Bomb Brigade
Originally titled Silver Missiles and Nightingales,Two Steps From The Move is arguably this band's finest recorded effort.It is such a shame that Razzle was killed shortly after the release of this album,as the band had finally achieved some well-deserved worldwide notoriety and things could have only gotten better,had the band continued on their musical vision quest at this point in time. From its rousing introductory track and first single release from the disc,the band's rendition of CCR's UP AROUND THE BEND,to its fitting conclusion in CUTTING CORNERS,this is just a plain and simple quality album.At its strongest point,Hanoi gives us the rude and anthemic proclamation of I CAN'T GET IT,a must hear for any fan of this particular genre.This singular song is the epitome of everything Hanoi could,should,and would be.DON'T YOU EVER LEAVE ME gets its fitting revival/redux from the band's first album,Bangkok Shocks,Saigon Shakes,Hanoi Rocks,with an altogether more rousing tempo,and shows just what this band could have been capable of;great tempo,understanding lyrics,and powerful emotion conveyed through a package of no-frills glam. It is interesting to note the influence of this album,its lyrics,and its song titles in modern society:a cartoon(FUTURAMA),the title of one of the most popular rock songs in modern history(WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...lifted from UNDERWATER WORLD),and countless books,biographies,television shows,etc.(BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS).Not to even mention the influence that this band had on an entire generation of musicians.All this inspiration,and then we are faced with the startling statistic that Hanoi Rocks never went on to sell much more than one million albums from their entire discography around the world. Hanoi Rocks purists will tell you that it's not cool to only own TWO STEPS FROM THE MOVE,being that it was the band's most commercially viable album,or that the band's previous four studio albums are all better than this one.They will tell you that Hanoi was always an underground band and can only be appreciated thusly.But,rest assured,if you are going to own just one Hanoi Rocks album,then this is the one that your record collection is calling out for.And,also,be at peace knowing that this album never sold more than 300,000 copies,thereby containing its status as an underground album and cementing the band's foothold on that status of theirs. Definitely worth a listen from any fan of Backyard Babies,Guns N' Roses,Hardcore Superstar,and bands of the like.Hanoi will shed some interesting light on where these bands established some of their roots.