Phantom Blue - Built To Perform (1993)

If you’re thinking ‘Phantom who?’, you’re probably not alone – especially on the UK-side of the Atlantic! I have to confess to missing Phantom Blue the first time around completely despite working at the time they were at their ‘peak’ in a succession of rock clubs and venues . . . and being an avid subscriber to Kerrang! That said, Built To Perform was the second studio album from the US all-girl group and is an absolute stormer – quite how they failed to hit the mainstream attentions when they were musically streets ahead of their peers is beyond me. Whilst not wanting to harp-on about the fact that they were an all-female group – I have mostly found all-female rock groups to be rather lacking: The Runaways, Girlschool, Rock Goddess etc didn’t do much for me at all and I found their overall sound and musicality somewhat naive and uninspiring. However, Phantom Blue really threw that back in my face on hearing this album!

Built To Perform is an in-your-face metal album featuring some great vocals from Gigi Hangach and stunning guitar riffing and soloing from the sadly-late Michelle Meldrum which serves to blow any preconceived prejudices right out of the window.

Nothing Good is as strong an opening track as your likely to hear, an uptempo rocker with screeching guitar soloing and powerful vocals from Hangach with just enough melody to keep a commercial edge . . . just! This is not a fluke either, the subsequent track Time To Run keeps the pace, and was a single from the album, with an interesting eastern-inspired opening riff leading into a real powerful chugger of a number filled with powerful chords and great vocals. Meldrum’s soloing is first class and Hangach is a perfect rock vocalist, encompassing both power and range.

Track 3 is what I would normally consider a ‘no-no’, a Thin Lizzy cover – something which could quite easily have gone horribly wrong. However Phantom Blue turn-in a fine performance, sticking closely to the original (minus the deft drum flourishes of Brian Downey) but making it sound like something they could have penned – no mean feat. The harmony guitar work is also note perfect and once again, Meldrum really shines here: I could barely believe my ears on hearing this as I’m a huge fan of Mr Lynnot et al and when I see a Lizzy cover on a tracklist I’m always sceptical!

My Misery is up next and takes the mood down a notch from Bad Reputation – however, whist a ballad, it’s not in the cheesy rock ballad style of Winger, Mr Big etc but is a REAL ballad – one that sounds like it was written as an emotional piece, not a formulaic necessity as was often the case during late-1980s rock albums in particular. This is a classy piece, well sung and performed and further evidence of the band’s commercial, albeit untapped, potential.

Little Man is a solid riff-rocker and further evidence that Michelle Meldrum was one hell of a guitarist! The crashing chords of Better Off Dead lead into another powerful slice of rock with a rather sneering vocal and has some good use of twin guitars.

Anti Love Crunch gives a nod towards the speed metal genre for its main riff and Loved Ya To Pieces is another ballsy rocker. Things then slow, but with no loss of intensity, on So Easy before Lied To Me and Little Evil conclude the powerful tracks before the closing track You’re Free bursts through – a slow number with a chorus-fuelled picked guitar melody interspersed with crashing chords and strong vocal hook.

I have to admit I feel really sorry for Phantom Blue! If this album – their only major label release (Geffen) – had come out in place of their debut album some four years earlier (for which the band had been somewhat ‘forced’ into pitching their image at the commercial end of the ‘hair metal’ market, albeit their material erred on the heavy side) I’m certain the band would have really hit the heights. The band had all the ingredients to catapult them to rock stardom – great songwriting and good musicianship – but by the time they really got their act together the metal boom had subsided and despite brimming with talent, the album didn’t achieve any great sales and with numerous lineup changes and being dropped by their record company they never had the momentum, nor marketing clout, to really achieve the status their abilities deserved.

This album was a real eye opener for me and I’d urge anyone to give it a listen and to rue what could have, and should have, been for Phantom Blue.

• Gigi Hangach – vocals
• Michelle Meldrum – guitar
• Karen Kreutzer – guitar
• Kim Nielsen – bass guitar
• Linda McDonald – drums