I believe the usual line used is “stripping it back to the roots” or “delivering the raw energy of the early days”. I prefer the terms “low budget” and “crap production.”
The production quality aside – and it really is painful to listen to this album at volume – LA Guns definitely deliver the high energy levels.
This is a lively record of uptempo, attacking rock songs with a bad attitude and an aggressive feel. There’s touches of the debut and Cocked And Loaded, the punky part of Vicious Circle and some outside 70s blues rock influences (Led Zep anyone?)
Tracii shreds like a teenager and Phil sounds….well, like classic Phil, which is always a good thing.
The songs themselves are a mixed bag. The first three are pretty much classic LA Guns and Don’t Need To Win sounds like the earliest vibe of the band, Another Season In Hell stretching things into more adventurous territory.
The rest…I could take them or leave them. Nothing really stands out and as stated, the production is so rough and raw, its hard to appreciate any song that doesn’t deliver the highest quality.
So it’s another middle of the road score here for LA Guns. Their inconsistent catalogue remains just that. I’ll stick with the debut, Hollywood Vampires, Vicious Circle, Waking The Dead and Cocked & Loaded. Those are essential LA Guns records.
