Where Are They Now? /Paul Laine

So Bop The Blogger and Aaron asked around who wanted to do a Whatever Happened To Blog on various artists! I kinda kicked around the idea about doing one and well guess what? I joined the ranks and  after you read my stuff take some time and check out my fellow friends and their throwback artists! Here are the links….
https://keepsmealive.wordpress.com
http://mikeladano.com
https://nauticazinger.wordpress.com
https://1001albumsin10years.wordpress.com

Paul Laine is the dude I chose to yammer about! Surprise surprise he’s a Rock guy kinda…. Lemme tell ya’s all about it….

Paul Laine came out of Vancouver and released a real solid slab of AOR Hard Rock with his debut album called Stick It In Your Ear(released 1990)! Ha! Great title for a blog  also right? Right!

My interest in Laine came about by reading about his album in the now defunct Canadian Magazine titled M.E.A.T!  In the article the thing that jacked up my curiosity level was the fact that Laine scooped the Late Great Bruce Fairbairn to produce! Fairbairn man he produced all the biggie early 80s albums(Loverboy) mid 80s classics (Bon Jovi) late 80s masterpieces (Aerosmith) even into the 90s Rock  (Van Halen and Kiss). Fairbairn sadly passed away in 1999 but he left quite the catalogue of work behind and this being the reason I took a gamble on the Laine album as I knew if anything the production would be top-notch!

Laine even with Fairbairn in his back pocket still delivered a pretty decent bit of rock with the songs! Stick It In Your Ear  stands up on its own merit with the songs like We Are The Young,Dorianna, Break Down The Barricades and Is It Love amongst tracks from the 13 song debut.

When you watch the top video posted of Is It Love you will see the suits and ties of Laines record company tried to market him as a 1990 Bon Jovi and it kinda failed not due to the material mind you but the climate of music as right below Vancouver was Seattle and its filthy dirge grunge bubbling underneath ready to explode and Bam did it ever!

Is It Love and no it’s not that sap drip dry Is it Love version by C#*kSnake Er I mean Whitesnake this is power pomp rock done to a T! The money shot is the chorus and that is due not only by Laine as the writer but by Fairbairn weaving his magic at the recording console! You want hit…I will try to give you a hit kid!

Back to the video and its a hoot to watch check out the storyline and editing of it! Cut to band …cut to Dude and Hooker Chick,Hooker Chick hangs out with Boss Hog but Chick likes  Dude,Cut to Band, Cut to Boss Hog don’t like Dude,Boss Hog catches Chick And Dude  and now theirs trouble,Hooker Chick shoots Boss Hog and splits with Dude and Laine shows up at the end on the street after  Hooker Chick and Dude flea! Bandana Micheals and Poison would have slopped up over this concept back in 1990 but they made the Unskinny Bop Video instead…hahaha..

After 1990 Laine kinda disappeared for a bit  but in the early 90s he joined that cheese-mo American Act Danger Danger  and  stayed with them for 11 years! Atta boy Paul still doing what you’re doing …

Laine has even dabbled recently in a country rock outfit called Darkhorse and even has something brewin over at Frontier Records (home of all things AOR). Good on him man not giving up and ploughing forward and doing what he wants to do!

The second video posted is Laine recently in Australia playing some Melodic Rock Festival doing some of those tunes from Stick It In Your Ear and the fella looks and sounds good as his voice is still there! Trainwreck does not need apply here folks!

Thanks for reading!

Now scroll back to the top and click those links and enjoy some fine reads and writes from some Great Bloggers!

SONIC WAVES…..Boston/Third Stage

Ok! Lets think about this for a sec! 1986 and I’m 19,I purchase everything music,I do love me the hard rock! So when it’s announced that Boston is releasing a new studio album there first in 8 friggin years were pumped I mean it was only a year earlier(1985) at our high school that me and some guys over the course of our lunch break were yakking its up all things music and someone brought up the fact that Def Leppard had been taking there time releasing there new record (Hysteria) which wouldn’t be released for another 2 years (1987) soooooo…someone Sez now keep in mind this is 1985 ‘what about Boston? Ahhhh the Leppard topic was dropped and everyone was like yeah WTF  and I knew that by reading Circus Magazine that Boston or more importantly Tom Scholz was battling his record company over something so there was a delay but come Sept 1986 here comes the concept album Third Stage and ummmm well….

COOL YOUR ENGINES DEKE!

AMANDA-ok so we wait mega years for a Boston album and Third Stage is dropped and they lead it off with a ….Geez are you serious Mr Scholz a ballad?? Let’s take a lookie here for a second at some other albums I bought in 1986 that had super duper kick Ya  in the nut sack openers that would draw your attention and and just keep Ya Rockin! Sammy Halen had Good Enough as the opening track on 5150! David Lee Roth had Yankee Rose as the opener on Eat Em & Smile! The Mighty Iron Maiden had Caught Somewhere In Time from Somewhere In Time, ACDC had Who Made Who as a opener on the soundtrack by the same name,Triumph had Tears in the Rain..Ummm ok now I’m pushing it but you get my drift …Songs that would rock me as a 19 year old and as I write this now as year 47 old I can ask Boston this. What The  Fuck were you doing opening your long awaited album with a sap track?? Ahh man this is gonna be painful! I know a lot of people dig this track and hey Arena Rock salutes you…..but as a opener you wanna say BUZZ KILLER! I do So Buzz Killer Amanda is!

WERE READY- big guitars and a so so tempo and this is a improvement on Amanda. Having said that Brad Delp(RIP) saves this album just with his voice. Man that cat could sing! While we’re at it is Sib the drummer with the cool Afro even on this record? These drums sound like electronic,programmed up the ying yang with a million guitars layered over the top, like icing on your birthday cake!

THE LAUNCH-is a 3 parter(Countdown/Ignition/Third Stage Separation)musical guitar/effects smorgasbord with a real big Sonic Boom(ha) blast off! Hey even in the notes Boston tells us that no synths are used on this record! Just a million other gadgets whatever that crazy Professor Scholz had cooking in his lab!

COOL THE ENGINES- sounds like a throwback to the first two Boston albums and wow we’re finally rocking in Boston! Brad Delp delivers a great vocal but than again he always delivered! What a loss his death was to the Arena Rock Community! But yeah this one has a snap happy chorus and more big time guitar action! Welcome back to 1986 and some loud (kinda) Rockin !

MY DESTINATION- Wowzers another Boston ballad? We were just a Cranking up the engines and now we are definitely Cooling The Engines here! Think Amanda again but with a big loud ass organ shoved up your backside!

A NEW WORLD- a little 40 second music intro that is credited to Jim Masdea! Hahaha…Scholz lets go of the controls and let’s the new drummer guy get a writing credit even if it’s for 40 seconds!

TO BE A MAN- yeah another slower almost filler kinda tune. This is AOR Boston bigtime I mean were they bunking in with REO Speedwagon here? Dunno but it sounds like it to me! I can hear it now a triple mix of Can’t Fight This Feeling/To Be A Man / Keep On Loving You….where’s the barf bag?

I THINK I LIKE IT-Boston ups the tempo here a little and pushes the pedal to the gas a little more but they almost stall the engines!  This song has Scholz and new guitar guy (Gary Pihl x of Sam Hagars band) playing solos and the song is ok! Delp saves this man he’s the MVP of Third Stage!

CAN’TCHA SAY- Yep Delp delivers a superb smooth as silk vocal delivery and this has radio written all over it! Catchy chorus and more big sound! Those sounds that Scholz plays you got to hand it to him as you know it’s him and well good on Tom! The bugger could play a good 6 string!

HOLLYANN- hey why don’t we Sandwhich At the start of Third Stage a big ballad and stuff some melodic rockers in between and close Third Stage out with a another ballad! Sheeeeeit man you kidding me? Yep Boston goes where a lot of bands wouldn’t go near and drive the AOR rocket ship into space with more melodic rock!  I will say this one has some good guitar in it….

IN CONCLUISON- Boston drops the long awaited album and I’m puzzled! Too many AOR chill tracks but too be honest I actually had this listed as 3/4’s Filler but man lead singer Brad Delp saves the day! He soars here vocally and takes it to a whole level by himself! He’s the deal here folks,taking some songs and by his singing saving them from the scrap heap! Tom Scholz cans Sib and his Fro and the  other original dudes and brings in some new blood and he must have as well borrowed ZZ Tops Afterburner drum machine(guess it was the 1986 thing to do) and well say what you wanna I tossed a Sonic Waves Mulligan here folks!

In Other Words…..

1986- Deke banished Third Stage to the 3/4’s Filler Pile ….

2015-Deke says Brad Delp saves Third Stage ….just barely does Third Stage scrape into Sonic Waves Territory….

SONIC WAVES….Revolution Saints/Revolution Saints

 

Who woulda thunk it that my first purchase of a new release from 2015 would be a band featuring a dude from Journey(Deen Castronovo) a fellow from Whitesnake(Doug Aldrich ) and a chap from one of Tbones 80s Guilty pleasures Nightranger(Jack Blades) .

One of my blog pals from Sweden Jon who writes his own great stuff at Festival and Music Guide gave these guys a 9/10 review of there debut. Too be honest  with ya’s the thought of put together bands with outside writers just wants to make me puke and I kinda alluded to this fact on Jons Facebook page.

Years past I have dabbled with supergroups and they have been a let down I mean one of the biggest musical car crashes was that Contraband band record from 1991! Remember that one on paper it looked good it had Micheal Schenker/Bobby Blotzer/Traci Guns/some chic from Vixen on bass and Richard Black a vocalist from a band called Shark Island(who were good) but man Contraband I bought and man what a pile of Vinyl Poo! Listened to It once and heaved it somewhere….Utter crapola!

Since I troll music sites daily like Blabbermouth and Bravewords I knew of Revolution Saints and seen as they were getting the press etc but I dunno I thought oh yeah here we go yada yada but Jon  said give it a try and his great review sold me on it so I preorderd it on iTunes and well …..good call Jon….this is a classic piece of well done AOR ROCK!

You Can Still Rock N America …..even if it’s 2015!

BACK ON MY TRAIL-this opener reminds me of a juiced up Nightranger track. It’s a fast rocker and well man the  question becomes apparent pretty quick why is Castronovo the Journey drummer and not the lead vocalist? My question is yeah he has some style reminiscent of Steve Perry but not a actual copycat of Perry! Who knows man but Deen has a smooth as silk AOR delivery and holy hell he can play some slick drums and of course with Jack Blades nailing down the 4 string and ok let’s talk about the guitar guy Doug Aldrich I guess he split from Whitesnake last year and he’s a great guitar player as it shows in this tune! Too be honest I guess he cowrote two Whitesnake records with Ol Dave Coverdale(Forevermore and Good To Be Bad) so the dude can hold his own but man he rips a pretty decent solo and so far track 1 is a winner !

TURN BACK TIME-Aldrich starts off with a nice opening riff and Deen and Jack share co lead vocals on this track! The other thing is if these guys ever go live there gonna have to drag a keyboard guy with them that’s for sure! Now I kinda get nauseated when I think of AOR and keyboards but these are mixed below Aldrichs guitar and for that SALUTE! This being a rock record I mean this thing is full of singles and this is another one for sure!

YOUR NOT ALONE- speaking of keys piano it is at the start of this track and well Arniel Pineda Yep the lead vocalist from Journey does the singing and I see why the record company wants to sell records so let’s bring in the current Journey vocalist! I get it I get it but man let The Saints forge there own identity and do it themselves but I don’t pay the bills so …. But seriously this is a great written track the chorus it breathes with Power chords and man Yep it’s not a balls out rocker but a good song here at Arena Rock is a good song! If this was 1990 this song woulda chugged easily into the top 10!

LOCKED OUT OF PARADISE-more straight ahead rock from The Saints! These guys Aldrich/Blades and Castronovo know the deal stick with what Ya know and it’s what they know which is there chops and the Aldrich pulls of some Van Halen Balance like playing! Love how the keyboard sounds like UFO like. Castronovo also plays some good drums on this record I mean the guy followed Steve Smith in Journey for Gods sake so he has to have it right ? Well I can say here he does! The solo is wickedly good here and man the solo and ending riff is deadly!  A  big boot of AOR up the back side!(currently my fav on here)

WAY TO THE SUN- this track features Deens boss from Journey and that’s Neil Schon. Hey and not since the fantastic Hardline Total Eclipse album of 1992 that Schon was on can I hear him rock the guitar! Geezus he still has it! Now this is the Neil Schon I wanna hear! Not the watered down sap a roo mix job that is done on Journey releases! This is a epic track that has all the trimming of late 70s early 80s Pomp Rock! Acoustic guitar/electric guitar/keys/Drums/Huge vocals! It’s all hear it’s basically wrapped in a package tighter than a Snickers Chocolate Bar!

DREAM ON- big time happy go lucky driving song I mean these are feel good tunes! This one is tailored made for radio! Man I hear Styx in this tune if Styx was playing at 190 mphs! Big chorus and the Saints know the deal. Don’t bore us get to the chorus and oh yeah the Aldrich solo! He steps up and drives the song and man the cat knows his deal don’t solo forever keeping it short and simple is no big deal!

DONT WALK AWAY- piano and man this song is good the verse is mellow and the song well this is a power ballad and so the chorus amps up a bit and the solo is smoking good…

HERE FOREVER- piano once again starts this song and it has more oomph than Don’t Walk Away but I think I woulda kept these two apart(my gripe) but still it’s good! I mean once again it’s down to the guitaring …

STRANGERS TO THIS LIFE- back to AOR Rock! The pre chorus is good,love the use of the Hammond organ on some of these tunes. I hear Whitesnake 1987 style in this tune and no not Slip Of The Tongue Whitesnake ….Geez seriously I guess I had to note that to my friends (readers out there)out there.

BETTER WORLD- umm you might think I’m on something but a part of this I hear Ozzys Shot In The Dark in the  chorus. The song shifts speeds and piano plays a part I mean it’s commercial Rock! I still can’t get that few bars of Shot  In The Dark out of my noggin! Hahahaha….great solo….shit man Aldrich is taking this record and carrying it on his shoulders to keep the hard rocker in me happy! Bravo Dougie boy!

HOW TO MEND A BROKEN HEART- cool rocker of a track! Deener pounds the skins and the vocals and this song will go over live well. The band is firing on its cylinders here. Man I guess I gotta give some props to Jack Blades as he carries the bottom end through out the record,knows his place and doesn’t overplay but than again if he did Aldrich would drown him out!

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER(Fernandos Song) -piano once again paces this track and it’s a power ballad but Deen drives the tune forward with his drums (thanks a bunch) and it’s a fitting finale to a rock record.

IN CONCLUSION-ha…this is a very good record! I purposely tried to stay away from Journeyisms on this review and why not these guys should be commended for doing there own deal and if they could have have kept the two Journey handlers off this record it would have been better but like I said it’s about paying bills! Doug Aldrich holy shit the guys playing on here is just plain awesome! He plays at speeds when he has to,and can slow down when he has to! In other word he plays to the song and  not all over the fuckin place to make it a shred fest to give this old man(me) a headache!

Kudos to Aldrich/Castronovo and Blades and Jon for reviewing it!(good job chap)…..