Winter’s Call

Hey there Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew is spinning some real deal hard rock for you right now, and we have got Badlands blasting through the speakers with Winter’s Call off that self-titled album from way back in 1989. This one hits different, a bluesy hard rock number with that haunting edge that feels like it was built for those long stretches when the world gets a little colder and you need something to hold onto. The band came together with Jake E. Lee on guitar after he parted ways with Ozzy Osbourne, Ray Gillen bringing those powerful vocals from his short time with Black Sabbath, Greg Chaisson on bass, and Eric Singer pounding the drums. They were chasing something rawer, more rooted in the stuff they grew up on like Cream, Free, and Led Zeppelin, instead of the polished glam that was everywhere else at the time.

There is a cool story about how this particular track came together that shows just how stubborn Jake could be when he knew he had something special. In a recent Guitar World interview, Jake talked about the solo on Winter’s Call and how the first note is a little off, kind of out of tune on purpose. Co-producer Paul O’Neill was not feeling it at all and kept saying it threw him for a loop. Jake stood his ground, saying that was exactly why he liked the note so much and that he thought it was perfect. O’Neill even tried to bribe him with five hundred bucks right out of his wallet, tickets to see Cats, and dinner at the finest restaurant, just so Jake would record another take without that weird note. Jake turned him down flat, figuring if he recorded another version it would somehow end up on the record anyway. He wanted the solo to sound psychedelic, like something from the sixties, channeling a bit of Tommy Bolin while running through Locrian and Phrygian modes to get that feel of having taken acid back in the day. They kept the original, and the whole band agreed the feel of it was really cool even if it was a little out of tune.

That song was one of the ones they wrote after the label pulled them out of the studio in Los Angeles because they did not hear a hit single yet. Atlantic flew Jake and Ray to New York to write more material, and Winter’s Call came out of those sessions along with High Wire and Dreams in the Dark. Greg Chaisson has said in interviews that once they had what they wanted, he and Eric flew out and recorded their own parts at the Record Plant without even listening to the demos the other guys had done. The track has that emotional intensity that made it a favorite live, connecting with crowds through Ray’s soaring vocals and the band’s tight groove. The video for it was shot near Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, done at night in November so it was cold as hell out there, and they ended up reshooting it after the first attempt did not work out. It got airplay on MTV right alongside Dreams in the Dark, which helped push the album up to number fifty-seven on the Billboard charts.

Speaking of how the whole thing got started, the story of Badlands forming is almost as interesting as the music. After Jake got let go from Ozzy’s band following the Ultimate Sin tour, he was taking his time figuring out the next move, hanging out and working on cars while he had the money and time with his daughter. Ray Gillen had been trying to reach him about putting a band together, but Jake was not great about returning calls. It took Ray’s mother picking up the phone and insisting that Jake give her son a chance before things started moving. Jake figured he better bring Ray out to Los Angeles or risk getting on the wrong side of mom. They jammed, and Ray’s voice blew everyone away right from the start. Jake had some friends there and asked if Ray really sounded that good or if it was just him, and they confirmed the guy was amazing. From there they pulled in Greg, who Jake had met years earlier when Greg auditioned for Ozzy’s band, and Ray brought in Eric Singer from their Sabbath days. They locked in on that classic rock foundation and started writing, with Jake handling most of the material on the first album.

The band had that chemistry that comes when talented players who have been through the big machine decide to do it their own way. Ray had this way of making you feel like there was no place you would rather be, charismatic and hard to stay mad at, which Jake has said made him the best singer he ever worked with. They dressed down compared to a lot of the bands around them, avoiding the big hair and flash that defined the era, and focused on the songs. The album sold well for what it was, and those videos helped get them on the road opening for Great White and Tesla. Things got complicated later with internal tensions and Ray’s health, but for that first record they captured something special that still resonates with folks who dig the deeper cuts.

Fans keep the flame going even now, sharing stories and memorabilia in places like the Badlands Memorabilia Collectors group on Facebook, where people post rare items and talk about the band’s legacy, or the Ray Gillen fan group where folks remember his voice and the shows. Over here at THE ZOO we love digging into these kinds of tracks that have those layers of history and that raw energy. Winter’s Call has that wintery feel in the lyrics about cold winds calling and needing love to keep warm through the storm, paired with the music that builds and releases. It is the kind of song that sticks with you, the kind the Zoo Crew loves to drop into the mix for all you Zoo Freaks out there listening. The whole Badlands thing shows what can happen when players with that much talent get in a room and just go for it, even if the industry does not always cooperate. Jake has called that period the high point for creativity and having a real band unit. So crank it up, let that solo hit you with that perfect imperfect note, and ride it out with us. That is what we are here for on the freeform rock station that keeps the deep cuts and the stories alive.