These New Jersey boys formed in 1985 with Michael Kelly Smith
(guitar) from up-and-coming band - Cinderella.
Their name came from one of singer Dizzy Dean Davison's Welsh ancestors. The
bands look and sound was VERY similar to that of Cinderella.
However, despite borrowing their sound, their theatrical/glam look, and their
guitarist, Cinderella helped hook
Britny Fox up with their first record contract.
Britny Fox (Columbia) 1988
1. "Girlschool" (4:40)
2. "Long Way to Love" (4:55)
3. "Kick 'N' Fight" (3:38)
4. "Save the Weak" (5:29)
5. "Fun in Texas" (4:28)
6. "Rock Revolution" (4:43)
7. "Don't Hide" (4:50)
8. "Gudbuy T' Jane" (4:28)
9. "In America" (4:26)
10. "Hold On" (3:31)
Well it took me a couple of years to finally secure a copy of this disc, but I finally managed to get a copy in a trade on the PM Board, of all places. This disc is out of print, but it's not that rare. There are always several copies on eBay for sale, but for some reason someone was always willing to pay more than me. I always bid the minimum. Anyhow, I am still kicking myself for ignoring this band for so many years. OK, so the band looks like something the cat drug in, so what. What counts is the music. (Besides I kind of dig the whole 80's glam look. At least they put on a show.) Britny Fox's first album is an excellent '80s glam metal album. Ex-Cinderella guitarist Michael Kelly Smith has the chops and vocalist Dizzy Dean Davidson is a more than competent song writer and has a cool raspy howl that fits the bands style perfectly. Yes, I know the band was labeled a Cinderella clone, so what! As I have said before if the music is good, what do I care. The fact is that the band has been around almost as long as Cinderella anyhow. Besides with Michael Kelly Smith coming from the band, what do you expect? "Gudbuy T' Jane." is a Slade cover.
Britny Fox-Boys in Heat (Columbia)
1. "In Motion" (2:45)
2. "Standing in the Shadows" (3:48)
3. "Hair of the Dog" (4:18)
4. "Livin' in a Dream" (3:19)
5. "She's So Lonely" (4:03)
6. "Dream On" (4:52)
7. "Long Way from Home" (4:17)
8. "Plenty of Love" (4:14)
9. "Stevie" (4:27)
10. "Shine On" (3:33)
11. "Angel in My Heart" (4:24)
12. "Left Me Stray" (3:15)
13. "Longroad" (4:03)
Ya know, I don't know why I listen to reviews and people's insipid opinions. I ignored these guys for years assuming that they sucked, all on the opinion of others without even giving them a listen. I don't know why but I picked up this disc used for $3.99. I popped it into my cd player and was impressed. OK, so they sound like Cinderella, so what! I like Cinderella. Everybody said Cinderella sounded like Aerosmith, so what. I like Aerosmith. Well, now I like Britny Fox as well. Of course now their cds are almost impossible to find. "Hair of the Dog" is a Nazareth cover.
Britny Fox-Dream On (Columbia) 1990
1. "Dream On" (LP Edit #2) (3:58)
2. "Dream On" (Remix Edit) (3:58)
3. "Dream On" (4:51)
A promo cd single that I acquired in a trade as a deal sweetener along with the debut cd. Not really much to say about it as all the versions are pretty similar and the best is actually the album version.
Britny Fox-Bite Down Hard (EastWest Records America) 1991
1. "Six Guns Loaded" (3:46)
2. "Louder" (3:53)
3. "Liar" (4:42)
4. "Closer To Your Love" (3:48)
5. "Over and Out" (4:45)
6. "Shot From My Gun" (4:07)
7. "Black & White" (3:35)
8. "Look My Way" (4:32)
9. "Lonely Too Long" (3:34)
10. Midnight Moses" (4:28)
Britny Fox's third and final (?) studio album came out in a time when their brand of blues based pop/glam metal was beginning to see a downslide in popularity. It would only be a year or two more before grunge would all but wipe this form of excellent hard rock off the map. For this album the band replaced vocalist Dizzy Dean Davison. I have read numerous stories and reasons for the parting of Dizzy, but the one that seems to be most accurate is that the band felt Dizzy was holding them back from breaking big. Even AMG calls Dizzy a "lagging talent." Well this be true of not, Dizzy did give the band a certain charisma that is certainly lost on this third disc, despite Tommy Paris being a very talented vocalist. Certainly the band has all but lost the earlier Cinderella comparisons, so it seems a bit odd that they would rely mostly on their new vocalist to carry the hooks of the songs. Still I find the discs to be one that should have competed with all the top acts of this genre that year. To boost marketability the band even brings in friends like Rikki Rockett and Zakk Wylde. To tell the truth, however, these contributions are hard to tell without reading the liner notes. A year after it's release the band apparently had broken up, but have recently reformed and released a 'reunion' live album called "Long Way to Live." This disc has recently been reissued by Spitfire, but as with most collector's, unless their are some critical bonus tracks or a noticable improvement in the sound quality, I prefer the original release. Special thanks to one of my newest internet friends for tracking down this cd for me. It is much appreciated.