Restless and Wild

Restless and Wild is the fourth album by the German heavy metal band Accept, released in 1982. It was the first Accept album to not be recorded at Delta-Studio, the band moving to Dieter Dierks' studio in Stommeln. It is also the first Accept album in which Udo Dirkschneider sings every track, as well as the first in which manager Gaby Hauke ("Deaffy") gains credits for songwriting. Michael Wagener took engineering and mixing duties once again. Although Herman Frank is credited, all the guitar on the finished product is done by Wolf Hoffmann.

The album is best known for the opening track, "Fast As A Shark". Its blazingly fast double bass drumming is recognized today as reaching a new level in the development of the subgenre of speed metal.[1] The intro to the track is a snippet from a crackly old children's recording of a traditional German tune titled "Ein Heller und ein Batzen" (A Farthing And A Penny). The band thought it would make a humourous contrast with their heavy metal sound, and the fact that a young Dieter Dierks was singing on the recording made it even more of an inside joke. The band soon found themselves in an unintended controversy, however: even though the song dated from 1830,[2], it was a popular marching song during the Nazi era and still held that connotation for many listeners, a fact the band was unaware of at the time. "So out of a funny little idea we created somewhat of a monster," Wolf Hoffmann recalls.[3]

Another well-known track is album closer "Princess Of The Dawn", a tense Gothic song that Udo describes as "a Cinderella story" and "like a Lord Of The Rings fantasy" with no deep meaning.[4] Wolf Hoffmann achieved the haunting mandolin-like effect by recording the guitar at half-speed, then having it played back at normal speed.[5] He describes the sudden ending as "an idea that didn't work so well."[6]

Udo agrees with the general assessment of Restless and Wild as a landmark heavy metal record, calling it "surely the most important Accept album".[7] Wolf's praise is more reserved, calling it "just another record" and adding, "Looking back maybe we think Fast As A Shark was the first speed metal song ever, but at the time we sorta just had fun and we didn't think it was anything dramatically new. Obviously, maybe what was so cool about this time was that we weren't thinking so much. We were just ballsy and tried to do things without having much to lose."[8]

Versions of the album released outside Germany were issued with a different cover, replacing the picture of burning guitars with a shot of the band live in concert.

[edit] Track listing

"Fast as a Shark" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes) – 3:49
"Restless and Wild" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes, Robert A. Smith-Diesel + Accept) – 4:12
"Ahead of the Pack" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes) – 3:24
"Shake Your Heads" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes) – 4:17
"Neon Nights" (Deaffy, Robert A. Smith-Diesel + Accept) – 6:02
"Get Ready" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes, Robert A. Smith-Diesel + Accept) – 3:41
"Demon's Night" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes) – 4:28
"Flash Rockin' Man" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes) – 4:28
"Don't Go Stealin' My Soul Away" (Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider, Baltes, Robert A. Smith-Diesel + Accept) – 3:16
"Princess of the Dawn" (Deaffy, Robert A. Smith-Diesel + Accept) – 6:16

[edit] Credits

Udo Dirkschneider - Vocals
Herman Frank - Guitars
Wolf Hoffmann - Guitars
Peter Baltes - Bass
Stefan Kaufmann - Drums

v • d • e Accept
Udo Dirkschneider \| Wolf Hoffmann \| Peter Baltes \| Stefan Kaufmann
Discography
Studio albums: Accept \| I'm a Rebel \| Breaker \| Restless and Wild \| Balls to the Wall \| Metal Heart \| Russian Roulette \| Eat the Heat \| Objection Overruled \| Death Row \| Predator \| Rich & Famous
Live albums: Kaizoku-Ban \| Staying a Life \| All Areas - Worldwide
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U.D.O.