This week I picked an album that came out in 1991 by the Four Horsemen called Nobody Said It Was Easy released on Def American Recording produced by Rick Rubin. It's funny how many albums I have been picking that are produced by Rick Rubin.
Anyways, this fuckin' album kicks ass, straight up rock n' roll. Good party music, songs of boozing and girls, those subjects always make for a party album. This album is some gritty rock n' roll with song titles like Rockin' Is Ma' Business, Can't Stop Rockin',Moonshine,Let It Rock, 75 Again and Lookin' For Trouble. There isn't really a bad song on this classic, sad thing is, this album never really got the recognition it deserved. Lead singer Frank Starr was an awesome front man that had his problems with the law and drugs and such but could belt out the songs like a motherfucker he had a cool raw whiskey gruff sounding vocals, drummer Ken(Dimwit)Montgomery who played in all kinds of punk bands previous to this recording(DOA,Pointed Sticks) was an animal on drums and guitar player Haggis was awesome too, he previously had played with Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction as well as The Cult. Them all together made for a kick ass rock n' roll band.
A great memory of mine about the Four Horsemen was seeing them play at Dinwoodie Lounge on the UofA campus(Apr.4th 1992 with local band Wheat Chiefs opening) at a bar that held about 700 people.During the day the band did an autograph session at Sam The Record Man at West Edmonton Mall, it was cool to meet the guys, whom were all really nice guys. This was the day after having lined up outside Bonnie Doon Mall all night for Metallica tickets, it was a night of lots of drinking and carrying on, then that night seeing the band live in concert. It was a weekend of debauchery to say the least. They put on a kick ass show that was some true rock n' roll.
Now for the sad part of the history of the Four Horsemen. Two years later after seeing the band, they played People's Pub in Edmonton in September of 1994. They were booked for a two night stand Sept. 2nd and 3rd, I was very stoked about seeing them again and had told a bunch of friends about having to see this band play live.Well what a disappointment it was, I don't know what happened to them but they were playing cover songs, mind you they weren't terrible cover songs,Thin Lizzy and such, but what the fuck, they had more then enough songs themselves to not have to do cover songs.The band seemed to be going through the motions and just put on a very lack lustre show. The show was a big let down for me and the friends I had dragged out to see this band.
Less then a month later (Sept.27th), drummer Dimwit overdosed on heroin in Vancouver and died, and then in 1995 lead singer Frank Starr was hit by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle in Hollywood,CA., he was in a coma til June of 1999 and passed away. A shitty ending to what should have been a classic rock n' roll band.
To this day I still think the album Nobody Said It Was Easy stands the test of time and should get more airplay on classic rock stations. There really isn't a bad song on the album. And from what I understand, the band has just released a new album with a new lead singer. I have not seen or heard it yet and am not sure I wanna. To me Frank Starr was the voice of The Four Horsemen.
Now, not to confuse anyone with the November date on one of the posters, the band was booked to play People's Pub Nov. of 1991 before the Dinwoodie date in 1992, unfortunately that show was cancelled and I had a poster for that gig, that they were nice enough to autograph for me.
