''Lightning Strikes'' is the sixth studio album by the
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
ese
heavy metal band
Loudness
In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...
. The album, which was released on July 25, 1986, remained 15 weeks in the U.S. charts, peaking at #64 (
''Billboard'' 200). The album was produced by
Max Norman. Lyrics for the album are credited to Loudness, even though producer Max Norman did a lot of uncredited work on them.
The album begins with the most commercial sounding song on the album, "Let It Go." However, the rest of the album is in a heavier mold, and is in a relatively similar style to the previous album, ''
Thunder in the East''.
The album is known as ''Shadows of War'' in Japan, where it was released on March 24, 1986. The tracks are in a different order, and the song "Ashes in the Sky" is known as "Shadows of War." There is also a slight difference in some vocal melodies and arrangements, most notably an extended musical outro to "One Thousand Eyes".
Track listings
All music by
Akira Takasaki
is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Loudness. He is also the guitarist of the band Lazy, with which he first rose to prominence in the 1970s.
Career
He started his ...
, except "Face to Face" by Masayoshi Yamashita. Lyrics by
Minoru Niihara
is a Japanese singer. He is the original and current lead vocalist of the 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 ...
Japanese version
;Side one
#"Shadows of War" - 6:02
#"Let It Go" - 4:13
#"Streetlife Dreams" - 4:28
#"Black Star Oblivion" - 3:55
;Side two
#
"One Thousand Eyes" - 5:02
#"Complication" - 4:00
#"Dark Desire" - 4:19
#"Face to Face" - 3:49
#"Who Knows (Time to Take a Stand)" - 4:02
US Version
;Side one
#"Let It Go" - 4:13
#"Dark Desire" - 4:19
#"1000 Eyes" - 4:35
#"Face to Face" - 3:49
#"Who Knows" - 4:02
;Side two
#"Ashes in the Sky" - 6:02
#"Black Star Oblivion" - 3:55
#"Street Life Dream" - 4:28
#"Complication" - 4:00
Personnel
;Loudness
*Minoru Niihara
is a Japanese singer. He is the original and current lead vocalist of the 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 ...
- vocals
*Akira Takasaki
is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Loudness. He is also the guitarist of the band Lazy, with which he first rose to prominence in the 1970s.
Career
He started his ...
- guitars
*Masayoshi Yamashita - bass
*Munetaka Higuchi
(December 24, 1958 – November 30, 2008) was a Japanese musician and record producer. He is best known as the original drummer of the heavy metal band Loudness, but first rose to prominence as a member of Lazy in the 1970s.
Career
From a ...
- drums
;Additional musicians
*Masanori Sasaji - keyboards
;Production
* Max Norman - producer, mixing at Bearsville Studios
Bearsville Sound Studio was a recording studio founded by Albert Grossman in Bearsville, New York,
west of Woodstock in 1969.
History
Albert Grossman, who was the manager of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, first arrived in Bearsville in ...
, Bearsville, NY, USA
*Bill Freesh - engineer
*Masachi Goto - assistant engineer
*Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Que ...
- mastering at Masterdisk
Masterdisk is an American multimedia company in New York, located at 8 John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production.
Their clients include such n ...
, New York
*Paul Cooper - executive producer
*George Azuma - supervisor
*Mikio Shimizu, Sam Nagashima - coordinators
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightning Strikes (Loudness Album)
Loudness (band) albums
1986 albums
Albums produced by Max Norman
Atco Records albums
Warner Music Japan albums