Tesla/Mechanical Resonance Live(2016)

New Release….

Smart move by Tesla to release a Live Album saluting their debut from 1986!(all the songs from the 1986 studio album are given the live treatment 30 years later)  I first heard of these guys back at the time of the original studio album when I used to watch on a local Tv station a show from Detroit hosted by Doug Powell. The name of the show I can’t recall but was on late Fridays. (Thunder Back than got U.S stations from Detroit and Duluth! )

One episode they played Tesla’s leadoff single Modern Day Cowboy and I was hooked instantly as the vocals by Jeff Keith were real good and also the dual lead guitars of Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch we’re very solid as well. Plus the fact that smack dab in Hairmetal Hairspray Land(1986) bands were becoming the norm but  here’s Tesla in T-shirts and jeans plying their own brand of Tesla Rock!

The first time I caught Tesla Live was 1990 on Motley Crue’s Dr Feelgood Tour when it touched down in Winnipeg(review is on this site) Tesla were awesome that night! They opened with Cover Queen which blew mine and Tbone’s minds like…..Whut? But it worked.

I was fortunate to have seen them headline in 1992 on the Psychotic Supper Tour in Duluth(review of this show is on this site as well) and again in 2006 when Tesla showed up in Tbay and jammed out a 700 seater and did a whole acoustic set(one day I will get around to reviewing that show)and Man they were so good!

Shortly after Tommy Skoech split Tesla and was replaced by Dave Rude as he joined original dudes Keith/Hannon/ Troy Lucketta and Brian Wheat.

Tesla  also had a real good run of 4 albums( 1986-1994 which included Mechanical Resonance/Great Radio Controversy/Psychotic Supper and Bust A Nut) and to this day they still put out occasional albums as they tour none stop.

So here we are 2016 and Here’s the Live Album …

“Mechanical Resonance Live!” track listing:

01. Rock Me to the Top (live)
02. Ez Come Ez Go (live)
03. Gettin’ Better (live)
04. Comin’ Atcha Live (live)
05. Changes (live)
06. Before My Eyes (live)
07. 2 Late 4 Love (live)
08. We’re No Good Together (live)
09. Love Me (live)
10. Cover Queen (live)
11. Lil’ Suzie (live)
12. Modern Day Cowboy (live)
13. Save That Goodness (bonus studio track) (written/produced by Phil Collen)

Boom! So the running order of the Live album is different from the studio one of course and even though the crowd is included in between tracks you can hear a quick change of crowd noise as I think these songs may be have been pulled from other shows and tossed together.

I’m cool with this as it’s live and I have said it before that at times Jeff Keith can wail like a male Janis Joplin. Always dug the man’s voice and why not as here we are 30 years later with his voice still intact. The boys behind him can play. The one thing I did notice is Tesla misses the Loose Cannon style  Riff Rock Guitaring of Tommy Skeoch. Make no mistake new boy Dave Rude can play and he plays’s Tommy’s parts but it’s a little more refined whereas Tommy was the renegade on the 6 string. Not a fault to anyone just a different style to my ear’s….

Real cool to hear some of these tracks live(some were on Replugged Live From 2000 but others like Love Me  and especially Cover Queen are real good especially during the groovy verses ramping up into the chorus.

Must also mention opener Rock Me To The Top is areal good ass kicker of an opener as Hannon and Rude drive the song with the guitars and I always have and still to this day dig this track!

Save That Goodness is a new studio track produced and co written with Phil Collen (Def Leppard)  and its the last track and for Tesla 2016 it’s a good song and its neat to see the boy’s moving forward with a real cool opening like riff that carries the tune. It would be interesting to hear a whole album produced by Collen mixed with Tesla.

Hey maybe they could call it Modern Day Hysteria!

This is a worthy purchase…..