Pure Rock n' Roll enjoyment with generous portions of guitar solos.
Written: Apr 26 '04
Product Rating:
Pros: Eleven solid tracks of twelve, delivering standout rock chock-full of originality and skill.
Cons: One weak track out of twelve. Is that really a con?
The Bottom Line: Hey, this is what I bought the album for: years of listening enjoyment, with the kind of quality music you can savor no matter what you are doing.
of "Desolation Boulevard" by Sweet, I decided to write a review on Firehouse (album released in 1990), which is a personal favorite.
To me, a good (or great) rock n' roll song should feature a nice guitar solo. Over the years, certain guitarists have been well-known to "make their guitar sing," such as Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen (to me, the best ever), or Jimmy Page (among many others), but who knows the guys from Firehouse? They, however, make this album one of the very best and most gratifying to me.
The group has what it takes to deliver the music. Lead and rhythm guitars that blend and complement each other totally seamlessly and synergistically, a monolithic-steady drummer, and bass the way it should be--a solid presence that accentuates the guitars without competing with them. Oh yeah!
This album has 12 tracks, 11 of them solid, and a half-dozen which are unreal. The sequence of tracks is logical and satisfying. It is evident that they wanted to please fans of their music. Here are my impressions, in order:
Track 1) Rock on the Radio--A solid start, with a good guitar solo. Makes you feel like you are watching them live.
2) All She Wrote--a really good song, with powerful guitars throughout. As usual, a rock song dealing with one or more of rock's classic themes: relationships, love, and sex. There are other themes in rock, of course, but these got the big play back then.
3) Shake & Tumble--pure rock pleasure with a kick-butt multi-guitar extended solo. One of several spectacular tracks on this album.
4) Don't Treat Me Bad--one of the two that got big radio play way back then. And quite deservedly. A guitar solo that will appeal to most rockers, even those not keen on this genre.
5) Oughta Be a Law--the lyrics here are a tad adolescent, but do not doubt it is a genuine rock song, complete with its enjoyable solo.
6) Lover's Lane--Big time rocking, with an outstanding extended multi-guitar solo that just plain moves you.
7) Home Is Where the Heart Is--somehow I could never "get into" this song. The only weak track in an otherwise exquisitely crafted CD.
8) Don't Walk Away--another good one on relationships. Guitar solo present? Of course, and good.
9) Seasons of Change--90 seconds with 2 acoustic guitars, the way two people would sit down and play at the party with others watching silently and nodding. The song leads into (what to me) is one of the all-time rock greats.
10) Overnight Sensation--Best track on the album, with an extended multi-guitar solo that is as sweet as they get. Makes you get out of the chair, or wherever you are. From start to finish, pure adrenaline or whatever gets you going.
11) Love of a Lifetime--Nice ballad, probably the best known song of the band. Not a token addition, as most other bands would do, as it is a superior rock song. It is the song in the album that tells you that it is okay for die-hard rockers to hug (not just have wild sex), and share feelings.
12) Helpless--another good one! The band's way of saying: "no, we're not softies, so take this before you go!"
In all, an album that simply gives you about 45 minutes (having subtracted the one weak track) of continuous rock pleasure. I have only heard a couple of albums with no filler at all (for example, the first two albums of "Boston") and this album comes mighty close. My guess is that the track I don't like is more a matter of my taste than their intentions.
I bought this album as soon as it came out, and to this date I listen to it regularly. That is quality rock, folks. At present I often use it when I am on the stationary bike at home (a spinning bike if you must know), and I warm up with track one, and go extra hard during the guitar solos the rest of the way.
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