Rockhead – Rockhead (1992) Japan Edition, MP3+FLAC
Super duper producer Bob Rock made an undeniable mark in Rock history. But he’s also an accomplished musician in his own right. In the very early ’90s, while Bob was busy producing at the time bands like Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Metallica, in his downtime he put together a band: ROCKHEAD.
But this wasn’t just a ‘studio project’ – ROCKHEAD was a full band, with a major label promotion, an amazing production sound by Bob on this self-titled 1992 debut CD, and tours in the U.S and Europe.
As requested, here’s the Japanese Edition of this very good slice of early ’90s Melodic Hard Rock with all those fantastic elements from the genre and particular period. Of course there’s some renowned pals contributing like The Cult’s Billy Duffy and Richie Sambora, however this was a great band by it own merits.
We don’t find a weak track on this album, from the screamy Aerorock of “Bed of Roses” to the pop metal of “Heartland” to the acoustic Zeppelinesque “Angelfire”, every single track is worth a listen. It’s a diverse album actually, running the gamut from light to dark and embracing different sides of rock.
Boozy, bluesy, epic, acoustic, you name it. Its roots are firmly planted in the 70s, but if this had come out in 1989, it could have spawned 5 singles.
Bob Rock found a strong Canadian vocalist named Steve Jack, who as it turns out, was also a great screamer. Some of the screams on this album are unreal — check out “Bed Of Roses”, “Heartland”, and “Chelsea Rose” for some awesome vocals.
A plenty of Bob’s buddies show up. Art Bergmann, Billy Duffy, Paul Hyde, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora all contribute songwriting skills. Duffy and Sambora also contribute solos. Capable David Steele and Marc La France deliver lots of harmony / backing vocals.
This album was born during the the difficult Motley Crue sessions (not to mention a Bon Jovi album), while Bob was going through a divorce. This comes out in the song “Warchild”. In fact it ACTUALLY comes out during that song: Bob can be heard yelling and throwing stuff around the studio at one point, which he recorded after a painful phone call.
Sonically if you like Bob Rock, you will like this. It’s right in the ballpark of that polished ‘melodic hard’ sound he had going on producing during that period. Big big drums, layers of guitars, a lil’ bit of keyboards here and there, but mostly, lots and lots and lots of guitars.
Highly Recommended
1. Bed of Roses
2. Chelsea Rose
3. Heartland
4. Lovehunter
5. Death Do Us Part
6. Warchild
7. Sleepwalk
8. Hell’s Back Door
9. Hard Rain
10. Angelfire
11. Webhead
12. Baby Wild
13. House of Cards
Steven Jack: lead vocals
Bob Rock: guitars, backing vocals
Jamey Kosh: bass, backing vocals
John Webster: keyboards
Chris Taylor: drums
Rockhead – Rockhead (1992) Japan Edition, MP3+FLAC
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