MAKING OF THE ALBUM: Hanoi Rocks – Two Steps from the Move

Finnish glam band Hanoi Rocks had been together for no more than four years by the time they released their sixth album. With the exception of Self Destruction Blues (a collection of non-album singles and b-sides) and the live record All Those Wasted Years, the remaining had consisted of brand new material, commencing with Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks in 1981 and resulting in their major label debut, Two Steps from the Move, in August, 1984. After the release of their second album, 1982′s Oriental Beat (originally called Second Attempt for Suicide), the band decided to fire drummer Gyp Casino and instead replace him with Nicholas Dingley, better known as Razzle, and this is the line-up that would enjoy the most acclaim.

After a bidding way involving several record labels, Hanoi Rocks signed with CBS and commenced work on their next album, Silver Missiles and Nightingales, at Record Plant in New York. Sessions would begin in March, 1984, with renowned producer Bob Ezrin at the helm. Ezrin had Ezrin had become one of the most in-demand producers in the industry during the 1970s, having worked on several Alice Cooper albums, as well as Pink Floyd‘s The Wall and Destroyer by Kiss. One track from the album, Don’t You Ever Leave Me, which had previously been featured in a slightly different version on both Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks and All Those Wasted Years. With the exception of one song, the remainder of the album was written by guitarist Andy McCoy, either as sole composer or alongside Ezrin or singer Michael Monroe.

Ezrin’s contribution to the album would be to provide the band with a clearer and more commercial sound, something that their earlier work had lacked. One request that CBS would make was the inclusion of Up Around the Bend, a track written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1970 for their album Cosmo’s Factory. Two Steps from the Move would include several of the band’s most popular tracks (although, bizarrely, the song Two Steps from the Move would remain unreleased until 1985′s The Best of Hanoi Rocks), such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Million Miles Away and Underwater World (the latter of which would later provide the title for the Guns N’ Roses classic Welcome to the Jungle). As well as New York, some recording would also take place in Toronto, Canada.

Prior to the release of Two Steps from the Move, CBS chose to promote the album with the single Up Around The Bend, which would become their biggest hit, reaching no. 61 in the UK charts. The album would be followed by two further singles, Underwater World and Don’t You Ever Leave Me (which would also be released as a 3D 12″ picture disc), whilst the band embarked on an extensive tour in support. But their success would be short-lived when Razzle was killed in a car crash caused by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, who was driving whilst intoxicated, just four months after the release of the album. Consequently, Hanoi Rocks would split soon afterwards.