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KIX
Fuse 30 Reblown
Loud & Proud 2018

KIX came roaring back in 2014 with Rock Your Face Off — a fitting title as the album did in fact ‘rock your face off’. What was interesting about that album was that singer Steve Whiteman for years went on record stating that KIX would be only a touring entity. This was due to the fact that key [then only] songwriter and bassist Donnie Purnell was left out of the ‘reunion’. KIX then enlisted bassist Mark Schenker, who was a long-time friend of the band. Rock Your Face Off was critically acclaimed and was a load off the band’s shoulders as they had produced a solid effort without Purnell’s input. The band went on to issue their documentary Can’t Stop The Show: The Return of Kix which was a look into the making of the Rock Your Face Off.

After a couple of hit and miss albums, KIX found their way with Midnight Dynamite in 1985 which was produced by Beau Hill [RATT, WINGER, WARRANT]. Tom Werman [MOTLEY CRUE, TED NUGENT, CHEAP TRICK] would get the call for the followup album. KIX completed work on their signature album in 1988 with Werman at the helm; the album was Blow My Fuse. The record has been long out of print in the United States and was remastered and reissued by [U.K. label] Rock Candy Records in 2014 in deluxe form with lots of great liners and photos, stuff that diehards would absolutely adore. As we creep up on the 30th anniversary of Blow My Fuse, Loud & Proud Records have elected to re-issue their own deluxe edition dubbed; Fuse 30 Reblown. The album has been remixed by Beau Hill), remastered and in addition to the beloved fan favorites "Red Light, Green Light, TNT”, “Get It While It’s Hot”, “No Ring Around Rosie”, “She Dropped Me The Bomb”, Don’t Close Your Eyes”, “Blow My Fuse” and their signature track “Cold Blood”, there’s demo tracks of the subsequent songs that made the record.

If you have the original pressing of Blow My Fuse or paid a premium for the Rock Candy Records import, you might have a hard time justifying the repurchase of this album, not matter how great you think that it is. I’m here to tell you that it is, if you’re a loyal follower of the band or a completist. The demos aren’t something that you’ll crank while driving around town running errands, but it is interesting to be a ‘fly on the wall’ and listen in on the band during the preproduction phase of Blow My Fuse and witnessing the songs come to life. In closing, I’ll say this; for years I’d skip over “Don’t Close Your Eyes”, no, not because it’s a ballad, but because of it’s ‘serious’ subject matter that made it somewhat out of place in this otherwise, fun, rambunctious, energetic album. What a great song that is in its own right. I’m glad to see Blow My Fuse available once again domestically, remixed and remastered and sanctioned by the band themselves, for new fans to discover or old fans to rediscover.

4.0 Out Of 5.0