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Sunday Old School: Racer X

Some bands tell you what they’re all about from their name alone. AC/DC promise high energy rock, Death was balls out death metal and Motorhead are all about speed, plenty of it and in more ways than one (allegedly...) Another band which attracted metal fans looking for something fast and furious that used their name to do so, was a young band from Los Angeles, California by the name of Racer X.

The seeds of the band were sown in the Guitar Institute of Technology, when students Juan Alderete and Paul Gilbert (who was soon to become a teacher at the school) met and decided to form their own band. Being highly skilled musicians themselves, they approached a gifted drummer, Scott Travis to join them, though he declined in favour of sticking with his band, Hawk. Instead, they recruited another fellow student, Harry Gschoesser, a native of Austria and the future founder of social networking site, Speedgig. The band completed their lineup with the addition of Phoenix, Arizona resident, Jeff Martin, who was unable to rehearse regularly with the band due to the long distance, but nevertheless, worked hard on writing lyrics for demos which Gilbert sent him.

However, the group were able to put enough material together for a full length album and had it recorded in time for a release date of New Year’s Day, 1986. The resulting debut, "Street Lethal" was critically acclaimed and the band were put forth as one to watch for fans of what was being dubbed the neoclassical genre, pioneered by artists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, who the band paid tribute to of sorts with the album track, "Y.R.O." which stood for, "Yngwie Rip Off." Another stand out song from the record was, "Getaway," which earned some radio play in their native, Los Angeles.

Following the release of the album, the band were forced to make a change when Gschoesser’s, visa expired and he returned to Austria. He was originally replaced by Todd "Vito" DeVito, though his time in the group was short lived and instead Scott Travis, the band's original target, joined the ranks of Racer X. It was also around this time that the group became a quintet, when Gilbert, impressed by his student, Bruce Bouillet, invited him to join the band. This lineup recorded the sophomore effort, "Second Heat," which like the album before, was very well received by critics and metal fans alike. It was notable for being the first record to contain the unused Judas Priest song, "Heart of a Lion," which was given to the band by singer Rob Halford as a birthday present, as well as a cover of the David Bowie song, "Moonage Daydream."

Despite the acclaim both albums received and their popularity as a live act, further recognition seemed hard to come by. Racer X searched long and hard for a major label contract, but was met each time with disinterest, if they were even met at all. By 1989, Gilbert had agreed to form a new band with Talas bassist, Billy Sheehan called, Mr. Big. The quintet recorded their last two shows together, which were both released as live albums, "Extreme Volume One" and "Extreme Volume Two," albeit four years apart and with the second volume being released three years after the band broke up.

Like many bands, especially heavy metal ones, a reformation was in the cards. Gilbert, having left Mr. Big following their, “Hey Man” album, received a vicious e-mail from Australia accusing him of forgetting his metal roots. Seemingly inspired by this challenge, Gilbert decided to reform Racer X, bringing back Travis, Martin and Alderete to record a third studio album, "Technical Difficulties." The album, as the cliché goes, became quite big in Japan, reaching Gold status there and their label demanded a follow up record.

The request was granted and less than a year later, Racer X released their fourth album, "Superheroes," in Japan, with a North American release coming two months later. The record’s packaging featured the band members dressed, unsurprisingly, as superheroes but much more importantly was received well enough for fans to consider it to be perhaps their best album to date. Like the two albums the group released in the eighties, the two latest studio efforts were followed by two volumes of live albums, "Snowball of Doom" and "Snowball of Doom 2" in 2002.

That same year, Racer X recorded and released what is to date their final studio album, "Getting Heavier." It did not meet the expectations of fans and critics but it was still a decent effort. Soon afterwards, the band slowly fell apart, thanks to commitments to other projects and apart from a brief reunion in 2009, there has been little sign of a return for the band. Racer X, may well be one of the lesser known of the heavy metal veterans, but their talent and musicianship is there for any listener to hear and appreciate, and surely it’s too good to continue laying dormant?

Racer X - "Into The Night"

Racer X - "Motor Man"

Racer X - "Technical Difficulties"

Racer X - "Superheroes"

Racer X - "Golden God"