Wither her debut a commercial failure, Lita Ford was in need of a hit record. This would be somewhat achieved with her 1984 follow-up, Dancin' On The Edge.
The album itself would feature Randy Castillo on drums, who would later join Ozzy Osbourne, and Hugh McDonald, who would go on to join Bon Jovi in 1994, replacing founding bassist, Alec John Such. Singles, Fire In My Heart, and Gotta Let Go, would become international successes, and the album as a whole would peak at sixty-six on the Billboard 200.
Both Gotta Let Go, and Dressed To Kill would receive music video, and receive extensive airplay on MTV. The latter would feature a cameo from her then fiancé, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. The two, however, would not ultimately wed, and actually break-up in the mid-80's.
Dancin' On The Edge is definitely a better album than 1983's Out For Blood. Whereas her debut suffers from mediocrity, and no hits, her sophomore release offers better material, and though not perfect, a decent listening experience. It also feels a bit more polished.
Gotta Let Go, Dressed To Kill, Hit 'N Run, Fire In My Heart, and Don't Let Me Down are all decent tracks. I don't know that I'll necessarily remember them by tomorrow, but for now, they're pretty okay. Like I said above, it's a better album, but it's not amazing by any means.
What I will say is that so far, I haven't heard anything that would necessarily make me a fan, nor would any one album keep me invested to keep buying, nor listening if I didn't already own them. Like I've said before, I check a lot of boxes in the vast era of 80's music.
Lita would spend most of 1984 touring extensively in support of the album, and wrapped this up with an MTV recorded special concert. However, this tireless effort would not save her from her label, who dropped her in 1985.
This would be cited as a combination of her continued lack of commercial success, as well as a major management internal shakeups at the label. Ford would say that the new manager brought in o oversee the label didn't know how to market female pop-metal artists, and was more of a country fan. Though this has only been clarified from her own perspective.
Prior to being dropped, Ford did record a third album, The Bride Wore Black, produced by Tony Iommi. It was ultimately shelved, and unfortunately, is considered lost media at this point. Well, to an extent. Lita has stated she has a copy of the album on tape, but that it's never been released, nor do any bootlegs exist.
She would eventually find new management Satan, er...Sharon Osbourne, and sign with RCA records between 1986 and 1987. Teaming up with legendary producer Mike Chapman, and working alongside Osbourne's husband for the duet, Close My Eyes Forever, Ford would soon release her most successful album in the entirety of her solo career. That's where we pick up tomorrow, as we close out her 80's era discography.
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