Album review : ALCATRAZZ – Rock Justice : The Complete Recordings 1983-1986

Cherry Red [Release date : 26.01.24]

The Yngwie Malmsteen, Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo writing team on debut album No Parole From Rock’n’Roll (1983) was much more than the sum of the parts. Hard rock melodramas, ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’, driven by the raw, emotional urgency in Bonnet’s vocals, and the velvet swathed melodic hard rock of ‘Island In The Sun’ turned about to be a high watermark for the band, not just critically but commercially.

By 1985, and Disturbing The Peace, Malmsteen had gone and Steve Vai had been recruited. The other band members, Jan Uvena, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea had previously seen success with Alice Cooper and New England. Legendary producer, Eddie Kramer was hired. It was 1985. Expectations were high.

It’s not hard to figure out what went wrong. Most, but not all of the songs display Vai’s limitations as a songwriter. Even Bonnet’s uniquely wide baritone/tenor vocal range struggles to sustain the snowcapped high notes in some of Vai’s ambitious melodies.

Only the most gracious critic and the most ferocious fan would have to admit that the duo’s grasp is equal to their reach on only a couple of tracks. On ‘Mercy’, a tightly structured riff perfectly frames Bonnet’s road-tested Rainbow persona. And on ‘Sons And Lovers’, the writing and performance is sharply cut and precisely tailored. Bonnet seems more confident and more at ease with this less elaborate but just as ambitious attempt to nail down down an elusive, operatic style of rock.

This repackage adds a bonus mix of demos, instrumental versions (!), and a rehearsal tape.

By the next album, Dangerous Games (1986), Vai had jumped ship to join David Lee Roth’s band, and had been replaced by ex Axis and Alice Cooper guitarist, Danny Johnson. Malmsteen and Vai had lasted one album each. Johnson was a decent guitarist with little gift for calibre songwriting. Richie (Iron Butterfly/ Steppenwolf/ Alice Cooper) Podolor was brought in to produce, but the critical and commercial failure of Disturbing… was taking its toll.

This new album is insipid and uninspired. It sounds earnest, but it has no edge. It is a drowning man clutching for a lifebelt that is just of reach. Only the title track and ‘Ohayo Tokyo’ provide a sense of how good the band could have been.

Four bonus tracks provide interest for fans and completists.

The fourth CD comprises a ten track combination of demos and unreleased material. We’re guessing its title, Capitol Crimes (1985-86), was the band saying it was pissed off at the label’s decision not to release the new stuff.

The unreleased recordings – five Jimmy Waldo remixes – will attract attention.
Bonnet gives his all on ‘A Love Like Yours’, a much covered Holland-Dozier-Holland song. Waldo’s keys and synths are well up in the mix, giving the recording an orchestral edge. But on another cover, ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’, most associated with soul singer Percy Sledge, they key is too high. Even Bonnet struggles to gain traction on the upper slopes. You can almost see the A&R guy shaking his (or her) head.

Again though, it’s a warts’n’all look at a band still finding its way, no matter the musicians’ considerable experience.

For the real fan though, the majority of demos are the treasure. The ones that didn’t make the cut. Listen and wonder why. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)