From Conception: Live 1981

We keep seeing reissues of classic records by artists who heavily shaped the course of pop music history. It’s honestly surprising where they dig up all those old tapes, give them a modern polish, and on top of that throw in a pile of unreleased tracks from the time the band was recording a particular record. Usually it works like this: the band records three to four times more songs than fit on the album, then the label decides the tracklist and the rest drifts off into oblivion for years. The record in question is, going by that description, a real gem. The California quartet Dokken had plenty of bad luck early in their career, since procedural snags kept their debut from coming out at home. It was first released in Europe, and only a good year later in the US too. The concert recording on From conception: Live 1981 stayed hidden from the public for a long time. It was found by chance a few years ago, and the sound was surprisingly good. The idea of reviving these lively songs soon came together with the help of the Italian label Frontiers, which for the last eight years has been a haven for musicians working in AOR, hard rock, hair metal and similar genres. Dokken belonged in the top league of heavy metal bands, successfully hitting back at the British new wave of heavy metal. Alongside Ratt, Cinderella, Poison, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot and plenty of others, they played it honest and straight. On From conception: Live 1981 they come across as a compact, powerful, punchy band. A quartet, then, no keyboards anywhere, which is of course plenty for fast, loud songs. Maybe a keyboard bed would’ve suited the calmer numbers, but still: the recording is just what it should be: live, lively, raw and direct. Dokken were already glued together in their most famous lineup on this record. Drummer “Wild“ Mick Brown and bassist Jeff Pilson  are the unyielding bricklayers of the basic musical structure, guitarist George Lynch is an unsurpassed rhythm player and an even better soloist. Even then, right at the start, he showed he was an extraordinary talent, and over the years he only built on his mastery. At the start of the eighties the big guitar hero was of course Eddie Van Halen, imitated by a sea of guitarists. George Lynch knows most of his tricks too, but skillfully weaves them into his own playing. He’s incredibly fast even without tapping, and the guitar in this lineup carries the main melodic role anyway, so all the important melodies are clearly worked out and placed in the right spots. Of course there’s no getting around a solo spot here either: Lynch gets a nearly three-minute solo, where he shows off the rich arsenal he keeps in his fingers and his head. Singer Don Dokken was understandably in full-lunged form back then, with an enviable range, and with animal screams, in line with metal vocal folklore, he enriched quite a few songs. The tightness of the foursome shows in every track, both the better-known ones (Paris Is Burning, In The Middle and Breaking The Chains) and the three that are being released here for the very first time. The interaction with the crowd is excellent, and the listener can easily feel the band’s total devotion to the music and the audience. An attentive listener won’t miss the slight slip-ups, like the backing vocals on Hit and Run, but it’s more spice than reason for blame. And that’s exactly where you also feel the attitude toward this live gem, which modern technology under producers and remixers has kept its nose out of. And rightly so. Dokken gnawed away for years to make it (and not on steaks, but on dry sandwiches). When we compare that to some modern-day band that makes it on looks and not substance, it certainly doesn’t leave us indifferent. To whoever’s responsible: don’t hide behind other, new times, new technology and the all-encompassing web. Respect comes before everything else!