Dirty Looks - Turn Of The Screw (1989) [Japanese Edition]

Without a doubt, alongside their major label debut ‘Cool From the Wire’, DIRTY LOOKS‘ second album “Turn Of The Screw” finds the band at their finest moment.

Unknowingly, with ‘Cool From the Wire’ DIRTY LOOKS had crafted one of the era’s greatest albums that although registering with fans and some well-informed critics strangely failed to set the world on fire. Atlantic records however were not disheartened and signalled the go ahead for a follow-up album.
Issued in 1989 and titled ‘Turn Of The Screw’, the band moved on to a new producer in John Jansen (Billy Squier, Britny Fox) and set about recording in New York at the world-renowned Power Station studios.
The result is a riff-rock packed album with some great and catchy tunes such as ‘Take What Ya Get’, ‘Slammin To The Big Beat’, the title track and anthem ‘Nobody Rides For Free’. It’s another enormous tribute to simple but effective loud and proud hard rock, this time with a much more polished production and that 1989’s glare. Our DIRTY LOOKS favorite album.

Dirty Looks formed in San Francisco in 1984 when Danish-born Henrik Ostergaard, who had tired of playing in a cover band in Pennsylvania arrived to the Bay Area intent on forming his own band and recording original material. The band’s first self-titled album was released by a French label called Axe Killer Records. Apparently disillusioned with the Frisco scene the band relocated back to Pennsylvania in 1986 and recorded a second indie album called ‘In Your Face’.
That record and its single ‘Oh Ruby’ got the attention of major labels and in 1987 Dirty Looks signed with Atlantic Records who released the Max Norman produced debut ‘Cool From the Wire’. They got a little airplay on MTV and flirted with the Billboard charts but the album (now a cult classic) was not the success the band and label expected.

Dirty Looks soon entered the studio with producer of the moment Beau Hill to record this follow-up “Turn Of The Screw” but were dissatisfied with the results and started over with a new chairman, John Jansen, who had produced Britny Fox’s hit debut the previous year.
Dirty Looks were one of several bands of the era (Rhino Bucket, Dangerous Toys, Nevada Beach, etc) that displayed a rather obvious AC/DC influence, but this “Turn Of The Screw” is quite impressive in its own right with a more of the ‘Californian sound’ of the moment (1989).


Tracks:

01 – Turn Of The Screw (Who’s Screwing You)
02 – Nobody Rides For Free
03 – C’mon Frenchie
04 – Take What Ya Get
05 – Hot Flash Jelly Roll
06 – Slammin’ To The Big Beat
07 – L.A. Anna
08 – Always A Loser
09 – Love Screams
10 – Go Away
11 – Have Some Balls

Personnel:

Henrik Ostergaard: lead vocals, guitar
Paul Lidel: guitar and vocals
Jack Pyers: bass
Gene Barnett: drums