Racer X -

Racer X was an American metal band from Los Angeles that formed in 1985 around guitarist Paul Gilbert, singer Jeff Martin, bassist Juan Alderete, and drummer Harry Gschoesser.

The first run produced the Shrapnel albums Street Lethal and Second Heat, followed by the live releases Extreme Volume Live and Extreme Volume II Live, all drawn from the band’s late-’80s peak.

Members: John Alderete (bass), Jeff Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar, 1985-88, 1999-2002), Harry Gschoesser (drums, 1985-86), Bruce Bouillet (guitar, 1986-89), Scott Travis (drums, 1986-2002)

Background

Paul Gilbert emerged from Greensburg, Pa., where Mike Varney featured the teenage guitarist in Guitar Player’s Spotlight column during February 1983. Gilbert moved to Los Angeles in 1984 to attend the Guitar Institute of Technology, took a teaching post there after graduation, and cut Trouble in the Streets with Black Sheep during the same period. At GIT he met bassist Juan Alderete and Austrian drummer Harry Gschoesser, and that circle became the foundation of Racer X.

Varney then helped Gilbert recruit singer Jeff Martin from the Phoenix metal band Surgical Steel. Gilbert, Alderete, Gschoesser, and Martin formed Racer X in Los Angeles during 1985, and Martin began writing lyrics from Arizona after Gilbert sent him demo tapes from California. That arrangement pushed the band from school and rehearsal-room roots into a working lineup with enough material for a first record.

Shrapnel moved quickly once the lineup settled. Racer X headed to Prairie Sun in Cotati during December 1985, and those sessions produced Street Lethal.

Street Lethal

Racer X released their debut album, Street Lethal, on January 1, 1986, on Shrapnel.

Street Lethal runs on brisk tempos, compact song forms, and a tight guitar-led attack. Paul Gilbert packs the record with rapid lead breaks, bright harmonic lines, and hard rhythm figures, while Jeff Martin drives the songs with a high, forceful vocal line over Juan Alderete’s active bass and Harry Gschösser’s firm backbeat. Gilbert wrote the music for most of the album, Martin supplied lyrics on most of the vocal tracks, “Hotter Than Fire” adds Steve Fontano and Mark Lehman to the credits, and the instrumentals “Frenzy” and “Y.R.O.” credit Gilbert alone.

“Street Lethal,” “Into the Night,” and “Blowin’ Up the Radio” keep the first side in a fast, direct rush with sharp refrains and quick solo turns. “Hotter Than Fire” and “On the Loose” hold that pressure in shorter forms, while “Loud and Clear” opens side two with another hard charge. “Y.R.O.” strips the album down to a concise instrumental showcase, and “Dangerous Love,” “Getaway,” and “Rock It” close the record through brighter choruses, more open chord movement, and a looser party-metal swing.

A1. “Frenzy” (1:45) — Gilbert
A2. “Street Lethal” (3:41) — Gilbert, Martin
A3. “Into the Night” (3:34) — Gilbert, Martin
A4. “Blowin’ Up the Radio” (3:10) — Gilbert, Martin
A5. “Hotter Than Fire” (3:02) — Fontano, Martin, Lehman
A6. “On the Loose” (3:07) — Gilbert, Martin

B1. “Loud and Clear” (3:42) — Gilbert, Martin
B2. “Y.R.O.” (3:13) — Gilbert
B3. “Dangerous Love” (3:13) — Gilbert, Martin
B4. “Getaway” (3:10) — Gilbert, Martin
B5. “Rock It” (3:58) — Gilbert, Martin

Racer X recorded Street Lethal at Prairie Sun in Cotati, Calif., during December 1985 with producer, engineer, and mixer Steve Fontano, executive producer Mike Varney, and mastering engineer George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Guy Aitchison supplied the cover art.

Second Heat

Racer X released their second album, Second Heat, on February 11, 1987, on Shrapnel.

Second Heat tightens Racer X’s attack and pushes the guitar writing closer to the front. New guitarist Bruce Bouillet doubles Paul Gilbert’s lead-guitar front with synchronized runs, harmonized breaks, and fast unison passages, and new drummer Scott Travis gives the songs a harder snap and cleaner acceleration. Paul Gilbert wrote most of the music, Jeff Martin wrote lyrics on most of the originals, and the album also includes covers of Judas Priest (“Heart of a Lion”) and David Bowie (“Moonage Daydream”).

“Sacrifice” and “Gone Too Far” drive the album forward with brisk tempos and direct refrains. “Sunlit Nights” opens more space through a cleaner intro, while “Hammer Away” lands with one of the album’s strongest hard-charging choruses. “Scarified” strips the record down to an instrumental sprint built on synchronized guitar lines, quick directional shifts, and a prominent bass passage. “Heart of a Lion” carries a heavier, more anthemic rise, and “Moonage Daydream” recasts Bowie’s song in a brighter, more forceful frame.

A1. “Sacrifice” (4:03) — Martin, Gilbert
A2. “Gone Too Far” (2:55) — Martin, Gilbert
A3. “Scarified” (2:40) — Gilbert, Travis
A4. “Sunlit Nights” (3:35) — Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet
A5. “Hammer Away” (3:44) — Martin, Gilbert

B1. “Heart of a Lion” (4:04) — Tipton, Downing, Halford
B2. “Motor Man” (3:46) — Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet
B3. “Moonage Daydream” (3:30) — Bowie
B4. “Living the Hard Way” (3:33) — Gonzales, Gilbert
B5. “Lady Killer” (4:01) — Martin, Gilbert, Bouillet

Racer X recorded Second Heat at Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati, Calif., during November and December 1986 with producer and engineer Steve Fontano, assistant engineer Dino Alden, executive producer Mike Varney, and mastering engineer George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Guy Aitchison supplied the cover art.

Extreme Volume Live / Extreme Volume II Live

Racer X released the live albums Extreme Volume Live in 1988 on Shrapnel and Roadrunner and Extreme Volume II Live on September 8, 1992, on Shrapnel. Both albums draw from the same 1988 performances at the Country Club in Reseda, Calif.

These sets capture the five-piece at full speed and put the twin-guitar design at the front. The arrangements strip away most studio layering, push the tempos harder, and leave room for four individual spotlights, while the non-album material shows how much unreleased music the band already carried onstage by 1988.

A1. “Loud and Clear” (3:56) [from Street Lethal]
A2. “Dangerous Love” (3:22) [from Street Lethal]
A3. “Bruce’s Solo” (2:42) [solo improvisation]
A4. “Gone Too Far” (2:57) [from Second Heat]
A5. “John’s Solo” (2:16) [solo improvisation]
A6. “She Wants Control” (3:39/3:40) [new live original]

B1. “Scit Scat Wah” (3:57/3:58) [new live instrumental]
B2. “Into the Night” (3:42) [from Street Lethal]
B3. “Paul’s Solo” (3:36) [solo improvisation]
B4. “Motor Man” (3:51/4:10) [from Second Heat]
B5. “Scott’s Solo” (2:26) [solo improvisation]
B6. “Set the World on Fire” (3:31) [new live original]

C1. “Hammer Away” (4:10) [from Second Heat]
C2. “Poison Eyes” (4:04) [new live original]
C3. “Heart of a Lion” (4:36) [from Second Heat; Judas Priest cover]
C4. “Moonage Daydream” (3:17) [from Second Heat; David Bowie cover]
C5. “Sunlit Nights” (4:04) [from Second Heat]

D1. “Give It to Me” (3:07) [new live original]
D2. “On the Loose” (3:02) [from Street Lethal]
D3. “Rock It” (5:10) [from Street Lethal]
D4. “Detroit Rock City” (5:20) [Kiss cover]

Racer X recorded both live sets at the Country Club in Reseda with the Record Plant mobile unit and completed additional work afterward in California. Ron Bloom and Ricky Delena produced and engineered the recordings, Steve Fontano handled additional production and mixing for Extreme Volume Live at Prairie Sun, and GGGarth handled additional production and mixing for Extreme Volume II Live at Devonshire Studios. George Horn mastered Extreme Volume Live, and Ken Lee mastered Extreme Volume II Live.

Dave Stephens handled graphics on Extreme Volume Live. Extreme Volume II Live credits Dave Stephens and Annie Calef for art direction and graphic design, Dawyne Allen for photography, and Jeff Martin for the “Extreme Volume man” art design.

Postlude

A reunion during 1999 brought Gilbert, Martin, Alderete, and Scott Travis back together for the studio albums Technical Difficulties, Superheroes, and Getting Heavier. That second phase also produced the Snowball of Doom live sets and the Live at the Whisky: Snowball of Doom video before the band went quiet again after the early 2000s.

Discography: