Firehouse will perform at the venue formerly known at MexiCali Live.
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“Monster Ballads Xmas” by Various Artists
Artist: Various Artists
Title: “Monster Ballads Xmas”
Label: Razor & Tie Music
Release Date: 9/11/2007
Genre: Holiday Rock
Rating: 4/5
So you’ve outgrown your “Alvin & The Chipmunks Christmas” album and with age you were more inspired by the heavier side of things which makes a “Celine Dion Christmas” practically useless when you need a dose of holiday tunes with a little Metal edge to them. Well look no further boys and girls because the folks that gave us “Monster Ballads” have delivered a present wrapped in leather and spikes in the form of “Monster Ballads Xmas”. The premise is a whole lot of fun since it takes a number of the eighties Hard Rock heroes and lets them deliver the jingle and the jangle in a distinctive Metal fashion. It begins with Skid Row and while a couple of the lines are changed around the song is a quasi-Punk jam that was quite interesting and the perfect way to open the CD. Winger follows next with his rendition of John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”, and I admit that I was hesitant at first but found the manner in which Kip and company did it to be a great success. I am sure John smiles from the beyond with how classy this one was done. Jani Lane’s contribution didn’t appeal to me much since it was very close to the way Twisted Sister did it on their full-length Christmas album and we get a sample of it next. Metal fans should look into that release as a must have for the Heavy Holidays without a doubt.
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“Metal Mania Stripped Vol. 3” by Various Artists
Artist: Various Artists
Title: “Metal Mania Stripped Vol. 3”
Label: VH1 Classic
Release Date: 3/6/2007
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5
Continuing along with the successful “Stripped” editions comes Volume 3 and right away this one is a little more of a treat since it not only features a score of songs you will likely remember, but many of them are new recordings by the people who made them famous in the first place. Poison’s MTV Unplugged is dropped in as is Ratt’s but I have to admit that neither of these tracks were ever among my favorites from these particular Glamsters. We get the pre-requisite classic from Queensryche and a staple from Slaughter as well as the Tesla-fied version of “Signs”, a track that propelled this band into the stratosphere when it was re-recorded by them in 1991. The new recordings were for the most part winners with a great version of the Damn Yankees hit as done by the now touring Shaw Blades. The duo just released an album of their own and featured music that influenced their beginnings. Warrant’s Jani Lane gives us “Heaven” while that Cinderella fella Tom Kiefer drops a smooth “Nobody’s Fool” down. I think that my overall favorites went right to the Autograph, Kix and Eric Martin tracks based on their not only being new but being some of the freshest sounding versions of the songs I enjoyed in their original fashion so long ago. The Autograph number was one of the best rocking mood inducing songs written and the Kix track a powerful anti-suicide message that still has punch.
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“Metal Mania: Stripped Across America” by Various Artists
Artist: Various Artists
Title: “Metal Mania: Stripped Across America”
Label: Sidewinder Records
Release Date: 2/21/2006
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 2.5/5
Filmed at both the record release party as well as during the actual tour comes the “Metal Mania: Stripped Across America” DVD. The idea was a pretty good one, and played off the once popular MTV Unplugged idea by taking a number of classic 80’s performers and putting them on tour together. The tour featured such performers as Kip Winger, Great White, Slaughter and Stephen Pearcy (former Ratt) among several others and each musician would play acoustic versions of their hits. I was sad to not attend this tour when it came through town but one cannot hit every show which makes this DVD of some interest to people who had the same thing happen to them. Yet as I looked to it and hoped to find a comprehensive document of the performances, I admit that I felt let down by only finding a single DVD and one that ran a mere 12 songs. The DVD medium is taking over a large amount of ground on the CD and I felt that a lot more could have been included to make this something incredible for the buyer. Most of the performances are top-notch and I have to lend some kudos to Jani Lane, as the former singer of Warrant does a terrific job especially. Lane has had some well-publicized fall-downs and I think the quality of his playing should help him realize that life’s obstacles can be overcome. Slaughter performs their staple track as a full band which to me is not quite stripped but sure sounds good. Winger’s two of their three hits are performed and he does this with no one helping him but his twelve string guitar.
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