Frontman Blackie Lawless might be flying his shock rock flag high on the cover but the only things worth rallying behind on 1985’s The Last Command are a few decent songs and Lawless’ unique howling rasp of a voice. W.A.S.P.’s eponymous debut was a superbly untamed slice of evil filth but on this second album, the band’s songwriting is sliding into the unremarkable. The free-spirited opener Wild Child and the debauched Blind In Texas are the must-hear tracks but for every song like the fun-but-silly Ballcrusher or the mean, moody Widowmaker there’s a banal Jack Action or the humdrum title track. But, while the balance between the filler tracks and the good ones is dangerously unbalanced, the band’s delivery and that voice manage to just lift the album out of the realm of the ordinary. It’s a good enough time if you’re in the right mood, a bore if you’re not. OK for occasional plays but not regular revisits. At the end of final track Sex Drive, Lawless rolls over and asks “tell me that don’t hit the spot”. Well, it was good fun but I’d be lying if I said the earth moved.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
Agreed 100%. Bought for the singles and a few other tracks, rarely played.
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I go back to it now and again but rarely get all the way through it. I used to feel more favourable towards it but it’s just mediocre. Hard to be forgiving about such ordinary writing.
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LOL “Blackie Ball-less”
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We used to all call him that back then! Bruce Dickinson told a story about him on TV, that his codpiece blew up once haha
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Ha great end of the review sentence!
I bought this at the time and it was alright. To be honest with you I probably I have not listened to this since 1986 at the latest! That “Circus” album was dreadful so I avoided WASP until the Headless Children and that was due to his rocking cover of the THE WHO track…
The debut I liked immensely as it was filling that void for me back in 84 as KISS was no where near the theatrical element at that time…
But ya cool to see this one pop up on the reader…..
Good Job
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Same here…I skipped all the albums between the 1st and Headless.
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Lets not forget Live In The Raw, that’s awesome! Circus was pretty shite though.
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Yeah, the debut and Headless are both peak W.A.S.P. for me. I would say this is alright… I used to think of it as a good fun album but listening these days the writing is just so run-of-the-mill. And in the liner notes Blackie reckons he was really maturing as a writer! Hahaha fuck off
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FUCK OFF INDEED…haha…
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I bought this album because it was the first one I know to have a PMRC label. The songs you mention are the best ones on the album.
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Was that the ‘Parental Advisory’ stickers, or a different one?
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It was the Parent Advisory stickers.
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Not sure what the first album I got with those was… hmm…
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Like the majority, I prefer my evil filth untamed as well!
Terrific thought-provoking lines in this one HMO , including but not limited to:
a) they’ve begun the slide, but when does a band’s songwriting officially earn the less than desirable classification of unremarkable?
b) what is needed to be elevated above ordinary?
c) when does fun become silly?
d) what separates the occasional from regular visit album?
I suppose if Lawless had got me thinking about those sorts of things, I’d say, why yes, that does hit the spot!
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More importantly, what is Jack Action? And if one were to look for it, what would IT look like? Or is it an actual person?
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Blind in Texas was originally going to be called Blind in Swansea, but the band bottled it at the last minute and tried to appeal to a wider demographic.
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More believable too. I can imagine them having a wild night in Texas but they wouldn’t last a couple hours in Swansea. Theyd be conked out behind the bins covered in sick and kebab before they could say L.O.V.E Machine.
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You’re not doing Led Zep IV next are you? because Stairway to Swansea is an all-time fave of mine.
If not I’ll just carry on with my review of Sweet Home Aberystwyth.
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Thought I might try something different… rock is so centered around Wales, I’d like to look elsewhere for a change. I had thought Toto’s Africa but apparently that’s about Cardiff Bay.
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I know, I know. Wasn’t it Bangor who did ‘More Than A Feeling’?
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I don’t know much about Wales but I believe the new Steel Panther album is to be called Wrexham? Damn Near Kills ‘Em
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Well I was Welsh by marriage for thirteen years and am responsible for three Welsh-American children.
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Led Zep IV is all about Wales. There’s “Going to Llanelli” and “Misty Merthyr Hop.” Great album if you’re Welsh.
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Bloody hell, not you too! 😂
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Maybe I need to re-listen to some old W.A.S.P. albums.
Then again, maybe not.
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The debut is a must! Then Live in the Raw and The Headless Children. Pass on this… all the best tracks are on the live one anyway.
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Jings. I just never liked what I heard of this lot… never likely to revisit. We had this conversation, eh?
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Can’t remember. I think Lawless’ voice is the key… if that doesn’t do it for you then avoid. I don’t think they were ever an A-list band though, even at their best.
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… not even I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here status from what I’ve heard.
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Speaking as someone who hasn’t spent much (if any) time with this band’s work, you’re not selling it to me with this one haha!
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