Richard Kendrick -- Reviews

I like the guys at Versailles Records, but I think these tribute albums have reached their use-by date.
A few guest stars appear for each volume and the rest is made up of the same names and faces and at times, the same tracks from past releases re-appear.
In the case of this Guns N Roses tribute, the notable names are Jizzy Pearl, Tracii Guns, Gilby Clarke, Joe Lynn Turner and Phil Lewis. Trouble is, the quality is just too varied to make a consistent release.
Highlights include Drama Queen Die's Think About You, the ever reliable Richard Kendrick's version of You Could Be Mine and then Jizzy, Tracii, Gilby and Randy Castillo join forces for Sweet Child O Mine, which is more or less faithful to the original and the vocals of Jizzy sound pretty cool.
On the other side of the coin Joe Lynn Turner appears as part of The Slashtones doing Pretty Tied Up. I love Joe but bloody hell, this track sounds like utter shite and he might regret being involved on playback. The sound quality is horrid and the backing vocals laughable.
And that is the biggest problem with this whole project. The sound quality is for the most part very average.
Hearing little known bands such as Valerian, Radio Vipers and Joe Town perform songs other well known artists have already paid tribute to just doesn't add up to an essential purchase.

"Its So Easy is a wonderful collection of GNR's most poignant tracks, 'Paradise City,' 'Its So Easy', and 'Night Train' are all done well by various artists including One Bad Son, RadioVipers, and Jizzy Pearl. A must listen for GNR and rock fans alike."

177 months after the release of the 'Use Your Illusion' albums, we are still waiting for the new studio album of Axl and his new pals. During that long period more Guns N' Roses tribute albums have been released than GNR originals will ever see the light of day. 'It's So Easy - A Millennium Tribute To Guns N'Roses' is yet another tribute. Richard Kendrick co-ordinated this project and recruited a handful of familiar names like Tracii Guns (one of the founders of GNR), Gilby Clarke (also ex GNR), Jizzy Pearl and Phil Lewis. The remainder of the musicians are less known, almost all played in a famous band on a blue Monday, but I am not going to bore you with names and details.

Does this tribute album add anything to the original versions? The answer is no. The seven songs from 'Appetite For Destruction', three from 'Use Your Illusion' and 'Patience' hardly differ from the originals and never surpass the GNR versions. That of course is no surprise as 'Appetite For Destruction' is one of the best debuts ever and the third best selling hard rock album of all time (after Led Zeppelin IV and 'Back In Black'). The one song we have to mention is 'Patience' that is sung very well by Jasy Andrews, a woman I have never heard of before.

The last few years (too) many tribute albums have been released. Most of them add nothing to the original versions, but as soon as bands alter, intensify, speed up or do a totally different take on a familiar song, matters tend to get interesting. Country versions of Kiss and Metallica song were funny and the blue grass takes on Van Halen classics were also quite enjoyable. To simply copy the original has been done too many times, certainly with the really big bands in the genre.

These all-star tribute albums for classic rock bands are something to be wary of when they get released. Mostly because a small collection of about five different small rock labels (including Mausoleum, Rock Candy, Deadline, Anagram and Cleopatra) have a habit of rereleasing the same tribute songs on CDs with different covers and different names. There’s another particular Guns N’ Roses tribute album, for instance, that is available under three different titles on three different labels with an identical collection of songs. However, there’s no need to be so wary here. This is a new album featuring many new takes on the classic GN’R songs.

They’re not all new. Jizzy Pearl’s version of Sweet Child O’ Mine with help from Tracii Guns of Brides of Destruction and former GN’R guitarist Gilby Clarke comes from a previous tribute release (the presence of now-deceased drummer Randy Castillo should give this away to most), but the other ten tracks are new versions recorded specifically for this release. Most of them stay pretty true to the originals but, dare I say, rock a little harder. That’s not to say better. There’ll probably never be a better version of a Guns N’ Roses song than the original, but they nearly all heavier.

Based on this fact, there’s little point talking about every track on it’s own. Suffice to say that they’re all hard-rocking, well performed covers. It’s only really worth picking out where things differ. The first instance of any artistic license comes with Derrick LeFevre’s version of Rocket Queen. His performance of the song is suitably accurate, but the guitar solo provided by Richard Kendrick (who’s own version of You Could Be Mine kicks off the CD) is simply awesome.

L.A. Guns front-man Phil Lewis and ex-Slash’s Snakepit/Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli join forces for a reasonably standard version of Nightrain which comfortably re-captures the groove of the original, and Finnish rockers Valerian turn in a slightly heavier version of Mr Brownstone before Drama Queen Die’s brilliant acoustic version of I Think About You.

The best, however, comes towards the end with One Bad Son’s impassioned version of Civil War. Brilliantly delicate in the right moments, and then when the song explodes in true rock style, this version doesn’t with a much heavier guitar tone than the original, marking this track out as one of the best GN’R covers there’s ever been. The performance is superb and vocalist Shane Volk is only one this album that retains his own vocal style and doesn’t try to sing exactly like Axl. Lewis and Pearl are distinctive enough because we’re all familiar with their voices by now, but the others really do try to stay as true to the original vocal lines as possible. Volk does this as well, but in his own voice, which is much grittier than Axl’s.

Joe Delaney and cohorts from many of his bands come together with House of Lords guitarist Jimi Bell for a really gritty, heavy version of Paradise City, Delaney’s voice being much deeper than Axl’s, but equally as strong and the guitar work from Bell, as anyone familiar with his work will be unsurprised to hear, being quite superb. Lastly former Rainbow/Deep Purple singer Joe Lynn Turner teams up with Harry Slash and his Slashtones to close the album with reasonably accurate version of Pretty Tied Up, probably the most unusual choice of cover song on this particular CD.

There’s only one thing wrong with this release, and that’s Jasy Andrews‘ cover of Patience. It’s not a bad cover. In fact, it’s a very good cover. But it sounds so unbelievably, jarringly out of place against the other ten tracks that it’s impossible to resist the urge to skip it. We all know Patience isn’t a heavy song, but Jasy’s version is so soft and delicate it belongs on an all-girl love songs compilation or something. Unfortunately for Jasy, who is a fantastic singer by the way, her track does not belong here. It’s obvious it doesn’t, and is therefore equally obvious that the label have included it purely because she is one of their very few recording artists and this, so they think, is good exposure. While this is certainly true for Richard Kendrick, One Bad Son and Radio Vipers, who are all also on Versailles records (the US record label responsible for this album) it is not true of Jasy. The reason being all three of the others are hard rock acts who will appeal to those buying this CD. Jasy isn’t a hard rock artist, and won’t. The exposure idea is a solid one, but the artists need to be put on releases that are going to appeal to a similar audience. Just in case though, if female singer/songwriters are your thing, check out Jasy’s debut double album Little Girl, which includes her version of Patience in the correct setting.

On the subject of the planned exposure, this CD has done its job, prompting me to check out Radio Vipers who’s version of It’s So Easy appears here, One Bad Son, Joe Delaney’s American Trash and Richard Kendrick’s bands Near Life Experience and Straitjacket Smile. All four bands are absolutely superb. I’ve even bought Near Life Experience’s debut 2002 album. Both Radio Vipers and One Bad Son release debut albums this year in Europe (both are already out in the US) and Kendrick is in the process of recording Straitjacket Smile’s debut double album, due for release later this year. Also look out for these artists to appear on forthcoming Versailles Records tribute albums for Motley Crue (including a new version of the Vince Neil-era Home Sweet Home by Neil’s replacement John Corabi), KISS and a harder rock tribute to GN’R.

Die-hard GN’R fans should love this. The versions are all excellent and it just might introduce you to some new bands you might like. Obviously if you’re not familiar with Guns N’ Roses (where the hell have you been?!), you’ll be needing to buy their albums first before taking a look at this one, but make sure you come back to this, it’s a hard-rocking reminder of the greatness of the original band. Axl’s new Guns N’ Roses return this year with new album Chinese Democracy and a new tour. Jukebox will bring you all the news from the sold-out warm-up show in London next month, but for now you could a do a lot worse than check out these new takes on the old classics.

Just Like Paradise - A Millennium Tribute To Diamond David Lee Roth. Before I get started with the music I have an issue with the fact that 6 of the 12 cuts here have already appeared on the label's 2003 tribute to Van Halen and 3 of those make their third appearance here having also been on their 2002 tribute to Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Having said that, Just Like Paradise is a sometimes enjoyable trip through 12 cuts that at times stick a little too close to the original (or in the case of the dead on, note for note cover of "Hot For Teacher" by the Van Halen cover band Hot For Teacher way too close), but at others they veer enough to really stand out. Among the highlights here are Corey Craven's "Tobacco Road", "Panama" featuring vocals from Richard Kendrick and killer guitar work from Jimmy Crespo (ex-Aerosmith), the down and dirty Southern swagger of American Dog's "Take Your Whiskey Home", the bluesy "Goin' Crazy" from Blues Saraceno and Chris Catena and my 2 favorite cuts "Shy Boy", which is given an extra heavy treatment courtesy George Lynch on guitar and vocals from Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth, Godzilla Motor Company) and TNT's Tony Harnell and Enuff Z'nuff's "Yankee Rose", which is surprisingly heavier than the original, but just as catchy.

Just Like Paradise: A Millennium Tribute to Diamond David Lee Roth
2005, Versailles Records
3.5/5

12 musical tributes to one of Hard Rock’s greatest frontmen. Featured on this collection are some well known and some not so well known musician’s doing DLR related tracks. The songs here cover both his VanHalen work as well as his solo material.

Of the 12 songs featured here there is an even split between solo and VH material. Both are equally as good. The main thing that is apparent on the disc is the great guitarists featured throughout. There is everyone from George Lynch to Rowan Robertson to Blues Saraceno, even the unknowns do a spectacular job of recreating the originals. While they are no Vai’s or Eddie’s they do hold their own and add to them in places.

The weakness on this album is largely in the vocal category. None of these singers can top Dave’s vocal’s in any of these songs. Dave is truly a unique singer that cannot be imitated and he makes every song his own. Some artists here try and even do the ad-libs but fail and fall flat.

Overall it is a decent tribute disc and one of the better ones out there. It’s great to see some of these musician’s still around and playing.

As with all tribute records, whether or not you like the artist that is being mimicked and can also see any point in tributes in the first place, will already tell you if these two albums will be worth learning more about. With Bon Jovi and David Lee Roth being the subjects here, the likelihood is that at least one – if not both – of these artists will interest you, and furthermore after the rather excellent All Star Tribute to Iron Maiden this year, I’m not about to suggest that tribute albums are all pointless, money-grabbing affairs.

“Always: A Millennium Tribute to Bon Jovi” isn’t bad. But then nor is it particularly great. Whilst Derrick Lefevre deals admirably with “Living on a Prayer” and Versailles Records’ fantastic Jasy Andrews provides a refreshing female take on “I’ll Be There for You”, the album also suffers from a few merely average performances. “You Give Love a Bad Name” (featuring Corey Craven) and The Issues’ version of “It’s My Life” aren’t awful attempts, but the songs are so regularly played throughout everyday life, that it almost seems tiresome to hear them spun out by anything other than the real thing. That said the in-form Jizzy Pearl (his latest album “Vegas Must Die” is worth a listen) does leave behind a good impression on “Bad Medicine” as does Colin Brice on “Run Away”. (2/5)

“Just Like Paradise: A Millennium Tribute to David Lee Roth” has both a longer title and a bit more going for it. A mixture of Lee Roth’s material from Van Halen days and beyond, this compilation benefits from the fact that many of the songs on show here also require a guitarist to interpret Eddie Van Halen’s virtuosity as well. It means that “ Panama” and “Shy Boy” (featuring Tony Harnell) are particularly good tracks on a tribute album that has a little added zip. That said, it’s hardly groundbreaking and a VH tribute act perform the track they’re named after (“Hot for Teacher”) which does seem a little cheap on a tribute album if we’re honest. (3/5)

The Bon Jovi tribute, Always - A Millennium Tribute to Bon Jovi also has several cuts that stick a little to close to the original, but overall is definitely he better of the two. Standouts here include Jasy Andrews beautiful female vocals and piano arrangement of "I'll Be There For You", the bluesy "Wanted Dead Or Alive" from Tony Janflone Jr, Jani Lane's "Lay Your Hands On Me", the stripped down, acoustic "Billy Get Your Guns" from One Bad Son, John Corabi's (Union, Motley Crue, The Scream) edgy sounding "Born To Be My Baby" and the highlight of the album Jizzy Pearl's high energy spin on "Bad Medicine". As with almost every tribute CD out there both of these are hit and miss, but should be really fun listens for fans. (Versailles) - Geoff Melton

Always: A Millennium Tribute to BonJovi
2005, Versailles records
3/5
This musical tribute to one of the most popular band’s of the 80’s contains mostly unknown player’s. This recording covers BonJovi’s entire recording careear including his solo material.

The standout on this disc is undeniably Jasy Andrews’ cover of “I’ll Be There For You”. Her stellar voice coupled with a piano adds more to the classic piece than you could imagine. Even though it does have aslight country sound to her voice she does a remarkable job. Clearly an amazing vocalist that will definitely go far. Hearing Warrant members doing some BonJovi is interesting to say the least as both artists ruled the air at the same time.

An interesting collection that is worth it for the Warrant and Jasy Andrews tracks alone.

Comments: Take a bunch of established names in Rock Music, add a few newbies, then toss in some of the best Melodic Hard Rock songs in history and what do you get? A mixed bag of good, bad, and downright awful … that's what. Tribute albums are always (ha!) hit and miss. You never know what you're going to get. Most of them are cash cows for the label, and a way to jumpstart their name by grabbing once popular names for one-off's. One has yet to come across a tribute album that is consistent and high quality from beginning to end. This Bon Jovi tribute is certainly no exception.

There are some strong moments on the album. Jani Lane does a good rendition of "Lay Your Hands On Me." He sticks very close to the original and proves once again that he's one of the most underrated voices in the business. Newcomer Jasy Andrews does a stirring piano and vocal take on "I'll Be There For You" … sort of like Norah Jones minus the jazz. Derek LeFevre does a nearly identical version of "Living On A Prayer," complete with talk box and vocal harmonies. Nothing special, but familiar enough to kick off the album well and not scare anyone off. John Corabi and Jizzy Pearl do respectable jobs on their chosen tracks, "Born To Be My Baby" and "Bad Medicine." Jizzy adds that sleazy, near Punk vocal tone.

The Issues efficiently butcher "It's My Life" with its altered drum patterns and weak vocals. Colie Brice attempts a true-to-the-original take on "Runaway," to poor results. The tempo drags, the vocals are weak, and the overall sound is just bad. The stripped down acoustic presentation of "Stick To Your Guns" is borderline laughable. The voice Jason Andrews lacking all feeling and the necessary emotion to pull off a song like that in such a naked setting. Corey Craven gives "You Give Love A Bad Name," the bad bar band treatment as well … almost there, but changed enough to know he just can't pull it off vocally.

Obviously, as with any tribute album, this would be for the die-hard Bon Jovi collectors, rabid fans of the "name" players here, or the mother's of the remaining players. Buy only if you're one of these.

Track Listing:
1. Living On A Prayer
2. I'll Be There For You
3. Blaze Of Glory
4. Wanted Dead Or Alive
5. Lay Your Hands On Me
6. Billy Get Your Guns
7. You Give Love A Bad Name
8. Born To Be My Baby
9. Stick To Your Guns
10. Bad Medicine
11. Always
12. It's My Life
13. Never Say Goodbye
14. Runaway

In Jasy Andrews, a new breed of musical flower bloomed in 2005, something of a cross pollination between the musical purity of Elton John's piano balladry on classics like 'Candle in the Wind' and 'Tiny Dancer', and the lyrical honesty of Bob Dylan or Laura Nyro's bravest folk pop moments. Still, Andrews has a song-writing style that is as exotic to anything we're hearing on the radio right now as Tori Amos was when she first popped up on the scene 15 years ago. Andrews and Amos draw an immediate comparison- not merely because they are comptitively talented as singer/songwriting contemporaries- but more importantly because of the ground Andrews' threatens to break with this 18-song masterpiece. Amos made 'Little Earthquakes' in 1991, but Andrews is on her way to carving out a musical landscape all her own as the millennium and her own career continue to flourish. For the moment, the singer/ songwriter has given us a musical gallery of emotional color and resonance that literally covers the entire female experience. Every feeling along that spectrum is spoken for- from love to heart ache; yesterday's regret to tomorrow's promise of a chance to fall in love anew. Jasy writes with a lyrical wisdom which precedes her tender age of 26 both in terms of its maturity and its insight. Musically, Andrews- an operatically trained vocalist- offers one of the broadest vocal ranges since Sinead O'Connor, both in terms of its soaring heights and and resonant depth. A classically-trained pianist- Andrews' composes her melodies with a natural accessibility not heard since those of 'Rumors' by Fleetwood Mac. She also involves enough exploration and experimentation in her musical sonnets to draw comparisons to Pink Floyd's 'Animals.' Both were instant classics, and 'Little Girl' immediately joins that company.

Called 'Little Girl' by its composer, Jasy Andrews, this album in fact is quite a grown-up affair, beginning with the seemingly-peppy 'Keep It Up', which musically suggests a celebration is in order, while lyrically Andrews chides her character's 'All's well' façade. On 'Who Was Wrong?' she seems to tongue-in-cheekly explore the ironies of action and consequence in passion and sin, pondering "Every night at bedtime should I pray? And if I forget will my soul be okay, or later will there be hell to pay?" Perhaps the most refreshing thing about this song is the fact that Andrews doesn't assign blame to anyone, or even point fingers, rather she suggests directions to look toward within ourselves for answers, pointing out that "my additions belong to me and only me, there's a difference between what we watch and see." 'I'll Do That Much', the second song on the first disc, is arguably the most beautifully flawless ballad to come out of the past decade. This song is impossible not to fall immediately in love with, and is sure to be a number one radio hit some day. The most musically impressive aspect of the song- aside from the perfectly-pop chorus, are the angelic harmonies Andrews' laces atop her already-perfect lead vocal. Another of the most moving ballads on disc one is 'Warmth to Keep Me', which tears human need down to its most basic and bare threads, asking metaphorically if love can strip us naked "like the homeless man on the corner, his only shelter on his shoulders." The fourth song on disc one, 'Free', is perhaps the most confounding lyrically of the entire album, and this is meant as a compliment, because Andrews actually forces her listeners to ponder through the waves of hesitance and longing which compete throughout- and thematically define- the song lyrically. Musically, it could have come from Mozart's own private stash of unpublished tunes. It's a song you'd pull off the road and just listen to if it came on your radio, if for no other reason than to hear Andrews' lament the song's main protagonist's being "free to be what you want, its bitter sweet when you only care to dream, here's your last chance to be real." His song is perhaps the most musically accomplished song on the first disc, both because Jasy's music gets a chance to feature a full-jazz band instrumental, which drive the chorus's gorgeous, bells-skipping chorus.

Disc two of this gorgeous opus may as well be its own album altogether. It runs thematically akin to the first in overall terms, but as with disc one- each song stands on its own conceptually, even as it ties in the same time together to the next. It's the equivalent of watching a series of mini-movies like 'New York Stories', directed by Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen among others, where each character has an overarching problem in common with an individual condition and prescription. Andrews takes Scorsese's mastery at story telling and Allen's brilliance for human wit and creates real characters in each of the disc's different musical journeys. The diversity of this overall collection is stunning, both in the vastness of the thematic emotional ground it covers, but specifically on disc two, the different ages of womanhood that are individually dealt with, as well as the accuracy with which Andrews' fleshes out each of those periods. For instance, on 'Slide Show', she's clearly in love for the first time- but she could be 16 or 36- the experience like the song is timeless, and musically, this is perhaps the strongest potential hit on the second disc. One of the song's many universal-to-first-time love moments finds the singer plotting, "I'll be clever pass you by, till I think of something smart to say, and I'm hoping you don't follow me, but I'm praying you're dying to." This is something we've all done, and in many of the lines which ornament this album, you feel as a listener you're living vicariously through Andrews' own experiences, simply because they are all our own. Jasy is just speaking for us all, and in the disc's second track, 'Little Girl', she does so most poignantly out of any song on the albums' 18-tracks. This song is an instant anthem, and I predict within a few short years, there will be an arena of women singing along word for impassioned and tortured word. On one of the song's more tragic but beautifully honest acknowledgements comes when Andrews' character asks "you got a problem with what you see? Then look away before judging me, cause little girls aren't always what they seem, especially when they're down on their knees." A beautiful ballad of promise comes a bit later in the disc on 'I Already Knew'- written according to the singer for her fiancé and drummer Chris Lambert- in which Andrews' finds enough belief in love's promise to have whatever necessary faith is required in her journey toward its eventual end, revealing at one point that "I'm here holding you so far away...its worth it for me to lose me to you, cause you are what you seem, and I already knew." On perhaps the most haunting track on the second disc, 'Best Days', Andrews' character knows she must stay to face the demons contained in the song's lyrics, but still admits if she could, "I would leave this place, I would leave this body, I would leave this place, I would leave my past, and all mistakes I've made, then regret would be another page to crumble up and throw away." The uplifting element of the song's message is that she's brave enough to stay, even in spite of whatever she clearly fears facing in the course of the song. This writer's gift for non-specifics- which would be a distraction- in times like the latter moment- and her parallel ability to leave enough room for interpretation by her listeners to put themselves in the song in the first person is truly astonishing. It's a feature of all Andrews' songs, an ability to avoid filler, and to allow room for her listeners to grow not only from- but in the same time within- her songs.

Overall, this album has few flaws if any. I couldn't find them if they do exist, but I'm sure part of the magic of this album's success in representing the female experience is that if flaws are discovered, they will be on the part of listeners in their own personal translations of the album's many themes of love, loss, hope, and happiness at the end of the rainbow. Every color is explored here in its full scope, and that is another of its many beauties as a larger collection. In a recent interview I read with Jasy Andrews online, she further fleshed out the latter theme in terms of her songwriting process, explaining that "I see music in colors when I write, so each song on this album represents a different shade of the female emotional experience, be it pain or happiness, in love and in life. This album is in many ways a soundtrack to the world I see around me. Each of the 18 songs on this record tells a different story that autobiographically speaks for someone, so I believe there's something for everyone to relate to." This listener, for one, agrees. In doing some further research on this album's critical coverage thus far, I came across one male Neanderthal who called Andrews 'fourth-generation Joni Mitchell', and the beauty of 'Little Girl' is that she proves herself- and any of her listeners- a world more musically enlightened and emotionally evolved than this moronic wanna-be critic would ever be. Angry men will resent this album for its truth, but respect it in the same time for the fact it was dead-on in the shit it calls them on. It's a real step forward for communication between Venus and Mars though, if the listeners from Mars have the strength to listen and learn. One thing is proven already, Andrews is a true star that in time will shine as brightly as anything cosmic we've ever held up in admiration or adulation musically. Jasy Andrews is arguably the bravest songwriter to come along since Joni Mitchell or perhaps Loretta Lynn, but still takes the struggle one step further for the millennium in the name of what she calls 'the Little Girl in all of us.' In spite of the album's title, you will feel both older and wiser after a single listen to this entire musical masterpiece. Much like a diary in its lyrical honesty, Andrews clearly seeks for her listeners to discover even a little bit of their own truth by the record's end. In truth, its merely a beginning for both her listeners, as well as for this remarkable talent herself in career-terms. Expect to look back on Jasy Andrews 25 years from now and feel like an entire generation was inspired by and out of her musical catalog…

- Jasy Andrews is a talented singer/songwriter who creates beautiful music. Her debut, double album "Little Girl" is a stunning collection of lyrical vision. Although there are many gifted female artists, there is always room for another. In a business that changes every 15 minutes, Andrews shows that she has staying power.

Every song on "Little Girl" is full of soul and passion, and Andrews’s feelings emanate through her music. Songs that exemplify this include “Free” and “ Slideshow.” Aside from Andrews’ original compositions, "Little Girl" features amazing covers of standards. Her performance of “Private Dancer” is breathtaking. I might prefer her version of “I’ll Be There For You” to Bon Jovi’s.

Jasy Andrews has the gift, both lyrically and vocally speaking, to make a lasting impression on the music industry. "Little Girl" will not be the last we hear from this artist.

Richard Kendrick plays a style of rock that brings to mind the music of Stryper and, believe it or not, Elton John and the Eagles. None of it can be considered heavy metal but most can be considered hard melodic rock. Fans of those bands and that type of music will find something to like here.

"Murder and the F Word" is a plentiful CD, with 17 tracks running a total of just about 60 minutes. Unfortunately, it's an uneven hour, running the gamut from solid rockers ("I Know Why," Sherri's Song," "Share This Tender Moment") tolerable rock songs ("One Life Stand," "Start Again") and nearly intolerable, sappy ballads ("Don't Fly Away," "Questions and Prayers").

One thing is certain: Kendrick, formerly of the bands Dark August, Straitjacket Smile, and Mudbone, is a talented and multi-faceted musician and songwriter. His favorite band is Queen, and their influence is seen throughout "Murder and the F Word." If there was just a wee bit more balance throughout this CD, it would be a much better listen.

... Moving onto Richard Kendrick a man who is either a genius or a complete madman, the choice is yours. He has just released "Murder And The F - Word" a seventeen track CD that seems to cover most of the rock spectrum and then some. Coming across like Queen with Gary Cherone of Extreme on vocals and Steve Vai on guitar and complete with over the top harmonies and cool riffs this is one CD that is going to cause a stir. You will either love it or loathe it such is it's diversity and if I had to describe him then I would just say thet he is the Frank Zappa of the modern rock world. Songs like "Share This Tender Moment" are the work of an inspired genius while "Now I'm Alive" is outhere somewhere and will leave you scratching your head in disbelief. To see what I mean go to www.richardkendrick.com

Powerplay Magazine's AOR Underground Column is written by Mark Hoaksey. This review is featured in issue #34 and it will be avaiable at the end of June, 2002. Copies of Powerplay Magazine can be ordered at the following price: UK £3.50, Europe £4.50, World £5.50. Payment by cheque, postal order or International Money Order in British Pounds to "Powerplay". Send your order to: Powerplay, PO Box 6586, Nottingham NG12 2PF, England UK. Please allow 28 days for delivery. Any queries contact Mark Hoaksey at mark@powerplaymagazine.co.uk.

Versailles records has presented to me one of the biggest review challenges yet! a 17 song CD! So what do I have to say to them back, you asking yourself? "Murder and the F-word" rocks! It's packed with great songs, that are high energy rock anthems to sing along with. I absolutely love this album! These songs are well written, fun, and to put it in lamens terms, BUY THE F$%*in CD, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED! Excuse my French, but Richard started it. Anyways, I really think fans of hard rock, metal and hair bands will love this CD. It in some ways reminds of old school Extreme, but with a heavy edge. Kendrick is one outstanding player, he's got smokin' chops and the guy can sing too! As he puts it: "the album is a concept album and " ... F-Word" was intended as a nod to all of my artistic influences:
B-Movies, Horror/Science Fiction novels and Big Overproduced Hard Rock."

I'm also amazed that he played everything on the CD; guitars, bass, drums, vocals, recording, and mixing, The sound quality kicks for an independent release. I tested it out in my car with my CD player cranked up real high, it jams! Kendrick recorded everything in his home studio, and man did he have lots of gear to do it with. So lets get on with the review.

Track one, "I Know Why" opens with a pretty little keyboard intro that then turns in to a upbeat boppin' riff that is overly infectious. The rest of the song will keep you jamming for sure. The choruses are very huge, so get ready to sing along with Richard on 'em. His main lead lead smokes, using some pentatonic phrases and some cool trem use. I also like the blend of effects that were added into the guitar tone, a nice personal touch. Also check out his lead fills between choruses and verses.

"One Life Stand" song two, is a slower heavier number, with plenty of great guitar work and vocals. The choruses are very catchy in this one as well. 02:01 marks the main lead section. It opens with a cool riff that's drowned with a flanger effect. For rest, he tosses some great harmony leads you'll dig for sure. This is a real upbeat one that gets happier sounding towards the end. It's one you'll be repeating a lot.

Song three "Don't Fly Away" opens with melodic keyboards accompanied by some soulful vocals. 00:56 marks one of the many mini harmony guitar leads, nice and slow bends that will cut right through you. This song is a real mellow number, so get your woman and slow dance to this one. I think I heard this one at my high school prom. I also love the mix in this song, it's very layered and atmospheric sounding, in another words it very full sounding. The main lead is another great slow harmony lead, the tone on them is to die for. This song should appear on the next "POWER BALLADS" CD for sure. The girls will love this one, it's so melodic and it'll keep you singing harmony vocals along with Richard.

"Start Again" track four, is my favorite track of the cd, because it sticks out from the rest and has a killer vibe. Secondly the lyrics crack me up like nobodies fool. It's a slow paced one, that has almost a lounge, and Latin feel to it. I CAN'T EXPLAIN, I'LL BE SURE TO ASK RICHARD ABOUT IT IN THE UPCOMING INTERVIEW! The song also packs in some great heavy metal riffing in the chorus parts. It blows me away because, Kendrick hits ya with a groovy vibe, then brings in the metal influenced chorus section. Kendrick has writing down to a science, these song flow with ease, no abrupt changes. In the main lead Kendrick tears it up with speed runs, and arpeggios, need a say more? Also check out all his fast palm muted runs, they are one of the highlights as well.

"Sherri's Song" song five, opens with a massive rhythm and lead section, that will wake you the hell up. It's very melodic and happy sounding. This combo stuck me as being great instrumental song, until the vocals came in, then the song got even better. Richard packed in great guitar riffs and vocals for sure. He was going for over produced songs, and I think he went beyond that. This song screams out in harmony and melody. The main lead is huge, mixing it up a bit with speed, bends, and arpeggios. Along with that, the mini lead breaks are a big addition to the song, and help each part flow into the next. Also, check out Kendrick's killer harmony vocals. How does he do all that singing at once? (wink wink)

Song six "Share This Tender Moment" opens with an eerie sounding keyboard line, sounds like something out of a B-movie or a mystery type computer game. Hey was this song in the 7 Guest game? After that Richard goes nuts with some heavy duty drop tuned riffin'. I highly recommend cranking this song loudly while driving! Suggestion: Pull up to that yuppie in there Mercedes SUV and break there windows with this one! (Note from the webmaster, we are not responsible for an damage inflicted on any vehicle, we were just trying to bring a point across, thank you...). I think this song should have been called "Share This Brutal Moment."

"Don't Touch" track seven is another slower number with melodic keyboards and vocals. I love Kendrick's lead throughout the song as well, they are real upbeat and exciting. His choice of guitar tone was interesting as well for this one. It's very mid range ish. Reminds me of Stryper's guitar tone. This is a radio friendly song too, so get ready to sing along. Again get ready for a interesting main lead section. Kendrick covers lots of ground using an odder sounding feel. I really like the lyrics in this song, their really fun. Also, check out the weird sounding lead section.

Track eight "Questions and Prayers," bleeds in from from song seven. I had to rewind it a few times to catch the break. Kendrick does some really odd vibratos over laid with some insanely creepy guitar effects in this little number.

"Now I'm Alive" track nine, has a modern sound to it. The drums have a sorta hip hop feeling to them, so that was different sounding. But don't worry it's like that Limp Biscuit crap! I also like the keyboard accents that drop every so often. Kendrick's guitar playing is real heavy in this one, using drop tuned guitars. So you metal nuts will dig this one.

"Losing My Place" song ten, is a slower number that carries on the "Fame, Faith, Farrago" montage. Cool melodic leads for sure.

Track eleven "The Pieces," continues on where the last song left off. Slow at first, then hittin' hard with some faster rhythm guitar playing and speedy leads. I still can't get over Kendrick's song writing abilities, these songs merge into the next one with out you even knowing it.

"How Many Times" twelve is another huge vocal song that will keep you singing along. Great production on this one. The ladies will like the mushy lyrics on this one. Richard also kicks in some very melodic aucstic guitar in this one. It was a real treat, the album has been pretty hard hitting so far, so this piece broke it up nicely.

Track thirteen "Freedumb" is heavier number that has a cool slow chug riff that will scare the crap out of you, its a real evil rhythm. I also liked the lyrics in this track, very thought provoking. The main solo in this song contains a very really cool harmony part. I also like his use of melody in it as well.

"The Flood" track fourteen, is a short little number with some great multiple part vocal harmonies. Just goes to show that Kendrick's voice is really good and he displays a wide range with it.

Song fifteen, "Laughin' Myself Goodbye" just rocks out with cool riffs, lyrics and a great groove. Big choruses and big guitars for sure. I can just picture this one being played live at a concert. It's a great song, with great production. This song would easily be a radio hit. Time to sing along folks!

Track sixteen "Reprisal" opens with some cool shredding and amusing laughing noises, then it kicks into an interesting keyboard theme. A mix a classical and modern orchestral styles of music.

Last but not least "The Attitude Song" song seventeen, starts out with some interesting shred runs; rewind them a few times, they caught my attention. In fact, this track is a full blown instrumental guitar number. Kendrick really gave us a nice montage of guitar playing in this one. He can tear up the boards and be melodic at the same time.

Looking back "Murder and the F Word" was a very interesting and fun cd to review. Richard Kendrick's vocals smoke just as much as his guitar playing does. This cd is one for all kinds of hard rock fans. Guitar players will love the killer Kendrick riffs and leads. Fans of sing along music will defiantly get their monies worth, seeing that every vocal track has a huge chorus section. The production and recording quality is awesome. Sounds like Kendrick spent a lot of time getting tones, recording, and mixing this beast. I highly recommend picking up this album if your looking for something new and fun to listen to. I really enjoyed this one and it made it into my travel cd case, so I carry it with all my other favorite cds all the time! Kudos to you Rich for a F'in good cd!

Richard KENDRICK: "Murder And The F-Word" 6
Versailles Records 2002

Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom 02-02-16

Murder And The F-Word (which f-word would that be?) is, to say the least, a very complex concept album. Not complex like in 'hard to understand' rather than very various sounding. It's basically a mixture of all kinds of hardrock, with main focus on the melodic genre though. Richard Kendrick is a multi-talented musician, who besides serving as lead guitarist for New Orleans based 'Staitjacket Smile', is also, pretty much single handedly, responsible for a lot of the musical background's on tribute albums to Cult and Satriani/Vai at Versailles Records (see reviews elsewhere at this site).

This is his first solo album though, and while the label describes this as a cross between Dream Theater, Whitesnake and Queensryche. Would I really like to include Extreme (the less 'funky' stuff) and even Queen. It's very symphonic, melodic, yet progressive music at the same time. There are 17 tracks to be found here and it's for sure value for your money. On the other hand, it almost seems like Kendrick had too many ideas spinning around in his head. Just waiting to be released for many years by now, since the material do not really stand the test, throughout the whole album.

"I Know Why" is a horrible boogie rocker and a very strange choice as opening track I must say, since it's the weakest track of them all here. Some of the highlights would be: "Don't Fly Away", a lovely semi ballad. "Sherri's Song" with some fabulous guitarwork and a vibe alá Firehouse/Stryper. "Share This Tender Moment" is a superb, progressive tune! Again with some excellent guitarwork (I absolutely love his tone). Same goes with "Losing My Place", and "How Many Times" which is a great ballad a-la Extreme/Queen. "Freedumb" is a heavier, funk metal track with lovely vocal harmonies. As a bonus you can also find the 'Steve Vai' cover "The Attitude Song", from the excellent Satriani/Vai tribute CD here. There's no doubt about it though, this is a very talented artist and a excellent guitarist. Even if some of the stuff included here, are just too weird and average for me. More info at: www.versaillesrecords.com or www.richardkendrick.com

'Murder and the F-Word' is the first Richard Kendrick's solo album, where he plays a fresh hard rock. The album, with 17 songs and lasting almost one hour, will amuse all the fans of this style, a quite original combination of hard rock and progressive rock, a cross beetween Dream Theater, White Snake and Queensryche.

Without being masterpieces, all the songs are good and catchy, quite different from each other, going from light rock songs (like the first one, 'I know why'), to hard rock ones (as the intrumental song 'The Pieces' and the powerful 'Laughin Myself Goodbyef') and progressives songs like 'Freedumb'. The music is not very fast, and uses a lot of voices in the choruses with a very good result.

The production of the album is quite good (the sound is more than acceptable), so, in addition to the quality of the songs, I'd say that 'Murder and the F-word' is a nice album, which won't disappoint those who like this style of music.

Richard Kendrick

We have good news rock fans, there are actually new artists coming out these days that have integrity. They stick to playing the music they love, damn the current trends. This month we are pleased to put the spotlight on Richard Kendrick, a gifted guitarist and songwriter who just released his debut solo album “Murder and the F Word!”, it’s great stuff for those who grew up listening to guitar heroes, Richard doesn’t care what the radio is playing at the moment, he knows the kind of music he loves and he delivers it. The album I found out during the interview is in fact a concept album, which listening to it after learning that fact really takes things to a new level beyond just being a great guitar rock album. So strap yourself in and learn more about Richard Kendrick and his new CD and then use the links to check out the music and purchase the CD for yourself.

Time Magazine recently singled out the iconoFan Network’s antiMUSIC.com site along with RollingStone.com as the two most “notable” among fan interactive music sites.

Time said of antiMUSIC’s CD Reviews, “No-holds-barred, attitude saturated reviews from die-hard fans assessing the merits and shortcomings of new …albums.” -Time Magazine, Aug 27, 2001; pg. 59

Richard Kendrick - A superbly gifted all around musician who just happens to be one of today's greatest guitar players. Richard combines over the top guitar chops with some of the best song writing I have heard in a long, long time. His vocal powers are also nothing short of excellent. His recent release "Murder and the F Word" is a musicall melting pot of Progressive, Hard Rock, Melodic masterpieces. You owe it to yourself to check out this one man musical force!Read The Interview.

Richard Kendrick - "Murder and the F Word"
Richard Kendrick strikes out on his own with “Murder and the F Word”. Don’t let the title fool you; this is a CD of varied influences with great guitar chops and suburb vocals. Bands like Queen, TNT, Night Ranger and Dream Theatre come to mind when cranking this CD for the first time. The guitar work is very melodic with injections of over the top excursions into the unknown. Just listen to Kendrick’s cover version of Steve Vai’s – “The Attitude Song” and you will see what I mean. Every track contains some very ambitious guitar work with emphasis being placed on the M (melody) word. Kendrick down plays his own vocal abilities in the liner notes, but damn the boy can sing. I have not heard vocal harmonies like these since Bohemian Rhapsody – can you say multi layered!!

The CD is divided into 5 sections – loosely based on a conceptual theme throughout. All of the songs stand up on there own and put forth a great hard rock feel. Obviously Richard is making a nod of respect to the blazing 80’s on most tracks. Kendrick’s originality is showcased throughout the CD. He is very masterful at combining the campy vibes of hard rock with some amazing progressive passages – a cool combination that draws the listener in, you never know what is coming next!

Kendrick is an all around musician with a high degree of finely tuned skills. Musicians, musician with compositional, guitar and vocal chops to die for. Murder and the F Word is a first rate solo effort - I predict we are going to hear much more from this versatile musical force.

Richard Kendrick (U.S.)- "Murder and the F Word" (2002 Versailles Records)
I was a bit leary on ths guy at first since he contributed to many tribute compilations on a national release level but that never seems to get my vote on the musicians in general since "cover" song compilations are a dime-a-dozen like us writers doing reviews. This CD is original material and damn! if I wasn't floored from the start; it's not even instumental either! Critics called this a cross between Whitesnake, Queensryche and Dream Theater. Sorry dudes, I think you're way off base and listened to something other than Richard Kendrick; I guaranteee you I can throw you one better. Perhaps Mr.Big, Damn Yankees, King's X and Night Ranger? with a huge Brian May influence? I stress this point emphatically simply because of the harmonized vocals and the music period. Guitar-wise, we can throw in Nugent and Randy Rhoads also with May (May's a huge one and "Don't Fly Away" is just one example).

Richard already mentioned of not venturing full-time in the vocal department but his voice is very good and crosses the lines of Jack Blades and Don Henley. An absolutely pleasing CD with everything you could want as far as heavy rhythms, "balls-out" guitar soloing and very catchy and original licks. One for the collection and an attribute to the guitar-oriented Rock/Metal fan.

After guesting on a series of Versailles compilations/tribute albums, Mr. Kendrick finally drops his pants for a spotlight all his own. Despite the grim and subversive album title, this is really a large batch of harmless fun, save for some serious ballads. Tracks like "I Know Why" and "Sherri's Song" are whimsical giddy-up-and-go guitar rockers while "Start Again"'s pulsing piano recalls the suburban angst of Foreigner. However, there is more. Much of the disc focusses more developed pieces that rely on piano and lofty production at times, but not always conventionally. "Share This Tender Moment", for instance, may sound like a Barry Manilow title, but quickly abandons a sucker intro and kicks into gear, showing a twisted side to the guitarist/vocalist's paradigm. This makes the album and it's carefree nature a bit more than we might expect and all the better for it. - Rock Devil

The advert for this album by multi-instrumentalist ( and voiced) Richard Kendrick was intriguing enough, promising a cross between Queensryche, Dream Theatre, and Whitesnake( huh!), but the reality is rather different. Plenty of theatre, and think Queen and Queen plus, with a little extra intent in the guitar department, a nod and a wink at Noel Coward camp, and something special seems to be a brewing..oh and a bit of Queen. Opener ' I know why' with Kendrick crossing, despite his protestations in the liner notes at his vocal talent, the Nelson twins with a soucpcon of Tommy Shaw, and some of the most ambitious harmonies this side of 'A Night at the Opera' or The Sweet jamming with Caballe. Clearly, a man who cannot face a harmony without adding just one more..and then...dare he...another one. 'One Life stand' rolls in atop a De Garmo gone May riff; Kansas meets Freddie vocal arrangements, and a Leppard-esque segueway into a guitar/keyboard interplay; whilst 'Don't Fly Away' is best viewed as 'My melancholy blues' with a touch of Journey's yearning, and a certain spare elegance; and 'Star again' is Rychian guitar flurries, a Roxy Music verse, and a certain gilded wit, detailing how "nice guys finish last apparently". There's so much in this album, with a thread,a concept twisting through proceedings, it's almost pointless trying to encapsulate the vision andv ambition in a few words: other than to suggests that the waltz and wit of 'Don' touch' sort of snapshots the whole. Not a multi-million dollar production but a solid one, and if you like Queen, and all those suspects who have paid even a passing homage-and you know who they are-then all is left to do is, in the man's own words, 'strike up the band baby'.

Recently, Versailles Records submitted two new releases. One being their excellent Vai / Satriani tribute album 'Lords Of Karma' and the other being this debut album by Richard Kendrick.

Other than being released on the same label, the link between the two would be Mr. Kendrick himself, who does a great version of Vai's 'The Attitude Song' on that very tribute album. On this one it's featured as a bonus track. ;)

Now I suppose some of you have heard this man's name before. I myself must admit it didn't ring any bells. The bio sheet included states that Kendrick has backed up quite a few solified stars in the studio, amongst which names like Guns 'n Roses, Aerosmith, TNT, Night Ranger, Lynch Mob, Tuff, Ratt and loads more.

So the guy knows what he's doing. Duh!!! I didn't need that list to tell me this. A couple of spins of 'Murder And The F-word' would have told me quick enough ;)

The album is labeled a 'concept' album. Now don't run off screaming, I have found that the concept is very thin, and Mr. Kendrick even admits to that in the (way cool) liner notes. The album is roughly divided in 4 or 5 chapters, but the songs are just as good singled out, as in their 'context'.

So, what to expect from a backing musician? Well, he gracefully admits to being influenced by 'B-movies, Horror / Science Fiction novels and Big Overproduced Hard Rock'. And that just about sums up what you'll find on this record. Lots of familiar riffs, and traditional song structures you're probably no stranger to.

But listen up: there's more than this to the dude. Since I haven't found no list of players in the booklet, I assume he has done all playing and programming himself. If this is true, I can but applaude his skills. Especially the guitars sound great, and his vocal capacities are nowhere near as horrible as he fears (read the liners...)

Though not overall powerfull, and often drowned in background vocals, Kendrick has a pleasant voice, that sometimes has a Paul Stanley-ish quality to it.

Traditional twin guitar work is really fun when it's done like this. Not pretentious, or in a show-off manner, but well-woven into the songs. The (At least *partly* programmed) drums sound somewhat dry.

Richard Kendrick makes a lot of fun of himself, but really takes what he does serious enough to give you this amazing album that will touch many a heart that has beaten through the great rock era of the 80's.

Raiting: 4 out of 5 Smiley Faces

Sick of waiting for a new Van Halen album? You can get the next best thing, the debut release from Richard Kendrick which sports some cool Van Halen’esq hard rockin tunes. You get it all: the guitar mastery; the vocal punch of Sammy meets Dave meets Ian Gillian, the rip-roaring melodies, rich harmonies and count ‘em 17 tracks. Ok, I’m not saying Kendrick is aping Van Halen just that the music fits the same mold, then again there are elements of Rainbow and Deep Purple here as well.

My only previous exposure to Kendrick was his contribution to “Fire Women – A Tribute to the Cult”. Now we get a taste of Richard’s own music and it’s equally impressive. If you’re an adherent to 80’s style guitar based hard rock then this is the CD for you. “Murder and the F Word” features some strong songwriting and excellent musicianship. We have a new guitar hero and his name is Richard Kendrick

Richard Kendrick could have made your basic Melodic Hard Rock album here. He has all the elements, the powerful voice, fantastic guitar licks, and an amazing sense of melody. Yes, he COULD have put together a bunch of cliche' songs talking about love and heartbreak. INSTEAD he took a different route, he went the conceptual route. Oh, I can hear you moaning out there, that's usually my reaction too. However, we have to give this a chance, it's a new direction for Melodic Hard Rock, and let's face it, this genre isn't exactly tearing up the charts.

So Kendrick takes a chance here with "Murder And The F-Word". He putstogether some solid tracks of progressive Rock that take you on a journey of emotions. I couldn't put my finger on the sound until I read some of his influences were Queen and TNT, then I started to put things together. This is not nearly as Epic as the bands I just mentioned, but it has the precision of Ronnie Le Tekro and some of the tones of Brian May. I can't really compare his voice to Mercury or Harnell however. He's not trying to shatter glass in most cases.

I will be the FIRST to admit I was hoping for some strait-up Rockers on here, like I mentioned, he has all the elements to put together a KILLER AOR record. But there HAS to be albums like this, it give Melodic Rock a new look and a new life. It's harder for critics to bash it and unfairly call it 80's Rock. It bleeds over into the Progressive genre, and God knows Melodic Rock and Progressive Bands need to pull together. This is NOT Dream Theater nor is it Journey, but both sides can appreciate end enjoy this project. If you look at it in another light, this could be a movie soundtrack of sorts and it takes you from one story to the next.

There's a ton of music on "Murder..." as well. There's 17 tracks listed with about a fourth of them being instrumental and shorter tracks that tie the songs together. Some of the tracks that stood out to me were "Share This Tender Moment" which is anything but a ballad, in fact it's most likely the opposite. "Start Again" has a "Pop" flavor to it with some great melody, piano and an interesting structure. "Now I'm Alive" is one of the more modern cuts, it's fairly dark and menacing. It reminds me a lot of Lillian Axe actually. "Freedumb" is one of the better rocker's on the album, which actually sounds a bit like Winger... yes, I said Winger, those of you who have a problem with that bite me!

When it comes down to it, this album is done extremely well. The production is good, although I wanted a more "real" drums sound and the guitars turned up a bit. If you are a fan of Melody and Harmony, this is a must for your collection, there's a lot to listen to, and you'll hear something different every time you listen. This album is good for the genre, no, there's no songs that'll be taking over radio, but one thing cannot be denied, it's creative, artistic and very well-done. This oughta give the critics something to TRY and chew on.

Richard Kendrick has been involved around the fringes of classic hard rock for years. He has performed in bands that have opened for nearly everyone. Versailles Records has given the guitarist the opportunity to step out on his own with the release of his first solo CD.

Murder & The F Word is a concept album that attempts to match the great overproduced pomp rock albums of the 1970's. Kendrick adds more modern guitar sounds hinting at influences as diverse as Slash and Brian May. In fact, the album is dedicated to the band Queen and by the music on F Word, he must be taking the influence all the way back to the days of Queen II.

This album comes very, very close to representing what I believe the artist hears in his head yet it does not quite fall in the same league that he was shooting for. Two of the strongest tracks are "One Life Stand" and "Don't Fly Away." In these two tracks Kendrick finds the perfect mix of raw emotion and musical fortitude. Unfortunately, the end result leaves the listener a bit confused trying to find the concept behind the concept album.

Some ideas are fragmented and not easily understood. Kendrick does come through with his intended result several time such as the epic "The Flood" and "How Many Times." In the liner notes Kendrick states that he loves "big overproduced hard rock" yet it is the production end that fails to meet up with other big overproduced hard rock gems. Perhaps the artist should have brought in an outside producer to collaborate with instead of trying to do everything himself. For instance, in the song "Fiancée", the opening classical piece does not transition with the same effect and smoothness as say early Queen does. The dynamics are not hitting the same listener responses that are needed to pull off such a grandiose undertaking.

All that said, Murder & The F Word is a good album. Kendrick is on the right track. His music holds the seeds of originality and musical talent necessary to achieve the lofty goals he has his eyes upon. Classic Rock Revisited looks very forward to following his career and is hopeful that the next one will hit the bull's-eye. If you are looking for a unique, disturbing, thought provoking and strange CD then look no further

Out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana comes RICHARD KENDRICK, a multi-instrumentalist who is also playing in the band STRAITJACKET SMILE, and worked on 3 tribute CDs on VERSAILLES RECORDS, so I think this he's quite a busy guy. In between all the other projects, he recorded this solo-CD 'Murder and the F-word', a concept-album that contains all kinds of hard rock styles, but mainly is focused on high quality melodic rock stuff. There are 17 tracks, of which the last couple of tracks are not that interesting, but the first 7 songs are really impressive. The production is very good and I also have to admit that Richard's lead vocals are very melodic and a pleasure to listen to. Opener "I know why" is not a good start though, as this is an average uptempo boogie rocker a la DAVID LEE ROTH. Much better is the big sounding midtempo progressive AOR/Melodic rocker "One life stand", a song with some lovely harmonies. "Don't fly away" starts with some JOURNEY type of piano-keys, while the song itself develops into a great melodic rockballad. The CD continues with the progressive melodic rocker "Start again". There is some great 'Pomp' orientated keyboardplay on this song, and some biting groovy guitarwork, but the chorus lacks a bit, nevertheless, it's an enjoyable 6 1/2 minutes counting tune. Up next is one of the best tracks, the fantastic classy late 80s orientated fun uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker "Sherri's song" that easily can be compared to the best stuff DANGER DANGER and FIREHOUSE put out on their debut albums. This last mentioned song has some lovely melodic guitarwork and also has a playing time of more than 6 minutes. The uptempo melodic heavy rocker "Share this tender moment" follows, but is just a nice tune, with some SKID ROW influences, although I also noticed some slight progressive metal influences. Then comes "Don't touch", a great progressive melodic rocker with many good harmonyvocals, and actually this song shows an own direction of Richard that isn't easy to compare, but remains to sound melodic all throughout the song. From track 9 on, which is the terrible industrial 90s inspired "Now I'm alive", the CD goes has many average songs to offer and has barely something to do with the glorious melodic rock of the first 7 songs on the CD. The instrumentals "Losing my place", "The pieces" and "Reprisal" as well as the groovy modern metal songs "Freedumb" and "The attitude song" and the boogie rocker "Laughin' myself goodbye" all have nothing interesting to offer for fans of melodic or progressive rock/metal. That's a pity, because the beginning of the CD was very impressive, with great high quality melodic songs like "One life stand", "Don't fly away", "Sherri's song" and "Don't touch". I hope a future solo record of Richard will follow that direction, instead of the average material of the second part of his debut solo-CD. Anyway, hopefully soon reviews of his 3 tributes and his band STRAITJACKET SMILE's CD release (which is said to be a great melodic rockalbum). In the meantime, more info on Richard and his projects can be found at: http://www.versaillesrecords.com

"Throughout the 90's the American
multi-instrumentalist Richard Kendrick has performed with bands like Dark August, Straitjacket Smile, and Mudbone who have opened up for world famous artists Lizzy Borden and Pantera. After having recorded several tracks for different tribute discs he has now finished the work on his first solo album forVersailles Records. I am not sure whether I like this album or not - some songs are as foolish as the title of the album while others totally rocks and shows the talent that this man is in possession of. Versailles Records are trying to keep the metal and hard rock from the 80's alive and so is Richard Kendrick, sometimes very nicely but other times it sounds pretty boring and sleazy. He has a very (and I do mean very!) good hard rock voice but sometimes the songs remind me of the worst moments of Whitesnake. There are some great tracks though and it is just about heavy enough to be enjoyable. I would still only recommended this album to hardcore fans of 80's glam metal and hard rock."

RICHARD KENDRICK
"Murder And The F-Word"
Versailles Records - 2002
**** 8 ****
Veramente bravo questo chitarrista americano che dopo essersi fatto le ossa suonando con Dark August e Straittjacket Smile e aprendo per gruppi molto noti come Reo Speedwagon, Babylon AD, Cheap Trick, Cinderella, Firehouse, ecc... è ora alle prese con la propria carriera solista.
La bio di presentazione presenta Kendrick come un incrocio tra DREAM THEATER, WHITESNAKE e QUEENSRYCHE, ma a mio giudizio solo i primi sembrano influenzare il sound del CD che si apre con il mid tempo di "I Know Why" in cui fanno capolino gli EXTREME, invece "Start Again" potrebbe essere un fantastico connubio tra la band di JAMES LABRIE e SANTANA. "Share This Tender Moment" mi ha riportato alla mente il lavoro solista di GEORGE LYNCH, mentre "Laughin' Myself Goodbye" è un veloce heavy rock sullo stile degli STREAM o dei VANDAL.
Il lavoro presenta ben diciasette tracce e tra le varie intro e pezzi strumentali, ci troviamo anche la cover di STEVE VAI "The Attitude Song" a chiudere l'album che sono sicuro accontenterà tutti gli amanti del class metal più ricercato e ricco di virtuosismi.
Ricordo che Kendrick ha recentemente partecipato ai CD tributo di CULT e VAI/SATRIANI sempre stampati dalla Versailles Records. www.rickardkendrick.com
www.versaillesrecords.com
Moreno Lissoni

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MTM's European release of the Roth/Hagar Tribute

All Music Guide

Despite its subtitle, Best of Both Worlds is really more a tribute to the veteran band's vocalists, since it mixes classic VH material with high points from David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar's respective solo careers. The "Diamond Dave Side" features three songs from 1986's Eat 'Em & Smile, as well as passable runs through "Panama" and "Take Your Whiskey Home." The highlight is probably "Shy Boy," where George Lynch, Tony Harnell, and Jason McMaster reach insane heights of weedly-weedly guitar madness. While Lynch and the boys approach Dave's VH work with the casual feel of a particularly ragged bar band, the "Red Rocker Side" of Best of Both Worlds has some guys who are really trying to sound like Van Halen did during the Hagar era. Gravity Pharm tears into "Why Can't This Be Love," while the vocalist of the unfortunately-named 5150 really does sound like Sammy. Best of Both Worlds certainly has its moments, but it's really more a novelty than anything, since the real Sam and Dave regularly mine the Van Halen vaults themselves. (2002's hokey "Sam & Dave tour would be proof of that.)

Brave Words/Bloody Knuckles

Best Of Both Worlds
A Tribute To Van Halen (Versailles Records)

Best Of Both Worlds is your typical tribute album. Band completists will track it down for their collection and the casual fan will prefer the real deal.
Overall, this is a satisfying album that blends solo era material with classic Halen tracks.
Numerous guest musicians make this tribute slightly more interesting than the average garage band homage. They include Jimmy Crespo (cameo in Aerosmith), Enuff Z Nuff, George Lynch (ex-Dokken) and Steve Whiteman (ex-Kix). Enjoy, but pull out 1984 when done!

Mitch Lafon 7

Mitch Lafon
Album of the Month: Hollywood Rocks - 4CD Box set (Deadline)
Senior Writer & Staff Photographer-- BW&BK // www.BraveWords.com
Listen to the "Mitch Minute" on Ottawa's #1 station - Majic 100.3 FM
Canada/US representative - Roadie Crew (Brazil) - www.roadiecrew.com
Visit: www.melodicrock.com; www.metalbabies.com

Electric Basement

Just like rap music, tribute records were predicted to be short-lived by many critics, but, in the end, the thumping beats and cover songs still stand, even if they both walk hand in hand, fading slowly into the night. Here we have one big concept, perhaps influenced by the SAMMY HAGAR/DAVID LEE ROTH tour from last year. Who knows. I do not immediately dismiss tribute records because there is a built in curiosity to listen to each song at least once to see how "they" did it. The highs? AMERICAN DOG acts as backing band to RICHARD KENDRICK on "Panama" and it is an excellent choice as lead off track, for it spanks and does do the song justice, even if the indie trib album trademark of smallish sounding drums is there. "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" actually has a big sound and American Dog take complete hold of "Take Your Whiskey Home" with MICHAEL HANNON threatening to sing and without being doused with reverb. God Bless him! WOOF! "I Can't Drive 55" initially sounds off-assedness but it turns out the Dog is helping out here too, forgoing the studio musician aesthetic of the original and adding a "swamp"-ish character. Cool. But how does one drive over 55 in a swamp? The not-so-highs..."Shyboy" is handled by Lynch but it is not as, hmm, I don't know. It doesn't breath as much. "Why Can't This Be Love" was never a song I cared for, so points deducted right there. "Mas Tequila" was always a shining example of how not to steal from others. Do not rip off a hockey arena anthem riff because EVERYONE, including your f-ing grandmother will notice. Gary Glitter must be rolling in his...well, he's till alive, right? It's covered okay, but doesn't that mean, in a way, it is a cover of a not so readily admitted riff rape? All in all, a reasonable collection done mostly well by pretty good musicians. Can't complain. Still can't drive at all in a swamp. Not with my Corolla anyway.--Brian Coles

Hard Radio Reviews

By: Martin Popoff

Various Artists - Best Of Both Worlds: A Tribute To Van Halen
(Versailles Records)

Versailles continues to tap into a bewildering assortments of unknowns and slightly knowns for competent versions of rock starry rock songs, this latest distraction offering six Dave tracks and six Sammy tracks - three solo and three VH from each. As usual, American Dog wins, Hannon crocodialing his way through Take Your Whiskey Home. Elsewhere, it's sort of surreal seeing Full Tilt (huh?) covering Mas Tequila (double huh?) and a Van Halen tribute band called 5150 do a dead-on identical version of Right Now. Closes with Steve Whiteman from Kix in front of a steamrolling version of There's Only One Way To Rock. In total, not embarrassing but a) no one cares about any of these guys - and it's not like they are demonstrating their personalities or interesting reworkings and b) three quarters of the songs aren't any good AS ORIGINALS.
Rating 5 out of 10

Classic Rock Revisited

Various Artists: Best of Both Worlds: A Tribute to Van Halen
Versailles Records
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
By Jeb Wright

Website: www.versaillesrecords.com/

Versailles Records has taken on the mother of bands to pay homage too. The CD is split into two eras called sides (trying to appeal to us old farts that own vinyl). The first ‘side’ is dedicated to David Lee Roth and the second ‘side’ to Sammy Hagar.

A tribute to Van Halen should include both of these artists yet it should also include musicians who can actually pull off the music. A tribute to Van Halen should not include each singers solo material. This is where the confusion begins. The spine label shows that this is a Van Halen tribute but the CD cover says “Van Halen’s David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.” The latter proves to be the case as half of the albums 12 tracks are solo artist’s covers. That being said some of the versions are great while others are embarrassing. On the DLR side, “Shy Boy” with shredder George Lynch rocks hard and hardly seems like a cover but “Yankee Rose” by Enuff Znuff is horrible. The vocals are so far off that the entire song is ruined. The Sammy side has high moments such as “When Its Love” by Richard Kendrick but also contains sucko songs as well, most notably “I Can’t Drive 55” by Shane Volk.

The Sammy songs are much better proving that the DLR era of Van Halen and the Eat Em & Smile band were more technically difficult than the Sam Halen era or the Red Rockers solo stuff. In the end, it was a great marketing idea capitalizing on both Van Halen’s lack of output and the recent Sam & Dave tour. The end result, however, will not keep you coming back for more.

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Van Halen Vault.com - Best of Both Worlds - A Tribute to Van Halen's "Diamond" David Lee Roth
& "The Red Rocker" Sammy Hagar

Executive Producer: Jake Brown for Versailles Records

*Note: Rating system/comments are just the opinion of the webmaster (me)...who am I really to judge. =)
Nice work to all involved, I recommend this cd. -Jerel

Panama 3:21 (rating 9 out of 10)
The guitarist, a former member of Aerosmith, known as Jimmy Crespo, rips this one up. Richard Kendrick does a A+ job on the vocals. This group adds their own favor to the song. It's one of the best songs on this cd.

Shy Boy 3:18 (rating 8)
Another All-Star guitarist George Lynch makes this song his own. Tony Harnell member of West World and Jason McMaster share the energy in the Lead Vocals. This song was also contributed to the album "Lords of Karma: A Tribute to Vai/Satriani".

Yankee Rose 4:23 (rating 7)
Chicago based Enuff Znuff takes over on Yankee Rose. This track is the album's lead single.

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 3:45 (rating 8)
These guys are having fun, and plain out rockin'. Jim Yelenick leads Jet Black Joy's vocals duties

Tobacco Road 2:21 (rating 9)
Corey Craven, singer of Slo Annie, does the vocals and guitar - and does a very nice job of it.

Take Your Whiskey Home 4:23 (rating 10)
I was personally impressed with this song. Way to go American Dog! American Dog also did the backing tracks for the following tracks on this cd: Panama, I Can't Drive 55, and There's Only One Way To Rock.

Mas Tequila 3:59 (rating 6)
Musically this song was good. But it felt like David Lee was singing...

Why Can't This Be Love 3:49 (rating 8)
Gravity Pharm catches the energy on this. Very realistic compared to VH's version.

I Can't Drive 55 5:46 (rating 7)
A Straight forward rocker by Shane "The Impaler" Volk

When It's Love 5:37 (rating 7)
I loved the music, but the vocals just didn't seem to fit. The guitar was excellent. I've got to hand it to Richard Kendrick...he does the vocals, backing vocals, guitar, bass, and the keyboards! Drums are handled by Blayne Coupel.

Right Now 4:43 (rating 10)
Musically, this is one of the top songs on here. Scott Szeryk is a Eddie Van Halen Clone on this one. The Band "5150" is the best Sammy Era Tribute band out there. I liked the way they recorded this track too (sounds close to the real VH).

There's Only One Way to Rock 4:07 (rating 10)
There's only one way to end this album... and they picked it. Nice job Steve Whiteman, and again kudos to American Dog who did the backing track.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS - A TRIBUTE TO VAN HALEN
Versailles Records

I'm spoilt here, three pieces of VH releated material in under one week, first the new Sammy Hagar live disc, then the new excellent David Lee Roth disc and now a new VH tribute disc. If your a Van Halen die hard nut case like me who likes everything that the band release, inside and outside of the band, then your just gonna love this new tribute which is miles better than the tribute CD from 2000. This album runs like a party jukebox and is fun all the way and one of the better tribute albums of late.

You got a mix of the Roth and Hagar years as well as choice cuts from each artists respectful solo careers and there are some great versions here. Kicking off on side one the "Diamond Dave Side" with one of my fave VH's songs 'Panama' where we witness an unknown singer called Richard Kendrick who steals the show, he does an amazing job and if VH need a new singer then this guy is their man, period, he pulls everything together and does not mess up. Kendrick is joined by Jimmy Crespo, a blinding cover version with a great production.

Next up is a Roth number from "Eat 'Em And Smile", the classic 'Shy Boy', with TNT's Tony Harnell on the mic. Harnell is joined by George Lynch and Jason McMaster. This is followed by another classic 'Yankee Rose', it's somewhat slower than the original version which features Enuff Z'Nuff's Donnie Vie doing a god awful version of the song, his vocals sound rougher than usual, and they simply ruin the song. Vie sounds more like Lemmy than Dave Lee Roth.

'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' is next and performed by a band called Jet Black Boy whom are an unknown band from Denver, they sound a little like Xyz and I would love to hear more material from these guys, not bad at all. This is followed by 'Tobacco Road' performed by Corey Craven, who like Richard Kendrick has a great Roth like voice and does a good job on this classic. American Dog pop up next with their rendition of 'Take Your Whiskey Home', another good version that the band pull off well, adding a little of their own punch to the song without ruining it.

And then we hit The Red Rocker Side, Sammy Hagar was amazing when I saw him with VH twice, and it's a pity he left the VH camp, at least he went out in style with the stunning "Humans Being" from the "Twister" film. Anyway The Red Rocker Side, gets into full drive with an excellent version of Sammy's own 'Mas Tequila' performed by another unknown band called Full Tilt from Canada, good version and another interesting band. The world-wide smash hit single 'Why Can't This Be Love' follows and is performed by Gravity Pharm, a difficult song to copy as it was one of the highest songs Hagar sang for VH, and unfortunatley GP don't carry the song off so well.

'I Can't Drive 55' is next, who can forget that video eh? remember? go on think, remember Hagar in that court room? Anyway a gentleman called Shane "The Impaler" Volk, covers this one and does a good job, and here we go with one of my all time personal songs, the stunning 'When It's Love', and hey good old Richard Kendrick is up on the mic again, he doesn't do so well on this one as he did on the Roth number, but he still a great singer, think I will go about seeing if we can interview this guy.

The Grammy award winning 'Right Now' follows, performed by VH cover band 5150, and it's a great version, they get it right, right down to the keyboard arrangements and that deep bass sound. Good version, production could have been better though. The singer is good.
The CD ends with 'There's Only One Way To Rock' performed by ex Kix man Steve Whiteman and he does a good job indeed.

Overall then, a good little tribute to all era's of the Van Halen clan, from VH to solo projects. A neat little jukebox of nuggets to feast upon until VH get there shit together and put out a new album. Until then check this out and revel in the glory days, will we ever see them again?
www.versaillesrecords.com

Nicky Van Baldrian
www.aordreamzones.com

Brave Words/Bloody Knuckles - its not horrible

Best Of Both Worlds
A Tribute To Van Halen (Versailles Records)

Mitch Lafon 7

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The first thing I thought when I was handed this CD to review was “Do we really need another tribute album? To hair bands nonetheless?” Then my better demons took over and I thought, “what the hell, this could be fun.”

The Fakes kick things off with their take on Motley Crue’s “Live Wire” which sounds like what you might get if a bad punk band recorded the tune with Marilyn Manson. It has it’s own charm but I hate to say it, it makes the original sounds better in comparison.

I was never a big Van Hagar fan. Sammy’s voice never tripped my trigger but I have to hand it to Richard Kendrick, he really pulled off a convincing cover of “When It’s Love”. I can barely tell the difference between this version and the original with the exception that the guitar leads are a bit better than Eddie’s. Richard throws in a few extra flourishes to showcase his talent and it surprisingly works well.

Cage next give the Priest classic “Freewheel Burning” a semi-speedmetal make over and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t kick major ass! Now this is how covers are supposed to be done. This actually got me interested in checking out Cage’s three original studio albums. It’s too bad the rest of the album doesn’t contain covers as good as this one. In fact, in some ways this sounds like Maiden covering Priest especially during the instrumental bridge.

My first reaction to the next track was “What the fuck?”. Hangin’ with Keavin and aG here at iconoFAN I’ve heard more than my fair share of Enuff Z’nuff and to be honest, they have made me a convert. So I like to think I’m pretty familiar with the EZN sound but I didn’t recognize any elements of EZN in this. There is no way in hell the vocals here are Donnie Vie’s, it sounds like Chip recorded this one at half speed and then speeded the tape up. It’s a shame because I’ve loved other covers EZN have done but this just flat-out sucks. No question about it. I guess they needed the cash but hell guys please don’t do this again!

Wanna hear a garage band covering Def Leppard’s “Photograph”? Then listen to this one by Straightjacket Smile. It sounds like they tracked the song and didn’t have enough cash left over to hire a decent mixer. The levels are all screwed up and the lead and rhythm guitars blare out in uneven stereo. What’s worst are the back up vocals that miss the last note in the chorus and sound like they are cut short. With better mixing this would actually be pretty cool but it sounds like amateur hour with the way it is presented here. Plus the vocalist of Straightjacket Smile doesn’t have the pips that even come close to Joe Elliot’s and let’s not forget the production genius of Mutt Lange. A half hearted attempt at best.

Jizzy Pearl checks in next and makes up for some of the weak tracks that came before with his cool cover of the Cult’s “Fire Women”. Not as good as the original but still a decent cover.

Cookie delivers another bad punk cover with their rendition of “I Hate Myself (For Loving You). Actually this might work if the vocals matched the music but the singer sounds like Vixen jamming with G.B.H. plus she doesn’t really sing, kind of talks her way through the song. Maybe she has been listening to Kelly Osbourne's abortion of an album? Needless to say, it doesn’t work at all.

Premonition checks in next with a hard edged cover of the Ozzy classic “I Don’t Know”. This cover is one of the saving graces of this disc. Premonition does a pretty good job here and by kicking things up a bit heavier they make the track their own while not disrespecting the original.

I have to say the Cult covers featured on this disc are all top notch. Gilby Clarke offers a cool interpretation of “Wild Flower”. He’s not the vocalist that Ian is but he does a pretty good job and doesn’t butcher the song the way some of the other artists do on this disc.

I had to go listen to the original Twisted Sister version of “Under The Blade” since I wasn’t familiar with it. Let’s just saw American Dog’s take on the song is a bit Rocky Horror meets Motorhead and Accept. I can’t figure out if I love this track or hate it. I feel compelled to listen to it over and over to sort out an opinion one way or the other.

O.C.D.’s version of “I Love the Dead” from the Alice Cooper classic album Billion Dollar Babies is just flat out weird. Did someone uncover some early Marilyn Manson demo tapes here?

I actually saw Paul Shortino in his cover band a few weeks ago and was really impressed with his vocals so I saw this track on the cd cover and said a little prayer of thanks to the rock gods. Paul teamed up with Jimmy Crespo to record this cover of The Cult’s “Sweet Soul Sister”. I was a little curious about why this disc featured so many Cult songs and was told that the record company that put this disc out had previously released a tribute CD to the Cult. I have since checked out that CD and I have to say I found it much more appealing than this collection since it sounded like all of the bands on that disc were high caliber and took the job seriously. This track is no exception. It’s rock solid.

I never thought of Thin Lizzy as a hair band so I am a bit confused why there is a cover of one of their tracks here. I understood after listening to the track, it was included to help save the disc. It’s not the world’s best cover but it’s not the worst. If I were in a club watching this band, Southern Rock Allstars, playing this song I’m sure I’d be rockin’ out.

BFE selected one of the most difficult Aerosmith tracks to cover with Sweet Emotion. It starts out strong with the music hitting every note perfectly and the harmonies only missing their mark by a fraction but the lead vocals just don’t work. It sounds like Nashville Pussy doing a drunken’ cover of Aerosmith. Scary thought I know but listen to this song and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.

Jet Black Joy comes on strong with an interesting cover of Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talkin’ About Love”. I know I should hate this song but it’s kind of fun hearing a band that sounds like they are stuck in the middle of the hair band heyday doing a cover of 70’s era VH. This sounds like it could be any number of third-rate 80’s hair rockers like Faster Pussy Cat, Danger Danger etc. It’s still fun since it really epitomizes hair bands.

Rule number one when doing AC/DC covers, you may be able to copy the music note for note but unless you have a gravely voice like Bon Scott’s PLEASE DON’T ATTEMPT TO COVER HIM! This sounds like a third rate cover of a band covering Buckcherry covering AC/DC. Not to diss Buckcherry, Josh Todd could definitely pull this off but this band Crash & Burn live up to their name and really crash and burn with this terrible cover.

I have a suspicion that the producer of this album really hates hair metal deep down as this final track will go down in history as one of the worst covers since Limp Bizkit’s take on “Faith”, Britney Spears ungodly butcher job on “Satisfaction” and Madonna’s utterly terrible cover of “American Pie”.

Imagine a bad rap-metal band covering Motley Crue. You don’t have to imagine it, just listen to this cover of “Shout at the Devil” by G-Soul. The guitars parts are ok but the rapping of the verses are just flat-out lame. Maybe if I was a rap fan I might like this but to me it’s ranks right up there as one of the worst moments in music.

I don’t know who I would recommend this disc to. If you’re a fan of hair metal you might enjoy it but the strong moments are too overshadowed by the weak moments and the best tracks appear on other tribute albums put out by this record company.

Another major problem with this disc is it’s called “American Hair Bands” but half of the bands covered here are not from America????

They labeled this disc Vol. 1, I hope they do a better job lining up covers for Vol. 2 as I would give this half-hearted attempt a D-.

Tracks:
Live Wire - The Fakes
When It's Love - Richard Kendrick
Freewheel Burning - Cage
Yankee Rose - Enuff Znuff
Photograph - Straitjacket Smile
Fire Woman - Jizzy Pearl
I Hate Myself (For Loving You) - Cookie
I Don't Know - Premonition
Wild Flower - Gilby Clarke
Under The Blade - American Dog
I Love The Dead - O.C.D.
Sweet Soul Sister - Jimmy Crespo
Don't Believe A Word - Southern Rock Allstars
Sweet Emotion - BFE
Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - Jet Black
Highway To Hell - Crash & Burn
Shout At The Devil - G-Soul Listen to samples and Purchase this CD online

About the reviewer:
Scott Slapp is the frontman for the wanna-be grung band Greed, a practicing alcoholic and an antiMUSIC contributor

Bang your Head, pump your fist because American Hair Metal Vol. 1 has arrived!! From four alarm fire shredding to straight up rock melodies, this tribute CD covers all grounds. The CD is in the same vein as past Versailles Record releases, combining an all star cast of musicians performing memorable tunes from yester year. This time around it is the "Big Hair" 80's that provides the inspiration for the all star cast to strut their stuff. This is a good time party CD that pays homage to some of our all time favorite artists from the era of spandex and leather.
The CD has Enuff Znuff performing "Yankee Rose", Jizzy Pearl kicking ass on the Cult's "Fire Woman" and Dave Hlubek riffing out on the Thin Lizzy tune "Don't Believe A Word". Another highlight is the very cool Jet Black Boy performing a Van Halen classic "Ain't Talkin' About love" - slamin dude!!
With an all star cast like what Versailles Records has assembled for this CD, it is destined to be a classic. I have to give Versailles Records a fist pumping high five for assembling some of the best-of-the-best musicians to perform on this CD of 80's madness. Be sure to check this one out - no party should be without a copy of American Hair Bands Vol. 1!! Rock On!

While the tribute album days are fading fast, there is still a few hearts beating the rhythm of regurgitation...or is it heart burn? Actually, some trib efforts aren't so bad and are deserved. Versailles has unleashed a few hot and many not, but at least you can recognize the names playing musical chairs - Enuff Z'nuff, Gilby Clarke, Jizzy Pearl, Paul Shortino etc. Some you may not. Basically, this is a compilation of tribute album tracks, most of which are competent if not entirely inspired. In a weird way it is interesting to hear these things atleast once. I admit I enjoy Pearl belting out "Firewoman" and Cage absolutely rips through "Freewheel Burnin'. But will it warrant repeated listens? Probably not many. The production is too dry and often suffocated by low budgetary confinements. Also, few, if any of these offer much in the way of killer reinterpretations. If you dig this stuff, you dig it. If you don't, you don't.

The way everyone bitches about cover-songs, I'm surprised they keep making these compilations. I'm one of those that enjoy hearing other's interpretations of songs, so bring em' on! I'll admit that I used to get upset if the songs strayed too far from the original, now I seem to look for tracks that take the song in a different direction.

This compilation is relatively safe, in other words, fans of the originals won't be offended for the most part. There's a couple that actually equal the originals, those being Cage's version of Priest's "Freewheel Burning" and American Dog doing Twisted Sister's "Under The Blade". The Fakes take on Motley Crue's "Live Wire" is right up there as well. It's a souped up version with some modern elements that ads to the song.

On the other end of the spectrum, Nu-Metal band G-Soul, who I actually like a lot, didn't do justice to another Motley tune "Shout At The Devil". I'm sorry, but the versus just weren't made for rapping.

One of the more interesting tracks is Cookie's version of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You". They have a rockabilly flare to them and speed up the song dramatically. I don't know if I like it or not, but it's done very well and is certainly an interesting take on the song. Two other tracks that vary from the originals are Jet Black Joy's "Ain't Talkin' About Love" and "Highway To Hell" from Crash And Burn. Both are more punk versions of the classic tunes that work pretty well. Jet Black Joy's version is produced better and they aren't a true Punk act like Crash And Burn.

There's a number of tracks that are of good quality, even if they aren't exactly "daring", they are certainly worth the listen. Enuff Z' Nuff doing David Lee Roth's "Yankee Rose" is a prime example. It says Donnie Vie is doing vocals but he's never sounded like this before, instead of his normal melodic delivery he's growling and sneering, a must for their fans. Jizzy Pearl does a great job with The Cult's "Fire Woman" (one of three Cult songs on the CD). Gilby Clarke's "Wild Flower" was a little to watered down for my tastes, and the Jimmy Crespo/Paul Shortino cover of "Sweet Soul Sister" was a bit too slickly produced. Neither were bad, they just missed the emotion of the originals.

There are some fillers on the album, as there always are, but with 17 tracks, I applaud them for doing their best to give the fans a ton of music to sink their teeth into. For fans of the bands who are covered, or the bands doing the covering, this is a pretty damn good one for the collection.

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All Music Guide

Lords of Karma: A Tribute to Vai/Satriani

Normally tribute albums run in one of two directions: they're either fairly solid, sincere tributes featuring a group of like-minded artists paying homage to an idol or colleague, or they're haphazardly thrown-together groupings of an artist's most popular songs performed by nameless studio musicians who could very well be recording another tribute session a week after their current session. Thankfully, the former applies here, as Lords of Karma collects several guitar shredders of reputable matter paying homage to two of the biggest guitar shredders of them all: Steve Vai and his former teacher, Joe Satriani. Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick leads the way with a beautiful rendition of the Satriani classic "Always With Me, Always With You," and contributions from Jake E. Lee, George Lynch, and several others follow suit. It doesn't mimic the two paying tribute here note for note; which is good because undoubtedly Vai and Satch would not want that at all. Rather they lend their unique tones and styles and reinterpret the originals with great sensitivity: not over playing or showing off, but not running through the motions either. On the whole it's a tribute albums fans can be proud of, especially considering the alternatives out there.

RoughEdge.com

Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter

I've always approached tribute CDs with a grain of salt. Although I've never had problems with a band playing a cover song in concert or even adding a cover song as a little treat on a CD, I've always been skeptical of an entire CD of cover songs. Quite frankly, I've got better things to do with my time.

With the arrival of "Lords Of Karma: A Tribute To Vai/Satriani" it doesn't take much to imagine my dismay at having to listen to other people play the songs of one of my favorite musicians of all time - Joe Satriani - and one of the musicians that I highly respect (although he might not be one of my absolute favorites - Steve Vai. I thought to myself that the wonderful story of Satriani the teacher and Vai the student doesn’t make this task any easier.

As always my two rules regarding cover songs would be in effect. The first rule is that the song would have to be a reasonable facsimile of the original and the second rule is that the songs had to at least add a new twist to the original without altering the spirit of the artist's intent.

Well, for once I was caught off guard and more than just a little bit surprised. As such, this review of "Lords Of Karma" is going to be long because I feel that every track deserves its own little paragraph.

Joe Satriani's five songs were up first. The classic ballad "Always With Me, Always With You" performed by Bruce Kulick was up first. I cringed at the thought of someone busting up this wonderful song. Well, Bruce Kulick now has my eternal gratitude. I was never a big fan of any era of Kiss so I didn’t know really what to expect from Kulick's playing. Bruce Kulick's rendition of "Always With Me, Always With You" is by far the most pleasant surprise on "Lords Of Karma." Kulick shows a deft touch as he uses an acoustic guitar to play out the song's brilliant melody and completely avoid the famous (and what I consider to be untouchable) tapping outro solo.

Jake E. Lee (where have YOU been?) tackled the surf-classic "Surfing With The Alien." Here’s one track that I thought wouldn’t be so bad. It only takes one listen to realize that Mr. Lee's seemingly unintended banishment to the metal underground hasn't diminished his skills one bit. Jake E. Lee shreds his way through this classic tune by adding his signature vibrato all along the way. Even when Lee comes close to doing a straight mimic of Satriani's slippery vibrato, Lee manages to make it sound fresh.

Jimmy Crespo (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????!!!! I haven’t heard you since the early ‘80s with Aerosmith!) takes on the unenviable task of playing "Echo." Joining Crespo on the violin is Dave Ragsdale, formerly of Kansas. "This should be interesting," I thought to myself - and it is. While this song probably fails "the test" for following the original too closely, the use of violin does exactly what Satriani achieves on every song. Each lick has a unique sonic color in the mix and can stand alone in comparison with other licks on the album.

Brad Gillis, who had made a name for himself in the '80s in Night Ranger and Ozzy’s touring band, does a phenomenal job with another ubiquitous Satriani classic "Summer Song." While Gillis' rendition of "Summer Song" comes in a close second to "Echo" as sounding too much like the original, Gillis lets it all hang out when he leaps off the song's verses into the song’s various lead guitar sections.

Neil Zaza, one guitarist I've heard a lot of but not really heard, stuck to a fairly note-for-note beginning to "Friends" (which had me disappointed at first) and then warms up to the song's potential by conveying the song's warm feelings with a remarkable interpretation of the song's crescendo and re-interpretation of the song's mellow break.

Next came Steve Vai's five songs; admittedly, I am less familiar with Vai's tunes than I am of Satriani's, but not to the point that I couldn't do justice in the review process. Underrated rockers Enuff Znuff kick it off strong with "Yankee Rose." Of course, my familiarity with "Yankee Rose" has everything to do with MTV and nothing to do with me owning any records by David Lee Roth. Donnie Vie’s rough vocal style makes an instant and distinct difference compared to the original.

Shred-master George Lynch is joined by TNT's Tony Harnell and Dangerous Toys' Jason McMaster. The last time I heard Mr. Scary, Lynch was laying down syncopated grooves for the rap/nu-metal influenced "Smoke This" so it was nice to see Lynch simply rock out on "Shy Boy." Having two different vocalists like Harnell and McMaster was a nice twist.

Richard Kendrick serves up a truckload of, um, attitude in "The Attitude Song" giving this up-tempo track all it can handle. Kendrick sure has Vai's tone down pat – whether that's a good thing is up to you. Richard Kendrick is the unsung hero on this tribute disc as he appears on half of the songs contained herein in one role or another. Kendrick's multi-instrumental skills are put to good use on "The Attitude Song" as he plays everything except the bass guitar.

A jazzy "Tender Surrender" is offered by Tony Janflone, Jr. who is relatively unknown in metal circles and will probably remain that way given his particular non-metallic style. However, you can't deny the talent and skill that Janflone, Jr. brings to this track – and he is perfect for it. "Tender Surrender" recalls the subtle bluesy moments of the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Rounding out the disc is Corey Craven's rendition of "Tobacco Road." Craven is a relative unknown, but takes this bluesy number quite seriously again evoking the spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughn by ripping through pentatonic minor scales with technique and flash.

:-)

TRIBUTE TO VAI/SATRIANI - Lords of Karma
Mascot Records
Diese Art Alben sind einfach ein rotes Tuch für mich. Dafür konnte und kann ich mich bislang kaum erwärmen. Wenn es nicht schon genug Bands und deren Alben gibt, muss man, weil es offenbar hip ist, des öfteren auch noch solche Tributes ertragen. Bis jetzt sind mir vielleicht zwei bis drei (Dio und Ozzy) untergekommen, die man halbwegs akzeptieren kann, aber meist werden die Originale verhunzt, wenn nicht gar zerstört (wie bei Motörhead). Auf dem vorliegenden Album sieht das allerdings etwas anders aus, da je fünf Stücke von Joe Satriani und Steve Vai von Kollegen wie Bruce Kulick (ex-Kiss), Jake E. Lee (ex-Ozzy, Badlands), Brad Gillis (Nightranger, ex-Ozzy) oder George Lynch (ex-Dokken), um mal die bekannteren Namen zu nennen, mit Gastmusikern wie Richard Kendrick intoniert werden. Pikant dabei und nur so am Rande erwähnt ist, dass Steve Vai mal Schüler von Joe Satriani war! Während das Songmaterial von Satriani rein instrumental ist (unter anderem "Surfing with the alien", Summer song", Friends"), covern zum Beispiel Enuff Znuff mit "Yankee rose" ein Stück, das früher mal ein gewisser David Lee Roth eingesungen hat. Einen perfekten Blues mit leicht jazzigem Einschlag zum Abheben spielt uns dann Tony Janflone Jr. bei "Tender surrender" vor, der (also der Blues, den Tony spielt!) allein schon den Erwerb dieses sonst halbwegs mit dem "wer braucht denn schon sowas?"-Etikett versehenen Silberlings rechtfertigt. Nice to have, mehr nicht.
Rockslave
Punkte: 7.9 von 10 Hier bestellen für 27.90 SFr.

Guitar One- May, 2002 Review of Lords of Karma: A Tribute to Vai/Satriani

What makes Satriani and Vai so revered is their inventiveness. So paying tribute to their accomplishments by merely reproducing their licks without taking the compositions in new directions- as is the case on this disc- seems a bit weak. Its not as if the original versions are in short supply. (Six of the ten tracks are culled from Surfing with the Alien and Eat 'Em and Smile.) Regardless, the likes of Jake E Lee, Brad Gillis, and George Lynch reconfirm their guitar-hero stature as they interpret the riffs of two esteemed peers while playing to prerecorded backing tracks laid down by Richard Kendrick.

Moment of Truth: "Tender Surrender" (1:56 - 3:48) Tony Janflone Jr. passionately executes a wide range of Vai-inspired tricks including huge bends, smooth legato phrasing, wide interval jumps, and blinding scalar runs.

- Bob Keelaghan

Reviewed by Nick Martinelli
The Shred Zone www.theshredzone.com
5/11/02

Song one, "Always With You, Always With Me" brought to you by the hands of Bruce Kulick will sooth your soul. Bruce took this old guitar classic and gave it a new feel with his acoustic guitar playing. He did a great job and I really liked the arrangement.

"Surfing With the Alien" by shred monster Jake E. Lee (formerly of Ozzy and Bad Lands) will tear you to pieces with his insane guitar playing. I haven't heard from Jake in a while and its great to see him still releasing music. Jake's guitar playing on this track is a memorable performance for sure.

"Echo" track three, from Jimmy Crespo / Dave Ragsdale is a nice slow melodic change to the upbeat driving tunes that are on this record. Their playing was superb, and they really created a huge atmospheric sound with this remake. The track is full of life and the guitar and violin playing is top notch. Dave Ragsdale's violin playing really added to the songs vibe. It's not every day that you hear hot violin playing with screaming guitar. Nice combo!

Brad Gillis's "Summer Song" is a real treat if your a fan of Gillis's monstrous guitar playing. He throws in some of his own signature guitar licks and tricks all over the place, and man was I impressed. Brad really spiced up this song and gave it a lot more flare and excitement. If you haven't heard Brad Gillis's guitar playing you've probably been a shell for the past 20 years! Remember 80's hits like "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" or "Sister Christian"? Well my friends that was Brad Gillis in Night Ranger! These days he's tearing it up with his own solo work and touring with Night Ranger for summer festivals and such. Keep your ears peeled for Gillis's amazing guitar work, its hard to miss.

"Friends" song five was remade by Neil Zaza and I wouldn't have picked anyone else for the job. His style of playing fit this song's vibe so well, it was a match made in heaven. Zaza is a non stop melodic guitarist and this song accented his style even more. Neil screams out some amazing leads and plays with so much soul. Put this one on "loop" a few times, you won't regret it

Enuff Znuff rocked the house with their rendition of "Yankee Rose." Enuff Znuff gave the song that 80's Metal feel to it. Grab your hair spray and lets jam some tunes, know what I mean? Their version was real fun and upbeat. Guitar playing was real tight, and the vocal work complimented the song. You'll dig it 150%.

"Shy Boy" song seven from the Lynch, Harnell an McMaster camp is without a doubt one of the most standout tracks on the album. Lynch's chops from hell guitar playing dominates this songs vibe and presence. It's no wonder why George is worshiped by the masses. To tell you the truth this song sounds like it came right off the "Under Lock and Key" Dokken album. It has that fast paced rhythm guitar playing and George's super fast licks that made Lynch famous.

Versailles Records own Richard Kendrick tore it up with his version of "The Attitude Song." Kendrick turned this song into a chop fest for sure. With screaming guitar playing and some exciting accents. He's a guitar player that will always seek to shock you note to note. I can't begin to imagine his thought process while he's playing. Great job Richard, your playing really smoked and your chops were tight.

"Tender Surrender" track eight was performed by Tony Janflone Jr. was another smooth and cool feeling number. Janflone's guitar playing is really soulful and on top of the game. He really did this mellow number justice with his knack for creating a bluesy atmosphere. His leads were really clean, and he jumped from clean to overdriven tones throughout the song which gave it a lot of variety. He displayed a wide variety of techniques, so listen closely for all those styles merged together.

Song ten "Tobacco Road" covered by Corey Craven was a hopping number that rocked my socks off. The song was for sure one of the most upbeat songs on this CD and it was the best one to finish it off. Craven's guitar playing is hot stuff and I would like to hear more from this relatively new player. He has a lot to offer as a guitarist and his skills are smokin'.

From four alarm fire shredding to soulful melodies, this tribute CD covered all grounds. With all star appearances from George Lynch, Brad Gillis, Jake E. Lee and more, this tribute album is destined to be one of the best of all time in it's genre. I have to give Versailles Records a hand for getting together some of the rock industries best guitar players for a blazing storm of guitar madness. So how about getting Satch and Vai to do a tribute to George Lynch or Brad Gillis in return? (laughs) Be sure to drop by Versailles Records and pick this one up now, or check out your local music retailer, it's selling fast.

MelodicRock.Com Reviews In Brief.

A TRIBUTE TO VAI/SATRIANI
LORDS OF KARMA
Versailles Records VE20006
Executive Produced by: Jake Brown

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Released: OUT NOW
GENRE: Hard Rock OVERALL: 83%

Versailles Records were previously behind a very good Cult Tribute and this is their second foray into the Tribute world.
The thing I like about this and also the Cult Tribute are the persons involved. The label has unearthed a few different people, rather than the same old suspects used on other tributes.
Featured on Lords Of Karma are Bruce Kulick, Jake E Lee, Brad Gillis, George Lynch, Tony Harnell, Richard Kendrick, Neil Zaza & Jimmy Crespo.
Most tracks are faithfully reproduced, with each guitarist adding their own personal style and trademark sound to the tracks.
On the Vai side of the things, it was great to hear a couple of vocals from the Dave Lee Roth Eat Em And Smile era included. Yankee Rose features Enuff Z Nuff doing their own thing and on Shy Boy George Lynch shreds like a mad man while Tony Harnell and Jason McMaster share lead vocals. This track ROCKS!
Overall, an above average release and above average performances of some classic songs.

Electricbasement.com - CD Review

VARIOUS ARTISTS - A Tribute to Vai/Satriani: Lords of Karma

(Versailles Records)

Not too many tribute records as of late, so this double dose of tributage might help make up for the lack of genre releases, not that the genre HAS to exist. Stacked with some of the usual suspects and a few semi-big names (Bruce Kulick, Jake E. Lee, George Lynch etc.), this concise ten tracker devotes 5 carefully chosen pieces to each virtuoso. Careful in all regards I suppose for paying tribute to renowned guitarist could get real ugly if the ball is dropped.

Digging in: Kulick's take on "Always with Me, Always With You" is rather gorgeous and perfectly legit, maintaining a bluesy yet technical tone, fading away as an appetizer for Jake. E. Lee's extra metal version of "Surfing with the Alien." The hook is not as obvious here, buried in crunch but that's all cool, for we aren't looking for uninspired copycats. The other highlight on the Satch side is Brad Gillis on "Summer Song" a tasty sister to "Surfing."

Enuff Z'nuff dare take on Vai's "Yankee Rose" and...hmmm....well, not nearly as awkward as I would have imagined. In fact, there is more red meat here than I would never had guessed Enuff Znuff could tackle. The vocal harmonies are where they shine. But then again, this is supposed to be a guitar album...ahh screw it, this ain't half bad. "Shy Boy" finds George Lynch doing quite well, but once again, the vocals surprise here, thanks to Jason Mcmaster and Tony Harnell.

Richard Kendricks and Corey Craven chime in among others and you have a set that is about 40% little knowns and the rest recognizable to at least the hard rock loyalists. None of the tracks are embarrassing and are honestly better produced and not as half-baked as most tributes have been for the last oh, say 5 years. Still, this isn't as expansive or urgent as it could have been. I mean, why split this up between 2 legends? Still another budget tribute album when it comes down to it, so fans will have to decide how worth it is to them to shell out another 16 bucks to hear other people do their hero's music.- Brian Coles

V/A - A Tribute To Vai/Satriani: Lords Of Karma
Versailles Records, 2002

"Versailles Records is the label behind this tribute album dedicated to the two guitar legends Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. These two guys have played with a great number of bands like Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, Axis and Rolling Stones before deciding to go solo which was a very good choice as it turned out. The people performing these ten tracks (five from Vai and five from Satriani) are also quite famous and have been or are members of bands like Enuff Znuff, Dokken, TNT, Watchtower, Kiss, Aerosmith and Meatloaf. This means that they have not just picked up the guitar, some of them have even spent more than 20 years learning to pick the strings. The result is as it should be, a clean and perfected tribute album, nothing more, nothing less. Most of the ten tracks are of course completely instrumental which I'm glad for because I think at least some of them would have been ruined if they had included a vocalist, at least if he/she isn't good enough. If you are a guitarist yourself you will have no problem at all appreciating the greatness of both Satriani and Vai but no matter what kind of music you listen to I think you will be able to enjoy this album. There are mostly slow and emotional tracks on the album but also some for hard rock fans. This is instrumental rock in the highest division and if it wasn't "just" a tribute album I might have rated it even higher. Outstanding tracks: "Surfing With The Alien" (Satriani) and "Tobacco Road" (Vai)." (7.5/10)

AOR-Europe.com

LORDS OF KARMA: "A Tribute to Vai / Satriani" 9
Versailles Records 2002
Review by Endre "Bandi" Hübner 13 February 2002

Finally!! A tribute album that is REALLY a tribute to the artists it is dedicated to not just a lame attempt to cash in on well-known names. I've been very disappointed by some of the "tribute" albums that came out lately and approached this one very carefully too. My fears were growing stronger when I saw that the album opens with Satriani's "Always With Me, Always With You", one of my all time favorite instrumental pieces. Then Bruce Kulick's (Kiss, Union, Blackjack, Meatloaf) version of the song washed all my fears away. He has recorded an electro-acoustic version of the song that almost brought the tears into my eyes. If the original weren't so perfect I would even say "better than that" but obviously that's pretty much impossible.

Jake E. Lee (Ozzy, Badlands, etc.) smokes with "Surfing With The Alien", great version, not just playing note-by-note but he manages to add his own personality and style into the final product. This is true for all the performers and this makes the album a real tribute and different from the recent endless flow of fake tribute albums. Another pleasant surprise is Jimmy Crespo and Dave Ragsdale (the rock violinist) doing a great guitar-violin version of "Echo". Gotta be heard to believe! Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) is as good on "Summer Song" as Lee was on "Surfing" which is not surprise after his great solo effort. Neither is Neil Zaza's superb "Friends"; Neil's own stuff is pretty much in the Satch vein anyway.

Had there only been instrumental songs on the album, it would have gotten the maximum 10 points but some weaker vocal songs slipped in among the Vai tributes. The band members of Enuff Z'Nuff had already destroyed some of the songs on various tribute albums, and that's pretty much what they do with Dave Lee Roth's "Yankee Rose" here. Neither the guitars, but for heaven's sake not even the vocals(!) live up to the original! And if someone can't sing Dave well enough that's more than a critique… I expected more from "Shy Boy" too, mainly because George Lynch is definitely a capable guitarist and Tony Harnell is one of my favorite singers but their version pales in comparison to the original too. However it can be blamed on the production too, as the whole sound is quite weak on this one. Richard Kendrick, a new, rising talent restores the faith with a great version of "The Attitude Song". Much credit goes to the guy anyway, because for almost half of the songs on the record he is the one to provide all the musical background for the soloists. Tony Janflone is not a household name among rock fans mainly because he is working on more jazzy territories and that may be one of the reasons for choosing "Tender Surrender". He does beautiful, soulful rendition of the song. The album finishes with an okay version of "Tobacco Road" by Corey Craven (weak vocal performance and production again). Disregarding the vocal track this is a perfect album and essential for EVERY instrumental guitar fan. www.versaillesrecords.com By the way, you might want to check out our reviews of earlier Jake E. Lee, Brad Gillis, Neil Zaza, and other mentioned artists' or band's releases in our archives…

Cover: 3 Summer Songs out of 10.
I have no idea what the hell this is. Some sort of fancy symbol or something. It doesn't stand out and there are no guitars anywhere to be seen. This is a tribute for 2 guitarist, maybe some fucking guitars somewhere would have been nice. Maybe I'm just too simple minded.

Booklet: 6 Attitude Songs out of 10
One thing Versailles Records has is at least quality booklets. It has notes on all the artists on this CD along with little pictures. It's nothing too fancy, but it's easy to read and gives you an idea of what you're going to be listening to.

Songs: 5 Copycats out of 10.
There are 5 songs for Satriani and 5 songs for Steve Vai. I'd have to say the Satriani side is a bit better. Bruce Kulick, Jake E Less and Brad Gillis are some of the guitarist who tackle the Satriani stuff. Most of it is note for note and sounds good enough. On the Vai side, I just want to ask who decided that Enff Z'Nuff should cover "Yankee Rose?" Chip Z'Nuff sings it and makes Lemmy sound like Steve Perry. It's basically a sloppy version of "Yankee Rose" and it doesn't even sound like Enuff Z'Nuff. And why is "Shy Boy" and "Tobacco Road" on this CD when that wasn't even a David Lee Roth or Steve Vai song to begin with? It's a cover of a cover. The Vai side has 3 David Lee Roth songs and 2 Steve Vai songs. Kind of like a one legged man in a rodeo, totally pointless. If you're going to do a tribute to Steve Vai, at least do Steve's own work.

Comments: The problem I have with tributes like this is it really isn't a tribute, it's just other guitar players playing the same shit Vai & Satriani did. They don't really add any new interpetations or make the songs their own. They just copy the solos and stuff note for note. If I wanted to hear that, I'd buy the original. But we got sent this for free, so in that case I'm not out any cash, so what do I care

Lords of Karma – A Tribute to Vai/Satriani
Label: Versailles Records
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review By: antiGUY

How in the hell do you find musicians with the balls let alone the skill to do covers of some of the best work of two of most gifted guitarist to ever pick up the six string? We still don't know how he did it but Jake Brown at Versailles Records accomplished what he set out to do. The songs included on this disc not only pay homage to the originals and the guitar skills of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai but also showcase the unquestioned talent of those who participated.

The thing about gifted guitarist is that each one approaches the instrument in their own special way, which gives them a sound and style all their own that is readily identifiable with only hearing a few notes. Not only do Steve Vai and Joe Satriani possess this quality with their music but many of the guitarists who took part in their album as well. Each guitarist approached the songs mindful of the original yet they each give it their own special flair and style really making it their own instead of a note for note copy.

Bruce Kulick has never really gotten his due as a truly exceptional guitarist. Die hard KISS fans know what Bruce is capable of, as he produced some of the most memorable guitar leads and solos of KISS's career but unfortunately not everyone could see past the image problems KISS had and didn’t give Bruce the attention and respect he deserved. Not only does he meet the challenge of recapturing the magic of one of Joe Satriani’s most memorable songs, he really shows us what he is made of with his approach to playing “Always With Me, Always With You”. A great job Bruce!

We know Ozzy doesn’t mess around when he picks lead guitarist. To play with Ozzy you have to be even better than the top of your class and have a distinct style. Jake E Lee stepped into the permanent guitarist slot with Ozzy after the tragic death of Randy Rhodes. While they were tough shoes to fill Jake brought his own grace and substance to Ozzy’s music and really measured up to the task producing some truly incredible guitar work and unforgettable solos while he was with Ozzy. Just listen to the solos on “Bark at the Moon” and you know Jake is a Guitar God all his own. While his later projects never achieved the commercial success as his work with Ozzy, Jake has to this day remained one of the most innovative guitarist in rock. His cover of Satriani’s best know song “Surfing With The Alien” starts out pretty true to the original but then he busts loose and gives it the Jake E Lee flavor, taking it far beyond the confines of the original version. An amazing new look at a classic song done by one of the most underrated guitarist on the scene today.

When Aerosmith was looking for a guitarist to replace Joe Perry they looked no further than Jimmy Crespo, the former guitarist of Flame. While the gig with Aerosmith was short lived Jimmy has made his mark working with artists ranging from Billy Squier, Rod Stewart, Rough Cut and Dave Ragsdale of Kansas who recorded this cover of “Echo” with him. The chemistry between Crespo and Ragsdale is undeniable and while this is a mellower song than the other Satriani tunes featured here, the performances are smokin’ and really show how Satriani made a career by making the guitar the ultimate lead instrument without the need for vocals!

Most people know Brad Gillis from his work with Night Ranger but they forget that he was the man that Ozzy tapped to fill in on guitar for the "Speak of the Devil" tour after Randy Rhodes’ death. We have a testament to that teaming with the "Speak of the Devil" album where Brad put down some amazing leads. Here he gives us a flat out rockin rendition of “Summer Song” taking an already mind bending song and giving it his own special touch. Brad never really got his due but after you hear what he did here there will be no denying this guy is one hell of guitarist!

Neil Zaza was a natural choice for this album, he is a widely respected instrumental guitarist and after hearing his take on “Friends” we know why! It’s a perfect end to the Satriani portion of the album as Neil explores the many personalities of Satriani’s music, playing it with an explosive passion.

Steve Vai is easily one of the most unique and accomplished guitarist in rock, there isn’t anyone out there who sounds even remotely like Vai, a man who has the ability to make his guitar really speak. So I was interested to hear this portion of the album and how the artists measured up to the challenge.

First up is one of my favorite underdogs and in my opinion the most underrated band in a generation, Enuff Z’nuff. I know Jake feels the same way, why else would he give them the biggest hit to cover on this album and on last summers Cult tribute album? Enuff Z’nuff fans get a special treat with this cover of “Yankee Rose”, the band’s cofounder and bassist Chip Z’nuff takes the microphone, something he rare does since he agrees Donnie Vie is one of rocks most amazing vocalist. Chip does a great job here giving the David Lee Roth hit a more down and dirty feel. Definitely a cool cover by a cool band.

Fans of 80’s melodic rock band Dokken know that George Lynch can hold his own on the guitar. Here he teamed up with vocalists Tony Harnell and Jason McMaster for an unforgettable cover of “Shy Boy” which ironically the guitars come out sounding more like Bruce Kulick than Steve Vai but hey it rocks nonetheless.

Chances are you have never heard of Richard Kendrick but once you hear his take on “The Attitude Song” you will never forget him. He takes the Vai showcase song and turns it inside out playing the memorable Vai approach to the instrument and then wrapping his own unforgettable guitar style around it. Richard simply kicks ass and makes you really nostalgic for the days of guitar heroes. The good news is he has a brand new album out, which is also released by Versallies Records, called “Murder and the F Word” if you can’t get enough of what you hear from him here.

Jazz guitarist Tony Janflone Jr gives us a great bluesy rendition of “Tender Surrender” that words can’t describe, you really have to hear it for yourself. And the relatively newcomer Corey Craven closes out the disk with a balls to the wall rendition of “Tobacco Road”. It’s the perfect way to end a killer album. Hats off the all the musicians who took part on this tribute and congrats to Jake and Versailles Records for pulling off what many would have considered impossible, a tribute album to Satriani and Vai? Can’t be done! Well it has been and let me tell you it quite simply kicks ass!
Listen to samples and Purchase this CD online

"Lords of Karma"- A Tribute to Vai/Satriani (2002 Versailles Records)
I thought things were quiet after the "Crushing Days" compilation but here we are with both guys being tributed and a serious complation compared to some of the really gnarly ones Dwell had put out over the course of the last 5 years...total mutilation! Versailles really gathered some talent for this release and despite some of them go amok on certain songs, it's still a very good compilation nonetheless. Some of the stars are Bruce Kulick, Brad Gillis, Jake E. Lee (the one runs amok!), Neil Zaza, George Lynch, Richard Kendrick, Jim Crespo and Enuff Znuff to name the majority. The CD is split in half with the first 5 tracks paying homage to "Satch" with Lee's good but overboard cover of "Surfing With the Alien", Brad Gillis doing "Summer Song" and "Friends" by Zaza as my best picks for the first half and the Vai part has a couple vocal tracks like "Yankee Rose" by Enuff Znuff (great guitar and music but the vocals are just horrible....raspy and monotone as hell from smoking and whiskey drinking I would say...ha ha!) and "Tobacco Road" by Corey Craven. Lynch hooks up with Jason McMaster (from the 80's thrashers,Watchtower) and Tony Harnell, ex-lead vocalist for TNT to cover "Shy Boy", great song but not one of Vai's best since to me, it's a bit repetative lyrically. Richard Kendrick's version of "The Attitude Song" and Zaza's "Friends" are practically note-for-note and the best tracks on here. Not a bad compilation and somewhat like "Crushing Days" with "hits and misses" but worth the curiosity of listeners..

Released on Versailles Records this new CD pays tribute to two of the greatest and most recognized shred kings of our time - Steve Vai & Joe Satriani. The CD brings together some of the hottest guitarists from the 80's and 90's all paying homage to the two masters that pushed over the top guitar playing to the forefront. Shred kings like George Lynch, Neil Zaza, Richard Kendrick, Jake E. Lee, to name a few, all contribute their personal guitar styling to some of Vai and Satriani's most memorable work. There is some first rate guitar playing throughout this CD. Fans of both Vai and Satriani will really dig this release.

The highlight of the entire CD is Richard Kendrick's superb recreation of the Vai Classic "The Attitude Song". Just like the title states, Kendrick plays with authority and attitude. He has interpreted this shred masterpiece with skill and finger flying dexterity that should place him among the front-runners of today's instrumental guitar scene.
Other songs of note are Neil Zaza's interpretation of "Friends" and Brad Gillis's rendition of "Summer Song". I also really like the teaming up of George Lynch with Tony Harnell for the David Lee Roth (Vai) tune "Shy Boy" - a great rocker with loads of signature George Lynch all over it.
This is the first release I have heard from Versailles Records. From a production stand point this CD is also first rate. I have a feeling we are going to hear many more quality releases from these guys in the not so distant future.

You could make a case that Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are the two greatest guitarists to walk the Earth. Of course there's Hendrix and Randy Rhodes, but we'll never know what level they may have reached. Instead of arguing about it, I suggest picking this amazing tribute up and hearing what some of the worlds other greats can do with their material.

The first half is Satriani with Bruce Kulick doing extreme justice to "Always With Me, Always With You". Jake E. Lee takes on arguably the most recognizable guitar instrumental ever, "Surfing With The Alien" and probably the next most widely know "Summer Song" is done by Night Ranger Axeman Brad Gillis. All three guys do amazing work here, not straying dramatically from the originals, but then again, why would you have to! Jake E. Lee's version is the most aggressive as he shows he has only improved over the years. Legendary Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith) and Rock Violinist Dave Ragsdale redo "Echo", a nice song, but the pace doesn't allow for a lot of showing off. And underrated guitarist Neil Zaza does a fantastic version of "Friends" to wrap up the Satriani side.

The Steve Vai tracks may be a little more recognizable as he worked with more artists and bands than Satrini. In fact, three of the cuts here are off David Lee Roth's first solo album. I was amazed to see Enuff Z' Nuff taking on "Yankee Rose" and even more amazed to hear they did a killer job with it. It has a bit of their influence in it, but for the most part stays true to the original. I have NEVER heard Donnie Vie sound like this either, he's closer to Bon Scott than his own style. Next comes three of my favorite dudes, George Lynch, Tony Harnell, and Jason McMaster (Dokken, TNT, Dangerous Toys respectively) doing KILLER version of the old Talas tune "Shyboy". All I can say is you need to hear it. Richard Kendrick redoes "The Attitude Song" and shows he's emerged as a helluva player. Tony Janflone Jr. does a nice job on "Tender Surrender", the albums most laid-back remake, and Corey Craven smokes on Tobacco Road to round the CD off.

As you would expect from a group of players like this, the production is amazing and the quality of the product and packaging is also done very well. This is a "Tribute" album versus a "Interpretation", meaning the songs stay very true to the original. I think back on that Kiss Tribute done in the early 90's by a bunch of artists who had no business on the album. ALL of the musicians here belong as they've been a part of the same scene as Vai and Satriani have been, some even longer, which shows the appreciation for these guys. Will we ever see young players like this? I don't know, it's not real promising in the states due to Video Games and MTV, so I think we can only look at Europe. In the meantime, let's enjoy the contributions of all the brilliant musicians on the album and the two men they are paying tribute to... Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.

A.A.V.V.
"Lord Of Karma - A Tribute to Vai/Satriani"
Versailles Records - 2002
**** 8.5 ****
Fuori per la Versailles Records questo tributo a due dei più grandi chitarristi degli ultimi 20 anni: Steve Vai e Joe Satriani. Il tributo si divide in due parti, la prima presenta i pezzi che hanno reso celebre Satriani e a suonarli troviamo gente che sa cosa significa "suonare": BRUCE KULICK, credo non abbia bisogno di presentazioni, si cimenta nella tranquilla "Always With Me, Always With You", mentre un'altro mostro delle sei corde, JAKE E LEE si esalta con "Surfing With The Alien".
L'accoppiata JIMMY CRESPO/DAVE RAGSDALE ci prova con "Echo" caratterizzata dal violino di quest'ultimo, mentre BRAD GILLIS e NEIL ZAZA chiudono la cinquina dedicata Satriani con le bellissime "Summer Song" e "Friends".
Dalla sesta traccia in poi incomincia la parte dedicata a Vai: gli ENUFF Z' NUFF con la voce irriconoscibile di Donnie Vie si esibiscono con una delle più belle song del repertorio Vai/Roth, "Yankee Rose", mentre un inedito terzetto composto da GEORGE LYNCH alla chitarra e TONY HARNELL e JASON McMASTER alla voce danno un pò di energia con la stellare "Shy Boy". Decisamente sopra la media anche le esecuzioni delle strumentali "The Attitude Song" (RICHARD KENDRICK) e "Tender Surrender" (TONY JANFLONE Jr) che ci conducono verso la decima ed ultima traccia "Tobacco Road", suonata e cantata da COREY CRAVEN.
www.versaillesrecords.com
Speedynumb@versaillesrecords.com
Moreno Lissoni

"The vai/satch tribute was real good. I'm particulary fond of tributes when their done
tastefully (ie Death metal bands covering AC/DC doesnt' NOT make a good
tribute (as Dwell tried to do) but this is creative and features some real
good talent, all of which I've had the pleasure of hearing on your CD's."
Reviews to follow

"The (Lords of Karma) Tribute is AWESOME -- just got it and LOVE it. this is a gem!"
Reviews to follow

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Fire Woman: A Tribute to the Cult

"Fans of the Cult should definitely like this disc, but others might as well. It is a very well done album featuring a lot of performances that are quite true to the originals, but still others that take a good number of liberties. One of the unusual things is that many of the artists here are not quite household names, but if you dig deeply, you can find that they are people with a musical history. A bit of a listing here will give some indication. Of course you do have Enuff Z'nuff, but they are probably the most well known of the names on the disc. When you start looking at many of the others, you need to look more at whom they have played with in the past than the names. There is Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith), Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne), Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), and Joe Lynne Turner (Deep Purple), to name a few. The performances here can be a little uneven, but still all entertain."

I start every review of a tribute CD with the same line. These tributes are basically aimed at already established fans of the band in question and in a lesser degree, aimed at fans of the artists that appear on each tribute.A tribute to The Cult is no different. Established fans of the band will have the most enjoyment out of this, followed by fans of those appearing on this album.Those suspects include: Jizzy Pearl, Enuf Z Nuff, Paul Shortino & Jimmy Crespo, Jake E Lee, American Dog, Jason McMaster, Gilby Clarke, Corey Craven, Jim Martin, Stevie Rachelle, Joe Lynn Turner and a few others.Quite an impressive line up.As they are already well established, the songs are of course classics. No debate there.These tribute albums fall into two categories. Ones that have a few dollars spent on them and sound quite impressive and those that are done at a bargain rate, with two or three of them recorded at once. These are less desirable and less in demand.I am happy to report that Fire Woman fits into the first category, the essential for collectors category.
In fact, I rate this tribute up there with the 3 or 4 best of them that I have heard. The money spent on the production and recording of this album will easily be repaid with the demand for the record. Along with the Bruce Kulick produced Van Halen and Aerosmtih Tributes, this is almost as good.Enuff Z Nuff rip through She Sells Sanctuary, Jizzy Pearl sounds right at home on the title track Fire Woman and Paul Shortino and bud Jimmy Crespo sound as fresh and as powerful as ever on Sweet Soul Sister - an album highlight.American Dog provide most of the album's backing tracks, along with a gentleman by the name of Richard Kendrick, who as well as performing his own solo versions of a couple of Cult Tracks, helps out the rest of the bands with backing vocals and additional instrumental support. His vocals are enjoyable and should be a talent to look for in the future. BOTTOM LINE: A tribute album that has the opportunity to appeal to more than just fans of the Cult, as it is well produced and well executed. Basically, one of the better tribute albums thus far released and in the top 5 as far as enjoyment received from listening to it. Top-notch performances of a selection material that spans The Cult's entire repertoire, not just one segment of it.

PRODUCTION: 85% SONGS: 88% VIBE: 80% ATTITUDE: 80%
ESSENTIAL FOR: Most fans of the Cult, fans of the artists within, and fans of good solid hard rock.

I gotta admit that I expected this to be yet another boring tribute album, with some crappy performances by some artists that I never even heard about before when I first got the CD in my mail. Well ... I´m glad to say that I was dead wrong this time, as "Firewoman - A tribute to Cult" is actually one of the best tributes I´ve heard in a long time. Versailles Records have done a good job with getting together a pretty impressive line-up of rock stars, let me add that the CD booklet is filled with info about the bands and the frontcover with adult star Kendra Jade is for sure a sight for sore eyes
" - Enuff Z´Nuff, Jizzy Pearl (Love/Hate, Ratt, L.A.Guns), Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot), Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith, Rough Cutt), Jake E. Lee (Ozzy, Badlands, Ratt etc.) Jason MacMaster (Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth), Michael Hannon (Salty Dog, Dangerous Toys), Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses, Thrills for kills), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple), Stevie Rachelle (Tuff), Jim Martin (Faith No More) -" are some of all the rock stars who´d like to give their tribute to UK rockers The Cult.
Some of my favorites here would be "Firewoman" by Jizzy Pearl and let me tell you that he does a kick ass version of a really good song. David Letterman´s favorite band: Enuff Z´Nuff disappoints nobody with their killer version of "She sells sanctuary" another winner in my book. Paul Shortino & Jimmy Crespo (Rough Cutt) delivers a wikked "Sweet soul sister" and Shortino sounds again like the superb vocalist he is, not like his poor performance on the Aerosmith tribute. Jake E Lee handles "American horse" together with vocalist Tattoo Frank. "Eddie (Ciao baby)" are here superbly done by Richard Kendrick, "Wild flower" by Gilby Clarke, and "The Rain" by legendary vocalist Joe Lynn Turner are also great. In fact only O.C.D & The Thrill Kill Kult delivers some really crappy cover versions here, while the others are all from fine/good to superb. Oh and let´s not forget about Stevie Rachelle (Tuff) as his version of "Outlaw" simple rocks. Recommended indeed and I really need to spin some old CULT albums later tonight as this CD will only make ya want some more.www.versaillesrecords.com

While I was never a huge fan of The Cult, I do admit that some of their songs were monumental. Riding the fine line between glam, blues and classic rock, they are truly a band with a distinct sound and a solid catalog. I'm not familiar with some of the songs covered here, so my perspective will most likely be off in places. Since it's relatively hard to do an overall review of a tribute album, below is a track-by-track commentary - in order to focus attention on each track by itself.Fire Woman (Jizzy Pearl) - Of course, this is the song most people know The Cult by: a powerful anthem that deserves top-notch treatment. Jizzy sounds good here, and the song is given a more glam flair, while still sounding very much like the original. However, it lacks the fire that the original had, which is all too often the case when covering such a powerful song. It is indeed a great song, but only a good cover version that falls all but short of the grandieur of the original.She Sells Sanctuary (Enuff Znuff) - The Znuff gang give She Sells Sanctuary the Znuff treatment. Retaining the urgency of the original, Enuff Znuff manages to reinvent the song and make it sound like one of their own tracks, one of the brightest signs of a successful tribute.Sweet Soul Sister (Paul Shortino & Jimmy Crespo) - Everything Paul sings is bound to sound massive and soulful. This song is no different. Paul sounds terrific and the added flavor of Jimmy Crespo's sweet guitar licks only help tighten the performance even more.American Horse (Jake E. Lee/Tattoo Frank) - is a groovy song that gets a major kick in the butt with the powerful guitar riffs and leads of axe-meister Jake E. Lee. Tattoo Frank sounds roughly like Ozzy Osbourne, giving the song a more metal edge.Edie (Ciao Baby) (Richard Kendrick) - Richard does an amazing job at playing most instruments (sans drums) and handling vocals on this laid-back slow rocker. The song remains faithful to the original, although Richard's multi-part harmonies adds enough spice to keep the song fresh.Peace Dog (American Dog featuring Jason McMaster) - The pace is picked up again with this bluesy rocker. The song is given a southern twist with Jason's vocals as menacing as ever. The band is tight and do provide the perfect background for Jason's vocals.The Witch (Levi Levi & Sinderella Pussie of My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult w/ Project.44) - So far, the songs in this collection have been pretty standard covers, yet, once we hit The Witch, things take an experimental turn. With The Thrill Kill Kult providing an industrial backbone, the song gallops along with a powerful drive that veers far from the original song. Original in nature, the song just falls slightly out of place with the pace that has been established thus far.Wild Flower (Gilby Clarke) - Gilby Clarke infects Wild Flower with his brand of punkish southern rock, yet for all the trademark flair he puts into the song, it ends up being one of the closest Cult-sounding tracks on the album.The Rain (Joe Lynn Turner w/ Reckless Fortune featuring special guest Arno Hecht) - Being a rabid Joe Lynn Turner fan, this is one of the tracks I wanted to hear most badly. It didn't disappoint. Turner, as usual, delivers a stellar performance, pulling off a mean Astbury rasp. Throw in Arno Hecht's earthy horn playing and the tight musicianship of Reckless Fortune and you've got yourself one of the highlights of the album.King Contrary Man (Jason McMaster) - Much like the other track featuring Jason McMaster (Peace Dog), this track gets a mostly standard delivery, infused with enough southern fried flavor to keep it interesting.Coming Down (Corey Craven) - Slightly more psychedelic than the rest of the songs herein contained, this one has a feel of its own, which helps it stand out from between the more straightforward rock songs. Outlaw (Stevie Rachelle/Richard Kendrick) - This one didn't do a whole lot for me. The song is kind of generic and for some reason, Stevie's voice seems slightly out of place.Lil Devil (Jim Martin, Anand Bhatt and Dave Campbell) - With this next song, we get one of The Cult's standout track given a nice shine. Jim Martin (ex-Faith No More) grind his axe furiously and Anand Bhatt and Dave Campbell shared vocals are enthused with great melody and harmony.Memphis Hip Shake (OCD) - This song simply fails to pay homage to the great band it attempts to pay tribute to. Pretty bland and, just plain noisy, I couldn't even get through all of it. If the album had ended with Lil' Devil, it would've made for a much tighter clincher. As it stands, you get a bad last impression, which doesn't really help.Overall, this is a fairly decent tribute that has enough variety and originality to make it stand on its own. The high points (concentrated on the first half of the album) are worthy of the price of the disc alone, but the low points keep it from standing above your typical tribute fodder.

The Cult is one of the most famous British hard rock bands and they have a long career behind them starting with their debut album "Dreamtime" in 1984. The American label Versailles Records have now decided to release a tribut album to honor this successful band. Contributing to this album are several musicians from the elite of today's hard rock scene such as Jizzy Pearl (RATT), Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith, Rod Stewart), Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands), Jason McMaster (Watchtower, Dangerous Toys) just to mention a few. This should make you form an expression of what to expect from this album. Whatever you might think of tribute albums they are often a good way to get to know new bands and I have to admit that I haven't heard anything from The Cult earlier in my life, perhaps since I´m too young. Another reason would probably be that I have always been listening more to metal than hard rock but I still like a lot of hard rock bands and The Cult is definitely among the best to find even though not THE best. There are actually a couple of great (and I do mean great) songs like "Sweet Soul Sister" and "American Horse" on this tribute album but I wish they had left the horrible distorted "The Witch" out.

Here we go again with another tribute CD, I almost didn't even want to let this thing touch my player, after reviewing the other recent rock/techno atrocities that call themselves tributes. Plus, I'm a big Cult fan, so I
didn't want to hear these fine songs butchered. But my fears were thrown aside after the first listen, this is actually a good CD! I couldn't freakin' believe it! The best songs on here include ; American Dog rocking out on the classic "Peace Dog". Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate, lends his unique raspy vocals to the killer lead off track "Fire Woman", and it sounds very kool. Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys) kicks ass on his version of "King Country Man". Stevie Rachelle (Tuff) & Richard Kendrick do a great job on "Outlaw". The rest of the CD is solid.. Except for one stinker. Enuff Znuff puts forth one sad-ass version of "She Sells Sanctuary", the problem being the vocals of Donnie Vie, which just seem totally unsuitable to me. If, however you already like this band, you might be able to suffer through that track. In the end, its not a the best CD, but it is the best tribute CD I've heard in a long time.

First of all, I never been a great fan of tribute album but I'm changing my mind because of that CD! This CD is very strong. An all-star lineup. Members of Tuff, Ex- Guns N' Roses, Ex-Ozzy Osbourne, Dangerous Toys and many others. This is a true Rock N' Roll album that makes us remember all the great songs The Cult has written. My favotrite are Outlaws (Stevie Rachelle), She sells Sanctuary (Enuff Znuff), Sweet Soul Sister (Paul Shortino), Wild Flowers (Gilby Clack). The Firewoman version of Jizzy Pearl is good but I heard Ted Poley sing Firewoman on his CD and his version is way better in my opinion. So 14 tracks of Pure Rock N' Roll, it's a blast! The production is well done, the sound is killer. Please give Rock N' Roll a favor and add this CD in your collection, you won't regret it.

Of all the bands in the world that could elicit a tribute album, one might wonder at first why The Cult would be in line for such an honor now. After all, they had only a brief period in America when they were close to the level of superstar, thanks to their Sonic Temple album. It's been a while since we heard from Ian Astbury and crew. And anyway, how many of their songs are recognizable in the first place?

One listen to Fire Woman: A Tribute To The Cult answers that last question; you may be surprised to hear how many songs you recognize, even if only at a quick glance. While the collective of artists on this disc gravitate towards a harder rock vein (though neither this disc nor The Cult were hard rock per se), it quickly proves itself to be en enjoyable way to pass an hour - and that's after you get through drooling at the cheesecake shot of porn star Kendra Jade on the cover.

It helps if you have a working knowledge of The Cult's discography when you go into Fire Woman, but it's not
a must in order to enjoy these tracks. In fact, the artists who lovingly cover these songs mostly turn them into their own babies, nurturing them throughout the creative process. Listen to how Jake E. Lee and Tattoo Frank take a song like "American Horse" (off of Ceremony) and turn it into something that is both special and unique. Listen to how Gilby Clarke injects life into "Wild Flower" and makes you want to go back and hear the original. Listen to how Jason McMaster captures the essence of "King Contrary Man".

Several tracks on Fire Woman leap out as being exceptional. Listen to Enuff Z'Nuff's cover of "She Sells Sanctuary," and wonder just how these guys got this one nailed down so close to the bone. Donnie Vie might not have the same kind of edge to his vocals as Astbury does, but he convincingly delivers the goods. Likewise, Richard Kendrick takes "Edie (Ciao Baby)", a song which presented its own unique challenges to whoever would choose to cover it, and kicks the doors down with his rendition - all without utilizing a string section.

This isn't to say that everything on Fire Woman is stellar. One has to admire Jizzy Pearl's decision to cover "Fire Woman" - arguably the best-known track from The Cult - and realize that nothing he would do could live up to the original's power. But this track falls a bit flat on its own. Part of it may be Pearl's vocal style - but in actuality, the problem is with the musical delivery courtesy of American Dog, who just don't capture the rhythmic snap in the guitars that this track requires. What makes this more surprising is that American Dog absolutely nails "King Contrary Man" backing Jason McMaster. And the industrial version of "The Witch," featuring Levi Levi and Sinderella Pussie of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, never gets off the ground.

Still, the collective of artists who make up Fire Woman: A Tribute To The Cult more often than not knows
what it takes to make these songs special, and they're able to make the translation for the listener. Chances
are this disc will make you want to dig through your collection and dust off whatever albums from The Cult
that you own - in which case, Fire Woman has done its job admirably well.

A TRIBUTE TO THE CULT "Fire Woman"
by bastard boy floyd
This CD doesn't come out till June 5th.

Cover: 9 Fire Women out of 10. The cover has a nude Kendra Jade on it but her body is covered up with flames. Unlike other tribute CDs, this has an actual cover that was specifically shot for this CD. In other words, effort was put into it! What a concept! I have to go with a 9 since Kendra is on the cover. However they lose a point because she's not totally naked.

Booklet: 9 Fire Women out of 10. Take notice Cleopatra and Perris Records, this is how it's done! A full 16 pages! It covers the history of The Cult and each band on this CD gets a half page write-up along with a photo. It's totally pro. Had it all been in color, it would have gotten a full 10, but I can't complain. This blow away anything Cleopatra has ever done or even thought about doing.

Songs: 12 Fire Women out of 20. I'm not the biggest Cult fan around, so I'm not familiar with a lot of these songs, so I'm giving them a 12, which is slightly above average. I have no specific reason why I settled on 12, but it seems like a nice number and deserves to be used more often.

This is what's on the CD:
1. Fire Woman by Jizzy Pearl
2. She Sells Sanctuary by Enuff Z'Nuff
3. Sweet Soul Sister by Paul Shortino & Jimmy Crespo
4. American Horse by Jake E. Less/Tattoo Frank
5. Edie (Ciao Baby) by Richard Kendrick
6. Peace Dog by American Dog featuring Jason McMaster
7. The Witch by Levi Levi & Sinderella Pussie of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
8. Wild Flower by Gilby Clarke
9. The Rain by Joe Lynn Turner with Reckless Fortune
10. King Contary Man by Jason McMaster
11. Coming Down by Corey Craven
12. Outlaw by Stevie Rachelle with Richard Kendrick
13. Lil Devil by Jim Martin, Anand Bhatt, and Dave Campbell
14. Memphis Hip Shake by O.C.D.
It wouldn't be a tribute record without Jizzy Pearl or Stevie Rachelle!
Overall the production sounds good and nobody embarasses themselves. Except
for track 14, that song sucks. Everything else is ok.

Comments: I should mention that Versailles Records sent this to us and specifically asked for me to review this CD! I guess they like me, or maybe they think I give easier reviews. I would have preferred they sent me money
along with this CD, but what can I do? This is one of the better tribute CDs out there providing you like The Cult. My suggestions are to get some bigger names because nobody gives a shit about O.C.D, Corey Craven, Richard Kendrick, or American Dog. Those guys don't even have real record deals and why should I or anybody else care about them covering Cult songs? And get a name for your label that I can actually pronounce! Versailles is also doing a Tribute CD for Steve Vai/Joe Satriani that will be out in the Summer, and I'm expecting that CD in the PO Box as well.

Where can you go to hear Jizzy Pearl, Enuff Z'Nuff & Joe Lynn Turner, among many others, all play together?

I got the cd in the mail Saturday, plugged it into my player as I walked into the door. I had been waiting with baited breath for this moment. Here it was.

Right off the bat, Jizzy Pearl screams out a finally coated version on Fire Woman for track one. Already the seduction has begun.

Track two, this is it, the cover I've been waiting for for months, Enuff Z'Nuff- She Sells Sanctuary. Totally worth the wait. Donnie Vie's Mellow and soothing vocals shine through and shimmer on this cover. Ian should be proud his work sounds this good.

My favorite Cult song, Edie (Ciao baby). Done by Richard Kendrick. Props to him. His heart felt rendition of this sad, yet touching, song pulled on my heart strings just as hard as the first time I spun it off the Sonic Temple record. This man here knows he way around this song.

Wild Flower: Gilby Clarke. Again, I loved this song. Heck, I loved the whole cd, Hard as I might picking just a few to talk about is too hard.

With as many 'Latest & greatest' and Tribute records that have come out over the last few years, I knew that this would be really good or really bad. Shocking was it that a record of Cult songs was done. Talk about an underground following. Yet here this beautiful piece of work sits, still in my 4 cd turn table.

The Only down side to this record, the porn star on the cover. But then again, I am a girl, I'm sure the guys are thrilled.

After a gazillion tribute albums have passed through a reviewer's weary ears, he or she can, and don't hold me to this longer than one water cooler conversation, actually predict certain basic outcomes. Or better yet, it can be said there is a winning formula out there and I think, (gasp!), I have a loose grasp of what it is. For one, you need to pick a subject that is musically infallible. That is, their stuff is so damn good, it is hard to fuck it up. That is, unless you do an "off yer ass" total remake of the song you are paying tribute to (see the entire Covered In Black - An industrial Tribute to AC/DC...gag!). The Cult has this musical brilliance, hook, soul...power etc. So one notch there. The other important elements to a successful homage are having artists that care about their subject matter and...um...yes folks...production!

This collection has all of the above. Although it does have one specific challenge to overcome...Ian Asbury's voice is so distinct and integral to the Cult's music, it's hard to imagine some of these songs as Cult songs without him. But alas, the music, production and passion of delivery overcome this in most cases. For goodness sake, how could Jizzy Pearl singing "Fire Woman" not sound cool? Or Enuff Znuff providing chills with "She Sells Sanctuary?". Or American Dog and Jason McMaster kicking the dog (pun 1!) with the riff laden "Peace Dog" (pun 2!)? "Wild Flower" with Gilby Clarke is smokin' (that lower register really adds a fine twist) and huge while newbie (and virtual one-man-band) Richard Kendrick actually handles the epic "Edie" with genuine grace. Wowsers! Other star appearance and performances are churned out by the likes of Jake E. Lee, Joe Lynn Turner, Paul Shortino etc.

The production is crisp, respectful and bristling with energy, adding the icing on an already delicious cake. The artists here seem to really respect the focus of the project and there is that celebration feel throughout. One of the best tribute albums I've heard in a long time. - Brian Coles

Well folks here we go. I am not exactly a big Cult fan but have liked a few of there songs in the past. I received an E-mail from Varsailles Records asking if I would review a CD for them. I agreed to do this being I am really
into music.

I got to review it Tuesday May 8, 2001. The first track was Fire Woman performed by Jizzy Pearl. I was quite impressed but thought ok this is a Cult song that I did like and know. Listening on there were a few songs I didn't know Outlaw which I enjoyed and a song called Lil Devil which I think was one of the best performed songs on the CD. I would recommend getting this CD to anyone who does like the Cult. I think you will be as impressed as I was.

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Various Artists - The Second Coming...A Millennium Tribute to 80`s Heavy Metal and Hard Rock
December 1999 | Released: 1999, Versailles Records | Rating: 3.0/5 | Reviewer: EvilG

Some "metal" and hard rock was best left to the 80's, there's no doubt about that. These better left to the 80's bands were the (at the time) trendy glam metal bands. This CD is different than most tributes as it's not a tribute to a single band, it's a tribute to an era. Out of the 14 tracks on here there are some that to me shouldn't of made it on the CD and there are bands that were left out. For example, when you're talking 80's metal and hard rock then you cannot leave out Ronnie James Dio, W.AS.P., Ratt, and a a slew of others! But hey, you can't please everyone and some bands won't make the final cut.

Since each band on this tribute has their own interpretation of the song they cover I felt it would only be fair to look at each cover individually and give a rating for each. Then for the fun of it I added up the ranking and averaged them out to see what the overall rating at the top is!

The CD opens up with a cover of Twisted Sister's "Under the Blade" performed by American Dog http://www.globalco.net/americandog/ What would a tribute to 80's metal be without Twisted Sister? Unfortunately, their cover of this song did nothing for me. Rating 1/5.

Next up, Cage http://www.cageheavymetal.com/ cover the classic Judas Priest tune "Freewheel Burning." Priest are one of those 80's bands that still mean something today, who are still together and putting out great music - even if they've only put out 2 studio CD's in the 90's (Painkiller and Jugulator). For a band to cover Priest they have to meet some high standards. Cage's version is VERY close to the original. The vocals are almost perfect, only in one or two places did I notice that the vocalist didn't reach the exact pitch that Halford at one time could reach. The leads were again almost flawless. I don't know if this band's own material sounds like Priest or if they have their own identity but this cover gets a 5/5!

Sticking out like a sore thumb is a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Don't Believe A Word" by a band called Southern Rock Allstars http://www.southernrock.com I don't really understand why this is on this CD. I never considered Thin Lizzy to be metal anyway. I can't really comment on the cover that these guys do other than to say I don't like this song and it's simple boring rock...next please. Rating 1/5.

Guns 'n Roses...why anyone would want to include them on a tribute is beyond me. After all, they only did one half decent album in 1987! "Welcome to the Jungle" is covered here by L.A.'s Guttersluts http://members.aol.com/gutrsltz They manage to make the song more un-listenable than the original by turning it into mud. Rating 0/5.

Premonition http://www.premonition11.com deliver a cover of Ozzy's "I Don't Know" that vocally is so close to the original it's scary. They have slightly changed the rhythm at the beginning which really didn't add to the song and made it a little less lively. The solos are played very well, Randy would be proud. Rating 4/5.

Def Leppard are another band that I have never been a fan of. I did however like one of their CD's - "Pyromania" (what fucking metalhead didn't have that in their collection in 1983?). This album reminds me of being 13 again whereas their later material reminds me of why I turned to bands like Metallica and Anthrax in the 80's to escape from the glam nightmare. That said, Straightjacket Smile aka Mudbone http://members.aol.com/DaSnotty1/mudbone.html provide an excellent rendition of "Photograph." The vocals here are almost dead-on and the guitar riffing near the beginning of the song sounds heavier than the original. Rating 4/5.

Wraith http://www.wraithlair.com provide a so-so version of Quiet Riot's "Bang You Head (Metal Health)." Musically this is done accurately but not many people can attempt to sound like Kevin DuBrow and pull it off. Again, this song fits in perfectly on this CD and reminds me of the early 80's big-time! Rating 4/5.

"Transformers...robots in the sky". Remember that cartoon? Well the next band on here, Salvo http://www.salvo.org have taken their vocal ideas from the theme music from that cartoon complete with the robot synthesized vocals and used it to cover Motorhead's "Orgasmatron." On fist listen I laughed, by the second I thought it was different and cool, after hearing it a couple more times it's getting old. That whole ministry thing is kinda repetitive and boring anyway. At least they have put their own stamp on this cover so that's a 3/5.

There have been enough tributes to Iron Maiden done in recent years that I don't think anyone needs to be covering Maiden for a while. Yes, Maiden were gods of metal in the 80's but if you want to hear Maiden tributes go buy "Maiden Tribute." A band called Tempered Steel http://users.itsnet.com/~landrus/steel cover "Revelations." Vocally, Bruce Dickinson this isn't! It's not bad, but considering that Bruce is about the all-time best metal vocalist in my books you'd better not cover this unless you either completely change the vocals and only keep it the same if you can hit every note. the highpoint of this cover are the leads, for the most part done well. Rating 2.5/5.

This is the epitome of sleaze, the bottom of the barrel. Faster Pussycat were total glam poseurs whom you could count their decent songs on one hand, and that would be stretching it. Believe it or not the cover provided here is worse than the original. "Smash Alley" is covered by Detox Darlings http://hometown.aol.com/detox2001/html Rating 1/5.

A Dokken cover?!?! Wow, this is different, and it's not even one of their more pop-orientated songs. Black Widow Steelwynch@aol.co do a fine job covering "When Heaven Comes Down." On vocals we have a chick, but that doesn't detract from the song because Don Dokken always sounded a bit like a chick anyway haha. The leads are not quite up to George Lynch's caliber but it's close for a 3/5.

Red Hot http://welcome.to/redhot are a Motley Crue tribute band. You'd think that these guys would therefore probably have the best cover version on this CD as their entire reason for being is to copy another band. It's sad then that they fail miserably with "Kickstart My Heart." First off the drums are off and dumbed down. The vocals are ok but in places waver off-key. Why they picked a song that was from Dr. Feelgood is silly. They should of picked something from Too Fast or from Shout...something that is more classic. Rating 2/5.

O.C.D. http://www.ocdmedia.com are a band that has totally put their stamp on their cover of Alice Cooper's "I Love The Dead." Wait, you're saying Cooper is better known for his 70's stuff! You're right, but I think we'd all rather hear this then a cover of Cooper's "Poison" or "He's Back (the man behind the mask)"...yuck. This sounds very little like the original and that's why I like it. O.C.D. have the originality to make something new out of this song and breathe new life into it! Rating 5/5.

Closing out the CD is Mudbone http://members.aol.com/DaSnotty1/mudbone.htm - yeah scroll back, they are the same band as Straightjacket Smile?!! They do an impressive cover of White Lion's "Wait." I never liked this band much but "Wait" and "Little Fighter" were half cool. White Lion's lead guitarist, Vito Bratta(?) was/is very talented and the fact that Mudbone's guitarist plays the solo on this note for note had me impressed. The vocals on this one are also un-real in that they are so close to the original! I'm wondering what ever happened to White Lion...maybe they have renamed themselves Mudbone? I wouldn't be surprised!! Rating 5/5.

THE SECOND COMING - Millennium Tribute to 80's Hard Rock / Heavy Metal (CD – Versailles Records – USA).This is a collection tribute that tries to reach the largest possible number of hard rock and heavy metal bands of the 80'. It is difficult to stand a band out of the other, or a band that may not be good enough to take part in this beautiful tribute. The bands shown here make their tribute with the competence of the original ones (American Dog presents Under the Blade by Twisted Sister; Premonition presents I Don't Now by uncle Ozzy; Wraith presents Bang Your Head by Quiet Riot; Straitjacket Smile presents Photograph by Def Leppard,; Tempered Stell presents Revelations by Iron Maiden; Red Hot presents Kickheart by Motley Crue), they create again -to-crazy versions (less an industrial version "Orgasmatron" by Motorhead; Guttersluts presents a cool version of "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns; Detox Darlings bringing a rockabilly version of "Smash Aleey" by Faster Pussycat; O.C.D. in a cavernous version of "I Love the Dead" by "aunt" Alice Cooper). The other bands are a just a little better than the others, with their tributes (Cage presents Freewheel Burning by Judas; Southern Rock Allstars presents a very southern version of Don't Believe to Word by Thin Lizzy; Black Widow presents a dry version, though better than the original of When Heaven Comes Down by Dokken; and, finally MudBone with the song Wait by White Lion, which I didn't know, anyway it knocked me out). Here you are, my friend, a very superior tribute compared to others found in the market, that is worth your money. Contacts: sonicwave@apexmail.com (MR)

THE SECOND COMING:
"A Millennium Tribute to 80's Hard Rock/Heavy Metal" 6
Versailles Records 1999
Review by Kimmo Lauttalammi

This CD features 14 up-and-coming bands performing their favourite (?) eighties' metal and hard rock songs. It's an interesting collection of faithful and not-so-faithful versions of songs by such bands as Twisted Sister, White Lion, Guns' N Roses and Dokken. The performers include American Dog (featuring members of Salty Dog and Dangerous Toys), Southern Rock All Stars (featuring guys from Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet) plus a dozen or so less familiar names.

American Dog have chosen to cover Twisted Sister's "Under the Blade", and they do a pretty mean and nasty version of it. Cage's "Freewheel Burning" (Judas Priest) sounds quite faithful to the original, just like Southern Rock All Stars' "Don't Believe A Word" (Thin Lizzy). LA's Guttersluts' "Welcome To The Jungle" is a one twisted version of the G'N'R track, sounding a bit like Marilyn Manson. Premonition do a very convincing Ozzy imitation with "I Don't Know", while Straightjacket Smile's "Photograph" sounds quite a lot like the original Def Leppard classic, without the glossy production though.

Quiet Riot may have been better known for their Slade covers, but Wraith have decided to choose their "Metal Health" as their contribution to this compilation. One for the "faithful versions" category, which cannot be said of Salvo's "Orgasmatron", even though I haven't heard the Motorhead original. Salvo's version features totally computrized vocals and a very industrial sound, and it might shock a few Lemmy-fans!

Tempered Steel perform Iron Maiden's "Revelations" quite faithfully even though the vocals cannot match Dickinson's, while Detox Darlings turn Faster Pussycat's "Smash Alley" into an even sleazier number than the original. Black Widow version of Dokken's "When Heaven Comes Down" is a heavier one, and the female vocals make quite a difference. Red Hot are a Mötley Crüe cover band, and try their best to duplicate the sound of "Kickstart My Heart", with reasonable results. O.C.D. turn Alice Cooper's "I Love The Dead" (from the seventies?) into an almost unrecognizable song. Last but not least, Mudbone, who are actually the same band as Straightjacket Smile, have a go with While Lion's "Wait", and do a very good version.

A very interesting concept, and some very interesting versions. I'll have to keep an eye espcially on Straightjacket Smile/Mudbone, their versions were quite good...