No matter how much you scour the internet, it’s always hard to find information on bands like BILLY THE KID. Back in the mid-80s, we used to take risks and buy music we’d never heard before. We were keen to find out more. We couldn’t get enough.
BILLY THE KID 1985’s album “Sworn To Fun” was one of those opportunities. It ended up having a big impact, which lasted for years. What stands out most about this album is Billy L’Kidd’s guitar work. Mention should also be made of Jeffrey Velvet, who did a great job on bass to complement L’Kidd’s fast rhythms. ‘Rock You Up’ is a perfect example of this superb collaboration, with its lovely fat bass and guitar passages.
Now Bad Reputation Records dust-off this U.S. Melodic Rock album reissuing / remastering “Sworn To Fun” and releasing it for the first time on CD. At places, the music brings to mind early Fastway.
Another interesting fact about this album is the guest appearance of Pat Regan (Fake I.D., KISS) on keyboards. The album was produced by Duane Baron (Cheap Trick, Dany Spanos, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue) who also contributed backing vocals.
Randy Delay, the band’s drummer, later resurfaced with the Kentucky Headhunters and Drivin’ n’ Cryin’. Lead vocalist Stephen Fredrick later resurfaced in the band KenZiner, then Firewind. And Jude Cole provide backing vocals. All talented dudes.
Unfortunately, this album was never sufficiently promoted.
The band did manage to make a name for themselves with ”Sworn to Fun”, but eventually had to break up.
Highlights include the opening track ‘When Hell Freezes Over’, which sticks in your brain for days. ‘Rock You Up’, as already mentioned, ‘Go For Your Guns’, ‘Heart of Steel’ and ‘Plenty’ are all equally catchy.
The album ends with a final blast, ‘Off With Her Head’.
Billy The Kid had hit the ground running with their first album. It’s a shame the story stopped there. So it’s really nice to have this album reissued to enjoy its 34 minutes of melodic rock n’ roll.
Highly Recommended
WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER
ROCK YOU UP
FEAR NO EVIL
PRELUDE
GO FOR YOUR GUNS
EVEN THE SCORE
HEART OF STEEL
WOMAN OF SIN
PLENTY
OFF WITH HER HEAD
BILLY THE KID – Sworn To Fun 2025 Remaster Bad Reputation, MP3+FLAC , CD w/ Scans
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my bad i do have them both but i screwed up this one is a usa band and this band is from another country Billy The Kid – Esta Ciudad Ardera
This post is a US hard rock band. The only release from the band originally released 1985.
Musicians: Billy L’Kidd (guitar), Stephen Fredrick (vocals), Jeffrey Velvet (bass) and Randy Delay (drums)
from discogs:
“Billy The Kid was formed in Los Angeles and based out of Atlanta. Within a year they had signed with MCA records and went into the studio with producer Duane Baron. Their one and only album featured guest keyboards by renowned producer Pat Regan, but the record went largely unnoticed and the band quickly parted ways.
Fredrick resurfaced in KenZiner while Delay played with the Kentucky Headhunters and Drivin’N’Cryin before passing away on May 12, 1993.”
https://www.discogs.com/artist/2943078-Billy-The-Kid-20
The other Billy The Kid who released “Esta Ciudad Ardera” is a hardcore band from Costa Rica (essentially also US as it is a US territory).
My bad Costa Rica is not US territory. I was mistaking it for Puerto Rico. (Shows something about my limited knowledge of Central America).