Tora Tora's lead screamer, Anthony Corder, gives Joe Mackett a taste of wild America.
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
In 1989, Surprise Attack established TORA TORA as an act to keep an ear out for. The year spent out on the road supporting LA GUNS and THE CULT has given them the experience necessary to record a far superior second album. Wild America, as a result, is a fuller, more satisfying listen. Sitting in his Memphis apartment, vocalist Anthony Korda is unsurprisingly excited by the new record.
"Man, I'm on top of the world. I just got the CD today," he enthuses."
The recording process took some time to complete, though, as Corder explains.
"We came off the road and cut twelve tracks straight away. The band was really good about writing on the road. I was always playing catch up with the lyrics. This record was a much more positive experience, we had much more of an idea where we wanted to go and how to get there, we busted our guts on it."
On the production front, things also changed, John Hampton taking over from Joe Hardy.
"John put a spark under our asses and got us rolling again. By March of last year, we had 70 songs, so John came in and we cut it down to 12, which took all summer."
Two of these songs were "Dead Man's Hand" and "Nowhere to Go but Down," both written with Stan Lynch of TOM PETTY's band.
"He'd heard the first album," explains Corder, "and got into it so he just wanted to work with us. He turned out to be a real cool down-to-earth guy."
With the album apparently completed, Tora Tora found they had more time on their hands to improve.
"When we listened to the tracks, we realised something was wrong. Basically, we felt the first 12 tracks were medium-paced. We just wanted some faster stuff. The record company suggested it would be better waiting until after Xmas to release it, so we decided to write some more songs, which has proved to be a blessing in disguise."
All of which brings Arthur Payson onto the scene.
"We'd heard some of his stuff with KIX and got off on it, plus he lives in Nashville which is only three hours' drive away. He put the edge back and pulled some great stuff out of us."
The main elevating factor of Wild America is Anthony's vocals. Instead of screaming blue murder, he's taken things down a notch or three.
"Yeah, I went in the studio the first time going all out," he agrees, "but after a year of touring my nerves were racking. I still sing high, but it's more personal, I wanted to try something different this time."
Anthony obviously had a ball making this album, as all his anecdotes testify. But his lyrics also tell stories, usually reflecting aspects of life in the Tora Tora camp. I'll let him run through a few tracks in explanation.
"'Wild America' is about all the people who put up with us when we were on tour. 'Amnesia,' we wrote with Taylor Rhodes. It's a hardcore love song to your chick in the vein of 'Walkin' Shoes' from the first album."
"Dead Man's Hand" benefited from the sound of the MEMPHIS HORNS...
"They came in and kicked ass!" booms Anthony.
He calms down to explain the lyrics.
"It's about people who never learn, someone keeps screwing up but they keep on going. I had friends in mind when I wrote that. It's saying, 'don't let things get you down, because they always change for the better.'"
By far the most interesting tale centres around "Lay Your Money Down"...
"I got the story from my granddad who's from the Delta in Mississippi. He used to hang out with bluesman, MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT. My grandpa used to tell me about their days together, playing music on the porch, shooting their pistols off. They were having so much fun, they had it made."
A bit like a Heineken advert without the trauma, I suspect, but it's a fine example of where Tora Tora are coming from. If hard-ass bluesy rock n' roll are your thing, there's no need to cross the Atlantic because there's an easily accessible Wild America to be found at the local record store.
Joe Mackett
Riff Raff
July 1992
Joe Mackett
Riff Raff
July 1992
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