Angel Air marks their 300th release with this deluxe CD/DVD repackaging of 2008's Animal Instinct from NWOBHM stalwarts Tygers Of Pan Tang. Aside from being the most notable band to come out of Whitley Bay, the Tygers are perhaps best known for providing John Sykes with his first step on the ladder that would eventually take him to Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake. The Tygers also enjoyed some chart success in their own right back in the 80's with both debut album Wild Cat (1980) and The Cage (1983) breaking into the UK Top 20 and their cover version of Leiber and Stoller's 'Love Potion Number 9' just missing out on the Top 40. The current line-up finds guitarist Rob Weir as the sole surviving original member and he is joined by second guitarist Dean Robertson, bassist Brian West, drummer Craig Ellis and Italian vocalist Jacoppo Meille. Meille has proven to be an excellent choice of frontman and as evidenced by the strong reviews on its initial release Animal Instinct genuinely finds the band recapturing some of the confidence and swagger of old with gritty riffs and up-tempo melodies. This new version is enhanced by the addition of bonus tracks including the aforementioned 'Love Potion No 9', 'Gangland' and Whitley Bay football teams cup final anthem 'Live For The Bay' which is itself a reinterpretation of Tygers live favourite 'Live For The Day'. The DVD is a vibrant hour or so of the band in a Berlin TV studio trawling through their back catalogue including 'Suzi Smiled' and a sprinkling of newer material.
The Tygers were never the most ground breaking band of the NWOBHM but they always played with a sense of fun and it is refreshing to see that more than thirty years since their formation they have retained this quality. If you have never purchased a Tygers album then it is still not too late and Animal Instinct is as good a place as any to start.
Track Listing
CD - Animal Instinct:
1. Rock Candy
2. Cry Sweet Freedom
3. Live For The Day
4. Let It Burn
5. If You See Kay
6. Hot Blooded
7. Devils Find A Fool
8. Winners & Losers
9. Crusin
10. Bury The Hatchet
11. Dark Rider
BONUS TRACKS
12. Don't Say Rock'n'Roll Is Gonna Die
13. Love Potion No 9
14. Raised On Rock
15. Gangland
16. Live For The Bay [Whitley Bay Cup Final Song]
DVD - Live From Berlin Studios 2008:
1. Intro
2. Hellbound
3. Take It
4. Live For The Day
5. Raised On Rock
6. Suzi Smiled
7. Bury The Hatchet
8. Interview
9. Rock'n'Roll Man
10. Slave To Freedom
11. Euthanasia
12. Love Potion No 9
13. Gangland
BONUS FEATURE
14. Scrapbook Footage Europe 2008