Accept – I’m a Rebel – 1980

I’m a Rebel was an album that I when I was in my teens, thought was quite an old Accept album. Of course, as it came out when I was 10 years old, it was kinda old when I was 15 or 16. But it wasn’t so much the age of the album that was the issue I think. It was more the punkish attitude on the title song of the album. I love it, don’t get me wrong. I still love the I’m a Rebel track for sure. It’s one of those songs that you could identify yourself with as a kid when you were rioting against society. Of course, I wasn’t physically rioting, it was more a thing in my mind but still. I wanted to rebel about something but I’m not sure I know what.

And I think that’s the case with most people growing up. You need to find your place and if you have an uprising side you need something to focus your anger r whatever on. I’m a Rebel, the song gave me that. I don’t think I ever listened too much to the other songs until now really. But there are some more great songs on there. And Udo Dirscheider has evolved quite a bit since the Accept debut album. It has gotten that raw tone to it in most of the songs. Not all though. There are still a few where the vocals sound pretty tame in comparison. I don’t like those songs very much.

It’s coming together

There’s also not the characteristic male coir yet. You can hear it in its infancy perhaps but it’s not a finished sound yet. Same with the guitars. It’s rougher and rawer than on the first album but it’s not a finished sound yet. The music, apart from the title track is more at the Hardrock corner but there is some Heavy Metal in there as well. I think this is the first album where they went towards their later signature sound. I’m a Rebel, Save US, Thunder and Lightning, and I Wanna Be No Hero are all great songs to me. Maybe some of the others could have been better but all around, it’s a good album!

I’m also intrigued but hearing Peter Baltes doing some cool stuff on the bass. I guess Wolf Hoffmann later put an end to that. it’s just my prejudice of course. I think Accept soon became a band with an unhealthy working environment. I think that there was a clash between singer Udo Dirkscheider and guitarist Wolf Hoffman pretty early on but that’s another story.