One Vice at a Time
1982 studio album by Krokus
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One Vice at a Time is the sixth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in 1982 by Arista Records. It is notable for the strong influence of AC/DC on the songs and production, and was the first album to feature Mark Kohler on rhythm guitar. It includes a cover of the Guess Who's song "American Woman". The song "Long Stick Goes Boom" is used in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the fictional in-game radio station V-Rock.[9]
| One Vice at a Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1982 (UK)[1] 17 March 1982 (US)[2] | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Studio | Battery (London) | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 36:14 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | Tony Platt, Krokus | |||
| Krokus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from One Vice at a Time | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[7] |
| Record Mirror | [8] |
Bruce Dickinson, who at the time had just been hired as Iron Maiden's new lead vocalist, provides backing vocals on the track "I'm on the Run".[10] Producer Tony Platt was best known for his prior work as engineer with AC/DC.[10]
The band's live album Long Stick Goes Boom: Live from da House of Rust took its title from the lead-off song on this release.
UK-based company Rock Candy Records reissued One Vice at a Time on CD in 2014.
Reception
At the time of release British press has negatively commented on the musical content of the album, condemning the musicians as copycats of AC/DC. Reviewer Dante Bonutto from Kerrang! magazine wrote in March 1982: "Krokus's infatuation with AC/DC seems to rule out even a hint of progress. On the evidence One Vice at a Time (and it's true of previous albums, also) the band are less concerned with creating something new than aping a tried, tested and successful formula. With the help of producer Tony Platt, who engineered on Highway to Hell and Back in Black, Krokus create passable facsimile of Angus and Co's distinctively-layered sound. The motivations behind the music and that all-important AC/DC swagger, however, can't be reproduced, a fact that leaves the album sounding two-dimensional and soulless. Music by numbers (largely) predictable and uninspired".[11]
Track listing
- Side one
- "Long Stick Goes Boom" (Chris von Rohr, Fernando von Arb, Marc Storace) – 5:12
- "Bad Boys, Rag Dolls" (von Rohr, von Arb, Storace) – 3:48
- "Playin' the Outlaw" (von Rohr, von Arb, Freddy Steady, Storace) – 4:00
- "To the Top" (von Rohr, von Arb, Storace) – 4:21
- Side two
- "Down the Drain" (von Rohr, von Arb) – 3:12
- "American Woman" (Burton Cummings, Gary Peterson, Michael James Kale, Randy Bachman) – 3:37 (The Guess Who cover)
- "I'm on the Run" (von Rohr, von Arb, Storace) – 3:43
- "Save Me" (von Rohr, von Arb, Steady, Storace) – 4:27
- "Rock 'n' Roll" (von Rohr, von Arb) – 4:07
Personnel
- Krokus
- Marc Storace – vocals
- Fernando von Arb – lead guitar
- Mark Kohler – rhythm guitar
- Chris von Rohr – bass, percussion
- Freddy Steady – drums
- Additional musicians
- Bruce Dickinson – backing vocals on "I'm on the Run"
- Production
- Co-produced by Tony Platt and Krokus
- Engineered by Tony Platt
- Barry Sage – assistant engineer
- Chris von Rohr, Fernando von Arb – arrangements
Charts
Album
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Singles
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Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[18] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States | — | 100,000[19] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||