With this 1988 release, the L.A.-based
Bitch changed their name to Betsy and shifted their focus from blistering heavy metal to a slicker, more commercial style of hard rock/pop-metal. Singer Betsy Bitch's dominatrix image and humorous odes to bondage/S&M had earned the headbangers a small underground cult following, but they wanted more than that and were hoping for mass appeal. So they temporarily ditched the controversial name, softened their musical blows, and pulled away from kinky lyrics; you won't find any references to whips, chains, handcuffs, paddles, blindfolds, dungeons, or ballgags on this
Chris Minto-produced album. Some of the band's followers weren't crazy about the change; they felt that the band had neutered itself, and they missed Mistress Betsy's dominatrix image, preferring the more outrageous, in-your-face side of
Bitch. Nonetheless, tunes like "You Want It, You Got It," "Flesh and Blood," and "Cold Shot to the Heart" are catchy and likable, even if they aren't as daring or as interesting as bondage/S&M-themed
Bitch classics like "Live for the Whip," "Be My Slave," and "Leatherbound." As it turned out, the new approach (which could be described as
Pat Benatar by way of
Bon Jovi and
Motley Crue) didn't result in a big commercial breakthrough, and the band ended up changing its name back to
Bitch.