When I was growing up there’s like a half a dozen or 10 big giant great bands that are super groups you know. Now it’s like there are thousands of bands. Picking through everything is hard. It’s stressful trying to find all the right music you know. George Lynch
It’s a good time for an artist to get their product out and streaming has moved distribution further away from the labels. And it pissed em off because their power came from controlling the distribution. Then the millions started coming in from streaming and suddenly their powerful again. And all they did was moan and complain.
8 Years Ago (2013)
I was writing about my fandom of Tesseract, who just released the excellent “Altered State”.
And it reminded me of an Australian band called Karnivool.
Tesseract also liked Karnivool as they had a few of the Karnivool songs in the Spotify playlists they created to promote the album.
Trivium was also doing the usual PR interviews about their new upcoming album called “Vengeance Falls”, produced by David Draiman from Disturbed.
And from the interviews, the theme was, “Bigger Melodies, Bigger Hooks, Bigger Riffs.”
And in 2021, I can say that the album proved just that, giving us the concert favorite “Strife” with its Judas Priest “Sentinel” Intro.
And the lyrics from Dave Mustaine seemed prophetic to me during this period.
I was questioning why artists would spend a lot of time putting together 12 tracks just to sell them as a packages for $10. It’s an old business model. In 2021, that business model is 55 plus years old.
I can’t recall a lot of companies doing the exact same thing they did 55 years ago and surviving.
But it looks like the album won’t go away anytime soon.
And I think he’s done that. Every FFDP album has a certification. It’s because of the songs, which Bathory said, a song needs to be there for anything else to be added.
And I think my final douche post was written and I was asking the question if having Portnoy in your band is a good thing or a bad thing due to the many projects.
As James Hetfield once said that he is anti-side projects because it dilutes the quality of the main product.
And in the end it is quality that the people want.
I was trying to be a sociologist with the post, “The Old Rock Star Is Dead, It’s Time To Create A New Rock Star”,
You don’t want to be an artist that becomes who others want them to be. It’s okay to not be liked by everybody.
“I’d been caught between two fires for a long time. One was the inferno that I had built with my success and addictions. The other was the fire that burned for my family”
It’s how Chapter 33 called “out of control like a bushfire” started from the “Working Class Man” book.
“Two Fires” is his fourth studio album released in 1990 and his first United States release for Atlantic Records.
This was the last proper attempt to break Barnes to the U.S market, as previous label partnerships with Elektra and Geffen for the earlier records fell apart due to various reasons.
It was also the first step away from the AOR sounding “Freight Train Heart”. Most of the song writing credits this time are shared by the band and unknown writers instead of Desmond Child, Jonathan Cain and Diane Warren.
“Lay Down Your Guns”
The album gave Barnesy a chance to work with some great players like Brian Setzer from The Stray Cats who plays guitar on this.
A sinister crime noir “Peter Gunn” style riff kicks it off. The song is written by Jimmy Barnes and Rick Nowels.
Nowels was still in his early days of becoming a huge songwriter. His credits now include Adele, Lana Del Rey and many more. Just go to his Wikipedia page.
Lay down your guns and surrender
“Let’s Make It Last All Night”
Very Foreigner sounding, the Chorus is massive as you would expect from a song written by Barnes, Diane Warren and Desmond Child.
It was also a hit in Australia and it’s a staple of his live show.
Let’s make it last all night This could be the last time I make love to you
“Little Darling”
A Barnes composition with Setzer on guitar again bringing some rockabilly to a soul rock tune.
Well I get to your house Like the rest of the band But somehow these things don’t always turn out as planned You called me a cab and yeah I walked out that door
Barnesy talks about this event in his book. he thought he messed up his chance with his future wife.
“Love Is Enough”
It’s got a feel like “Every Breath You Take” in the verses, just more rockier.
“Hardline”
It’s a hard rock track and one of the best on the album.
Well it’s late at night something just ain’t right I can tell by the look in your eye You don’t say two words You got a stare that burns It’s gonna be a long long night
“One of a Kind”
Another rocker with hard rock lyrics.
Tight skirts, like a flirt She don’t stop till it starts to hurt She’s sweet, what a treat Got to get her into my back seat
Mmmm. Flirt with skirt with hurt and sweet with treat and backseat. Overused terms but I would not have it any other way.
“Sister Mercy”
Cause a woman’s got the power To take control of me Well she can wrap me round her finger And make a damn fool of me
The blues songs from the 1930s had lyrics like this. That’s how much staying power the blues medium had.
“When Your Love is Gone”
A great ballad. The sound is dated as it uses a lot of 80s sounding midis.
Well, I missed all the signs, never read between lines
And the Barnesy kids make an appearance in the outro.
“Between Two Fires”
A track written by Barnes and Holly Knight.
As you would expect, it’s anthemic and melodic rock.
The Intro and verses riff remind me of “Rocking In The Free World”. And the Chorus soars.
Caught between two fires Losing control since I first met you
“Fade to Black”
This is a great rock song. Forgotten behind the hits.
When day fades to black I won’t look back, of that I’m certain
When you just want to escape the rat race for the night.
I wanna get of this one way street Don’t want to be among the faceless
“Hold On”
It sounds like a track from “Out Of This World” by Europe. With a bit of Led Zeppelin thrown in.
Like most albums of the time, the labels held the power, so they made artists write and write and write.
Barnes wrote over 30 tracks for the album with a lot of em still unreleased and some as B-sides to the singles.
And the fans rallied behind him once again, sending the album to number 1 on two separate occasions and making it 6x Platinum.
And that elusive break through into the US market still remained elusive.
James Durbin’s covers of Judas Priest on American Idol got me interested. The YouTube videos got some traction here in Australia. His debut album released in 2011, “Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster” rocked hard and I was a fan. “Celebrate” in 2014, lost me as it went way to poppy.
Then he hooked up (surprisingly) with Quiet Riot and he made me a fan again with the very underrated and forgotten “Road Rage” album released in 2018. “Space Cowboys” came out a year later but shit was going down in the Quiet Riot camp, as Durbin left the band before the album was released and drummer Frankie Banali was fighting for his life but we didn’t know it at that point in time.
And here we are with Durbin.
Joining James Durbin who does all vocals and guitars, is Mike Vanderhule on drums and Barry Sparks on bass. And from what I have read, different guitarists appear for the lead breaks.
The album came out in February, 2021 on Frontiers.
The Prince Of Metal
A perfect title to introduce his “Metal” album.
It’s like “Phantom Of The Opera” from Iron Maiden in the first few minutes and I’m all in.
James Durbin is killing it vocally and the guitar lead is also excellent. After the solo there is this slower “Heaven And Hell” groove and I’m banging my head to it.
The prophecy says / Raise Thy Horns / Bang Thy Heads / The Prince Of Metal
A QR reference. Perfect.
Kings Before You
Phil Demmel and Fozzy guest on this very Savatage sounding track, ala “Edge Of Thorns” in the verses.
I’ve always enjoyed Demmel’s playing in Machine Head and he delivers another guitar hero lead on this.
From the sky descends the wizard – As he spreads his hands apart / Manifesting right before me – Holding out the sacred heart
A Dio reference.
Into The Flames
It feels like it’s inspired by “Dance Macabre” from Ghost BC and I like it. Then again the riff is an overused riff from the 80s.
If anything the embryo of that riff can be traced back to “Don’t Fear The Reaper” from Blue Oyster Cult.
The Chorus is anthemic.
Now break the chains / Release the spell that you are under / This darkness will pass & give way to the light
The Sacred Mountain
It’s inspired by Dio and Sabbath’s “Heaven And Hell”. Durbin, Sparks and Vanderhule are firing on all cylinders here.
The vocal melody from Durbin is memorable and the guitar lead is fast and excellent.
The Beast Awakens
Great title track. More Metallica and Judas Priest like.
Killer vocals and killer leads.
Demons drawing nearer / Is your life forsaken / Time to face your fears / For The Beast Awakens
Evil Eye
Malmsteen has a song with this title.
Great riffs and the lead break is guitar hero worthy.
I’ll walk through hell alone & swear as long as I’m still breathing / I’ll live to overthrow the hellion & blind the Evil Eye
A Judas Priest and Malmsteen reference.
Necromancer
A power metal cut.
Riders On The Wind
One of my favorites, buried deep in the album.
It’s got Dio and “Heaven And Hell” influences all over it and I’m all in.
Check out the lead break as well.
Riders On The Wind / Searching for the sacred night
Calling Out For Midnight
It’s speed rock, Saxon like with a typical Durbin anthemic chorus.
Battle Cry
After the supercharged tracks, we get a slower tempo track, but don’t call it a power ballad. Because it’s not.
And the lead break is so Gilmour like with a bit of Michael Schenker added for spice.
By The Horns
It’s almost Megadeth like, a more rockier version of “Symphony Of Destruction”.
Rise To Valhalla
The closer and a cut for all those power metallers.
I’m ready to ride out and fight for Durbin.
Great lead playing and harmonies.
Also the bass playing from Barry Sparks is excellent on this song and throughout the album.
Durbin possesses a great vocal range and his prowess on the guitar is evident on this album. As a songwriter, all songs are written by Durbin.
If this is his first entry into the realms of Metal, then I will eagerly await his next.
In the early 80s, Frank Hannon and Brian Wheat took a band name from a Y&T album and started playing UFO, Scorpions and Def Leppard covers. Jeff Keith, Troy Luccketta and Tommy Skeoch joined after and the band became known as City Kidd.
A three month residency at a U.S Army base would give them the opportunity to write songs and then play them live. Most of the songs written for the debut and some of the songs for “The Great Radio Controversy” were written during this period.
Jack Russell from “Great White” became a fan and he got Tom Zutaut to check em out, who then promised em a recording contract, but they had to wait until the end of 85, as he was moving from Elektra to Geffen.
They got a Q Prime deal but couldn’t get a producer to work with them. Rick Rubin, Max Norman and Bruce Fairbairn rejected them. Zutaut brought in Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero but their background was dance music and they did some time mixing rock albums. Hardly an ideal choice and they also tried to get out of the gig.
Mid 86, City Kidd changed their name to Tesla and “Mechanical Resonance” was released on November 24, 1986, by Geffen Records.
It’s on Spotify, but they took off “The Great Radio Controversy”. Why they removed it, I guess we’ll never know.
“EZ Come EZ Go”
The funky groove to kick it off hides the rocker the song really is.
The verses are very Def Leppard like (first two albums Lep), in the sense of dynamics (soft and loud), the pulse like bass/bass drum and vocal melodies. But the Chorus rocks hard, like AC/DC and Aerosmith hard.
Then the lead breaks show a guitar hero aspect to the band.
In essence, if this was the first song you heard and it didn’t move ya, then you need to check yourself for a pulse.
There comes a time when you’ve got to let things go as fast as they come Wait and see what tomorrow may bring you, get it all while you can
I know it sounds clichéd today, but to a kid growing up, it was eye opening.
Like a new creed, a new truth.
“Cumin’ Atcha Live”
Written by Hannon, Keith and Wheat. If feels like a band jamming in the style of Van Halen. Even one of the riffs you hear in the first 30 seconds comes from a Van Halen song. The whole solo section feels like an improv jam.
My favourite part is between the 3.18 to 3.53 mark in the leads.
“Gettin’ Better”
Written by Hannon and Keith. One of my favourites.
As soon as I heard the arpeggio intro I was racking my brain as to what song it reminds me of. The D to A to Bm chord progression reminds me of “Goodbye To Romance”. Tesla would use this chord progression again in the “Love Song” intro. Mark Tremonti was a fan, so it was no surprise to hear it in “One Last Breath”.
And when the distorted chords kick in, again I am reminded about something familiar. Maybe “Highway To Hell”.
I’m a hard workin’ man, doin’ all that I can, tryin’ to make ends meet Just a-makin’ my way through the jungle today, it’s gettin’ the best of me
But it’s only gettin’ better, and a change is gonna come my way
My Dad worked two jobs to survive in Australia. My mum never worked as she was tasked with raising the family and keeping the house running. And I’m thinking did it get better for him. He believes so, but my Mum doesn’t. And for me, both my wife and I are working jobs so we can survive in this country and go on some holidays. We don’t know anything different.
“2 Late 4 Love”
Written by the band again, the embryo to “Hang Tough” is right here in the Intro.
I can’t believe this fucked up world in which we’re livin’ in Still I do the best that I can Always got me on the lookout for a getaway Runnin’ hard, I’m a rock ‘n’ roll man
Work to live and don’t live to work. The world will always disappoint you, so just do your best to get bye.
“Rock Me to the Top”
It’s a Keith and Skeoch composition. One of my favourites. It just rocks and rolls its way through my brain. A totally different style.
Rock me, rock me (rock), rock me to the top, to the top, baby
How can you not sing-along to it?
“We’re No Good Together”
Written by Hannon, Keith and Luccketta and I’m a fan of its slow bluesy feel. Very Bad Company’sih and Led Zeppelin’ish. Aerosmith wrote a similar track on “Pump” called “What It Takes”.
And it picks up for the lead break and outro, like “Free Bird”, only shorter.
“Modern Day Cowboy”
It kicks off side 2. A Hannon, Keith and Skeoch composition.
When the verse arpeggios kick in, it’s like the “Kashmir” riff, as each note moves up chromatically.
Also check out the lead breaks on this.
Foreign lands With their terrorist demands Only cause the good to hurt
Like so many others we have grown up with terror in our lives. Some experience it closely and it’s on the news when it happens and the innocent are always the ones to suffer.
The U.S.A., the U.S.S.R. with their six-guns to the side I see the message written on the wall. Too much anger deep inside
This was a thing once upon a time. Communism versus democracy. It looks like the scars never really went away because it’s still a thing. And people thought that once the Berlin Wall fell down, democracy would rule. But the older ones from Eastern Europe like my grandfather, they knew that a new dictatorship, probably worse than the one before, was just a few years away from resurfacing.
Bang bang, I shoot ’em up Bang bang, blow you away It’s a showdown in the no man’s land for the cowboy of the modern day
It’s a showdown!
“Changes”
Another band composition. One of my favorite Tesla songs ever, as it moves from an emotive piano intro into a vibrato style riff.
Changes, time’s makin’ changes in my life Rearrangin’, can’t seem to stop the hands of time I remember, I was so young, I was much too young to see Now I’m older, growing older, and I see things differently
A commitment to self-development and self-learning makes me question a lot of things that I once held as truth. But it all takes time. As time moves forwards, so do the changes. We don’t have three channels anymore. We don’t have dial up internet.
“Little Suzi”
A Ph.D. cover, written by Jim Diamond and Tony Hymas.
The “Albatross” intro was written by Hannon. The original version of the song had synths and was electronic, but Tesla made it an acoustic country rock style cut. In other words they made it awesome.
“Love Me”
It’s day and I’m feelin’ high, what’s the chances for you and I
What kind of high was Jeff Keith on?
Written by Hannon, Keith and Wheat, I can hear UFO and Bad Company in this. I reckon CC DeVille was also listening closely as I can hear “Nothing But A Good Time” in this.
Also check out the lead break, just for the soul and blues rock licks.
“Cover Queen”
A Hannon and Keith composition.
The “Blackout” from Scorpions inspired intro gets me interested. The verses swagger like Aerosmith. And in the last minute of the song it’s pure EVH style jamming.
“Before My Eyes”
It’s a darker cut, almost Dio like, written by Hannon, Keith, Luccketta and Skeoch composition.
If you like Van Halen and Aerosmith, there is enough here to keep you interested. If you like 70’s British acts like Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Free, UFO, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple, there is enough here to keep you interested.
If you like the Sunset Strip sounds of Motley Crue, RATT, WASP, Quiet Riot and Ratt, there is enough to keep you interested. If you like acts like Y&T, Triumph, Sammy Hagar and Montrose, those sounds are also here. And if you like the sounds of European acts like Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Judas Priest, then they are also present.
I watched the documentary/movie on Netflix last night.
How did a self-managed band from Australia come to headline the largest metal event ever, in Wacken?
To play to 90,000 screaming metal heads.
Watch it.
The realities of touring are laid bare.
Even all the months of planning in Berlin couldn’t prepare the band for the gastro bug that got em on “opening night”.
There is a part in the movie towards the end of the first leg of their tour.
The band is coming back out for their encore. The way its meant to go, is that vocalist Winston McCall would step out, light up a Molotov cocktail and throw it at the band logo behind the drums. And that is meant to trigger flames to rise up from the bottom and burn the logo. It looks cool if it works. But on this occasion someone in the road crew dropped the ball and it didn’t work out. No flames came from the bottom. It was almost Spinal Tap’ish.
Afterwards McCall is not happy. It’s towards the end of the first leg and they haven’t had a show go smooth. He’s questioning why the crew can’t get it right this far in. There’s always a problem. If it wasn’t with the pyro or the flames or lights, it was the sound board blowing up at a gig in L.A. Also an outdoor gig in Spain was almost canned due to lightning and strong winds.
When they returned back to Australia, bass player Jie O’Connor would destroy his knee playing football, so he played “Wacken” in a wheelchair.
And for a band that is self-managed, the buck stops with them. They fund the tour, they pay the road crew and they are putting every cent they make into the tour, so they can establish themselves as an “arena” act.
Most of the management is handled by Rhythm Guitarist Luke Kilpatrick and there are days when he’s tired or fried but he’s still going.
Regardless if you like the music or not there are a lot of lessons learned here.
That if you don’t risk, you don’t gain. But you could also lose as well. The band could have been comfortable playing smaller venues but they wanted to take the next step.
They had the perfect album for it, as “Reverence” was really accessible compared to earlier albums. Tracks like “Prey” are at 45.5 million streams on Spotify and “The Void” is at 35.8 million streams are selling it but “Chronos” is my favourite.
And as the band grew so did their road crew.
Of course the best thing is seeing the guys back in Byron Bay. Guitarist Jeff Ling is walking his dog on the beach and the dog is shitting everywhere so he needs to pick it up in a doggie bag. That’s big world problems right there. Drummer Ben Gordon is catching waves and is so underrated.
And they jammed but we didn’t hear any sound that the cameras could pick up. It was all in their headphones as they all plugged in to some device.
The biggest thing the documentary shows is that the band is huge both here and overseas.
It’s not on Spotify but YouTube has various videos of the album and it is the last Dokken album I purchased.
By the time “Broken Bones” came out, I was a streamer. But I’ve always had that album, along with “Return To The East” and “The Lost Tapes” in my “saved for later” shopping cart, waiting until the price is right.
This album is also the last to feature bassist Barry Sparks and drummer Mick Brown.
Like previous records, Don Dokken had to organize various labels for a worldwide release. Rhino for the North America market, Frontiers for Europe and King for Japan.
Production is handled by Don Dokken and Tim David-Kelly.
Standing On The Outside
A riff from “It’s Not Love” kicks off the album and I’m tapping my foot along with it.
The verses are better than the Chorus.
And the lead break from Levin is excellent.
Give Me A Reason
It starts off with clean tone arpeggios that remind me of “Walk Away”. But that was hiding the rocker to come.
Musically the song is excellent, while the melodies are stuck in the lower bass/baritone range and sound a bit monotonous.
Heart To Stone
A feel from “Into The Fire” kicks it off before it moves into a “Stop Fighting Love” vibe. It’s basically Dokken sounding like Dokken.
Jon Levin doesn’t get the respect he deserves He’s the longest serving guitarist in the band and he’s become a great co-writer with Don. Plus he respects the past.
How I Miss Your Smile
A simple repeating two chord arpeggio Intro kicks off the song and Don’s heartbreak lyrics take over.
It’s a run of the mill power ballad, but the lead break from Levin makes it worthy. He’s emotive and bluesy.
Oasis
A classic metal riff kicks off the song, straight from the grooves of the “Tooth And Nail” album.
The guitar solo reminds me of “Alone Again” and I like it.
But it suffers from a lack of dynamics vocally.
Point Of No Return
My favorite track.
The Intro reminds me of “Seven Nation Army” but once the song picks up it’s got a “Paris Is Burning” vibe.
Mick Brown and Barry Sparks lay down an energetic tempo.
Jon Levin has done a great job continuing the Dokken guitar brand in the 2000’s and he continues to shine on this track, showing his Lynch and Schenker/Jab influences.
Don Dokken is gravelly in his vocals and I like it as it works for this song.
The Chorus is anthemic and check out the lead break. It’s guitar hero worthy.
I Remember
Another ballad which could have come from Klaus Meine.
Judgement Day
Another favourite.
Levin is inspired by old Dokken.
It feels like “Cry Of The Gypsy” merged with “Lost Behind A Wall” and I like it.
And Don’s lower range singing works perfectly on this while Levin shines all over this track.
It Means
This is good and I like it when artists merge their old way with new influences from modern rock artists.
Release Me
Musically it’s modern rock, like a bit of Tool and a bit of Chevelle.
But it’s the lead break from Levin that captures my attention.
This Fire
An energetic rocker and the riffs are excellent.
Sunset Superstar
The bonus track on the Japanese edition. A speed metal cut like “Tooth And Nail”. It should have been on the album and Don’s gravelly vocals work.
If you like the 80s version of Dokken, you will like this. It’s the best album of the Jon Levin era.
I like Stryper. I never understood the crap they got because of their views on Christianity. Most interviews focused on that aspect and very rarely on the music.
“To Hell With The Devil” was released in 1986. It went platinum in the U.S, and it remained the best-selling Christian metal album until P.O.D.’s “Satellite” in 2001, which I also have.
To Hell With The Devil
The drum beat from Robert Sweet is simple but powerful. The chord structure is standard Am to F to G, but the guitar leads and harmonies make it unique.
How good are just the vocals and drums in the first verse?
And make sure you check out the leads from Oz Fox and Michael Sweet.
Calling On You
The lead break reminds me of “Sweet Child O Mine” but this was released before.
I’m always a sucker for melodic rock songs like this.
Free
It’s the same message as “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, “Stand Up And Shout” and the like.
The Intro lead break gets me playing air guitar and they end the song with it, just in a different key.
They even borrowed from “Reason For The Season” for the vocal melody.
Honestly
It just wasn’t my thing. The sound of the piano reminded me of the music in TV shows I didn’t like.
But it sold the album.
The Way
The Judas Priest and Iron Maiden influences of Oz Fox are shining through on the riffs here. A metal tour de force.
Sing-Along Song
It’s got that “Turbo Lover” feel in the Intro/verse.
Holding On
It’s “Hungry For Heaven” in the Intro and the Chorus harmonies are straight from the grooves on the Boston record.
Rockin’ The World
The Intro/Verse is familiar, but I can’t remember from where.
All Of Me
My least favorite track leads into my favorite track.
More Than A Man
If you like “Lights Out” from UFO, you will like this. The F#m groove is at the heart of both songs.
The lead break at the start also borrows from “Soldiers Under Command”.
“From Conception: Live 1981” was released in 2007. It’s not on Spotify but YouTube has it.
Like all things Dokken, there is a lack of transparency.
The album is advertised as 1981, but the band for the recording is Don Dokken on vocals and Rhythm Guitars, George Lynch on guitars, Mick Brown on drums and Jeff Pilson on bass. But Jeff Pilson didn’t join the group until 1982. Juan Croucier from Ratt is the bass player prior to that.
Regardless of the story behind it, it’s one of Dokken’s best live albums and it is virtually ignored. Maybe because it came out in 2007 or maybe because it’s early Dokken, pre “Tooth And Nail”. I
t’s early Dokken. Even Don Dokken is playing guitar on stage and apart from rhythms, Lynch and Dokken are doing harmonies together.
Paris
It kicks off the show. The energy drips from the speakers. I feel like I’m at the show. Acts today will not know this, but back then, acts would live or die based on their live show.
Listening to “Paris” and it’s easy to hear why they got signed to Elektra Records.
Goin Down
I like the AC/DC and UFO groove.
In The Middle
The groove from the bass and drums gives Lynch and Dokken a chance to decorate and decorate they do.
Finally after three sings Don addresses the crowd and tells em to “make some noise” as they have the mobile set up outside and they are recording the show.
Young Girls
The L.A Sunset Strip riff kicks off “Young Girls”. Listen to Motley Crue and Ratt and you’ll know what I mean.
Hit And Run
It’s got a similar groove to “In The Middle”, just a bit faster. And lyrically it feels like a Saxon song about a soldier fighting.
Nightrider
The best song on the album. A speed metal song. It’s played that fast, it feels like a NWOBHM cut.
All the critics that called em a “poor man Scorpions” needs to listen to this version.
Check out the harmony guitar playing between Dokken and Lynch. I keep repeating the song just to hear it. And you’ll be surprised by Dokken’s prowess on the guitar.
And there is a sing-a-long with the audience, think “Running Free“ from “Live After Death” but this was recorded before.
GTR Solo
Then we get a 3 minutes of George Lynch shredding away.
Live To Ride
It’s fast and it gets me playing air guitar. It also reminds me of “Ace Of Spades”.
Breaking The Chains
Don mentions that the song is doing the rounds on MTV so I don’t think it’s a 1981 recording because of that.
It sounds heavy compared to the recorded version.
There’s a “thank you, good night” and the crowd screams “more” for 2 minutes
Liar
Speed metal and the lead break is electrifying.
“Beast From The East” is the Dokken live album and then there is “From Conception”.
Crank it.
And in the CD there was some promo about the upcoming new album and release of a classic VHS tape on DVD.
I can’t believe I haven’t written about this album yet.
“5150” achieved what “1984” couldn’t.
The Billboard Number 1 spot.
Actually all of the Sammy Hagar albums achieved what the David Lee Roth albums couldn’t.
Then again DLR needed to contend with Michael Jackson and “Thriller” and Adele with “21”.
Songs like “Why Can’t This Be Love”, “Best of Both Worlds”, “Dreams”, “Live Walks In” and “Summer Nights” take up most of the press and listens on steaming services but it’s tracks like “Good Enough” and “Get Up” which get me really interested.
Good Enough
Check out the head banging riff on “Good Enough” after Sammy screams “Hello Baby”.
It sounds like AC/DC on steroids but if you listen to the 1983 demo, it actually sounds like ZZ Top.
It was one of the first songs Sammy Hagar jammed with the band and he is at his creative best, telling us that a good looking women is like a good piece of prime grade beef.
Why Can’t This Be Love
Then they hit us with this.
Infectious and catchy. Almost funky.
Play that synth riff on guitar and it rocks your socks off.
Get Up
Speed rock. I love it.
Dreams
If the synth riff doesn’t get you singing out loud, then Sammy’s vocals would.
Summer Nights
Along with “Good Enough” this was the other song that Sammy Hagar jammed on.
It’s winter in Australia right now but this song is timeless, gets me thinking of good times. Almost nostalgic like.
Best Of Both Worlds
It’s “Highway To Hell” and I like it.
Check out the dynamics from EVH as he goes from loud to soft to loud again.
Love Walks In
It’s a great ballad. Play that riff on a guitar and you’ll hear how much it rocks.
5150
There’s a lot of guitar on this, but it’s the Chorus riff and vocal melody which hooks me.
Inside
Another funky and groovy rocker. Never played live.
It probably didn’t make a big impression on me, because I forgot I had purchased it, so I purchased it again and now I have two CD’s.
The most dangerous job in the world at that point in time was the Dokken guitar player spot. After George Lynch, the band went through Reb Beach and John Norum.
For “Hell To Pay”, released in 2004, there was another newbie, Jon Levin on guitars.
Production was once again handled by Don Dokken.
The Last Goodbye
The song is written by Don Dokken, Mick Brown and Jon Levin, who quickly announces himself with a bone crunching riff inspired by “Kashmir” over a rock steady groove by Brown.
Dokken has been dabbling with exotic sounds on previous albums and that spirit has carried through on this.
Make sure you check out the lead break from Levin.
Don’t Bring Me Down
Written by Dokken, Barry Sparks and Levin.
It’s fast.
This is Levin’s statement.
That lead break.
Wow. Just listen to it.
And he did something on that lead break, not heard on a Dokken album, a harmony solo.
Escape
Another Dokken, Brown and Levin cut.
This one is like a dark rock song, almost alternative but still delivered with hooks from the 80s, something they copped shit for, but to me that’s what’s special about the album. Sounding current and modern with a sense of pop melody in the vocals.
Haunted
Another Dokken, Brown and Levin cut and one of my favourite Dokken cuts from this version of the band.
Levin goes a bit high octane bluesy in the lead break and I like it.
Prozac Nation
It’s written by Kelly Keeling, Dokken and Levin.
A familiar riff and vocal melody rule this song.
Levin goes all chromatic for his brief solo spot light.
Care For You
Written by Dokken and Keeling.
Yeah I didn’t care much about this song and I was disappointed when the bonus track was this song in an “unplugged” setting.
Better Off Before
Another Dokken, Brown and Levin cut.
A groove metal riff kicks it off, very Disturbed like.
Dokken is bringing his sense of melody to it and the 2004 version of the band is definitely rocking.
Still I’m Sad
No relation to the Rainbow song.
It’s a cut penned by Don.
It’s got groove and I like it’s three distinct parts, the clean tone verses, the distorted melodic pre chorus and the anthemic Chorus.
I Surrender
Again, no relation to the Rainbow song.
This one is also a penned by Don. It percolates with a hooky riff as Don builds it vocally.
The Chorus riff reminds me of “Unchain The Night” and I like it.
Levin is also channeling Neal Schon on the lead break.
Letter From Home
Written by Keeling, Levin and Dokken.
The band is channeling The Beatles and Led Zeppelin on this one.
The lead break from Levin is excellent. Very Jimmy Page like.
Can You See
A Dokken and Levin cut. it’s got that Dokken 80s spirit from “The Hunter” but Don’s voice is low, almost monotone like which was slowly becoming his style.
And Levin brings it again for the lead break.
If this is your first Dokken experience, there is enough here to get you interested to hear more.
If you grew up with Dokken in the 80s then this is a good listen.
destroyerofharmony 