On
W.A.S.P.'s sophomore effort, 1985's
The Last Command, the band hired
Quiet Riot producer
Spencer Proffer to man the boards, resulting in a slightly more accessible sound than their rugged self-titled debut. Although the album wasn't the massive commercial breakthrough the band had hoped for, it resulted in their second gold-certified release in a row as they became one of the more popular
metal bands of the mid-'80s (touring heavily with the likes of
Kiss,
Black Sabbath, and
Iron Maiden).
Blackie Lawless' lyrics still relied heavily on sexual fantasies (
"Sex Drive"), as well as tales of revenge (
"Ballcrusher," "Jack Action"), and children of the street (
"Running Wild in the Streets"). The album's two singles/videos proved popular on
MTV's
heavy metal-oriented shows -- the party-hearty
"Blind in Texas" and
"Wild Child," the latter a tale of a Harley-riding free spirit. [The 1998 CD reissue nearly doubled the original album's length, featuring a cover of
Mountain's early-'70s hit
"Mississippi Queen," the original B-side
"Savage," and five live tracks recorded at England's
Lyceum in October of 1984:
"On Your Knees," "Hellion," "L.O.V.E. Machine," "Animal," and
"I Wanna Be Somebody."] ~ Greg Prato