkari, Chris Rich, Jesse Henderson - assistant engineers
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
- mastering - George Azuma - supervisor