The OTHER Hair Metal Blog

Joe Elliot’s Down N Outz – a tribute to all things Mott!

Down N Outz - My Regeneration

Let me get this outta the way – normally I hate tribute albums. In fact, I loathe them. Most tribute albums are lazy and weak. Yet, as I say these words, two albums that I play quite a bit on my iPod are indeed tribute albums – Def Leppard’s Yeah!* And Mandy Moore’s Coverage. Oye! I guess I better watch my words, but it’s true.

When I heard about Joe Elliot’s Down N Outz, I have to say that I yawned. Joe has teamed with members of The Quireboys, and the opened up for the Mott the Hoople reunion show over the great BIG pond in the UK. What was once considered a one-off show has grown a bit in scope – the Down N Outz have recorded an album which features songs from Ian Hunter, Mott (Mott the Hoople without Ian or Mick Ronson) and British Lions (a band made up of some ex- Mott the Hoople members). And it’s great!

One of the things that I like about Def Leppard’s Yeah! is the production, and Down N Outz’ My ReGeneration is almost as well crafted. If there’s anything to knock, it’s that when Elliot tries to sing out of his range, then it sounds really strained. Other than that, Down N Outz’ My ReGeneration is a collection of rock songs that have flown under the radar here in the US. Most of the album (ten out of thirteen tracks) is included on a a free bonus CD that comes with the imported edition of Classic Rock (buy at Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.com). Grab it while you can!

* I’ve read on a lot of message boards that a lot of casual fans think that Def Leppard’s Yeah! sucks. But for me, the guitar harmonies are worth it alone. Def Leppard’s Yeah! is a great sounding album, but I tend to skip two obvious and worn out covers – David Essex’s “Rock On” and The Faces’ “Stay With Me.”

Related review of Joe Elliott’s Down ‘n’ Outz – My ReGeneration (Album Review)

Enuff Z’Nuff RAWKS with Dissonance rock.

  

Enuff Z’Nuff returns to the mainstream rock scene with Dissonance. After twenty years together, the partnership of Donnie Vie and Chip Z’Nuff shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Enuff Z’Nuff sounds better than ever. Although the title track could stand a little editing, it has a great hook and nasty guitar, and the lyrics of “Lazy Dazy,” “Altered States” and “Chicago” lean into autobiographical territory.  It’s pretty funny as Chip, who sings lead more times on this release then on any others, croons “they left my ass in Holland,” which refers to the Adler’s Appetite tour that abruptly ended when Steven Adler went AWOL. Easily the most accessible track on Dissonance, “Altered States” is a prime piece of rock/pop songwriting that deserves plenty of attention with what few radio stations there are left that still might play quality new rock n’ roll. Covers of “When Doves Cry” and “Run for Your Life” are also quite entertaining, although at first glimpse I thought that their inclusion was just lazy. But I was proven wrong, especially with “When Doves Cry.” Although there are a few months to go in 2010, this just might get my vote for Album of the Year.

Enuff Z’Nuff – welcome back! Dissonance is a solid effort.

Track listing: 
1. Dissonance 
2. Fine Line 
3. Lazy Dazy 
4. Rollaway 
5. High 
6. Altered States 
7. Playground 
8. Sometimes 
9. Joni Lynn 
10. Chicago 
11. Code Red (Bonus track - Studio Outtake) 
12. When Doves Cry 
13. Run For Your Life (Bonus track - Studio Outtake)

Buy Dissonance on Amazon.com.

Preview Dissonance in a new fan created YouTube.com video.

New TATU rings

Popmatters gives new Ratt CD a glowing review.

Is this glowing review based upon a nostalgic affinity for Ratt? Or is there a second coming for these classic 80’s hard rockers? Popmatters.com gives the latest Ratt CD “Infestation” a glowing review. Now I am always a sucker for a comeback story, and it looks like the boys in Ratt have done well with their new release.

Here are some highlights:

"The taut, crisp riffs and dual guitars are back intact, with Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo proving a good replacement for the late Robbin Crosby, who passed away in 2002. Singer Stephen Pearcy sounds 20 years younger, his trademark snarl on full display and displaying more range than on Ratt’s early ‘90s material."

"The furious rhythm riff that drives “Eat Me Up Alive” sounds like it was lifted straight off Invasion of Your Privacy..."

" ‘Best of Me’ is even stronger, Cavazo and DeMartini nicking a snappy, sunny riff from Van Halen as Pearcy takes some undeniably goofy lyrics (“I’m not a liar and I don’t care / I’m gonna make you play truth or dare”) and sings them ebulliently, without a trace of irony."

Read the entire review at Popmatters.com.

Blog Post: Introducing Black Tide!

Music blog Rock Revival writes about a group of youngins that have totally embraced the 80's classic glam rock/hard rock/heavy metal sounds. Ladies and gentlemen, here is Black Tide!

"Here's a great album i just listened to, the recent winner of Kerrang!'s Best Newcomer Award, Black Tide."

"What sets them apart is both the quality of the music and their youth. The lead singer is only 15 years old and they have alrady opened for the likes of Lordi, Static-X, Lamb of God, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold and All That Remains."

"Their debut album Light From Above, was released on March 18, 2008. Blabbermouth.net stating the album contains 'Big, sometimes pop-based, melodies meets crunchy, guitar-driven metal that falls somewhere between thrash/traditional metal and the dirtier end of '80s glam/hair metal'."

"Dan Epstein of Revolver Magazine saying 'Listening to the debut album from Miami's Black Tide is a little like stumbling across a cool late-80s metal record you'd completely forgotten about. A very promising debut'."

"Despite their youth they are certainly not ignorant of their roots: they have started performing Prowler - an Iron Maiden cover - on their current tour. The album also contains a cover of Metallica's first written song, 'Hit the Lights'."

Read the rest of this Rock Revival post about Black Tide...

Music review: Goin' retro with Enuff Z'Nuff

Fore (or is it four?) score and many music trends ago, Rolling Stone’s review of Enuff Z’Nuff’s debut album actually inspired me to get my ass of the couch, run to the mall, and make a purchase. The local record store had one copy – and I gobbled it up. And “Enuff Z’Nuff” did not leave my CD player for the next year.

From RollingStone.com.

Once upon a time, metal was metal, plain and simple. Then some idiot came up with the term speed metal, and the genre exploded into a bunch of nasty little subcategories. Today, we have to decide whether a band is just plain metal (Zeppelin, Black Sabbath), or speed metal (Metallica), or thrash metal (Anthrax), or death metal (Celtic Frost), or funky metal (Living Colour), or glam metal (Faster Pussycat) or, God forbid, commercial metal (Poison). And just when we think we're hip on the ever-growing lexicon, a new band comes bopping along and throws us a curveball.

Such is the case with Enuff Z'Nuff. This flashy foursome has stumbled into a territory previously uninvaded by longhaired noisy types and emerged with its own entry in the metal-hybrid sweepstakes. Marry the guitar crunch of vintage Cheap Trick with the melodic genius of XTC or Squeeze, and there you have it: Beatlesque metal.

The songs on this album – from the soaring harmonies and sizzling six-string backwash of "New Thing" and the badass boogie of "She Wants More" to the hypnotic "In the Groove" – have one common trait: deadly pop hooks. But nobody's trading hard-earned metal stripes for wimpy whimsy here. The band's sweet melodies are shot through with vicious guitar and solidified by drummer Vikki Foxx's heavy-handed backbeat.

Vocalist Donnie Vie is going to be plagued by Robin Zander comparisons (on "New Thing" and the striking "For Now," the vocal similarity is eerie), but it's not as if the members of Enuff Z'Nuff had pulled a Kingdom Come and had a field day with another band's legacy. The band's influences are audible, but they're revamped with equal measures of raw power and quirky pop inventiveness.

Read more of Rolling Stone's review of "Enuff Z'Nuff"...

Peter Criss CD One for All is hit and miss according to Blogcritics.org

Uh-oh. Apparently Peter Criss' latest CD just doesn't cut it.

Music Review: Peter Criss - One for All
Written by Chris Holmes
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/07/26/090638.php

Longtime KISS fans recognize that Peter Criss has always lived a double life, musically speaking. On the one hand there is the hard rocking Catman, found on songs like "Hooligan," "Baby Driver," and "Dirty Livin'." On the other hand, there is the tender side of Criss, most evident on his 1978 solo album and the classic 1976 ballad "Beth."

Criss's first solo effort since 1994, the self-produced One for All,
falls squarely in the latter camp. In fact, it's even more subdued
than his '78 solo effort. Of the 12 songs on the album, only one
("Heart behind These Hands") gets any warmer than a simmer. In and
of itself that's not a problem, unless listeners were hoping for
something harder. What is a problem is Criss, as much as he
obviously poured his heart into One for All, lacks the songwriting,
singing, and production chops to carry an entire album.

Read the entire review at BlogCritics.org

What fans on YouTube.com say:

"I bought 3 songs from the new cd on iTunes and want my $3 back. What a piece of shit. Makes Gene's solo shit sound like Sgt. Pepper." cagwa

"Hmm...I wouldn't call this the best solo album he's done. Not by a long shot." MiggoZero

"Typical Peter Criss. You will either love it or slit your wrists 30 seconds into the song. No middle ground here."  ToxikVideo

Enuff Z'Nuff - Greatest Hits (But Maybe Not The Greatest Legacy)

If Enigma wasn't already taken by another musical performer, then it would be fitting for the good ol' boys in Enuff Z'Nuff to change their name to that. Enuff Z'Nuff's career has always been puzzling and somewhat difficult to understand. Yes, it's been an Enuff Z'Nuff enigma. Oh, such alliteration!

Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits is available now. One listen to the 1-2-3-4 punch of the first four songs ("New Thing," "Fly High Michelle," "Mother's Eyes" & "Baby Loves You") might just leave the average listener slightly bewildered. The question is - why weren't these songs anywhere near a genuine hit single? Now I don't mean just some song lurking in the bottom of Billboard's Top 100 for a few weeks. I mean heavy MTV rotation and Top 40 radio airplay. Did the band's initial appearance convince their potential audience that (at least at first glance) Enuff Z'Nuff was just another Poison/Warrant/Slaughter/Winger-esque group? Sure, the hair was teased high and the lips were more than just slightly glossy. The shine might have blinded an albino. Is there a scarier sight to behold than Chip Z'Nuff's pursued lips? I think not! Okay, well maybe there is. Enuff Z'Nuff first image is not nearly as grotesque as a Sally Struther's hosted infomercial or a live autopsy. And every musical era has a certain look that is relevant to the times. Late 1960's hippies wore tie-dye. Disco revelers twirled in sparkling bellbottoms. The original punks had green hair (but no Green Day). New wavers bopped around in pointy shoes. Grungers wore their flannel proudly. And today's music scene wears its banality on its sleeve. So what if the late 80's rockers adopted what they considered charming androgyny? It certainly got Motley Crue laid!

I'd like to believe that - in a perfect musical world - the songs, and not just the fashion, should be remembered the most. Sadly, sometimes this is just not true. Unless your name is Springsteen.

All Hail Monaco!

Simply put, the best $8.00 I have spent this year has been on Johnny Monaco. I can’t exactly say that I favor the concept of the EP (less tracks than a normal length CD), and I would have been willing to pay $20.00 for a few more songs. Yes, it is that good.

Jani Lane - Back Down To One

Back in the day - and we're talking the late 80's - I failed to pay much attention to the band Warrant. I never thought heaven was too far away. Didn't cared where the down boys went, or felt the need to find out what happened down at Uncle Tom's cabin. And I never really liked cherry pie, anyway. However, after the band fell from the charts and totally disappeared from MTV, an odd thing happened. Warrant's Best Of found itself on my desk and I decided to give the band a fair shake. Much to their credit, Warrant has some easy to digest pop metal songs. They aren't so bad after all.