Monthly Archives: July 2010
WARRANT – Belly To Belly: Volume One
Warrant – Belly To Belly: Volume One (1996, CMC International)
1. “In the End (There’s Nothing)” … 3:12
2. “Feels Good” … 2:51
3. “Letter to a Friend” … 4:33
4. “AYM” … 2:50
5. “Indian Giver” … 4:54
6. “Falling Down” … 3:56
7. “Interlude # 1″ … 0:11
8. “Solid” … 3:13
9. “All 4 U” … 3:40
10. “Coffee House” … 4:37
11. “Interlude # 2″ … 0:18
12. “Vertigo” … 2:36
13. “Room With a View” … 2;59
14. “Nobody Else” … 4:13
Band:
Jani Lane – Vocals
Rick Steier- Guitar
Erik Turner – Guitar
Jerry Dixon – Bass
Bobby Borg – Drums
Producer: Jerry Dixon, Erik Turner, Jani Lane, Rick Steier and Stefan Neary
This was a weird phase for the band when they tried to blend into the alternative rock scene. I’m not sure how serious of an effort this was but it looks like they even went for a name change wanting to be known as “Warrant 96″ because that’s how they are referred to on this album and in the liner notes and I’ve seen sources online list this album that way. With the image makeover and style of music on this disc, they should’ve gone and changed their name completely because being known as Warrant wasn’t doing them any favors at this point.
Anyway, Belly To Belly: Volume One (They were planning more of these?) continues the evolution to a alternative sound that the group started with a few songs from 1992′s Dog Eat Dog and fully realized with most of 1995′s Ultraphobic.
Once you get past that this is Warrant, a quintessential hair band playing alternative rock, this is actually a pretty good album. Despite the change in sound and mood, Jani still hadn’t lost his knack for writing great lyrics. He’s one of the best song writers to come out of the pop-metal scene. From what I’ve read, he was going through a divorce at the time of this album and that makes sense when you pay attention to the lyrics, which are probably some of the best he’s ever written. Also, the lyrics were influenced by the band’s rise and fall in the music industry and the changing of the times. It’s easy to feel a connection to these lyrics and understand the pain he must have been going through.
This isn’t really a heavy album but it certainly isn’t “lite metal” of the glam persuasion. On their last two efforts, the band seemed to be getting heavy on a number of songs just for the sake of not coming across as a fluff act but they’ve mellowed a bit on these songs in order to fit the somber, introspective mood.
This is not an album that has any room for pop-metal anthems and Bic-waving ballads but Belly To Belly still turns out more than a handful of quality tunes with some real meaning behind them. Maybe it’s not what people wanted to hear (Warrant fans wanted another Cherry Pie, non-Warrant fans just wanted them to go away), but the album is a success in my book.
Highlights: “In The End (There’s Nothing)”, “Letter To A Friend”, “Indian Giver”, “Falling Down”, “Solid”, “All 4 U”, “Room With A View”
http://www.warrantweb.net
http://www.myspace.com/warrantband
SPACEWALK: A Salute to Ace Frehley
Various Artists – Spacewalk: A Salute to Ace Frehley (1996, Shrapnel Records/Triage Records)
1. “Deuce” – Marty Friedman … 3:47
2. “Shock Me” – Gilby Clarke … 3:23
3. “Rip It Out” – Scott Ian … 3:47
4. “Hard Luck Woman” – Ron Young & Jeff Watson … 3:11
5. “Snowblind” – Snake Sabo … 4:01
6. “Rock Bottom” – Sebastian Bach … 3:07
7. “Parasite” – Tracii Guns … 3:16
8. “Cold Gin” – John Norum … 4:10
9. “New York Groove” – Bruce Bouillet … 4:52
10. “Fractured Mirror” – Dimebag Darrell … 6:35
Pretty good tribute to Ace although some of these songs choices make me scratch my head. “Deuce”? “Hard Luck Woman”? Ace didn’t sing lead on these songs and he didn’t write them either so what’s the connection? “Deuce” is a Gene signature song and “Hard Luck Woman” belongs to Peter. They could’ve easily left those songs out and included “Strange Ways”, “Rocket Ride”, “Hard Times”, “Talk To Me” or even something from his solo days.
The songs are pretty faithful to the originals but it’s fun to hear other artists’ slight interpretations especially when you’ve got artists like Mary Friedman, Tracii Guns, Scott Ian, Sebastian Bash, etc. The artists listed aren’t necessarily the vocalists but I guess they were considered the “biggest” names to be playing on the tracks so they get their names front and center. In fact, Scott Ian (who is on vocals) has Anthrax bandmates Frankie Bello and Charlie Benante backing him up on “Rip It Out” while Dimebag Darrell and his brother/Pantera bandmate Vinnie Paul performed all of “Fractured Mirror”. Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis plays on a number of these songs.
I don’t know who Bruce Bouillet is but his version of “New York Groove” sucks. I guess he took it back to the original version that was done by Hello. Ace’s take have never been a favorite of mine and I like the original version even less.
For the few bucks I was able to snag this online for, it was well worth the purchase. It’s a good novelty disc for hardcore KISS fans and Dimebag Darrell’s “Fractured Mirror” needs to be heard.
Highlights: “Hard Luck Woman”, “Snowblind”, “Rock Bottom”, “Parasite”, “Fractured Mirror”
Like this:
40FT. RINGO – Funny Thing
40Ft. Ringo – Funny Thing (2003, Atenzia Records)
1. “Anyway”… 2:41
2. “Wired” … 3:31
3. “Inside Your Head” … 2:38
4. “Big Fat Smile” … 3:25
5. “Origami Mommy” … 4:26
6. “Book Of Virtues” … 3:52
7. “Be My Fix” …
8. “A Freak Like You” … 3:01
9. “Unbroken” … 3:14
10. “Miss You Blue” … 4:00
11. “Anti-Zero” … 3:15
12. “Fanatic” … 3:25
13. “Tough” … 3:07
Band:
Steve Brown – Vocals, Guitar
Maz – Guitar
P.J. Farley – Bass
Brian Gabriel – Drums
Producer: Steve Brown & P.J. Farley
Early last decade, I had a great affinity for modern power pop/hard rock music. I loved the music that was being put out by Marvelous 3, Tsar, American Hi-Fi, Zebrahead and 40Ft. Ringo. I’ve been familiar with most of this album for nearly 8 years now (I think most of it “leaked” much earlier than the album’s release) but it was only recently I finally snatched up a used copy on Amazon.com for only a few bucks.
Much like Marvelous 3, 40Ft. Ringo has a hair metal connection — both Steve Brown and P.J. Farley are members of New Jersey hair rockers Trixter. I’m not too familiar with Trixter’s work, they came along as the scene was dying and never got glowing reviews so I haven’t bothered to sample much other than their singles.
As for this album, it’s an infectious rock & power pop album complete with a bit of the punk pop sound that was popular about the time this album was released (Blink-182, SR-71, Eve 6… Why all the numbers ?!?). There’s so many great radio-ready songs on this album. While this is an indie release that I’m sure had an extremely limited marketing budget, I’m also certain the fact that half the band was from a “hair band” didn’t help them at all. It’s sad but that’s just the way mainstream entertainment industry operates.
It’s great to finally have this album in my collection as I hadn’t heard these songs in years and still remembered most of them!
Highlights: “Anyway”, “Inside Your Head”, “Big Fat Smile”, “Origami Mommy”, “Book Of Virtues”, “Be My Fix”, “Anti-Zero”, “Tough”
THE COMPANY OF SNAKES – Burst The Bubble
The Company of Snakes – Burst The Bubble (2002, SPV/Steamhammer Records)
1. “Ayresome Park” … 0:59
2. “Labour of Love” … 4:06
3. “Ride, Ride, Ride / Run, Run, Run” … 4:46
4. “Burst the Bubble” … 4:23
5. “Sacrificial Feelings” … 4:28
6. “What Love Can Do” … 5:40
7. “Little Miss Happiness” … 4:09
8. “Hurricane” … 5:23
9. “Kinda Wish You Would” … 4:04
10. “Days to Remember” … 5:51
11. “Back to the Blues” … 4:26
12. “All Dressed Up” … 4:15
14. “Can’t Go Back” … 5:07
15. “She” … 3:59
16. “Ayresome Park – Reprise” … 1:00
Band:
Stefan Berggren – Vocals
Bernie Marsden – Guitar
Micky Moody – Guitar
Neil Murray – Bass
John Lingwood – Drums
Producer: Rainer Hansel
The Company of Snakes were formed in 1998 by former Whitesnake guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody. A year earlier, a previous version of the group was known as The Snakes with a then-unknown Jorn Lande on vocals. Is it just me or does that seem like a really odd combo? In both groups, former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray was a participant and ultimately the band would once again shed its skin and become known as M3 with Marsden, Moody and Murray still at the core.
This particular version of the band once had former Bad Company singer Robert Hart in its ranks and then later Michael Schenker Group vocalist Gary Barden. Barden got as far as to record the live album Here They Go Again with the band (which was the group’s recorded debut as The Company of Snakes) but left the band before its release so the group’s THIRD singer Stefan Berggren filled in on vocals in the studio and all of Barden’s vocals were deleted. Rainbow/Whitesnake/Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey was also briefly a member but left before the recording of this album.
As you might expect for a band that featured three of Whitesnake’s original members and played virtually nothing but early Whitesnake songs in concert, this album sounds like Whitesnake. There’s some AOR thrown in for good measure (“What Love Can Do”, “Hurricane”) but more or less Burst The Bubble displays much of the same bluesy hard rock that the early Whitesnake albums did. Heck, I can even take it a step further and say that “Kinda Wish You Would” sounds like what would pass for modern day country music. It’s a down-home rocker that would sound right at home playing in a country western bar somewhere in America’s heartland.
The obvious missing ingredient to all of this is David Coverdale and that’s very much a key ingredient in my opinion for this kind of blues-based hard rock. Berggren does a decent job on the album but he’s no Coverdale and lacks the power and charisma of David. Maybe Berggren himself thought the same because he left the band shortly after this album was recorded!
This isn’t an album I’ll be reaching for often but being a huge Whitesnake fan, I wanted to hear what some of the original members were up to and they turned in a solid effort. Similar hardcore Whitesnake fans will probably find this album of interest as well, especially if you like the early years.
I think the album art is pretty cool and it seems very much like an early Whitesnake cover. Seems like a cross between Lovehunter and Come an’ Get It.
Highlights: “Labour of Love”, “Burst The Bubble”, “Hurricane”, “Kinda Wish You Would”, “All Dressed Up”, “Can’t Go Back”
GYNGER LYNN – Baby’s Gone Bad
Gynger Lynn – Baby’s Gone Bad (2010, Eonian Records)
1. “Take Me Away” … 3:38
2. “Need To Know” … 4:14
3. “Baby’s All Talk” … 4:01
4. “Along The Way” … 4:42
5. “Yes It’s True” … 4:33
6. “Need A Little Love” … 4:20
7. “Goin’ Home” … 4:27
8. “Summertime” … 3:50
9. “Lonely, Lonely” … 3:07
10. “Never Find A Better Girl” … 4:59
11. “Wanna Be Your Lover” … 3:35
12. “The Chance” … 3:49
13. “Stay With Me” … 4:18
14. “Baby’s Gone Bad” … 3:13
BONUS TRACKS
15. “Way Of The World” … 2:39
16. “Bad Luck” … 2:58
Band:
Dean Pressley – Vocals, Guitar
Will Hair – Guitar
Jim Stuppy – Bass, Keyboards
Luke James Lorraine – Drums
Gavin Jadwin – Keyboards
Producer: Jim Stuppy, Dean Pressley, Will Hair
Named after porn star Ginger Lynn, this Chicago-based act is the type of melodic hard rock that you might’ve heard blasting out of the clubs on the Sunset Strip back in the ’80s. Baby’s Gone Bad is one of the best releases yet from the Eonian Records archive label. Surprisingly for an Eonian release, there are no liner notes included with this album but the promo sheet I got along with this album states this is the band’s second album. The recording year of all these songs is listed as 1993 so I’m not sure whether the album went unreleased until Eonian bought the rights or if this is a reissue (a self-titled album was also released by Eonian).
This album is a real treat for ’80s melodic hard rock fans. If you’re into that genre (or pop metal, or glam, or hair metal… whatever you wanna call it), you’re gonna like Gynger Lynn. If you don’t like those styles? Well, you have no business reading this review! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t put this band on the same level as some of the genre’s best but you can’t help but fall in love with the cheesy melodramatic ballad “Never Find A Better Girl” or the synth-heavy “The Chance” or Dean Pressley’s typical glam metal vocals.
Some numbers seem a bit more commercial than others. Songs like “Take Me Away” and “Baby’s All Talk” are commercial melodic rock while “Stay With Me” and “Baby’s Gone Bad” are pure glam metal. In fact, the first half of the album has an AOR feel to it. Which is fine, many of those songs are enjoyable with the intensity picks up with the second half where the band picks up the pace and gets a bit heavier.
Baby’s Gone Bad is a fun album that blends AOR & glam-metal with positive results.
Highlights: “Need To Know”, “Baby’s All Talk”, “Goin’ Home”, “Never Find A Better Girl”, “The Chance”, “Stay With Me”, “Baby’s Gone Bad”
SWEET SYBIL – Sweet Sybil
Sweet Sybil (2010, Eonian Records)
1. “Remember When” … 4:00
2. “#69″ … 3:19
3. “Downtown Suicide” … 4:44
4. “Walkin’ Talkin’” … 5:54
5. “Someone In Your Eyes” … 4:29
6. “Jump Back” … 4:55
7. “Burning House” … 4:25
8. “Alone With You” … 4:08
9. “You & I” … 3:42
Band:
Sam Carava – Vocals
Mike Parker – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Brian Unger – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jeff Malas – Bass, Backing Vocals
Randy Matthiesen – Drums, Backing Vocals
Producer: Johnny K.
Sweet Sybil are another late ’80s/early ’90s hair band from the Chicago area. The problem with that is that Chicago wasn’t really a hot bed for the glam/hair/sleaze metal scene (if you wanted to succeed, you needed to move to L.A.) and by the late ’80s, the genre was growing tired. According to the album’s liner notes, they were a popular local act that was able to snag “mini-tours” opening for Alice In Chains, Extreme and King’s X.
Though the album’s best moment is the sleaze rockin’ “Downtown Suicide”, the band throws a few curve balls in an attempt to break out from the pack. I guess maybe because the band wasn’t in L.A., they felt no pressure to completely conform to the rules of the genre. While “#69″ is a pretty generic song title and makes you think the song is going to be a generic hair rocker, it is not. There’s bunch of horns being used and it’s basically a ska song. I’m not a ska fan but points to Sweet Sybil for trying something different and being a bit ahead of the curve on the ska trend.
The press release hypes this band as bit more “street” than much of then-current rock scene, trying to draw comparisons to Guns N’ Roses and L.A. Guns. There’s some truth to that, they aren’t glammy at all, really and I can hear the sleazy bar band similarities to L.A. Guns.
The first eight tracks were recorded from 1991-1992 but the last track, “You & I” was recorded in 2009. It’s a pretty good acoustic number that fits in pretty well with the rest of these songs and just goes to prove what I’ve always said — it’s great Eonian is (re)releasing old music from these bands but I would also like to see them help these bands put NEW music out as well.
This is a typically solid Eonian release that hardcore fans of the hair genre should be able to appreciate.
Highlights: “Remember When”, “Downtown Suicide”, “Walkin’ Talkin’”, “Burning House”
DANKO JONES – Below The Belt
Danko Jones – Below The Belt [European Import] (2010, Bad Taste Records)
1. “I Think Bad Thoughts” … 3:31
2. “Active Volcanoes” … 3:35
3. “Tonight Is Fine” … 4:21
4. “Magic Snake” … 3:19
5. “Had Enough” … 3:42
6. “(I Can’t Handle) Moderation” … 3:04
7. “Full Of Regret” … 3:58
8. “The Sore Loser” … 2:59
9. “Like Dynamite” … 3:14
10. “Apology Accepted” … 3:30
11. “I Wanna Break Up With You” … 4:56
Band:
Danko Jones – Vocals, Guitar
John Calabrese – Bass
Dan Cornelius – Drums
Producer: Matt DeMatteo
I’ve been curious about Danko Jones for awhile. I’ve heard good things about them (him?) for years and have checked the MySpace page from time to time but never got around to picking an album. A few weeks back I went to their Myspace page again and really got hooked on a number of their songs and decided to give their latest effort a try.
I really enjoy the lyrics to these songs, there’s not many bands whose lyrics I worry about reading anymore (that seems to have been more of a teenage thing for me) but I have been paying attention to the lyrics on this album just because they’re so humorous and witty. There’s a certain swagger to Danko’s vocal delivery and definitely a sense of humor in himself and the lyrics that remind me of a band like Marvelous 3.
As for what this band sounds like — it’s like classic rock, hard rock, modern rock, rock/pop and punk/pop all rolled into one. Even before noticing they cited these influences themselves, it was readily apparent to me that these guys are huge fans of AC/DC and Thin Lizzy. This isn’t retro rock though, this is an updated take on good time rock ‘n’ roll.
“Full Of Regret” really blew me away, strong Thin Lizzy influence on this one. From the collection of songs I’ve heard from this band, it’s easily one of my favorites they’ve done. It is also because of this song I was led back to their MySpace page because it was offered as a free download a few months ago, I can’t remember whether that was through their own website or not though. I think maybe it was on Amazon. So there ya go, I’m proof positive that giving away something free every now and then to music fans can actually turn out to be quite profitable.
All of these songs are high energy affairs. I supposed All Music guide might tag this album as “rowdy”, “raucous” and “guys night out”! If you’re getting ready for a night out on the town of booze, women and possibly a few fist fights — this is the album for you because this album covers all those topics though most of it seems to deal being in or getting out of a bad relationship. Hm, is someone getting their issues out in their songs?
Below The Belt may not be “metal”, but it’s definitely hard rock and one of my favorite releases of 2010 and I plan on picking up some earlier releases now.
My particular copy is a European import but I don’t think it differs from the North American version. The jewel case is a “Super Jewel Box” which is really cool with rounded corners and the case snaps shut and has a button you have to press to open it. Seems a bit sturdier than the standard jewel case too and the CD sits deep in the CD tray. I wish all jewel cases were like these!
Highlights: “I Think Bad Thoughts”, “Tonight Is Fine”, “Had Enough”, “Full Of Regret”, “The Sore Loser”, “Apology Accepted”
GALLOWS END – Nemesis Divine
Gallows End – Nemesis Divine (2010, Farvahar Records)
1. “Nemesis Divine (Trial of the Gods)” … 4:41
2. “Soul Collector” … 3:30
3. “Kingdom of the Damned” … 3:52
4. “No Return” … 5:07
5. “The Curse” … 5:30
6. “Set the World In Flames” … 3:28
7. “Not Your Own” … 5:46
8. “Different Eyes” … 3:48
9. “The End” … 3:14
10. “The Unborn Flag” … 4:31
11. “Storm of Fate” … 5:17
12. “Riders of the North” … 10:22
Band:
Thord Klarstrom – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Peter Samuelsson – Guitar
Niklas Nord – Bass, Backing Vocals
Mikael Karlsson – Drums
Producer: Gallows End
Gallows End are a Swedish metal band that play “pure fucking heavy metal” according to their website. Can’t argue with that! This is balls to the wall heavy metal done in the traditional ’80s style with the usual inspirations (Maiden, Priest, Saxon, Accept, etc). Does Gallows End break new ground? No, but new ground doesn’t necessarily need to be broken in order to create quality music.
There’s a number of catchy songs here like the opening track (which has a spoken word intro, which is an old ’80s heavy metal trick) and “Kingdom of the Damned” features a chorus that most males probably can relate to when it comes to being wronged by a woman! Even though the song is not really about that, how often have we considered an ex of ours to be a “queen of the damned” or a “lady of the night”? “The End” is another album highlight which features a great solo.
All told, this is an album and a band that do not concern themselves with trends. The heavy metal heard here is in the classic metal mold with enough melody and blazing guitars to keep any one with old school tastes interested! They just need to snag an opening slot on Maiden or Priest tour and they’ll be golden!
And wow, what an album cover! I LOVE it! It’s so cool I’m actually using it as wallpaper on my computer right now. The artist is J.P. Fournier, who has supplied art for Edguy, Avantasia and DragonForce amongst others.
Highlights: “Nemesis Divine (Trial of the Gods)”, “Kingdom of the Damned”, “No Return”, “Set the World In Flames”, “The End”, “Storm of Fate”
FALLEN ANGEL – Crawling Out Of Hell
Fallen Angel – Crawling Out Of Hell (2010, Fallen Angel Records)
1. “Crash To Oblivion” … 0:48
2. “Sinner’s Vengeance” … 5:04
3. “March Into Hell” … 1:02
4. “Blood On My Soul” … 3:20
5. “The Grinding Wheels Of War” … 2:00
6. “The Reapers Shall Gather” … 3:19
7. “Arrival” … 1:12
8. “Dark Lord” … 4:35
9. “Darkness” … 4:37
10. “The One Who Walks Alone” … 4:52
11. “The Answer” … 5:56
12. “Respiration Desperation” … 1:09
13. “The Neutral Zone” … 4:41
14. “Life Or Death” … 3:50
15. “On And On” … 4:54
16. “Ashes To Ashes” … 1:01
17. “Leaving It All Behind” … 6:05
18. “Watching” … 3:37
19. “Sad Wings” … 6:15
20. “Grant Me Peace” … 4:00
Band:
Steve Seniuk – Lead Vocals
John Cruppe – Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Robb Lotta – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Joe Surace – Bass, Backing Vocals
Frankie Quaggs – Drums, Percussion
Producer: John Cruppe
In terms of visuals if the idea behind KISS was “four Alice Coopers” then Fallen Angel is four King Diamonds. Each member of this group has a freaky look that would lead you to believe this band is going to play some variation of black metal. Luckily, there are no helium vocals, Cookie Monster growls or any Satan-worshiping lyrics that will cause you to roll your eyes. The band’s MySpace page gave me a clue they might not sound like what the look like since that’s where they claim influences ranging from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Slayer, Rush, Korn and Pink Floyd! The end result of all those influences is an album that delivers power metal more than anything else alongside some elements of trash, prog and NWOBHM.
Years in the making, Crawling Out Of Hell is a concept album (the first in a planned trilogy) based on the novel of the same name that was written by the group’s guitarist/producer John Cruppe. Included in the CD booklet is some pretty cool art work and snippets of the story explaining what is going on. For any album it’s a well put together package but it’s even more impressive given that it is self-released. Also of note is the band’s other guitarist Robb Lotta who has worked with Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna in the past and lead vocalist Steve Seniuk who does an amazing job throughout the album with a number of vocal ranges.
At twenty tracks, this album can be a bit overwhelming but it is really not too bad when you keep in mind that six of these songs are instrumentals that clock in at two minutes or less. Personally, whenever a band releases a concept piece, I’m less concerned with whatever story they’re trying to tell and more focused on the music. Hey, if you can tie if all together and make the pieces fit that’s great but I want good music first and foremost. Not that I have to tell Fallen Angel that. Hey, look, a concept album that doesn’t dull itself and get lost in effects and trying to build atmosphere! Other than the few short instrumental breaks, this album gallops from start to finish with “Dark Lord” being my personal favorite. Seniuk really shines on that song, I think. Another favorite of mine is “The Answer”, which is a very good ballad that reminds me of Queensryche at times.
Overall, Crawling Out Of Hell is a solid debut that has much in common with classic metal bands of the past. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on. Now bring on those sequels!
Highlights: “Sinner’s Vengeance”, “Dark Lord”, “The One Who Walks Alone”, “The Answer”, “Leaving It All Behind”, “Grant Me Peace”
http://www.fallenangelofficialwebsite.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bandsitefallenangel
BUCKCHERRY – Live & Loud 2009
Buckcherry – Live & Loud 2009 (2009, Eleven Seven Music)
1. “Tired of You” … 3:44
2. “Next 2 You” … 3:56
3. “Broken Glass” … 4:39
4. “Check Your Head” … 4:56
5. “Lit Up” … 4:42
6. “Talk To Me” … 3:48
7. “Rescue Me” … 3:48
8. “Rose” … 4:02
9. “For the Movies” … 5:13
10. “Ridin’” … 4:41
11. “Lawless and Lulu” … 4:27
12. “Everything” … 4:31
13. “Sorry” … 4:04
14. “Crazy Bitch” … 7:37
15. “Cream” … 4:05
Band:
Josh Todd – Vocals
Keith Nelson – Guitar
Stevie D. – Guitar
Jimmy Ashhurst – Bass
Xavier Muriel – Drums
Producer: Keith Nelson
Buckcherry is easily one of my favorite acts to come out out the ’90s (though they barely made that decade, their debut was released in 1999) and are one of the best hard rock outfits going today, in my opinion. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live three times and hope to see them again in the future. They always put on a fun energetic show, they’re a great live rock ‘n’ roll band. Maybe they aren’t perfectionists and technical wizards but rock ‘n’ roll isn’t about perfection. They aren’t as sloppy as a band like Poison but they have just enough to lend extra charm to their shows.
Live & Loud 2009 is a great representation of what the band is all about. I’m sure the usual touch-ups were done in the studio (in fact I think I hear Josh Todd backing himself on the vocals at one point) but I can say that if anything was changed, the changes were very minor because I know what they sound like live. I actually saw the band on this tour, unfortunately they weren’t recording for this album at the show I went to near Detroit. The whole album was recorded over the course of a few shows in Canada in May 2009.
The album basically doubles as a “best of” and features 5 tracks from 2008′s Black Butterfly which is a good thing because I think that’s their best album yet. The only track off the top of my head I think they missed out on including is “Too Drunk…”. Which is really weird because it was Black Butterfly‘s lead single and was a minor hit on rock stations. What’s even more strange is on the reissue of Black Butterfly it was replaced by the band’s cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” (a song they recorded for NASCAR). I guess that explains not including it here but why would you remove a single from the album in the first place? The song caught a lot of flack for being a too similar to “Crazy Bitch” but I still love it.
Speaking of “Crazy Bitch”, it’s the highlight of the album. In a live setting, the band adds a bit of funk to it and Josh Todd’s stage rap introducing the song is good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll debauchery and fun. The version here is 7 min 37 sec but when I’ve seen them they’ve stretched it out to about the 10 minute mark.
Upon release, the album was going for about $9.99 but I picked it up for $7.99. I’m not a huge fan of live albums but for bands I really love I’m more prone to buy them. I’m glad I picked this up and anyone who isn’t sold on Buckcherry’s studio albums may be able to appreciate this release a bit more.
Highlights: “Tired Of You”, “Next 2 You”, “Broken Glass”, “Check Your Head”, “Lit Up”, “Talk To Me”, “Rescue Me”, “Everything”, “Crazy Bitch”
