Even though I will be discussing Stryper’s music, this won’t be a traditional album review. I don’t consider myself a music critic even though I can be very critical at times. I am approaching this as a fan and nothing more. There will be times when I am probably too forgiving but I guess that is to be expected. I will be as honest as possible, especially with the older releases. I will attempt to recall how I felt when I first heard them but I am now experiencing them as a fifty-five-year-old dude whose musical tastes have evolved (somewhat) over the past forty years. There will be brief autobiographical bits thrown in along the way as well. That being said, I do hope you enjoy this. Feel free to comment.
I wasn’t on the Stryper bandwagon at the very beginning. I didn’t discover them until the summer of 1986 but once I did, I immersed myself in their music. According to Wikipedia, The Yellow And Black Attack EP was originally released on July 21, 1984. That would have been the summer between 8th and 9th grade for me. I was listening to whatever was on the radio and/or MTV at the time but had recently gotten into heavier music thanks to the success of Van Halen’s 1984 and Ratt’s Out Of The Cellar. My favorite album at the time was Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry. As a kid raised in church, I felt some mild pangs of guilt over the images and lyrics. However, I was also a teenage boy I didn’t care too terribly much.
I often wonder what would have happened if I had known about Christian pop/rock music at the time. I took a quick glance at albums released in 1984 and I see Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Petra, White Heart, DeGarmo & Key, and Steve Taylor (just to name a few). It is interesting to note that both DeGarmo & Key and Steve Taylor had videos on MTV at the time but neither were in heavy rotation or made a lasting impression on me. Living outside a small town in eastern North Carolina and attending a small, fairly conservation church probably didn’t help things. There was no Christian radio on my dial and all we had was a little Bible book store that didn’t carry CCM. We didn’t get our first “real” Christian book store (Lemstone) until the new mall opened in the summer of 1986. I could have picked up some of these at the Record Bar at the old mall but I didn’t even know they existed.
As I sit here this morning, drinking coffee and listening to The Yellow And Black Attack, I can only imagine what fourteen-year-old Lee would have thought. Let’s begin with the album artwork.
Along with Soldiers Under Command, I still think this is one of the coolest album covers ever. I loved it when I first saw it in 1986 and I know I would have loved it in 1984. I love the back artwork as well. I didn’t get that in my cassette version. Stryper look just as cool as Motley Crue or Ratt looked at the time. I also love the shout out to #1 Jesus Christ (The Boss Man). A bit of trivia for you; the first pressing had a printing error that cut some of the image off at the bottom. That was fixed when they repressed it. There is also a yellow vinyl variant that I really need to get at some point. There are also two variations of the cassette card. I had the one with the yellow at the bottom.
I guess now would be a good time to talk about the songs. I confess that it is somewhat difficult to recall my original thoughts other than to say that I loved them. I should also point out that I heard this at the same time I heard Soldiers Under Command and only a month before I heard the remixed version. As I write this, I have heard both official releases, the Roxx Regime demo versions, the re-recorded versions on Second Coming, and whatever live versions are out there. I know these songs well. I can find things I like about each of the iterations floating around. However, I always go back to the original 1984 release. I own it on cassette and vinyl but I usually listen to the digital copy I have ripped from the vinyl. I burned it to CD because it was never released in that format. There is a 1987 Japanese CD containing the original artwork but the actual music is from the 1986 remix.
The songs:
Loud ‘N’ Clear
“The hair is long and the screams are loud and clear
The clothes are tight, earrings dangling from the ears
No matter how we look, we’ll always praise His name
And, if you believe, you’ve got to do the same”
And with that, I knew exactly what I was getting. Ear-piercing screams, dueling guitars, plodding bass, and pounding drums drive the lyrics home. I had already heard Soldiers Under Command by this point so this further cemented Stryper’s place as my favorite band at the time.
From Wrong To Right
In my opinion, this fist-pumper is one of Stryper’s best tunes. If I’m listening to this one at full volume when no one’s around I will still scream out, “We want to rock one way, on and on! You’ll see the light some day. All say, Jesus is the way!” Tim Gaines absolutely kills on this one.
You Know What To Do
Michael Sweet is adept at writing poppy rock songs. This may be one of his best and it still maintains a bit of an “underground” sound. It’s not the glammy pop-metal Stryper evolved into but it has a great hook. It’s also “heavy” enough that true metal fans can listen without guilt.
Co’Mon Rock
One thing I have to remind myself is the fact that Michael Sweet and Oz Fox are really good guitarists. I feel like they have been overlooked most of their career but the main riff on this song is killer. Tim Gaines and Robert Sweet lock into a groove and hold down the foundation while Michael and Oz shred.
You Won’t Be Lonely
This one starts off soft but it isn’t one of the ballads Michael became known for writing. It’s a catchy mid-tempo rocker with great background vocals. Looking back on it now, I realize just how much Oz’s vocals help make the Stryper sound. I like how they go back to the laid-back vibe at the end.
Loving You
The closing track doesn’t take the foot off the gas. In fact, it may be the heaviest track on the record. For what it’s worth, that is something they continued to do throughout their career. Songs like this remind you why Robert is called The Visual Timekeeper. His drumming never lets up.
There are my brief thoughts. Believe me when I say I could have written another three or four pages. If you feel motivated, let me know what you think.
Grace and peace.
That 80s Pastor Dude 