Heaven Tonight

Heaven Tonight, like In Color, was produced by Tom Werman, but the difference between the two records is substantial. Where In Color often sounded emasculated, Heaven Tonight regains the powerful, arena-ready punch of Cheap Trick, but crosses it with a clever radio-friendly production that relies both on synthesizers and studio effects. Even with the fairly slick production, Cheap Trick sound ferocious throughout the album, slamming heavy metal, power pop, and hard rock together in a humongous sound. "Surrender," the definitive Cheap Trick song, opens the album with a tale about a kid whose parents are hipper than himself, and the remainder of the record is a roller coaster ride, peaking with the sneering "Auf Wiedersehen," the dreamily psychedelic title track, the roaring rocker "On Top of the World," the high-stepping, tongue-in-cheek "How Are You," and the pulverizing cover of the Move's "California Man." Heaven Tonight is the culmination of the group's dizzying early career, summing up the strengths of their first two albums, their live show, and their talent for inverting pop conventions. They were never quite as consistently thrilling on record ever again.

In Color

Though Cheap Trick's second album, In Color, draws from the same stockpile of Midwestern barroom favorites as their debut album, it was produced by Tom Werman, who had the band strip away their raw attack and replace it with a shiny, radio-ready sound. Consequently, In Color doesn't have the visceral attack of its predecessor, but it still has the same sensibility and a similar set of spectacular songs. From the druggy psychedelia of "Downed" and the bubblegum singalong "I Want You to Want Me" to the "California Girls" homage of "Southern Girls," the album has the same encyclopedic knowledge of rock & roll, as well as the good sense to subvert it with a perverse sense of humor. Portions of the album haven't dated well, simply due to the glossy production, but the songs and music on In Color are as splendid as the band's debut.

Call to Arms

Racine local musicians singer Dan Lenegar, bassist William Kopecky and drummer John Mrozek (some friends of mine) team up with guitar virtuoso Micheal Angelo Batio and released a highly melodic metal album in 2001. Their only release.

Cartoone

Cartoone's sole, self-titled album is more known as a footnote in the late-'60s career of Jimmy Page than it is for its own merits. Page contributed guitar to the record as a session man -- though his work is neither too prominent nor too similar to what he was getting ready to do in Led Zeppelin -- and Cartoone opened for Led Zeppelin at some shows in the U.S. in early 1969, probably because of the Page association and a shared label (Atlantic Records). Not to stretch the Page/Zeppelin connection past its breaking point, but those whose interest in this album is piqued by that connection should know that this Scottish band's music is highly dissimilar. Far from being hard rock, it's slightly fey pop/rock with strong debts to the lighter side of the late-'60s Beatles and, more apparently, the late-'60s Bee Gees. Singer/bassist/guitarist Derek Criegan has a far less delicate delivery than the Gibb brothers, but certainly the melancholy melodies, ornate arrangements, and trembling vocal timbres of songs like "Withering Wood," "Girl of Yesterday," "I Can't Walk Back," and especially "Mr. Poor Man" can't help but bring early Bee Gees to mind. Yet Cartoone seemed to be suffering from some indecision as to how to define themselves, with some other tracks indicating some harder-rocking ambitions (especially the opening and most Beatleque track, "Knick Knock Man"). Other cuts load on so much orchestration that they seem to aim to the right of the Bee Gees, as stabs at the more bombastic and ballad-oriented slice of the late-'60s British pop market. The common shortcoming, as is so often the case in records reflecting numerous trends of the period, is in the material, which just isn't as distinguished as that of the Bee Gees, let alone the Beatles.

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Door to Door

Even Ric Ocasek's own production couldn't save Door to Door from being a rather lackluster album, failing to capture the type of magic that the Cars instilled on past releases. Their last Top 40 single, "You Are the Girl," peaked at number 17 in September of 1987, while efforts like "Strap Me In" and the album's most melodious tune, "Coming Up You," failed to crack the number 50 mark. Missing from the album is the usual Cars chemistry, made up of Ocasek's crisp vocals and Elliot Easton's animated, hook-infused guitar work. Instead, tracks like "Go Away" and "Double Trouble" yield to murky instrumentation and subpar rock formulas. Even with some companionable keyboard playing from Greg Hawkes, which rises above any of the album's guitar contributions, the music on Door to Door neglects the savvy pop jump that normally comes from the Cars' music. With humdrum rhythms and cloudy melodies replacing any hint of pop depth, the album itself peaked at number 26 in the U.S. and a dismal number 72 in the U.K. The reason for Ocasek's lack of vigor and loss of desire became apparent in February of the next year when the breakup of the Cars was publicly announced.

Greatest Hits

The Cars were responsible for some of rock's most recognizable radio hits by the mid-'80s, so when the band took an extended break after their successful tour for Heartbeat City, 1985's Greatest Hits was assembled. Mixed in with the familiar selections was a brand-new track, the playful "Tonight She Comes" (which became a Top Ten hit), as well as a remix of the overlooked "Shake It Up" ballad "I'm Not the One." And while most of the expected hits are represented ("Just What I Needed," "Let's Go," "Drive," "Shake It Up," etc.), some of the selections prove questionable -- why was the title track from Heartbeat City (an unsuccessful single) included instead of the 1984 Top 20 hit "Hello Again"? Other missing radio staples include "You're All I've Got Tonight," "It's All I Can Do," and the title track from Candy-O, which would have made the collection definitive (all are included on the more extensive Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology from 1995). But for the casual fan, Greatest Hits will do the trick.

Heartbeat City

MTV had become a major marketing tool by 1984, and the Cars were one of the first bands to use the new video medium to their advantage. The band's fifth album, Heartbeat City (Elektra), spawned several imaginative and memorable videos, which translated into massive chart and commercial success, making it one of the biggest releases of the year. Produced by hitmaker John "Mutt" Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard), the album included two Top Ten singles -- the ballad "Drive" and the charismatic "You Might Think" -- plus an additional two that landed in the Top 20: the summer anthem "Magic" and the eccentric "Hello Again." But it didn't just stop there, plenty of other tracks could have been hits as well, such as the sparse rocker "It's Not the Night" and the breezy pop of "Looking for Love." Other highlights included the ethereal title track, the melodic rocker "Stranger Eyes," and the moderately paced love song "Why Can't I Have You." Although the Cars experienced their greatest success yet with Heartbeat City, it would unfortunately not last for long -- after just one more studio album (1987's spotty Door to Door), the band split up.

Shake It Up

By augmenting their sound with more synthesizers, electronics, and drum machines, the Cars' fourth release, Shake It Up, helped bridge their hard rock-based early work (1978's The Cars) with the futuristic-pop direction of 1984's Heartbeat City. The band's sound may have been evolving with each succeeding album, but Ric Ocasek was still writing compelling new wave compositions despite all the change, many of which would ultimately become rock & roll standards. The up-tempo title track remains a party favorite to this day (reaching number four on the singles charts), while the melancholic "Since You're Gone" remains one of Ocasek's best-ever tales of heartbreak. Intriguing videos were made for both songs, officially introducing the band to the MTV age. Like its predecessor, 1980's , Parorama filler is present ("This Could Be Love," "Maybe Baby"), but many lesser-known album tracks prove to be highlights: the almost entirely synth-oriented tracks "Think It Over" and "A Dream Away," the rocking "Cruiser," plus the more pop-oriented "I'm Not the One" and "Victim of Love." Although Shake It Up was another resounding commercial success, their next album would be the one that made the Cars one of rock's quintessential acts of the '80s.

Candy-O

Since the Cars had created a perfect album with their 1978 self-titled debut, it would be nearly impossible to top it. Instead of laboring long and hard over a follow-up like many '70s bands did after a huge commercial success, the band cranked out their sophomore effort, Candt-O, almost exactly one year later from the first LP. And while the album was not as stellar as its predecessor was, it did contain several classics, resulting in another smash album that solidified the band's standing as one of the most promising new bands of the late '70s. The first single, the Top 20 anthem "Let's Go," proves to be the best track, but plenty of other standouts can be found as well. The title track remains one of the band's best rockers, while the gentle "It's All I Can Do" also deserved to be a hit. The band pays tribute to T.Rex on "Dangerous Type" (the main guitar riff resembles "Bang a Gong"), rocks out on "Got a Lot on My Head" and "Night Spots," shows their softer side on "Since I Held You," and embraces modern pop on "Double Life" and "Lust for Kicks." Their second strong release in a row, Candy-O proved that the Cars were not one-hit wonders, like so many other bands from the same era.

The Cars

The Cars' 1978 self-titled debut, issued on the Elektra label, is a genuine rock masterpiece. The band jokingly referred to the album as their "true greatest-hits album," but it's no exaggeration -- all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics, still in rotation on rock radio. Whereas most bands of the late '70s embraced either punk/new wave or hard rock, the Cars were one of the first bands to do the unthinkable -- merge the two styles together. Add to it bandleader/songwriter Ric Ocasek's supreme pop sensibilities, and you had an album that appealed to new wavers, rockers, and Top 40 fans. One of the most popular new wave songs ever, "Just What I Needed," is an obvious highlight, as are such familiar hits as "Good Times Roll," "My Best Friend's Girl," and "You're All I've Got Tonight." But like most consummate rock albums, the lesser-known compositions are just as exhilarating: "Don't Cha Stop," "Bye Bye Love," "All Mixed Up," and "Moving in Stereo," the latter featured as an instrumental during a steamy scene in the popular movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. With flawless performances, songwriting, and production (courtesy of Queen alumni Rot Thomas Baker), the Cars' debut remains one of rock's all-time classics.

Some Tough City

Former Rainbow keyboardist and Planet P vocalist Tony Carey became a solo star in Germany. The California native had some U.S. success in 1984 with Some Tough City. It yielded two Top 40 hits in "A Fine Fine Day" and "The First Day of Summer." Carey plays virtually every note except for drums, the guitar solos, and a couple of saxophone breaks. His keyboard work in particular is tasteful, efficient, and melodic. Some Tough City is a strong effort. It's a loose concept album and the songs are individual stories about the struggle of down-and-out people trying -- and often failing -- to make better lives for themselves in big cities like New York and Los Angeles. "A Fine Fine Day" is a majestic rocker with a powerful chorus; the lyrics about mysterious Uncle Sonny's troubles are cleverly vague. "A Lonely Life" seems to profile a drug dealer and junkie, although a pimp and prostitute are possibilities. "Eddie Goes Underground" is an infectious rocker with disturbing lyrics about a statutory rapist on the run from the law. "The First Day of Summer" is deceptive in its bright sound because the song is about two runaway delinquents; the narrator is left behind to work as a hotel dish washer when his friend steals their car and leaves. The high-energy song "Tinseltown" tells how Hollywood eats up dreamers who want to be stars. "I Can Stop the World" is a ballad, but it's not wimpy. "Some Tough City" addresses poverty in the United States. The more traditional ballad "She Can Bring Me Love" is a Springsteen-esque tale of a young working-class couple relying on their love to get through hard times.

Summerfest Milwaukee, WI 7/3/1994

Candlebox comes to Milwaukee's Summerfest for an explosive show that includes songs like "Cover Me", "Far Behind", "You" and their version of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child"

Candlebox

Candlebox rode the alternative bandwagon to the top of the charts with their self-titled debut album. Taking the heaviest moments of Soundgarden and Alice In Chains and adding both the confinements of a pop song and the attitude of album rock, Candlebox managed to sell over two million copies of their first album. Nothing on Candlebox is particularly catchy -- the singles "You" and "Far Behind" are the closest they come to memorable melodies -- but there is enough sheer riff power to satisfy fans of their singles.

Mirage

With their second album, Mirage, Camel begin to develop their own distinctive sound, highlighted by the group's liquid, intricate rhythms and the wonderful, unpredictable instrumental exchanges by keyboardist Pete Bardens and guitarist Andy Latimer. Camel also distinguish themselves from their prog rock peers with the multi-part suite "Lady Fantasy," which suggests the more complex directions they would take a few albums down the line. Also, Latimer's graceful flute playing distinguishes several songs on the record, including "Supertwister," and it's clear that he has a more supple technique than such contemporaries as Ian Anderson. Camel are still ironing out some quirks in their sound on Mirage, but it's evident that they are coming into their own.

Eddie and the Cruisers

There was a year's delay before this film, which concerns the mysterious death of a fictional '60s rock star, took off via video and cable TV, but when it did, the soundtrack album, featuring such songs as "On the Dark Side" and "Tender Years" by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band, took off with it. To most, the songs sounded like Bruce Springsteen clones, but the music was appealing nonetheless.

The Essential Byrds

While the all-killer no-filler single-disc The Byrds' Greatest Hits remains the best distillation of their classic songs, The Essential Byrds is a smartly assembled double dose, including all 14 of the 1965-1967 tracks on Greatest Hits, but expanding its reach into their entire Columbia output, going as far as the early '70s.

Younger Than Yesterday

Younger Than Yesterday was somewhat overlooked at the time of its release during an intensely competitive era that found the Byrds on a commercial downslide. However, time has shown it to be the most durable of the Byrds' albums, with the exception of Mr. Tambourine Man. David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, and especially Chris Hillman come into their own as songwriters on an eclectic but focused set blending folk-rock, psychedelia, and early country-rock. The sardonic "So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star" was a terrific single; "My Back Pages," also a small hit, was the last of their classic Dylan covers; "Thoughts and Words," the flower-power anthem "Renaissance Fair," "Have You Seen Her Face," and the bluegrass-tinged "Time Between" are all among their best songs. The jazzy "Everybody's Been Burned" may be Crosby's best composition, although his "Mind Gardens" is one of his most excessive.

Sun Secrets

Released without Eric Burdon's authorization, Sun Secrets is nothing for the singer to be ashamed of artistically. With approximately 24 minutes per side, Sun Secrets is a far cry from The Black Man's Burdon and the rhythms of the group War. As Mountain guitarist Leslie West would do a year after this when he formed the Leslie West Band, Burdon beats him to the punch with a self-titled group that rocks -- rocks harder than the Animals, rocks harder than War. It's innovative reinvention, and quite pleasing, not only to hear the three-piece unit blitzing behind the singer as he reinterprets Animals classics like "When I Was Young," "It's My Life," or the Hendrix/Cream riff-laden version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," but on the instrumental title track as well. The tragedy of it all is that, according to the singer's biography, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by Eric Burdon with J.Marshall Craig (Thunder's Mouth Press), Burdon did not want this material out. The tapes were signed to Capitol and released without his permission. Produced by Jerry Goldstein, they are called "rehearsal tapes" by the singer and feature the original lineup of what he says in his book is "The first in a long series of Eric Burdon band(s)." Capitol released two different versions of this disc -- the full-length commercial LP, and a "Radio Programming Aid" which has edits of everything except for the 13-minute Burdon co-write "Letter From the Country Farm." It's disheartening to read the agony for the star during these sessions and the touring from this period in his life, but it's refreshing to hear in these grooves that under adverse conditions the star still comes out on top artistically. The other Capitol release by the Eric Burdon Band, Stop, has been added to this collection and, according to his biography, "now appear together on one CD, Sun Secrets/Stop."

Sixteen Stone

Bush's grunge-by-the-numbers is certainly well produced. Under the guidance of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley-- the kings of early-'80s British pop --Bush turn in an album that follows all the rules and sounds of American hard rock, specifically Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Their songwriting isn't original, nor is it particularly catchy. What makes "Everything Zen" and "Little Things" memorable is the exact reproduction of all of Nirvana's trademarks, only with a more professional execution. In other words, all the guitars keep rhythm perfectly and Gavin Rossendale doesn't shred his throat when he sings, he projects from his diaphragm. As far as popcraftsmanship goes, it's actually quite impressive. It would be even more so if they had songs to accompany their sounds.

Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield

Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield may not be definitive, but it's a good, basic overview of the group's career, containing most of the group's biggest hits and signature songs. Yes, several worthy album cuts are missing, but as a sampler, this works quite well, offering a nice introduction to the group.

Last Time Around

The internal dissension that was already eating away at Buffalo Springfield's dynamic on their second album came home to roost on their third and final effort, Last Time Around. This was in some sense a Buffalo Springfield album in name but not in spirit, as the songwriters sometimes did not even play on cuts written by other members of the band. Neil Young's relatively slight contribution was a particularly tough blow. He wrote only two of the songs (though he did help Ritchie Furay write "It's So Hard to Wait"), both of which were outstanding: the plaintive "I Am a Child" and the bittersweet "On the Way Home" (sung by Furay, not Young, on the record). The rest of the ride was bumpier: Stephen Stills' material in particular was not as strong as it had been on the first two LPs, though the lovely Latin-flavored "Pretty Girl Why," with its gorgeous guitar work, is one of the group's best songs. Furay was developing into a quality songwriter with the orchestrated "The Hour of Not Quite Rain" and his best Springfield contribution, the beautiful ballad "Kind Woman," which became one of the first country-rock standards. But it was a case of not enough, too late, not only for Furay, but for the group as a whole.

Buffalo Springfield

The band themselves were displeased with this record, feeling that the production did not capture their on-stage energy and excitement. Yet to most ears, this debut sounds pretty great, featuring some of their most melodic and accomplished songwriting and harmonies, delivered with a hard-rocking punch. "For What It's Worth" was the hit single, but there are several other equally stunning treasures. Stephen Stills' "Go and Say Goodbye" was a pioneering country-rock fusion; his "Sit Down I Think I Love You" was the band at their poppiest and most early Beatleque; and his "Everybody's Wrong" and "Pay the Price" were tough rockers. Although Neil Young has only two lead vocals on the record ( Richie Furay sang three other Young compositions), he's already a songwriter of great talent and enigmatic lyricism, particularly on "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing," "Out of My Mind," and "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong." The entire album bursts with thrilling guitar and vocal interplay, with a bright exuberance that would tone down considerably by their second record.

Seven Moons

Jack Bruce must have enjoyed his 2005 get-together with Cream so much that, when Clapton and Baker were unwilling to continue the collaboration, he rang up Robin Trower to renew the brief power trio fling they had in the mid-'80s. The Trower-Bruce pairing had released only two albums, B.L.T. and Truce, and was dormant since 1982, so this 2007 reunion was somewhat of a continuation of the project, albeit one separated by a quarter century. The results impressively continue where Truce left off, as Bruce brings his distinctive croon/moan to bluesy, riff-oriented tunes dominated by Trower's silvery guitar runs. Gary Husband fills the drum slot adequately if inconspicuously, but his contributions are mixed so far under Bruce's vocals and Trower's guitar that they are secondary. The yin/yang pairing keeps Bruce's more oblique jazz influences in check and does the same for Trower's space rock instincts, yielding a throwback that fans of both artists' previous work should enjoy. Trower's patented Hendrix-styled guitar adds a psychedelic edge to songs that generally stick to a midtempo lope and never blast out with Cream's insistent power, which can be somewhat frustrating to anyone who would like to hear these guys let loose. Still, there are enough strong moments on Seven Moons to recommend it, especially to those who enjoyed the duo's previous work 25 years ago.

Smokin' In the Boys Room: The Best of Brownsville Station

A roaring romp through Brownsville Station's back pages compiled by Cud Koda himself, Smokin' in the Boy's Room: The Best of Brownsville Station makes a convincing case that these Ann Arbor, MI, garage punks were one of the most underrated rock & roll bands of the 1970s.

Brownsville Station

Way back in 1977, die-hard Aerosmith fans waited and waited for the follow-up to the raging Rocks album to finally drop. We filled the down-time crankin' the latest releases from other American rockers, such as ol' Uncle Ted (Cat Scratch Fever), Starz (Violation), Derringer (Sweet Evil and Derringer Live), Cheap Trick (Cheap Trick and In Color), Lynyrd Skynyrd (Street Survivors), Ram Jam (Ram Jam) and the legendary Blue Öyster Cult (Spectres). In addition, the boys from Brownsville Station filled the Aero void when the group pushed out their self titled LP.

Issued in May of '77, the Brownsville Station album was promoted with the slogan "Comin' right at ya!". Billed as their most powerful album to date, the quartet of guitarist Michael "Cub" Koda, bassist Michael Lutz, primal drummer Henry "H-Bomb" Weck and newest member Bruce Nazarian, locked-in and banged-out a fun collection of cuts. The ten song album rolls from the off with the heated action of "Hot Spit", which is chased by the raunch of "Sleazy Louise", and lead single "Lady (Put the Light on Me)".

Brownsville Station lay on three-minutes of Motor City action with "Rockers 'n' Rollers", while trippin'-in with a shot of power pop via a short cover of "Ain't That a Shame". Produced by Eddie Kramer, Brownsville Station closes in a major way with the lengthy and comical "The Martian Boogie". For those that were around at the time of it's release, you can relate to the lyrical reference from "The Martian Boogie" that notes the old, all-night dives that simply went by the name of "EAT". spelled out in loud neon lights. That don't make 'em like "EAT" anymore... and bands like Brownsville Station are long gone as well.

A Night on the Town

This is the second Brownsville album, and the last that then rhythm guitarist Mike Lutz sang lead. The third album, Yeah! (Smokin'in the Boy's Room) saw Lutz move from guitar to bass and lead guitarist Cub Koda take over the majority of the vocal duties, as the quartet changed to a power trio. While it can't be argued that Koda was the band leader and made them run, Lutz' vocals were far superior IMHO. In any event, this album is full of good old rock and roll. Rock to the Music and Mr. Robert are great tunes, and the boys do a fantastic rendition of When the Saints Come Marching In, as well as a great cover of Motown's Leavin' Here. For anyone who likes roots rock, this one is a winner!

Running on Empty

Having acknowledged a certain creative desperation on The Pretender, Jackson Browne lowered his sights (and raised his commercial appeal) considerably with Running on Empty, which was more a concept album about the road than an actual live album, even though its songs were sometimes recorded on-stage (and sometimes on the bus or in the hotel). Audience noises, humorous asides, loose playing -- they were all part of a rough-around-the-edges musical evocation of the rock & roll touring life. It was not what fans had come to expect from Browne, of course, but the disaffected were more than outnumbered by the newly converted.As a result, Browne's least ambitious, but perhaps most accessible, album ironically became his biggest seller. But it is not characteristic of his other work: for many, it will be the only Browne album they will want to own, just as others always will regard it disdainfully as " Jackson Browne lite."

Summerfest Milwaukee, WI 6/25/1998

Brother Cane returns to Milwaukee's Summerfest for another round of songs in support of their latest album, Wishpool. These Southern grunge rockers still manage to keep things cool and hard rockin' even with technical difficulties at the end of "The Road". A good and solid show.

Summerfest Milwaukee, WI 7/9/1995

Supporting their successful Seeds album, Brother Cane comes to Milwaukee's Summerfest's Laser 103 Stage. In this high intensity radio broadcast, Brother Cane rocks their Southern grunge like "And Fools Shine On", "Breadmaker" and "Got No Shame". A must have for fans of the '90's.