Rock, Metal

Dokken - Greatest Hits (2010)

2012-09-24T16:22:30Z

Dokken - Greatest Hits (2010)


1.    "Just Got Lucky" - 4:35
2.    "Breaking the Chains" - 3:51
3.    "Into the Fire" - 4:29
4.    "The Hunter" - 4:04
5.    "In My Dreams" - 4:33
6.    "It's Not Love" - 5:03
7.    "Alone Again" - 4:24
8.    "Dream Warriors" - 4:46
9.    "Unchain the Night" - 5:22
10.   "Tooth and Nail" - 3:38
11.   "Almost Over" (2010 New Track) - 5:54
12.   "Magic Man" (2010 New Track) - 3:53 

Personnel:
    Don Dokken – vocals
    Jon Levin – lead and rhythm guitars
    Barry Sparks - bass guitar
    Sean McNabb – bass guitar on tracks 13 and 14
    Mick Brown – drums, lead vocals on track 14

What we have here is a new Dokken greatest hits package with two brand new studio tracks. If that wasn’t enough to get you to run down to the record store (or iTunes), the ten classic songs, the greatest hits, are re-recorded by the current lineup! This is the trend lately for many bands getting offers for commercials, etc., you need you’re classic songs but you may not actually own the rights. If you use the original, your royalty rate goes down. If you re-record it, the royalty rate is better (KISS did it in 2008 and used songs for their Dr. Pepper campaign). Maybe it’s just to get a “fresh sound” of the current lineup doing the classic songs and putting the material on store shelves. If that’s the case then you can find plenty of other Hard Rock & Metal bands who have done it but…..are you tampering with a musical legacy? I’m always up for a reinterpretation of classic songs from a band because I’m curious as to what they come up with and, if I’ve seen the band in concert, if their current sound/lineup is featured prominently. I’ve been a Dokken fan since 1983 so I’ve been there straight from the beginning and I basically grew up with the songs so I know them by heart.

The ten re-recorded hits are basically performed staying true to the original version but with a bit more live feel to them, a more aggressive sound…..spending years on the road touring does that. Mick Brown is still a wildman on drums and teaming with Rock veteran Sean McNabb makes for a formidable rhythm section. Guitarist Jon Levin, who has been in the band since 2004 and recorded two studio albums, shines again! Not only does Levin faithfully reproduce George Lynch’s parts but he adds his own modern flair to each song. Most of the songs musically sound the same, or at least very close, but the defining component is Don Dokken’s voice…..or lack there of. Don Dokken is 30 years into his singing career and, after years of recording, touring and partying, the 57 year old singer doesn’t have the same set of pipes he once had. Then again, who does? A few years ago, I saw Dokken live with the Scorpions and you could just tell that Don’s voice was giving way. Then you could hear the more down-tuned lower register on the new albums rather than the higher melodic style from the ’80s and ’90s. I’m not saying Don does a bad job or that his singing is awful, it’s just that you can tell that he doesn’t have the golden voice of his youth anymore. Maybe that has something to do with the background vocals? One of the biggest pieces to the Dokken sound was former bassist Jeff Pilson’s superb backing vocals. Take a listen to the original songs and compare them to the new versions, the big lush harmonies are not there and I think Don’s lead vocal suffers from it.

The two new tracks are the major reason why I bought this CD. ‘Almost Over’ is a really good rocker written down to Don’s current vocal level but it reminds me of early Dokken circa 1983. The song sounds a bit dated but modernly aggressive with Levin’s Lynch-influenced axework, even Don’s vocal sounds very good. I could easily hear this song on either one of the last two Dokken studio records. The second new song, ‘Magic Man’, is faster and heavier and deals with the topics of drugs and addictions, maybe some self-introspection here? ‘Magic Man’ is another really good song that reminds me of early Dokken (probably due to Levin’s guitar work) but has that updated sound. Listen closely to Mick Brown’s drumming here because it’s basically a showcase on how to get it done after 30 years! --- heavymetaladdiction.com

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Dokken - The Lost Songs 1978-1981 (2020)

2020-12-31T09:06:10Z

Dokken - The Lost Songs 1978-1981 (2020)


1 	Step Into The Light 	
2 	We're Going Wrong 	
3 	Day After Day 	
4 	Rainbows 	
5 	Felony 	
6 	No Answer 	
7 	Back In The Streets 	
8 	Hit In Run 	
9 	Broken Heart 	
10 	Liar 	
11 	Prisoner

Don Dokken - Vocals, Guitars
Jon Levin - Guitars
Greg Leon - Guitars
George Lynch - Guitars
Juan Croucier - Bass
Rustee Allen - Bass
BJ Zampa - Drums
Gary Holland - Drums
Mick Brown - Drums
Bill Lordan - Drums
Greg Pecka - Drums

Every band has a beginning, even those great names you can think of. But it’s not so easy to see the bands leaving early material behind, without being recorded. And it’s really weird to believe that DOKKEN had some songs lost in the past, and they’re here for the fans, in a gift called “The Lost Songs: 1978-1981”.

As the album’s title denounces, it’s a recollection of early material from the band, from the early days when DOKKEN was drifting between USA and Germany, and back to California. The days before the release “Breaking the Chains” and the following rising fame of the quintet (along many internal problems). On them, some songs are linked to the band’s future, others bear a different insight, but the same classic Glam Metal/Hard Rock is presented here, so things are really charming and great. And as a present for the fans, all the songs from the Demo “Back in the Streets” are here as well.

These songs come from his locker (maybe a joke, maybe not) of master tapes with never released songs, when was just a teenager (and his voice was full of energy and thin). Obviously some modern remastering and others were done to bring this stuff a new life, but nothing that can break down the shine of these songs. And everything sounds clean, live and energetic.

It’s amazing to hear some of these songs and see their potential back on the late 70’s/early 80’s. But the accessible shine of “Step Into the Light” (very good vocals and a catchy set of melodies), the nasty energy and weight of “We’re Going Wrong” (this one has that personal Hard ‘n’ Heavy energy from their early albums, and very good guitars, and was presented on the band’s Demo Tape, “Back in the Streets”), the silk and somber set of melodies of “Rainbows”, the abrasive weight of “Felony” (another melodic anthem, and it’s on “Breaking the Chains”, and what very good vocals, although Don said somewhere that his voice sounds like Mickey Mouse’s on that days), the energy overdose along catchy melodies shown on “No Answer” and “Back in the Streets”, and the 80’s energy from “Hit and Run” and “Broken Heart” are songs that deserves to be heard time and time again.

Well, this release with these songs is really a fresh blown of air in the face. Obviously that it’s an embryonic form of what DOKKEN would do in their successful days. But “The Lost Songs: 1978-1981” deserves a place in anyone’s collection, and in anyone’s CD player. ---"Metal Mark" Garcia, metal-temple.com

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Dokken – Too High Too Sing (Mexico 2006)

2009-10-11T10:20:03Z

Dokken – Too High Too Sing (Mexico 2006)

Disc 1
01 - Intro / Unchain The Night
02 - Into The Fire
03 - Dream Warriors
04 - Kiss Of Death
05 - The Hunter
06 - Breakin' The Chains
07 - Alone Again
08 - Paris is Burning
09 - Too High To Fly / Guitar Solo


Disc 2
01 - Crowd
02 - Just Got Lucky
03 - It's Not Love
04 - Tooth and nail
05 - Give me a Reason
06 - In My Dreams
07 - When Heaven Comes Down

At a time when the charts were ruled by pop-metal acts, Dokken was a major attraction throughout the 1980s. With vocalist Don Dokken's captivating stage presence and guitarist George Lynch's high-energy style, the band combined rockers such as "Kiss of Death" and power ballads such as "Alone Again" in order to create a number of best-selling albums.

Dokken's roots date back to the late '70s, when Lynch, along with drummer Mick Brown, teamed up with Don Dokken to form the Boyz. In 1981, Don moved to Germany and was signed to Carerre Records. The band, now simply known as Dokken, recorded and released Breaking the Chains, their first studio album, in 1983. While the record failed to retain a decent chart position in the United States, the group was immensely popular in Europe.

After a tour in Germany, Dokken was signed to Elektra Records, and Jeff Pilson became their first official bassist. In 1984, the band released Tooth and Nail, which featured the hit songs "Into the Fire," "Just Got Lucky," and "Alone Again." With heavy MTV and radio airplay, Dokken found themselves topping the charts worldwide, and Tooth and Nail eventually sold over one-million copies in the U.S. alone. Following a tour with the Scorpions, the group recorded Under Lock and Key in 1985, which had a similar success due to the hits "In My Dreams" and "It's Not Love." In 1987, the band released Back for the Attack, which featured a track they had written as the subtitle for the third Nightmare on Elm Street film, "Dream Warriors." The coinciding music video, which included scenes of the band interacting with the movie's characters, was their most popular ever, and Back for the Attack became Dokken's third record to reach platinum status. The album's subsequent tour resulted in a live compilation, Beast From the East, which was released shortly before the band broke up in 1988 due to Don Dokken's and Lynch's creative differences.

After the disbanding of Dokken, Don pursued a solo career with Up from the Ashes, and Lynch formed the Lynch Mob, releasing an album in 1990; both releases failed to chart. In 1992, the band reunited, but it wasn't until 1995 when they signed with Columbia Records and released Dysfunctional, which was met with harsh reviews and poor sales. Tensions once again seemed to hover around the group as they recorded the live acoustic release, One Live Night, in 1996 under the CMC label. In 1997, the band released Shadowlife, which was met with a similar response to their past two recordings. In 1998, Lynch left a second time to reunite Lynch Mob, and was replaced with Winger guitarist Reb Beach for 1999's Erase the Slate. This was followed in 2000 by another concert record, Live from the Sun, which captured the Beach lineup at Anaheim's Sun Theater. Beach left the group and was replaced by John Norum, and the group recorded Long Way Home for release in the spring of 2002. In 2003, ex-Warlock guitarist Jonathan Levin and ex-Ted Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen bassist Barry Sparks joined the group, resulting in the release of Hell to Pay the following year. The band returned to the studio in 2008 for Lightning Strikes Again. ---Barry Weber, allmusic.com

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