Greg Lake-Greg Lake (1981)

After his first stint with the legendary Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Greg Lake quickly assembled a band to record his first solo album. For this debut, the bassist and singer opted for mainstream, pure rock sounds, moving away from the progressive pomposity of his former band. Among the musicians Greg Lake recruited for this recording were some of the great instrumentalists of the era, such as guitarists Gary Moore, Steve Lukather, and WG Walden; drummers Ted McKenna and Jeff Porcaro; and keyboardists Tommy Eyre and Bill Cuomo, among other prominent figures in the British and American rock scene. It is undoubtedly the opening track, "Nuclear Attack", that showcases the perfect synergy between Gary Moore and Greg Lake, presenting an energetic song with a solid commercial hook and a style very close to that of the Irish guitarist. However, despite the instrumental talent of all the musicians involved and their brilliant compositions, the rest of the album ultimately lacks the power and musical magnitude of this first track. In most of them, the typical mainstream rock clichés of the era carry too much weight and hinder greater creativity. Nevertheless, there are still interesting songs like the heavy AOR tracks "Love You Too Much", "Retribution Drive", and "Long Goodbye", while the predictable but substantial mid-tempo tracks "For Those Who Dare", "The Lie", and "Back and Blue" made it a good starting point for Greg Lake's subsequent solo career.