Girl: Wasted Youth (Rock Candy)

Originally released in 1981, Wasted Youth was the second album from British glam rockers Girl. Unfairly attached to the legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene, Girl was more like New York Dolls and Aerosmith than Saxon or Diamond Head. They’re best known now as being the band that launched the careers of future Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen and future L.A. Guns singer Phil Lewis.

Wasted Youth came just one year after Girl’s fantastic debut (1980’s Sheer Greed), but the band wasn’t in the same place they were when they made that album. Extensive touring (supporting UFO and KISS) and issues with the producer selected by the label sapped some of the vitality from Wasted Youth. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very enjoyable album full of fun, glammy rock n’ roll songs, but it just doesn’t feel the same. Still, Wasted Youth has some terrific rockers in “Thru the Twilight,” “19” and “Sweet Kids,” and you can absolutely see how this is a precursor to what bands like Motley Crue and L.A. Guns would go on to do.

Given the issues the band had with this album, and its lack of chart success, it’s no surprise that Wasted Youth ended up being Girl’s final album. Obviously it wasn’t the last we’d see of some of the band members though. It’s not as essential as Sheer Greed, but Wasted Youth is still a really solid, really fun glam rock album that fan of bands like Motley Crue, New York Dolls, Aerosmith, L.A. Guns and Hanoi Rocks ought to check out.

Reissue Notes: Rock Candy’s 2016 reissue of Wasted Youth features newly remastered audio and is one of the rare Rock Candy titles to feature a second disc. In this case, we get the 12-song Live at the Marquee 23/10/1981 live set as bonus material. This is almost as exciting as the proper album, as it gives you a look at just how electric this band was in their prime and in a live setting. The reissue also features a nice booklet with vintage photos and an informative band essay by Classic Rock/Kerrang writer Malcolm Dome.

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