Bad Moon Rising was a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band that rose to

superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...

status in Japan with a series of hard rock albums led by Scottish born vocalist Kal Swan (real name Norman Swan) and guitarist

Doug Aldrich Doug Aldrich (born February 19, 1964) is an American hard rock guitarist. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St. John in 1998 and has played with Whitesnake, Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints. ...

. Both Kal Swan and Doug are ex- Lion members, whilst the rhythm team of bassist Ian Mayo and drummer Jackie Ramos had played in both Hericane Alice and Bangalore Choir. Prior to relocating from England to Los Angeles Swan had fronted up the

NWOBHM The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term ...

heavy metal band Tytan.

History

The debut album, produced by Mack sees musicians including

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

axeman Michael Schenker and Robin Mcauley together with ex-

Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...

bassist Chuck Wright,

Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Group (often abbreviated as MSG) are a guitar-oriented hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Sche ...

’s Rocky Newton and

Fifth Angel Fifth Angel is an American heavy metal band from Bellevue, Washington. Biography Fifth Angel was formed in the suburbs of Seattle in 1983, specifically, in the Bellevue area. The band's initial lineup consisted of Ted Pilot (vocals), James B ...

and

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

drummer Ken Mary. Both Wright and Mary are of course former

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

cohorts. Bad Moon Rising put in an extensive

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

of Japan during June 1991 and were voted by readers of the influential ''

Burrn! is a monthly Japanese magazine for fans of heavy metal music, published since September 1984. It is the major publication on heavy metal music in the country. As of 2013, it is published by Shinko Music Entertainment in Tokyo. The magazine's c ...

'' magazine as ‘Brightest new hope’ for the following year. 1993’s ''Blood'' album features the guest rhythm section showing of Wright and Mary once more, however Ramos and Mayo appear in the booklet and are listed as full members. The album was delivered in Japan during March with an EP ''Blood On The Streets'' issued the following month. Bad Moon Rising returned to Japan in October for a further run of dates, giving a nod to their influences by including

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell. Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, a ...

’s ‘Movin’ On’,

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...

’s ‘Cowboy Song’ and Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ in their live set. Doug Aldrich struck out on his own in 1994. Releasing the mainly instrumental ''Highcentered'' album. Such was the band’s stature in Japan the guitarist put in a series of appearances to plug this solo effort. The French release of ''Opium For The Masses'' came complete with a free four-track EP containing previously unreleased material. Touring had the band gigging throughout France in May, including a support to

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

at Le Zenith in Paris, upfront of Japanese gigs. The set this time around featured two Jimi Hendrix workouts ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Voodoo Chile’ plus another

tune ‘Don’t Believe A Word’. The following year both ''Opium For The Masses'' and ''Highcentered'' saw release in the USA. Such was fan fervour for Bad Moon Rising in Japan that North American versions of ''Opium For The Masses'' were imported back so that ardent fans could buy both variants. A second solo album from Aldrich, ''Electrovision'', emerged in Japan during 1997, featuring Kal Swan on the song Sky Blue and Black. In November 1998 the band had officially broken up and in 1999 Aldrich had created a new act

Burning Rain Burning Rain is a band formed by guitarist Doug Aldrich (Revolution Saints, The Dead Daisies, ex- Dio, ex- Whitesnake) and singer Keith St. John ( Montrose) in 1998. Joining the group were drummer Alex Makarovich (ex-Steelheart) and Ian Mayo (e ...

fronted by ex-

Medicine Wheel To some indigenous peoples of North America, the medicine wheel is a metaphor for a variety of spiritual concepts. A medicine wheel may also be a stone monument that illustrates this metaphor. Historically, most medicine wheels follow the basic ...

vocalist Keith St John. 2005 saw the re-packaging of all three Bad Moon Rising albums, plus eight bonus tracks, by the Italian label Frontiers Records under the billing 'The Full Moon Collection'.

Discography

*''Full Moon Fever (EP)'' (1991) *''Bad Moon Rising'' (1991) *''Blood'' (1993) *''Blood On The Streets (EP)'' (1993) *''Opium For The Masses'' (1995) *''Junkyard Haze (EP)'' (1995) *''Flames On The Moon'' (1999) *''Full Moon Collection'' (2005)

External links

Doug Aldrich Official Website

Bad Moon Rising Blog

Bad Moon Rising website
* {{Authority control American hard rock musical groups Frontiers Records artists