GIRLSCHOOL - Hit And Run Revisited (2011)

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The career of Girlschool had its ups and downs; they did get involved in the NWOBHM thing, they did boost up success with their first three albums, they did fall in the make-it-to-America trap, they did fall apart for enough years being quite unstable, they did rise from their ashes in the previous decade, they did make their name to be heard again at summer fests and now they do scream as loud as they can that there’s no future without the past.

Their 2nd album "Hit And Run" was originally released in 1981 and is widely regarded as the best rock album ever recorded by an all-girl rock band. It gained a cult status after reaching #5 in the charts.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their classic album, Girlschool decided to revisit these songs, and rather than just remixing it, have chosen instead to re-record it.
I'm always wary when people decide to mess with a classic - 'if it ain't broke then don't fix it', and changing a classic can actually spoil it, so how do Girlschool fare with this case?
Luckily the answer is: extremely well.

Girlschool's current line-up is amazingly the same as it was in 1981, apart from Jackie Chambers, who replaced the late Kelly Johnson.
Guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe states about the album, "We've made quite a few changes. But I'm not gonna say anything about them because we're hoping that our fans will notice for themselves, just to see how well they know the original ones.
Of course it's a different sound, we have Jackie play now, obviously, instead of Kelly, and also again, studio-wise it's just a completely different experience because the technology now is incredible compared to what we had in those days."
I've certainly noticed a few small changes, but will leave you to find them for yourselves as the band intended - suffice it to say you'll need to know the originals pretty well to spot the changes.

Some things are certain for sure; the band have matured, and their sound is much more polished and a bit more melodic.
Girlschool are still on top of their game; the vocal harmonies match the recording quality and the performances are all spot on. And it’s all played as the band would play it now.
There are two bonus tracks; a re-recorded version of "Demolition Boys" (single from their 1980s' debut), which like the rest of the album sounds better than ever, and "Hit And Run" with German Doro Pesch doing the vocals. Doro performs all the vocals with Girlschool only joining in for the chorus. It's nice to hear a different version and Doro does a good job with this, especially as it wasn't written for her voice.


What can I say about these songs that hasn't already been said over the last 30 years?
Not much really; this is a classic rock album and if you've never bought it, now is the time to get it.
It is hard, and perhaps unfair, to compare directly to the original but "Hit And Run; Revisited" stands just as tall. It also shows just how good the band still are.
"Hit And Run Revisited" is essential for Girlschool fans, and a really good addition to every Rock collector regardless of the sub-genre of your preference.
Rocks.


01 - C'mon Let's Go
02 - The Hunter
03 - (Im Your) Victim
04 - Kick It Down
05 - Following The Crowd
06 - Tush [ZZ Top cover]
07 - Hit & Run
08 - Watch Your Step
09 - Back To Start
10 - Yeah Right
11 - Future Flash
12 - Demolition Boys [bonus track]
13 - Hit & Run (Lead Vocals; Doro) [bonus track]


Kim McAuliffe - Vocals, Guitar
Enid Williams - Vocals, Bass
Jackie Chambers - Lead Guitar
Denise Dufort - Drums





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