Badlands in a landslide.... Every guy in that band is stellar. Killer vocals... Great songs... Gritty greasy production... Love that record.

oooooh! that's a tough one!!! BADLANDS 1000% though - one of the 90s BEST.

Has to be Blue Murder. Soaring vocals, screaming guitars, infectious bass grooves, swinging drums. Can't go wrong.

I bought these both on vinyl in 89 at the same time! BLUE MURDER!

I saw the title and went with Blue Murder before I hit play. Love both albums, but Sykes is a god.

I'll go with Blue Murder. No one thought Sykes had a chance on his own. Coverdale probably laughed at the thought & perhaps a bit miffed Geffen signed Sykes to a deal. Badlands was excellent as well and kinda sad that you can't buy the first 2 cd's new anymore because of the Ray Gillen situation. I wouldn't mind Jake E Lee re-recording those 2 albums with a new singer, honestly.

Pete you made my day with this one. Two of my personal favorites, both so underrated. Tough to go against the epic power of those Blue Murder tracks, but I'm going to give Badlands the edge because of Ray's iconic vocals.

Good battle both very good albums. Badlands is my pick for this battle. Great album full of killer songs.

Boy...that is tough to pick between those albums. They're both incredible and full of great performances.

Badlands. All three of their albums are incredible.

Yeah I'm going to have to go Badlands on this one. A stellar group with a album that is all killer and no filler!

This is a great battle choice. Have both on vinyl & CD and loved them both so much back in the day (still to this day too)...Badlands for me though is marginally the better release. Ray vocals are just killer, and Jake and the band are so tight, immense! Blue Murder also rate very highly. Coming hot on the heels after the post JS Whitesnake break up. John is almost wanting to make a point with these songs of how much his contribution on 1987 was...Great selection.

I couldn't choose between the 2. both are awesome

I'd go with Blue Murder, because it's the one that I own. Also, the production by Bob Rock. Jelly Roll is a cool song. It starts out as a bluesy song, then goes into a power ballad. Btw, that sucks that there will be no Badlands reissues because of Ray. Why must the dead be punished? I believe that Rock Candy did briefly reissue Badlands, but I was quickly deleted. Speaking of Rock Candy, the Blue Murder cd that I have is the Rock Candy reissue.

2 epic albums. I say both!!!

What a killer albums pete.rey gillen one of the best vocalist

badlands for me love jake e lee do u like his fine pink mist album pete

Wow, these are 2 titanic albums that need to be in every rockers collection! Huge Sykes fan, with that undeniable note bending and tone, the man can shred....and sing....and write! Blue Murder is a killer head banging good time! But perhaps because I proudly own Bandlands and Voodoo Highway (Dusk is also very good and available on streaming sites, unlike the first two), and I've seen Badlands in small clubs in Brooklyn and NYC, I got to go with Badlands. Ray Gillian's voice is as stellar live as it is on the CDs, and Jake's intricate and bluesy guitar work was just other worldly. You didn't hear too much truly great heavy blues, and Badlands songwriting was just masterful. Nice war picks!

I’d pick Badlands because I think the songwriting and vocals are stronger

Love em both, I couldn’t choose either...thanks

Two of my favorite CDs! Blue Murder gets the slight edge for me.

Both really great albums, but i would go for Blue Murder... Better compositions and more memorable songs. Jake is phenomenal, but Sykes more phenomenal and he is ripping on guitar here as always. The big voice of Ray here is undeniable, but Sykes has a sexy voice here + better songs and of course the talents of the beast Carmine and the fretless monster bass of Franklin is the winner!!! You can't go wrong with this one...

Love both albums, but the hard rock ‘87 feel of Blue Murder, is my pick!!!

This is a Tough One, I love Jake but got to go with Blue Murder

Got both albums but Blue Murder being a Sykes fan.

These two albums are in my top 10 greatest rock albums of the 80's along with Back In Black, Whitesnake 87, Guns Appetite, and Leppard Hysteria/Pyromania.

So true Pete,awesome guitar work by Jake.

Tough one today for sure!.. Jake vs John... Love them both as blues rock guitarists... I would say on song quality and writing BADLANDS by a nose. Thanks for another good matchup Pete!!!

About time they make this Badlands album available again. Hello Rock Candy? Had the vinyl once...damn!

I agree with you Pete. There are no loosers here. Both are excellent albums!

Few may know that Ray Gillin of Badlands had tried out to be the lead singer for Blue Murder and had even cut a few demo tracks with them. But his vocals were not a good fit with Sykes style so Sykes ended up doing the vocals himself. That left Ray available for Jake’s band Badlands. Rays vocals were perfect for Badlands bluesy style. We’re blessed to have them both. ❤️

Both awesome!! I wore these out back then

No contest Blue Murder.2yrs ago I learned the solo to Valley Of The Kings.The neighbors loved it.

your awesome pete great vid

Both really good albums. Blue Murder today. Badlands tomorrow.

Two of my most favorite bands! Hard for me to choose but if I had to pick one it would be BADLANDS!!!

I would be hard pressed to pick even a small number of albums better than Badlands debut! Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face! Jake was never better.....groove and tone for miles-and Ray's ass kicking vocals just put it in a league all it's own! Blue Murder is essential, though, no doubt!

Excellent contest Pete, possibly the hardest to call so far. I’m going with Badlands by a very small margin because I think the songwriting is slightly stronger. Funnily enough when I think of these two bands I also think of Kingdom Come, three of the best new bands during that era.

I love Badlands but that 1st Blue murder is nuts! Thin Lizzy's Thunder and lightning & The Firm changed my life. John, Tony & Carmine were magic!

Wore both cassettes out. Both are awesome.

I think Blue Murder is a more solid album top-to-bottom. But I have and like both. Fun fact: Ray Gillen was originally the singer in Blue Murder, but John Sykes' vocals were a better fit. There's a demo out there with Gillen and Blue Murder. The song ("Too Late") didn't make the album. Also, Tony Martin was in consideration at some point, and co-wrote Valley of the Kings with John Sykes.

Both albums are fantastic but I have to say Blue Murder would be my preference cause I always loved that Whitesnake sound that Sykes had on the 1987 album and Whitesnake are one of my favorite bands so I naturally deviated towards Blue Murder more than Badlands even though I still love Badlands.

I bought the Badlands album because I instantly loved "Dreams in the Dark" when I first heard it. It's the best Whitesnake song they never recorded. However , the rest of the album just sounded like alot of the same blues-rock that was saturating the radio at the time. When I bought the Blue Murder album I loved every song on it besides "Sex Child". Thats a cringe-worthy stinker track! "Riot", "Black Hearted Woman" and the excellent ballad "Out of Love" are excellent tracks! Plus no one knew John Sykes could sing! Blue Murder gets my vote!

I knew you were going to pick Blue Murder (although there's no doubt you dig them both). How did I know? Well, imho you have a soft spot for Euro hard rock/heavy metal. Blue Murder has that Euro feel in spades due to Jon Sykes. Badlands is about as American as hard rock gets. If I was going to do a comparison I'd say Blue Murder reminds me of a slightly less commercial Whitesnake or early Rainbow while Badlands fits more in the Montrose (or even Van Halen) oeuvre (nickel word of the day). I bought both CD's when they 1st came out and both of them knocked me out. However, Badlands was the one I had to get everyone I knew to listen to, because it was a totally fresh throwback. I hadn't heard a hard rock guitarist with Jake E Lee's chops in a long time. His style hit my sweet spot so hard it blew my mind. Jon Sykes was (and still is) the epitome of a rockstar. He not only totally shreds on the guitar but he writes the songs AND sings them well. Badlands was a bit more of a band effort imo. Regardless, I can say with certainty that both of those CD's would have been monsters in the 70's and/or established Jon Sykes and Jake E Lee as two of the best axe-slingers around, bar none. I can imagine arguments about who was better; Jon Sykes or Richie Blackmore; Jake E Lee or Johnny Winter. I just thought of an idea for you Pete; top ten guitarists of your teens, 20's, and 30's and however far you want to go or parse it vs what you think now. I'm talking about what you believed at the time you were those ages compared to what you think now that you're older and wiser. I know my lists have changed.

A little bit of trivia, I believe Ray Gillen was a member of one of the earliest incarnations of Blue Murder. I don't know what happened but he was gone before they ever recorded an album. (Kind of like Black Sabbath, Act II.) It was at some point thereafter that Gillen joined Badlands. As to the battle, can't say, not real familiar with either band.

Both are really solid albums, and that Badlands album apparently _is_ hard to find now, unless you want to pay over $50 for it. But "Blue Murder" one of my all time faves in my collection (I have both Lp and CD). John Sykes is just an incredible Guitar player. I mean, I thought the man used a "Tremolo/Whammy Bar" and it's all finger and pinch harmonics! That man is a master at finger tremolo! The songs were heavy, creative and the album engineering is just about perfect. It made sense that Bob Rock (Metallica Black Album fame) produced it because I remember looking up other albums in my collection at the time, and many albums I enjoyed sonically were engineered or produced by him. Solid line-up with Appice and Tony (who I hear nothing but good things about his personality), Sykes guitar tone is freaking amazing, perfectly suited for each track. I wish the follow-up album was as strong. People need to watch this LIVE appearance on, of all people, The Weird Al show on MTV: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pNafiKxi1Misj4E.html Stay for the false endings! I had heard that Tony Franklin said it wasn't "live" but played to a track, maybe he was playing with the interviewers head because you can see all the _embellishments_ they added to the original track. I played the BM album to death as well, but I still listen to it from time to time. And btw - Sykes has a great voice, who knew!

Wow I always liked Badlands,such a great band,who know what could of been,the sky was the limit. Both great albums. Badlands for me. Thanks Pete.

If there's folks out there that haven't heard either album where have you been ? I was looking on Spotify for the Badlands album and the the Blue Murder album today to play on my bike ride, Sadly the Badlands album isn't there but the Blue Murder album was so i listened to that then the first 2 albums from Kingdom Come, also great albums to

Badlands for me.... Blue Murder is cool, but hasn't dated as well. Badlands is timeless classic rock.

Oh wow, great battle. First time I'm viewing this series, looking forward to it because I am a huge fan of both records. Both are legendary in my opinion and if I had to pick 1 song, it'd probably be Valley of the Kings. I just love those epic, 5+ minute tunes about ancient Egypt or mythology in general. However, looking back I probably have to give the edge to Badlands but the margin is so slim. I think it's just a bit stronger top to bottom. I understand why you'd pick Blue Murder, Sykes was all over that eponymous release - the first CD I ever bought, FYI. Sad he never got the proper recognition he deserved before he and the rest of the lads were unceremoniously canned. Still can't understand why John was let go, but you are the WS expert, you know. For a first time viewer of this series you could not have made it any more difficult. Thanks Pete, hope the next I view is a little easier because this was nearly impossible.

Pete, This was my favorite of your "Classic Album Wars" series! Both great albums and two of my all-time faves. How about: Michael Schenker Group self-titled album (1980) versus Gary Moore "Corridors of Power" (1982)? Each featured a guitar hero trying to establish themselves on their own (though Moore had several albums out before this one)..

Badlands without a doubt!!!! Amazing lineup, killer songs, vocals par excellence, amazing musicians across the board all make for perfection. I recently listened to Blue Murder and always thought it was great, but on the relisten found it very one dimensional and boring. Sykes is a great player, but I think he needs a person to reel him in like coverdale,

Never seen Blue Murder, but in Austin, Tx Badlands and Bang Tango at the Basement. Fucking awesome!!!!!

Wow,absolutely savage battle !! Badlands by a nose,on the strength of Gillen's singin' and Jake's pickin'.

Gotta add Mr. Big debut as well. I spent the entire summer of 89' playing these 3 albums back to back to back. Love them all equally.

I love both but Blue Murder wins for me. The vocals and guitar from Sykes, Carmine’s drums and the killer bass work from Tony Franklin makes it one of my favorite albums of all time.

Interesting match up Pete. I think I would pick Badlands. I think their sound is perhaps more retro, but it hasn't dated like Blue Murder which feels a little more rooted more to the 80s and has dated because of that. I enjoy both albums, but with Ray Gillens vocals, it is Badlands for me.

Blue Murder. Absolutely

Two great flash-in-the-pan bands that should have been huge...

I LOVE them both. It depends on my mood in that moment. To say ONE is better than the other would be disingenuous of me; or anybody else really.

2 cracking albums

J ai acheté les 2 le même jour à virgin. Un peu Déçu par bleu murder. Par contre, blown away Par Badlands. RAY GILLEN.. INCROYABLE CHANTEUR. SON DE GUITARE ÉNORME. COMPOSITIONS SUBLIMES.

Badlands by knockout early first round!

i had both but badlands was the one that i kept going back too.

I give the win to BLUE MURDER, due to fact that Sykes had dual role as lead singer and lead guitar, Carmine's drums are a monster, as is Franklin's fretless bass playing and sound. Great production from Bob Rock.

Badlands for me ! Love Jake 🤘😜🤘

I own six debut BADLANDS c.d.'s & one on lp record- my vote goes to bad ass BADLANDS....GOD BLESS ALL THE REAL MUSIC OF THE PAST- ROCK ON🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

I have to go with Blue Murder. I'm a huge Badlands fan, But, my love for Sykes is way up there.

Damn! This is so close. I love both of these albums but, gun to my head, I think I'd go Badlands.

both albums are great. bandlands have some great tunes and blue murder got some killer tunes as well.

I'm a fan of both albums and owned both of them at the time. Jake was my favorite player at the time, but I was also a Sykes fan and still am. Both bands were top notch. As vocalists John and Ray are very different animals. John is what i'd call more of a power vocalists. He's got enough range but otherwise has a very good, better than average voice. Ray was of course more dynamic. Also, consider that John was doing double duty, but Ray was just a frontman, putting everything into his voice and stage presence. As far as bass players go, Chaisson is great, but Franklin is more dynamic, much more of a Jaco kind of player. His fingers just fly. When it comes to drums Eric and Carmine are great, but Carmine was just a total machine, a legend for a reason. What I loved about Badlands was I got to hear another side of my favorite guitar player. I knew of Jake as primarily a hard rock/metal player up till that first Badlands album. Now I got to hear my hero really exploring the roots rock influences that made him what he is. It demonstrated to me how much of a box Jake was stuck in with Ozzy. In Ozzy's band, everything revolves around Brand Ozzy. Sames goes for Whitesnake aka Coverdale, Inc. I love what John did with Blue Murder. Like Jake, he got to spread his wings and do something special. Definitely two of the best albums of 1989.

I’m thanked in the credits for the Badlands album (was a v young music journalist)

Great to see both of these bands get some attention. I enjoy both, but Badlands gets my vote. The highs seem higher. “High Wire” and “Streets Cry Freedom” are epic and intense. Blue Murder has a nice, lush sound and great playing, but the songs don’t stand out to me as much; just really solid.

Good vid🤘Ashamed to say I dont own BlueMurder😔Gonna have to get that one.👍

In my opinion Blue Murder had one of the best debut Hard Rock albums of all time!

Blue Murder, just for Sykes guitar playing, let alone his awesome vocals and the rest of the band

Never knew or heard any of these Pete, are they still available? I will have to look around.

I love both, yet Badlands is something I still listen to today. Would of probably loved that Blue Murder record more if Ray Gillen would of stayed in the band.

Both are GREAT! I might give the edge to Badlands, by a fraction. If you add Voodoo Highway, Badlands smokes ‘em.

Jelly roll crazy song love it.

Just wanted to put in two more cents. I don't think either band really had a chance because both kind of came from the same place. While Blue Murder had a more contemporary sound, both bands hearkened back to a 70s world, which is not what record labels wanted in 1989. So it's a miracle either band, nevermind both, got deals with major labels. Had Badlands or Blue Murder started out maybe four or five years earlier, maybe they would have had more of a chance to catch some wind in their sails. But that was not to be. Also, consider that part of what got these acts record deals was the legacy of the players involved. Jake was arguably the star of Badlands, fresh of a five year stint with Ozzy, while Sykes had a rep as a great player going back to Tygers of Pan Tang, which grew with this one-year Thin Lizzy stint, then was solidified with his Whitesnake run of Slide it In and the 1987 album. Even if Sykes didn't have a falling out with Coverdale and did the massive '87-'88 tour, I still don't think that would have put enough rocket fuel in his career to make much of a difference. Had Jake done one more album and tour with Ozzy before embarking on Badlands I think the difference would have been negligible. As I said, the music industry just wasn't that accommodating to legacy collaborations of this nature. Although Whitesnake as a project had plenty of this DNA, Coverdale thoroughly adapted the 80s big hairband aesthetic and ditched the bluesy roots of his career. Jake and Badlands were clearly focused on the music. Blue Murder was too, but they were more willing to crank up the Aqua Net while Badlands was trying to get away from it.

I LOVE Blue Murder, but Badlands was an unstopple, unmatched band. Their three albums are all perfect.

Never posted my own opinion to these classic album wars before so I'm gonna give it a go this time. I had both of these albums when they were newly released. Blue Murder has been a personal favourite since day one. Maybe because I was not a huge fan of the blues influenced heavy rock (as I am today). But I will still easily choose Blue Murder over Badlands although I hate the muddy and noisy production of that album. Badlands sound much better. But the songs, the arrangements, the mood and the heavy groove of the songs on the Blue Murder album has rarely been heard since that record came out. Although there are some filler tracks there, too, at least in my opinion, the best tracks are still epic. Riot, Valley of the Kings (what a song!) and Ptolemy being my favourite tracks. On the Badlands album I used to listen to Winter's Call over and over again. Phenomenal tack with a killer guitar riff that I just looooove. So 1-14 1-16... no sorry, those numbers still don't make any sense to me. Sorry Pete! ;) I appreciate your attempt to explain but you only talked about 10, 9 and 8 points. Where did those 14 and 16 come from? But don't worry, I think we all get your point. “They are very close” seem to be the average conclusion.

Wow. I feel really lucky to have bought the first 2 Badlands CD's for like $3.00 a piece (!!) in the discount bin at Streetlight Records in San Jose in the '90s before people realized what they were missing.

Arghhh!! What a battle!!! Two titanic releases. John Sykes, Jake E Lee!!! If must pick one I take Badlands debut album. Awesome picks!!

I Love both albums . But i would have to go with Blue Murder.

Hands down the 2 most umderrated bands and albums of that decade. I saw Badlands twice and they blew the roof off both shows. Gotta go with Badlands for the win but you cannot lose with either one.

Pete, what did you think of the Kownacki-Arreola fight on Saturday at Barclays?

Not heard either but the way you describe them , and going off some of the comments so far, I'm more tempted to search out the Badlands album. Where is the line drawn between hard rock and metal. Obviously much easier to define these days but back then? I wouldn't ever think of Whitesnake as metal yet you say the Blue Murder album could be seen as a follow up to 1987. Anyway loving the videos as always and I'll have a listen to both if they are online.

I don’t have Blue Murder, but Badlands first album is fantastic

BADLANDS for the Win

Both killer. Hard to call.

PRODUCTION: Blue Murder SONGWRITING: Tie. DRUMMING: Blue Murder(barely) BASSWORK: Badlands VOCALS: Badlands GUITARWORK: Tie. COVER ART: Blue Murder ORIGINALITY: Badlands

I think that the Blue Murder album is the better studio album but they couldn't quite reproduce the sounds in a live setting. For me, the killer punch is Black Hearted Woman, Sykes' best vocals saved for last--the best Whitesnake song never made! I loved seeing Badlands live, this album much easier to duplicate in a live setting--and easier to improv upon, if and when necessary.

Love badlands

I have both on cassette still from back in the day as they came out my senior year in High school in 1989. Both had great songs and chemistry within thier respective members. Blue Murder has the mystique and Badlands the bluesy backbone. Too hard to select.

Very tough this one. I'm similar with Pete. Blue Murder more at the time, Badlands more over time, but if I had to choose one...Badlands by a fraction. Out of Love Again has not aged well for me, i think that was the deciding factor.

Gut wrencher pick. I love Jake but John absolutely kills it here. I gotta go Blue Murder. Slightly stronger album overall. Agree, both bands should have been huge. Better than anything else going on at the time.

Ray Gillen was actually the lead singer of Blue Murder in the earliest incarnations of the band. Tony was still on bass but Cozy Powell was the drummer. A demo track of them is here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rL9oZZhkqr2Zko0.html Supposedly Ray left the band as he didn't like all the travelling. They did some more demos and John put guide vocals on them. When their A&R guy from Geffen heard the demos he convinced John to handle lead vocal duties himself

Going with Badlands here. Although I love Sykes’ tone, I could never get into the vocals or Carmine’s drumming. Jake’s playing is iconic on their two primary releases and then Ray’s vocals are perfect.