• Track Listing

Limited 180gm red vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Play Dirty is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool, originally released on Bronze Records in 1983 and produced by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea from the hard rock band Slade. Featuring Kelly Johnson, Kim McAuliffe, Denise Dufort and Gil Weston and showcasing hits such as "20th Century Boy," "Burning In The Heat," and "Play Dirty." Remastered in 2020.

During the torrent of new wave of British heavy metal, (NWOBHM), Girlschool were somewhere in the middle. They weren't mentioned in the same breath as the giants of the time but they were better known than other bands like Diamond Head and Raven. True, their music didn't get the airplay it deserved but most metalheads in 1983 knew who they were. I was fortunate on one occasion in the year to catch one of the few times the title track from the album, "Play Dirty," got played on MTV.

"Play Dirty" marked a change in direction for Girlschool towards a more softer rock sound. Some would compare them to Def Leppard, really? However, the softer sound comes out with the first two tracks on the album. It is the first time, to my knowledge, that keyboards were ever used on a Girlschool album. Those tracks aren't bad but they aren't real headbangers either. Things do go much heavier with the third one, the title track. Even then, there are keyboards at the bridges on the song and though I have to admit, they compliment that part of the song well, it took me a couple of listens to get used to it. Besides, Kelly Johnson's guitar solo on said song makes counters any keyboards. After wowing with those more harder songs, things go back to the sound of the opening tracks. Keyboards a plenty here for I get the feeling that on "Surrender" that they were trying for a Night Ranger or Journey type hit single. However, it wasn't released as one so this is a paradox that baffles me. It's still a cool song and Kelly nails another cool guitar solo. The keyboards die with that song because "Rock Me, Shock Me" is a true Girlschool anthem. They should have played that on the radio but that's the good thing about buying albums. You get to play the best songs from them that radio won't play to yourself. The closer is a good rocker and the title has me wondering. In Britain, knob is a slang term in the media so I wonder if they were attacking the media or at least some person in it.