TOBRUK – Wild On The Run (Reissue)

Perhaps one of the most underrated and overlooked Melodic Rock releases of the mid-80s was Tobruk’s Wild On The Run. Unfortunately, unless you were a Hard Rock aficionado back then, this one might have been released right under your nose without you ever hearing about it.

Tobruk seemed to have several of the qualities that made Bon Jovi and Lita Ford so popular during the 1985 timeframe (when Wild On The Run was originally released). Heck, they even used the Bon Jovi and Lita Ford producer in one Lance Quinn (ever recognize the resemblance in the opening keyboard line of “Falling” to Bon Jovi’s “Runaway”? Coincidence?). Some say their shortcoming was due to where they originated … Birmingham, UK. Birmingham was one of the cities that gave Metal fans some of the bands popular in the “New Wave Of British Heavy Metal” (NWOBHM) era … an era that was losing ground, if not completely lost, by 1985. Perhaps the inhabitants of Birmingham, at the time, did not look upon an uprising “Melodic Hair Band” with much favor and considered Tobruk to sound “too American.” Even the mighty UK music magazine, KERRANG!, at the time only awarded Wild On The Run a paltry 1 and three-quarter “K’s” out of five!

Wild On The Run was originally only a nine-track release, but exceptional Melodic songs were abound, like the title track and one of the catchiest tracks of the era in “Falling,” making it even today a release worth owning. Tobruk’s songwriting was poised to make waves, at least in the USA, as Bon Jovi had already started to do so. Unfortunately, the band couldn’t break the hold of their “Motherland” even after releasing a follow-up release. Panic soon escalated and members started to leave the band for “richer pastures.”

Sadly, in December of 2006 Tobruk vocalist Stuart ‘Snake’ Neale passed away from congestive heart failure. Majestic Rock Records saw it fit to re-release this underground classic with some added bonuses. On offer here, to attract diehard fans that already own this release, is the inclusion of the original debut single released in 1983 on Neat Records in “Wild On The Run” along with “The Show Must Go On.” Also included is a second EP disc of a live radio performance from 1985. The live performance includes; “Wild On The Run,” “Alley Boy,” “Breakdown,” “Falling,” “Running From The Night,” and “She’s Nobody’s Angel.” The bass in the live sound recording is sometimes “boomy,” but overall the sound quality makes the disc worth owning for Tobruk fans, especially with the inclusion of “Alley Boy,” which was on the follow-up studio release Pleasure And Pain.

This re-release, with the inclusion of the original single, the live EP disc, and a nice CD booklet containing a band biography and previously unseen live photos, is a respectful dedication to Stuart Neale’s memory. It’s also a must buy for any Tobruk or early Bon Jovi fan and serves as a strong reminder of a band who deserved a better fate.

Lineup

Stuart ‘Snake’ Neale -Vocals
Nigel Evans – Guitar
Mick Newman – Guitar
Mike Brown – Bass
Jem Davies – Keyboards
Eddie Fincher – Drums