Cherry Red Records have released yet another box set. This time, the set is devoted to German hard rockers Lucifer’s Friend. The set, Jokers & Fools, is a five disc boxset devoted to the later albums made by the band from 1981 to 2019. With four studio albums and one live album, this set has a lot to offer for Lucifer fans.
Overview
In 1980, singer Mike Starrs had ended his tenure in Lucifer’s Friend. Having joined the band when original singer John Lawton left to join Uriah Heep, the band made two studio albums with Starrs fronting the band. When Starrs left, Lawton returned for one more album before the band ended activity. For the next few decades, Lucifer’s Friend would reunite two more times: in the 1990s and again in the 2010s. Jokers & Fools covers this whole time period with:
– 1 studio album with John Lawton returning
-1 studio album from the 1990s version of the band
-2 studio albums and a live album from the band’s last line up
THE ALBUMS
Mean Machine (1981)
Coming out during the time of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Mean Machine is a heavier effort from Lucifer’s Friend. Track by track, this is an very consistent album. Lawton sounds great while guitar Peter Hesslein shreds. It’s different from their output from the 1970s but this an enjoyable album.
Highlight: Hey Driver, Action, Let Me Down Slow, Fire and Rain
Rating 7/10
Sumogrip (1994)
Originally released under the band name Lucifer’s Friend II, Lawton and Hesslein decided to form a new version of the band. While there’s some good songs on here, Sumogrip is a largely AOR inspired affair. With this coming out during the “age of the CD,” the album is longer than it needs to be. It’s not one of the band’s strongest efforts but there’s a few decent tunes.
Highlight: Heartbreaker, Rebound, Back In the Track, Don’t Look Back
Rating: 5/10
Too Late To Hate (2016)
Lawton and Hesslein were reunited with original bassist Dieter Horns for this mid 2010s reunion album. From start to finish, Too Late To Hate is an impressive reunion album. Compared to Sumogrip, this one is closer to the band’s sound from the 1970s. The production and overwhelming keyboards are a bit much. Even then, this is a solid reunion album.
Highlights: Don’t Talk To Strangers, Demolition Man, Straight for the Heart, Sea of Promises
Rating: 7/10
Black Moon (2019)
The band’s last album is a surprisingly good album. Compared to Too Late To Hate, this might be a better of the two 2010s reunion albums: this sounds even closer to the band’s hard rock sound. The production sound better this time around and the songs are stronger. Sadly, this was the last album released by the band as both Horns and Lawton would pass in 2020 and 2021. What a way to go out.
Highlights: Black Moon, Call The Captain, Freedom, Rolling The Stone
Rating: 7/10
Live @ Sweden Rock 2015 (2015)
A live album that captures one of the reunited band’s first performances. It’s a good live album and the band are in fine form. The setlist is surprisingly diverse, with at least one song played per album (sans I’m Just A Rock N Roll Singer and Sumogrip). The sound quality isn’t exactly crystal clear but it’s a damn good performance.
Highlights: Ride the Sky, Moonshine Rider, In the Time Of Job, Fire and Rain
Rating: 7/10
Remastering
All of the albums have been newly remastered by Andy Pearce, including the albums from the 2010s. Even though Sumogrip was re-released in 2022, the album was still newly remastered. Comparing the studio album to what came out previously, they sound just a bit louder and there might be some improvements on the 2010s albums. Of the five albums in the set, the one that needed a remastering the most was Mean Machine, which was last released in 2016 as a part of the out-of-print Triple Albums collection with the two Mike Starrs albums. Though on that set, the album didn’t seem to be remastered. In the case of Jokers & Fools, it’s newly remastered. It might be a little too loud for some listeners but it’s at least back in print.
Conclusion
Jokers & Fools is an impressive set of music devoted to the later career of Lucifer’s Friend. People who don’t have these albums (especially Mean Machine) should be happy that these are all in one box set. Personally, it would be great to see Cherry Red re-release some of the band’s earlier albums such as Where The Groupies Killed The Blues and I’m Just A Rock N Roll Singer. For now, we can enjoy this box set.
Overall Rating: 7/10
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.