50SHR #26: Great White (Montana)

 
50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #26: MONTANA

Band: Great White
Release: Hooked
Year: 1991
Line-up: Jack Russell (vocals), Mark Kendall (guitars), Michael Lardie (guitars, keyboards), Tony Montana (bass), Audie Desbrow (drums)

Track Listing:
1.  Call it Rock N'Roll  3:56
2.  The Original Queen of Sheba  4:39
3.  Cold Hearted Lovin'  4:19
4.  Can't Shake it  4:41
5.  Lovin' Kind  4:44
6.  Heartbreaker  6:44
7.  Congo Square  6:57
8.  South Bay Cities  5:24
9.  Desert Moon  4:32
10.  Afterglow  5:49

Fletchanator's comment: So far in this series I've had to do a couple of slight cheats in order to fill slots, but this is the most cheatiest cheat I've done so far. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I couldn't for the life of me find any hard rock/hair metal bands from the sparsely-populated northwest state of Montana. So I present to you Great White, a California band, with a bassist named Tony MONTANA *hangs head in shame*. Besides sharing his last name with the state, he also has the same name as the main character from the movie Scarface.
Even the most casual of rock music fan will be familiar with Great White's big hit Once Bitten Twice Shy. Most will also be aware of the infamy the band gained due to the fatal club fire at one of their shows in 2003. Thankfully they have moved on from that tragedy, albeit in a splintered faction, with singer Jack Russell fronting Jack Russell's Great White (with Montana also in the fold) and Kendall, Lardie and Desbrow playing in... Great White. Can't we all just get along guys?
But let's head back to 1991 for their fifth studio album, when all the boys were still functioning together. Following on the heels of the hugely-successful Twice Shy album (with the aforementioned big hit), Hooked had a lot of expectations riding on it. It didn't reach the heights of its predecessor, lacking a big hit single, but did reach #18 on the Billboard charts and was well-received by fans and critics.
Hooked is a fine album, continuing the polished sound from Twice Shy, while ramping up the bluesy elements. Desert Moon, Original Queen of Sheba and Heartbreaker are the standout tracks in my opinion, while their cover of Small Faces' song Afterglow is another highlight. Highly recommended!

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50SHR #5: Asphalt Ballet (California)

 
50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #5: CALIFORNIA

Band: Asphalt Ballet
Release: Asphalt Ballet
Year: 1991
Line-up: Gary Jeffries (vocals), Julius Ulrich (guitars), Danny Clarke (guitars), Terry Phillips (bass), Mikki Kiner (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   Hell's Kitchen   2:55 2.   Soul Survive   4:22 3.   Tuesday's Rain   4:18 4.   Unlucky Mr. Lucky   3:47 5.   End of My Rope   4:03 6.   Heaven Winds Blow   3:55 7.   Blood on the Highway   4:00 8.   Goodbye Yesterday   4:33 9.   Wasted Time   3:40 10.   Taking a Walk   4:03 11.   Hangman Swing   3:42 12.   Blue Movie   3:52 13.   Do it All Over Again   2:19

Fletchanator's comment: Let's face it, I could have chosen from dozens (if not hundreds) of glam metal/hard rock bands that were formed in Los Angeles for this pick. San Francisco also had a good number of hair metal bands back in the day. But I decided to go for a Californian city that doesn't get as much love - San Diego.
From that southern Cali locale came Asphalt Ballet in 1991 with their self-titled debut, which actually sounds like crawled out of the backwoods of Georgia or another state in the old south. Their sound is less Sunset Strip and more southern hard rock, in the style of Dangerous Toys and Sister Whiskey. So expect a bluesy edge and the odd harmonica solo.
The highlight of this album is undoubtedly Gary Jeffries' voice. He has a slight rasp, but rather than going full-rasp like a Tom Keifer he sings more cleanly and keeps the rasp for the edges of his singing. Asphalt Ballet did manage a follow-up album - Pigs - in 1993, but replaced Jeffries with Axl Rose soundalike Tommy Dean. Jeffries went on to front the band Alligator Stew and today tours with his own southern rock band, The Gary Lee Jeffries Band.
 

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Enuff Z'Nuff - Strength (1991)

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line-up: Donnie Vie (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Derek Frigo (lead guitar), Chip Z'Nuff (bass), Vik Foxx (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Heaven or Hell   2.   Missing You   3.   Strength   4.   In Crowd   5.   Holly Wood Ya   6.   The World is a Gutter   7.   Goodbye   8.   Long Way to Go   9.   Mother's Eyes   10.   Baby Loves You   11.   Blue Island   12.   The Way Home/Coming Home   13.   Something for Free   14.   Time to Let You Go

Fletchanator's comment: Enuff Z'Nuff is a band that I feel doesn't get enough love these days. In a time when a lot of glam hard rock bands were following a similar formula, this Illinois quartet brought something new to the table. Their mix of glam, hard rock and psychadelic-era Beatles harmonies was a real breath of fresh air and sounds just as good today as it did back then.
This is Enuff Z'Nuff's second album, and while it doesn't contain the hit singles of the debut, in my opinion it's their best release, extremely strong from start to finish. My favourite tracks are Strength, Baby Loves You, Heaven or Hell, Missing You and Mother's Eyes.
If you don't already have this album, you need it!

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Javan - Somewhere in the Night (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Bernd Martin (vocals), Oliver Schwung (guitars), K.B. Hard (guitars), Rainer Herrmann (bass), Winni M Schap (drums), T.J. Rath (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.   Moon   2.   Somewhere In The Night   3.   Call My Name   4.   Time Of Revival   5.   Back In My Life   6.   In My Heart   7.   Can't Get Enough   8.   Vicious Rumours   9.   Our Love   10.   Eyes   11.   Sophisticated Women   12.   Dreams

Fletchanator's comment: Javan are a German band that as far as I know only put out this one album. It's an interesting slice of melodic hard rock, sometimes bordering on melodic heavy metal but mostly having an AOR-ish sound thanks to the keyboards. Singer Bernd Martin has a strong voice that sounds like he should be fronting a power metal band (and has a prominent German accent in places) - I'm not sure he perfectly suits the kind of music Javan plays. This one will appeal to fans of keyboard-oriented AORish hard rock bands like Zinatra and 1st Avenue.

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Kik Tracee - No Rules (1991)

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line-up: Stephen Shareaux (vocals), Michael Marquis (lead guitar), Gregory Hex (rhythm guitar), Rob Grad (bass), Johnny Douglas (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   Don't Need Rules   3:18 2.   Mrs. Robinson   4:33    3.   You're So Strange   4:36 4.   Trash City   4:46 5.   Hard Time   4:24 6.   Big Western Sky   4:53 7.   Generation Express   5:21 8.   Soul Shaker   4:31 9.   Tangerine Man   4:46 10.   Lost   4:58 11.   Velvet Crush   3:44 12.   Rattlesnake Eyes (Strawberry Jam)   4:06 13.   Romeo Blues   4:46 14.   Fade Dunaway   0:41

Fletchanator's comment: Now here is a fantastic band that came along too late in the day to have any lasting impact on the scene. This, their debut album, was released in 1991 and we know how the music landscape was shaping up by that stage (*cough*grungepocalypse*cough*). They did release an EP a year after this, but the writing was on the wall by that stage.
This album is produced by Slaughter bassist Dana Strum, so you get highly-polished production, reminiscent of Strum's own band. In terms of sound, Kik Tracee are a little difficult to peg down. The closest I could get would be to say they sound like Guns n Roses mixed with Slaughter mixed with Saigon Kick. But whatever the recipe, the end result is excellent and is worth hearing just for Stephen Shareaux's distinctive vocals.
The stand out tracks are You're So Strange and Trash City, but you also get a pretty-good Simon & Garfunkel cover (Mrs Robinson) and a string of other great tunes. It's a shame Kik Tracee hit the scene in 1991 and not 1986/87, because I could have seen them having a great career. Kik Tracee rocks!

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Vain - All Those Strangers (1991)

Country: USA
Year: 1991/2009
Line-up: Davy Vain (vocals), Danny West (guitars), James Scott (guitars), Ashley Mitchell (bass), Tom Rickard (drums)

Track listing:

1.   Love Drug   2.   Planet's Turning   3.   Shooting Star   4.   Too Bad   5.   Far Away   6.   Wake Up   7.   Freak Flag   8.   Here Comes Lonely   9.   Shouldn't Cry   10.   Do You Sleep With Strangers?   11.   Looking Glass

Fletchanator's comment: The follow-up to Vain's stellar 1989 debut No Respect (currently the most-downloaded album on this blog) was recorded in 1991. However, the band's label, Island Records, was bought out by Polygram before the album could be released. Vain were dropped by the new label bosses and the recordings never saw the light of day - that is until Davy Vain self-released the album in 2009.
If you're a fan of No Respect (and why wouldn't you be?) you will love All Those Strangers, as it continues with the same vibe and sound as the debut album, full of sleazy guitar licks and Davy Vain's uniquely-distinctive voice. You need this!

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EZ Livin - After the Fire (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Peter Henrics (vocals), Hans Ziller (guitars), Hermann Brauer (bass), Jurgen Wiehler (drums)

Track listing:

1.   Die 4 Rock   4:06 2.   Body Talk   3:40 3.   Too Late for Paradise   4:57 4.   Ez Livin'   3:39 5.   See the Tears   4:43 6.   After the Fire   4:35 7.   Rockin' Into the Night   3:31 8.   Taste My Sweet Love   3:26 9.   Too Hot to Handle   3:33 10.   Take Me    4:00 11.   Hold On   4:02

Fletchanator's comment: After he was fired from Bonfire in 1989, lead guitarist Hans Ziller created EZ Livin. Ironically Bonfire vocalist Claus Lessmann was originally planned to be the singer for EZ Livin (while remaining in Bonfire) but record company inteference stopped that. Lessmann and Ziller would reunite in the band EX in 1995, then in Bonfire in 1995. This was the only EZ Livin album until 2014's Firestorm.
Due to Ziller's stellar guitaring, this EZ Livin album ("After the Fire", get it?) naturally sounds a lot like Fireworks/Point Blank-era Bonfire, but with a harder, melodic metal edge. Henrics' voice is also higher-pitched and more raw than Lessman, but good in its own right. This is much better than the Ziller-less Bonfire album that came out the same year, Knock Out!

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Heartline - Gentlemen Agreement (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Jojo (vocals), Michael (guitar), Sergio (guitar), Heiko (bass), Rabin (drums).

Track listing:

1.	Balls Have To Roll
2.	Listen
3.	Living On A Frontline
4.	Takin' Water To The Sea
5.	Too Late
6.	Need You More
7.	Young Heart
8.	Don't Taste The Fire

Fletchanator's comment: This one's a bit of a rarity and goes for decent money on ebay (two up for grabs for $50 and $65 right now). From the information I've been able to gather, this is the only release by German five-piece Heartline. The songs are nothing too special and the production value is average, but this one will appeal to fans of heavier-edged hard rock with high-pitched vocals, ala Dirty Looks, Heavy Pettin' and Warrior. Not as good as any of those bands IMHO, but still a good listen and pretty damn rare, so this should be a welcome addition to any collection.


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The Four Horsemen - Nobody Said It Was Easy (1991)

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line-up: Frank C Starr (vocals), Haggis (guitar), Dave Lizmi (guitar), Ben Page (bass), Ken Montgomery (drums)

Track listing:

1. Nobody Said It Was Easy2. Rockin' Is Ma' Business3. Tired Wings4. Can't Stop Rockin'5. Wanted Man6. Let It Rock7. Hot Head8. Moonshine9. Homesick Blues10. 75 Again11. Lookin' for Trouble12. I Need a Thrill / Somethin' Good

Requested by: Janos

Fletchanator's comment: Now this is a great album, by one of the best (and unluckiest) bands from the late 80s, early 90s LA rock scene. Formed by former Zodiac Mindwarp member and touring member of The Cult, Haggis, these guys really did capture lightning in a bottle with this album.
Unfortunately its release was delayed because of singer Frank Starr's drug activities, and then a second album ended up being a disappointment because Haggis (who wrote most of this one) had left by then. Starr died in the late 90s after a motorcycle accident (see, I told you they were unlucky).
Soundwise, this is pure southern hard rock. Take a pot, throw in some Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Crowes, Cinderella, Jackyl, ACDC and Dangerous Toys and you've got The Four Horsemen. Grab yourself a glass of moonshine, sit back and enjoy!

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Atomik Cocktail - Metal Rages On (1991)

Country: USA

Year: 1991

Line-up: Todd Plant (vocals), Bruce Batten (guitars), Jim Williams (bass), Russ Hammock (drums)

Track Listing:
1.   Times Square   3:43 2.   Foreplay   0:55 3.   Passion Attack   4:49 4.   War Zone   3:47 5.   Metal Rages On   5:27 6.   Road Warrior   3:22 7.   Hard as Nails   5:59 8.   Cutthroat   3:05 9.   First Born   4:41 10.   Don't Lock Me Out   3:28

Fletchanator's comment: The one and only album released by this Florida-based band, which rose out of the ashes of Brat (in which both Batten and Hammock featured). Todd Plant subsequently sang for bands like Eye Witness and Millenium, so if you know those bands you know that he's got a great voice. This one is towards the traditional heavy metal or even power metal end of the spectrum (with song names like War Zone, Road Warrior and Hard as Nails) but also crosses into more melodic territory on songs like Foreplay and Passion Attack. Killer guitar licks, excellent singing, tight musicianship - Atomik Cocktail are great and definitely worth checking out for any fans of melodic heavy metal (ala Riot or Shok Paris). This was re-released by Retrospect Records a few years back but is OOP.

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Adrenalin Kick - Bad Reputation [1991]

Country: UK

Year: 1991

Line-up: Mick Pritchard (vocals), Dave Cooke (guitar), Adre Kania (guitar), Darren Richardson (bass), Mac (drums)

TRACK LISTING
1. DeHumanize
2. She's Got Me Runnin'
3. Get Up
4. Turn Me On
5. Rough Stuff
6. Beware the Stranger
7. Million Miles
8. All I Want
9. Cold, Tired and Hungry
10. Bad Reputation

Fletchanator's comment: This album is pretty damn hard to find - I've seen it sell on ebay for $50. English rockers Adrenalin Kick put out just this one hard rock album (they sold out and released an industrial metal album in 97), which reminds me in parts of a heavier Warrant (especially the vocalist and the over-used gang vocals). Nothing spectacular and the production is subpar but again it's worth a listen.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Contraband - Contraband [1991]

Country: USA

Year: 1991

Line-up: Richard Black (vocals), Tracii Guns (guitar), Michael Schenker (guitar), Share Pedersen (bass), Bobby Blotzer (drums)

TRACK LISTING
1. All the Way from Memphis
2. Kiss by Kiss
3. Intimate Outrage
4. Bad for Each Other
5. Loud Guitars, Fast Cars and Wild, Wild Livin'
6. Good Rockin' Tonight
7. If This is Love
8. Stand
9. Tonight You're Mine
10. Hang On to Yourself

Requested by: Rex Rogers

Fletchanator's comment: Contraband were a bona fide hair metal supergroup, featuring members of Shark Island (Black), Ratt (Blotzer), Vixen (Pedersen), LA Guns (Guns) and MSG (Schenker). They put out just the one album, which followed an unplugged session featuring Ratt and Vixen, with Schenker as guest guitarist. Unfortunately the combined effort doesn't really live up to any of the bands the members came from, but that's not to say it's bad or anything. The kind of straight forward rock that resulted makes you think these guys just got together and jammed. There's a definite old fashioned rock 'n roll sound to it.

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Cadillac Bratz - Fasten Your Seatbelts [1991]

Country: USA

Year: 1991

Line-up: Michael "Spaz" Seville (vocals), Wade Jackson (guitar), Chris Morriah (bass/keyboards), Joey Cotola (drums)

TRACK LISTING

1. PYBUM (Put Your Body Under Me)

2. Don't Be Afraid

3. Diamond Disease

4. Hurt So Long

5. Over EZs

6. Down Dirty Detroit

7. Save It

8. Drivin'

Fletchanator's comment: Here we have another one-and-out band who showed plenty of promise but didn't get any breaks in the industry. Miami's Cadillac Bratz play a straight forward brand of radio friendly party rock, sounding like a mix of Europe, Danger Danger and Trixter. Nothing really standout, but good honest melodic hard rock.

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Radio Active Cats - Radio Active Cats [1991]

Country: USA

Year: 1991

Line-up: Shel Graves (vocals), Ian Espinoza (guitar), Ron Maldonado (bass), Michael Graves (drums)

TRACK LISTING

1. Shotgun Shack

2. Hold On Tight

3. Bed of Roses

4. Finger in the Pie

5. Standin in the Rain

6. Love Razor

7. Cry on my Shoulder

8. Think About Love

9. Cheap Mascara

10. Knock Knock

11. Wet Hot Sweat

Requested by: Khairul

Fletchanator's comment: Another one-album band, Radio Active Cats have an interesting sound, mixing a country twang and a hint of blues into hard rock with a fair share of sleazy lyrics. If you don't mind a bit of country with your rock, you might dig this.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Kill City Dragons - Kill City Dragons [1991]

Country: UK

Year: 1991

Line-up: Billy G. Bang (vocals), Steve Von Saint (guitar), Dave Tregunna (bass)

Track Listing
1. I Don't Want (Anything From You)
2. That Ain't No Lie
3. Devil Calling
4. Fastest Way Down
5. King Of The Cats
6. L'il Suzy
7. Stepping Stone

Fletchanator's comment: This was the only album recorded by UK glam sleazesters Kill City Dragons. Formed by American guitarist Steve Von Saint, a veteran of the LA scene who had played with future members of LA Guns and Faster Pussycat. KCD adopted the sound of the LA sleaze bands, with some English hard rock influences. The vocals vary between the raspy style of Tom Keifer/Brent Muscat and a more clean delivery. Nothing great, but it's fairly rare and an above average sleaze rock offering.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

White Trash - White Trash [1991]

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line up: Dave Alvin (vocals), Ethan Collins (guitar), Aaron Collins (bass), Mike Caldarella (drums)

Track Listing
1. Apple Pie
2. Don't U Judge Me Do
3. Take My Soul
4. Po' White Trash
5. Backstage Pass
6. Lil' Nancy
7. Buzz
8. The Crawl
9. Baby
10. E.D.A.S.E.
11. Party Line
12. Good God
13. Prayer B4 Pizza

Request of: Tim S

Fletchanator's comment: This is one for those who like their hard rock with plenty of funk. After all, it's not every day you find a rock band with a horn section. This line up put out just the one album, before singer Dave Alvin got rid of the horns and put out another straight forward rock album in 1994. The sound on this self-titled release is best comparable to Ugly Kid Joe. It's not my cup of tea, but it was requested, so here it is.

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Chrissy Steele - Magnet to Steele [1991]

Country: Canada
Year: 1991
Line up: Chrissy Steele (vocals), Brian Macleod (guitar), Pat Stewart (drums)

Track Listing
1. Love You Til It Hurts
2. Armed And Dangerous
3. Move Over
4. Love Don't Last Forever
5. Try Me
6. Two Bodies
7. Murder In The First Degree
8. King Of Hearts
9. Magnet To Steel
10. Two Lips (Don't Make A Kiss)
11. Cry Myself To Sleep

Fletchanator's comment: The one and only solo recording by Canadian rock chick Chrissy Steele. Not only was she hot, but this chick could seriously sing. Some of the songs on this album were written by Loverboy's Mike Reno, so expect plenty of material about love and relationships. The other songwriter was Jeff Paris, who wrote some of Vixen's biggest hits - it's no coincidence then that Chrissy Steele ends up sounding like a one-women Vixen at times (the ballad Love Don't Last Forever is the best song Vixen never recorded).

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Dangerous Toys - Hellacious Acres [1991]

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line up: Jason McMaster (vocals), Scott Dalhover (guitar), Danny Aaron (guitar), Mike Watson (bass), Mark Geary (drums)

Track Listing
1. Gunfighter
2. Gimme No Lip
3. Sticks And Stones
4. Best Of Friends
5. On Top
6. Sugar, Leather And The Nail
7. Angel N.U.
8. Feel Like Makin’ Love
9. Line ‘Em Up
10. Gypsy (Black n’ Blue Valentine)
11. Bad Guy

Fletchanator's comment: Dangerous Toys formed in Austin, Texas in 1981, but didn't release an album until their self-titled effort in 1989. This is their follow-up to that album, which continued their success. Songs like Gimme No Lip and Line 'Em Up got plenty of airplay back in the day, and being the sucker that I am for good hard rock ballads, I like Best of Friends a lot. A cover of Bad Company's Feel Like Makin' Love is included amongst a line-up of southern hard rock tunes that'll have your toes tapping.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Southgang - Tainted Angel [1991]

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line up: Jesse Harte (vocals), Butch Walker (guitar), Jayce Fincher (bass), Mitch McLee (drums)

Track Listing
1. Boys Nite Out
2. Love For Sale
3. Georgia Lights
4. Love Ain't Enough
5. She's Danger City - Seven Hills Saloon
6. Tainted Angel
7. Big City Woman
8. Shoot Me Down
9. Russian Roulette
10. Aim For The Heart
11. Groove

Fletchanator's comment: The second of two albums released by this four-piece from Georgia, who were originally called Byte the Bullet. Their sound is melodic hard rock, sounding very similar to Warrant and Trixter. Legendary producer Desmond Child oversaw this album.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Guitars from Hell [Unreleased 1987-1991]

Country: USA
Year: 1987-1991
Line up: Vinnie Vincent (Guitars), Robert Fleischman (Lead Vocals tracks 1-7), Andre LaBelle (Drums), Chris Lee (Bass), Jeff Scott Soto (Lead Vocals track 8), Jimmy Waldo (Keyboards track 8)

Track Listing

1. Rocks On Fire
2. Nuke It
3. Shocker
4. Invinvible
5. Truth
6. Full Shred
7. Wild Child
8. Youngblood

Fletchanator's comment: You probably know the story about guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who was in KISS for a short time. After leaving that band he formed Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which released two albums - a self-titled album in 1986 with Robert Fleischman on vocals, and All Systems Go in 1988 with Mark Slaughter (later singer for Slaughter) on vocals. After Slaughter left, Fleischman came back, and the band recorded material for a third album, Guitars from Hell. But the album company went bankrupt and it was never released. This is a bootleg copy of the record, which (as you'd imagine from Vincent) has awesome shredding guitars. As a bonus the last track is from 1987 and has the amazing Jeff Scott Soto on vocals.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)