Geordie

The Newcastle quartet's debut album followed hard on the heels of two superlative hit singles. Beyond a passing affection for a Slade-style stomp, "Don't Do That" and "All Because of You" have little in common with the then-prevalent glam sound, but still their pounding hard rock ethos slipped effortlessly into the mood of the day, to portray Geordie as the unabashed hard rockers that even the teenies could enjoy. (Nazareth pulled off a similar coup around the same time.) Following in those same stack-heeled footsteps, Hope You Like It makes few concessions to the band's newfound fame, a raw and raucous slam through 11 songs that only let the bombast slip when they fall into the closing clown time of the traditional "Geordie's Lost His Liggie," a mad singalong that is absolutely captivating. Half a dozen bonus tracks on the 2007 7Ts reissue, meanwhile, add further singles "Electric Lady" and "Black Cat Woman" to the brew, alongside four B-sides, all wrapped up to present this excellent band at the peak of its short-lived powers. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide