Second Heat

Second Heat
Studio album by Racer X
Released	February 11, 1987
Recorded	November–December 1986
Studio	Prairie Sun Recording Studios in Cotati, California
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	35:51
Label	Shrapnel
Producer	Steve Fontano, Mike Varney
Racer X chronology
Street Lethal (1986) Second Heat (1987) Extreme Volume Live (1988)

Second Heat is the second studio album by heavy metal band Racer X, released on February 11, 1987 through Shrapnel Records.^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Rock Hard	9/10[3]

Andy Hinds at AllMusic gave Second Heat four stars out of five, calling it superior to its predecessor and describing it as having "some of the most amazing dual-guitar work ever recorded" thanks to the addition of second guitarist Bruce Bouillet in accompaniment with Paul Gilbert. The rhythm section of drummer Scott Travis and bassist John Alderete was also praised as being "one of the most formidable around." Highlights listed included "Hammer Away", "Living the Hard Way" and the instrumental "Scarified". However, criticism was directed at the band's cover of "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie: Hinds dismissed it as a "backdrop for (you guessed it!) more shredding" at the expense of "all the charm and subtlety of the original".^[2]

In 2005, Second Heat was ranked No. 480 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.^[4]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Sacrifice"	Jeff Martin, Paul Gilbert	4:03
2.	"Gone Too Far"	Martin, Gilbert	2:55
3.	"Scarified" (instrumental)	Gilbert, Scott Travis	2:40
4.	"Sunlit Nights"	Martin, Gilbert, Bruce Bouillet	3:35
5.	"Hammer Away"	Martin, Gilbert	3:44
6.	"Heart of a Lion" (Judas Priest cover)	Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Rob Halford	4:04
7.	"Motor Man"	Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet	3:46
8.	"Moonage Daydream" (David Bowie cover)	David Bowie	3:30
9.	"Living the Hard Way"	Dave Gonzales, Gilbert	3:33
10.	"Lady Killer"	Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet	4:01
Total length:			35:51

Personnel

• Jeff Martin – vocals
• Paul Gilbert – guitar
• Bruce Bouillet – guitar
• Mike Mani – keyboard
• Scott Travis – drums
• John Alderete – bass
• Steve Fontano – engineering, production
• Dino Alden – engineering assistance
• George Horn – mastering
• Mike Varney – executive production

References

1. "Music". racerxband.com. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
2. Hinds, Andy. "Second Heat - Racer X". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
3. Stratmann, Holger. . Rock Hard. issue 23. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
4. [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 15. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.

External links

• In Review: Racer X "Second Heat" at Guitar Nine Records