Shock Tactics is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Samson, released in 1981. It was vocalist Bruce Dickinson's final album with the band before joining Iron Maiden (who were coincidentally recording Killers, their last album with Paul Di'Anno, in the same studio at the same time as Samson).[4]
| Shock Tactics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 May 1981[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2–31 January 1981 | |||
| Studio | Battery Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 39:46 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | Tony Platt | |||
| Samson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[3] |
Track listing
editAll tracks by Bruce Dickinson, Paul Samson, Chris Aylmer and Thunderstick, except "Riding with the Angels" by Russ Ballard.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Riding with the Angels" (Russ Ballard cover) | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Earth Mother" | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Nice Girl" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Blood Lust" | 6:00 |
| 5. | "Go to Hell" | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Bright Lights" | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Once Bitten" | 4:36 |
| 8. | "Grime Crime" | 4:32 |
| 9. | "Communion" | 6:32 |
2001 re-issue bonus tracks
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Little Big Man" | 3:23 |
| 11. | "Pyramid to the Stars" | 5:19 |
| 12. | "Losing My Grip" | 4:00 |
Personnel
editSamson
edit- "Bruce Bruce" Dickinson – vocals
- Paul Samson – guitar
- Chris Aylmer – bass guitar
- Thunderstick – drums
Production
edit- Tony Platt - producer, engineer
- Graham Carmichael - assistant engineer
Re-issues
editShock Tactics has seen several CD re-issues over the years. The first came in 1989 courtesy of German company Repertoire, in 1991 via Grand Slamm in the U.S. and in 1992 through Jimco in Japan, followed by Bruce Dickinson's short-lived Air Raid label in 2000. The most recent CD re-issues on Castle/Sanctuary (2001), Dissonance Productions (2017), Japan's Wasabi Records (2018), and Brazil's Hellion Records (2020) all contain 3 bonus tracks, "Little Big Man", "Pyramid to the Stars" and "Losing My Grip", not included on the earlier editions. The original 9-song album has also seen vinyl re-issues in the UK and Europe through Back On Black and in the U.S. via Real Gone Music, both in 2017.
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 28.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Samson - Shock Tactics review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 306. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- ^ "Interview With Bruce Dickinson - December 1983". Iron Maiden Bulgaria Fan Club. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2013.