Nothin' But Trouble (Blue Murder album)

Nothin' But Trouble is the second and final studio album by hard rock band Blue Murder. Released on 31 August 1993 by Geffen Records, the album was produced by the band's vocalist-guitarist John Sykes.

After the disappointing sales of their debut album, Blue Murder entered a prolonged period of inactivity. Eventually bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice left the group, leaving Sykes to put together a new line-up, featuring bassist Marco Mendoza, drummer Tommy O'Steen and keyboardist Nik Green. The album was recorded at Sykes's home studio in Los Angeles.

Nothin' But Trouble failed to chart, something Sykes attributed to Geffen's lack of promotion. In spite of this, the record received mostly positive reviews, although it was less well-received than the group's debut album.

Background
After the disappointing sales of their 1989 debut album, Blue Murder entered a long period of inactivity. According to bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, Sykes was deeply affected by the record's failure. Progress on a follow-up was slow, partly due to Sykes constructing a new home studio. Franklin and Appice, meanwhile, grew increasingly tired of waiting. Appice eventually left Blue Murder in early 1991 and was briefly replaced former Yngwie Malmsteen drummer by Anders Johansson. Franklin announced his departure in August 1991.

Production
On the album, Sykes was joined by bassist Marco Mendoza and drummer Tommy O'Steen. Keyboardist Nik Green was also promoted to a full-time member, having already performed on the group's debut. Prior to his departure, Franklin had already recorded seven songs for the record, while Appice was brought back briefly as session drummer on nine. Sykes also recruited former Baton Rouge vocalist Kelly Keeling to the band as a second guitarist, but he left a day before shooting the music video for "We All Fall Down". In addition to backing vocals throughout the album, Keeling performs lead vocals on the track "I'm on Fire".

Nothin' But Trouble was self-produced by Sykes at his home studio in Los Angeles. The record was then mixed by Mike Fraser and mastered by George Marino. Additional engineering was provided by Nik Green and Alex Woltman. Producer Mike Stone was also briefly involved in recording process.

Music and lyrics
"We All Fall Down" tackles drug abuse and "losing sight of one's identity" because of it. "Itchycoo Park" was originally released by the Small Faces in 1967. The song was one of Sykes's favourites as a child. "Runaway" was written about "kids who go to Hollywood and end up on the streets".

Release and reception
Nothin' But Trouble was released on 31 August 1993 by Geffen Records. It failed to chart, something Sykes blamed on the label, whom he felt "didn't do anything" to promote the record. Tony Franklin also opined that by 1993 grunge had become popular in the mainstream, which left groups like Blue Murder "out of vogue". "We All Fall Down" was released as the first and only single, reaching number 35 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. A music video was also produced for the track.

Nothin' But Trouble was generally well received by music critics, but commonly described as a step-down from the band's debut. The Chicago Tribunes Brenda You described the album as "one of the strongest metal albums of late", while The Corsairs Rei Nishimoto gave it three-and-a-half stars out of a potential five. Donald DiIorio, writing for the Herald News, commended Sykes for not chasing then-current musical trends, instead sticking to "good, old-fashioned hard rock". Save for two tracks ("We All Fall Down" and "Itchycoo Park"), Metal Hammer's Jörg Staude gave the album a negative review, describing the lyrics as "embarrassing" and the choruses "run-of-the-mill".

Track listing
All tracks by John Sykes, except "Itchycoo Park" by Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott.

Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.