BIG BANG BABIES "Black Market" (1994)
by Josie Hilton

Cover: 8 Arms out of 10
It’s a close up shot of Keri Kelli in black and white, which ingeniously follows the theme of Keri’s two-toned hair. Keri’s left eye comes complete with a nice sparkle finish, admittedly a nice touch, but his hair covers most of his right eye forcing me to stare at the left one. The band’s name is printed vertically up the side, with the album name across the bottom, both again sticking with the black and white idea.

Booklet: 6 Japanese Fans out of 10
The booklet is a very basic; it includes lyrics, special thanks, and credits. A silhouetted photo of the band lies on a white background behind the lyrics, with the chorus of each song printed in bold. (This feature comes in handy while singing along.) I’m impressed by the credit for “Food” (I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before.) but I am disappointed by all the blank space on the back of the booklet where they could have easily placed a photo.

Songs: 8 Glitter Bombs out of 10
Anyone who loves the bubble gum, glam rock sound of the 80’s will love “Black Market”. The CD starts with “8 Arms,” and reminds me of Pretty Boy Floyd’s “Rock & Roll,” though the vocals on the second track, “All I Wanna Do,” sound a lot like Wax. All of the choruses are catchy, and the ballads are sappy. I guarantee “Won’t Be Gone For Long” will be on your next mixed CD and you’ll be singing “Everybody Needs a Hero” in your car, loudly, while people on the streets point and laugh at you. The strange and unfortunate thing about the CD is that Keri Kelli sings lead vocals on most of the songs. I appreciate Keri’s guitar playing, which can be heard on “Bliss (Maguro Tataki), but he should have left the vocals up to Kit Ashley! On the positive side, the CD contains three sneaky hidden tracks at the end that are from earlier Big Bang Babies demos. These three songs definitely stand out. (If you can find them)

Comments: Big Bang Babies broke up before “Black Market” was released. Since then, Keri has played with just about every band in Hollywood, including Ratt, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Slash's Snakepit, and is presently playing guitar in Vince Neil’s band. He also did 20 Questions with Metal Sludge back on July 24, 2001. Kit Ashley is currently playing with Custom Made Scare, a kick ass rock n’ roll band, and working on his solo career. I don’t know what’s become of the other members, but if you want to know you’ll have to do the research yourself because I’m too damn lazy.