On October 25, 1985 W.A.S.P. returned with “The Last Command”, their second studio album and the record that helped push the band beyond their shock rock reputation. The raw edge of their debut was still there, but this time the songs had bigger hooks, stronger melodies and a sound built to reach more ears.
And W.A.S.P. still knew how to cause trouble.
Produced by Spencer Proffer, known for Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health”, the album mixed glam metal attitude with heavy riffs, and memorable choruses. It reached the top 50 of the US Billboard 200 and earned RIAA Gold certification, becoming the band’s first gold album.
Not bad for a group that seemed determined to upset anyone who thought rock and metal should behave themselves.
“Wild Child” Almost Went to Mötley Crüe
The album opens with one of W.A.S.P. most loved songs: “Wild Child”. With its huge vocals and sweeping guitar work from Chris Holmes and Randy Piper, it showed a more melodic side of Blackie Lawless without losing the band’s bite.
There’s a fun story behind it, too. Lawless originally had Mötley Crüe in mind when he wrote the song. They passed, leaving W.A.S.P. to make it their own. Sometimes a rejected song finds exactly the band it needs.
Then there’s “Blind in Texas” a fast, rowdy drinking anthem that became a live favorite. The story came from a real three-day bender during a Texas tour. Lawless wrote it in a hotel room in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the line “I fell on the floor” wasn’t just a clever lyric. He had actually fallen off a swiveling bar stool.
The music video took the madness further, with cowboys, armadillo races, and surprise appearances by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill.
Darker Songs Beneath the Party
“The Last Command” isn’t all drinking and wild nights. “Widowmaker” and “Cries in the Night” bring a darker, more dramatic mood to the album, giving Lawless room to show off his soaring voice.
“Cries in the Night” also reaches back into his past. The song was reworked from “Mr. Cool” which Lawless had released in 1976 with his glam-rock band, the Killer Kane Band.
Meanwhile, “Running Wild in the Streets” had already travelled a strange road before landing on this album. Producer Spencer Proffer wrote it and Canadian band Kick Axe recorded a demo. It was later offered to Black Sabbath, who passed on it. W.A.S.P. eventually took it on.
The Warning Label That Became an Advertisement
W.A.S.P. were never going to win over every parent, politician or music critic. Their stage show had already made them a target and “The Last Command” became their first album to carry the infamous Parental Advisory warning label.
The Parents Music Resource Center, associated with Tipper Gore, had W.A.S.P. in its sights. But Blackie Lawless didn’t treat the sticker as a defeat. He saw it as free advertising that could help sell records.
The backlash went far beyond a label on the cover. During the album’s tour, venues received bomb threats, the band members faced hundreds of written death threats and Lawless was shot at twice while travelling. Both times, the shooter missed.
The band’s stage show changed during this period, too. They toned down some of the blood-soaked stunts that had made them infamous and brought in new theatrical effects, including giant replicas of their own severed heads on stakes. Lawless even introduced a codpiece that fired live sparks. Subtle was never really the W.A.S.P. way.
One Album, Two Lineup Changes
The album also marked a turning point for the band’s lineup. Steve Riley made his W.A.S.P. studio debut on drums, replacing Tony Richards before the touring cycle. For guitarist Randy Piper, it was the final W.A.S.P. album. He left after the tour.
That makes “The Last Command” an important snapshot of the band at a time when its sound and lineup were changing, while the controversy surrounding it only grew louder.
Forty-one minutes of hooks, dark moments, wild stories and classic W.A.S.P. attitude helped make this album a major step forward from the debut. The band had more to offer than shock tactics and songs like “Wild Child” and “Blind in Texas” made sure people remembered the music, too.
What’s your pick from “The Last Command” – “Wild Child”, “Blind in Texas” or a deeper cut? 🤘
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