the_motleykid's Full Review: Tooth and Nail by Dokken
===Sylvestor Fox Interviews The Motley Kid===
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Sylvestor Fox from KNN (KR!$’s Nostalgic News) & in a few short minutes, I will be talking with a guy who just may take the prize for being the biggest 80s nut around Epinions, The Motley Kid! The Kid & I go back along time. I owe him many thanks for setting me on to some fantastic music. And today, he’s got another band to share with us and…oh, here he comes now, in a purple and gold monster truck, no less…
10 minutes later…
S.F: Are you certain you want to have this interview?
T.M.K: Uh, I…
S.F: I mean, you just took quite a tumble getting out of your truck, we can reschedule…
T.M.K: Uh, no need, it’s just a concussion. I’ll be fine so long as I keep off my head for 48 hours…
S.F: …Tough as nails, you are. Anyway, on with the show?
T.M.K: Of course…
S.F: So, the band you wanted to share with us…another hair band from the 80s?
T.M.K: Naturally! These guys will rock your socks off!
S.F: Ok, that’s good. I’ve been wearing the same pair for three days straight!
T.M.K: …Right. Well, the band goes by the name of Dokken, named after the vocalist, Don Dokken. They formed in the late 70s, but didn’t release any material until the early 80s. The debut album showed promise, but they also showed way too much filler as well.
S.F: Was this album an improvement?
T.M.K: Yeah, it was. In fact, it was their breakthrough album. Tooth & Nail is a relentless onslaught of balls out rock n roll. But, they did manage to sneak in one ballad, luckily it actually turned out to be the song that garnered the most attention for the band at the time.
S.F: Strong ballads and rockers. Sounds like these guys kept things interesting on Tooth & Nail.
T.M.K: Sorry to disappoint you Sylvestor, but when it comes to variety, Dokken fail miserably. While I wouldn’t say ANY song on Tooth & Nail is straight out bad, more then a few are completely forgettable.
S.F: So, what you are saying is this album sucks?
T.M.K: No! Crikey, you’re damn quick when it comes to jumping to conclusions! It isn’t a bad record at all, it’s just that four of the songs reuse the same formula & are forgotten the instant they end.
S.F: On Tooth & Nail there are only six good songs? Well, that sucks…
T.M.K: My, you’re a hasty bugger, aren’t you? Zip it for a second and listen up! There are six songs that range from good to excellent and we are left with four generic tunes. This COULD ruin the record, BUT the boring songs are spaced out over the album so we are not left with a clump of bull dung in the middle which drives you away. Besides, if you were expecting mental stimulation from Dokken, YOU are mental! These guys rock loud and hard this album is best suited for parties. Their guitarist, George Lynch, is heavily underrated and elevates every song with his spine tingling fret work which is reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen. Definitely not the soundtrack for a midlife crisis unless you want to grow a mullet, bust out the leather jacket and make a guitar squeal in front of a large audience.
S.F: On that note, I’m going to get out of this suit and tie and find my leathers and hair spray. We’ll be back for more on Dokken’s album, Tooth & Nail, in just a few moments.
---FOOTAGE OF SYLVESTOR PLAYING AIR GUITAR TO Don’t Close Your Eyes---
45 minutes later.
S.F: Sorry for the delay, but there was a technical difficulty in…my dressing room. One of the grips soaked the floor as some sort of joke and…
T.M.K: Oi! Don’t blame the grips. You got carried away during your stint as air guitarist and blew out your back on the solo!
S.F: …Why you…
T.M.K: Enough of your bellyaching or you can pay for the chiropractor out of your own pocket!
S.F: …
T.M.K: Now may be a good time to mention that Don’t Close Your Eyes is no relation to Kix’s ballad of the same name. In fact, Dokken’s version is easily the fastest, most furious song on Tooth & Nail.
S.F: Gee, thanks for telling me that. The producers wanted footage of me playing air guitar and I thought that’d be the slowest song to play. You know I don’t like overdoing it these days. My back doesn’t need much encouragement to start playing up!
T.M.K: Is that true? Well after playing air guitar to Don’t Close Your Eyes, you better get used to your wheel chair!
S.F: If you don’t mind, I’d like to finish this interview so I can go home and lay in my hot tub with scented lavender salts… Now, you mentioned the guitarist as being a standout, does any other band member demand attention with their skills?
T.M.K: Yeah, it goes without saying, they are all impressive with their respective instruments, drummer Mick Brown can beat the hell out of his kit and then some, while bassist Jeff Pilson can create that essential groove while lending a solid hand in the song writing.
S.F: Awesome. You haven’t mentioned Don Dokken’s voice, beating around the bush, are you?
T.M.K: Hell no! Don has arguably one of the greatest voices in hair metal. He can convey sincere emotion in ballads then raise the hairs on your neck with his piercing screams with the rockers. His greatest performance on Tooth & Nail would indeed be the title track. It may not be the bands best known song, but Don has never sounded more at home with a tune. A completely unrelenting song that makes moving slow a sin. Superb effort!
S.F: You said the ballad on Tooth & Nail was the brightest moment from the record. Tell me about it.
T.M.K: Brightest moment? Hmm, well, from a commercial stand point Alone Again was, no doubt, but I personally found the lyrics and music to be fairly average, and not overly memorable in the long run. But to be fair, the melodies are quite strong & end up saving the tune from Power Ballad Heaven.
S.F: The lyrics stink, huh? Hey, why don’t you sing us a verse? For our viewers at home. Come on, come on.
T.M.K: Well, if you insist… (A-hem)
“I'd like to see you in the morning light
I'd like to feel you when it comes tonight
Now I'm here and I'm all alone
Still I know how it feels
I'm alone again
Tried so hard to make you see
But I couldn't find the words
Now the tears, they fall like rain
I'm alone again without you”
S.F: …(chuckles)… … (breaks into a fit of uncontrollable laughter)
T.M.K: HEY SHMUCK! I’d like to see you sing when you are nursing a concussion. I could call this interview off right now! Don’t tempt me!
S.F: …(regains composure)…Ok, sorry!
T.M.K: Anyway, the lyrics weren’t that flash so there is only so much my fantastic voice could do with them. Actually, come to think of it, the lyrics are fairly bland in every song on Tooth & Nail with the exception of Just Got Lucky which happens to be a very realistic account of a guy getting taken to the cleaners by a manipulative woman.
S.F: Sounds like my love life…
T.M.K: Ha, funny you should say that, ‘cause the lyrics from Just Got Lucky remind me of you.
“I should'a known better
Should'a seen right through
Over and over falling in love with you
Wanting you for myself- my first mistake
Finding out the hard way
Was all that I could take
You were just using someone
And I was the one
She said "You just got lucky"
I believed your deadly lies
"You just got lucky"
You're a devil in disguise”
S.F: Hey, you read my diary! You, you SWINE!
T.M.K: I told you those lyrics were very Sylvestor Fox.
S.F: Bah! Lyrics alone don’t make a song…
T.M.K: Damn straight! Just Got Lucky has everything. A killer melody, soaring solos, lyrics that hit home…
S.F: We’ve established that so long as the album isn’t taken seriously, you’ll be able to look past the lyrics and enjoy some quality rock n roll. What do you think of the production?
T.M.K: The production is a double edged sword in this case. It’s rough and gritty, the way rock should be produced, but on the flipside, the music hasn’t aged well because of this. Tooth & Nail is a strong album by any standards, but you’ll enjoy it that much more if you dig nostalgia.
S.F: That’s cool. I love that old school sound!
T.M.K: Sweet! For the old school fans such as yourself, this is a treat! It’s getting increasingly difficult to find Dokken’s music these days, so don’t pass up a chance to pick up a copy of one of their albums.
S.F: Well, I am going to get this album then. Sounds right up my alley. Besides, I never did like thinking too much anyway…The sound man is waving at me…OH! We are running over time, I want to thank my guest and good friend, The Motley Kid. And thank you loyal KNN viewers for joining me.
T.M.K: Adios! (Fades Out)
Information For The Hardnosed Anal Retentive Reader
Released: 13 September 1984
Producer: Tom Werman
Length: 37 minutes, 45 seconds.
Tracklist
1. Without Warning *
2. Tooth And Nail *
3. Just Got Lucky *
4. Heartless Heart
5. Don't Close Your Eyes *
6. When Heaven Comes Down
7. Into The Fire *
8. Bullets To Spare
9. Alone Again *
10. Turn On The Action
* indicates The Motley Kid’s favourite songs.
Great Music to Play While feeling especially stupid & primed and ready to party!
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