Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Harem Scarem
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2013
Runtime: 59:25
Rating: 4.5/5
Canada’s Harem Scarem had their heyday in the first half of the nineties. They were on top for a short while, and not for long. Over the course of their career they tried all sorts of ways to break through to even greater commercial popularity, but once melodic rock and AOR had their day, they never really recovered. They drifted almost into grunge, but that simply wasn’t Harem Scarem anymore. They even released two albums under the name Rubber. So they tried everything under the sun. They showed up just as demand for melodic rock was dying, then started adapting their style to stay in step with the trends, but sadly without success. Great musicians, no question, but these days we mostly remember Harem Scarem for their first two albums: the self-titled debut from 1991 and its follow-up »Mood Swings« (1993).
»Mood Swings« is the album that also took Harem Scarem to the Japanese market and let the band release their debut »Harem Scarem« there as well. The album gave them just one hit (Jelaousy), which made it onto the Canadian charts at home. Harem Scarem never climbed any higher, even though they tried like mad later on. As I said: they even changed their name for a while and completely overhauled their style.
But the style they cultivated on »Mood Swings« is their original style. That’s what Harem Scarem should have stood for all along. They returned to it in the new millennium, but then in 2008, after the otherwise excellent album »Hope«, they officially announced their permanent retirement and shut down. For all of five years, that is. This year they were born again, and they’re confirmed as headliners of this year’s Firefest festival in the United Kingdom. For their comeback they picked a fairly logical move: they re-recorded their classic studio album »Mood Swings« in its entirety and tacked an »II« onto the title as an »extension«. If they stick with melodic hard rock on the new original material too, then this is a nice start to a new chapter for the band. And there’s one more thing. With the re-release of the newly recorded album, the band is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its original release.
Re-recording an album that was so well made to begin with can be a double-edged sword. You can wreck it completely and, without meaning to, shake your own credibility. But not this time. Harem Scarem are far too experienced as musicians and far too professional to pull a stunt like that. At least Pete Lesperance and Harry Hess are, since they’re what’s still solidly standing today of the classic Harem Scarem lineup that recorded the original »Mood Swings«. Darren Smith does appear on the album, but only as lead vocalist on Sentimental Blvd, as the original dictates, and he also contributed backing vocals across the album. He didn’t take over the drums, though, which should have been his role. Pete Lesperance also took over bass duties for this album, and the band brought in a new drummer, Creighton Doane. Interestingly, no keyboardist is credited on the reworked version. The Hammond organ is almost identical to the original, which raises the question of whether Harem Scarem simply took the original’s master and dropped it into the sound of the new version.
The sound is definitely updated. Much warmer, maybe even a touch rawer and more stripped-down, even though the original version of »Mood Swings« already had a pretty polished production for its time with almost no gloss. With very little gloss. It’s interesting how Harem Scarem kept the vocal harmonies virtually identical, taking over in the bombastic, sweeping choruses (If There Was A Time). Harry Hess sings like a jet. He hasn’t lost one iota of the vocal character of his outstanding reputation, which puts him among the best in the business. What’s more, in conveying emotion he sounds even more mature, even more assured, and instantly seductive in how he sinks into a song. The same goes for the solos of Pete Lesperance, who after years of shredding has become a true studio guru of six-string theory. That development into guru status is shown best by the funky, organic Jealousy, where the subtlety of following your feel matters all the more. It’s incredible how this track, or No Justice, or Empty Promises, still ignite perfectly even 20 years after they were written. »Mood Swings« is a very strong album and every song is superbly defined in terms of optimal songwriting. The new version keeps that up and in places even enriches it. Which means Harem Scarem achieved their goal.
The more you listen to the new version, the clearer it becomes that it has only gained in quality and rightfully stands behind the name »Mood Swings II«. The original lost nothing; not a speck of its brilliance was sacrificed. The three tracks added at the end are a real treat. They sound quite a bit more dramatic and even dark, yet they keep the melodic catchiness and the predatory bombast. It’s a sign that the band’s next studio album, which has to consist entirely of brand-new studio material, will be a new hard rock gem on which Harem Scarem chase the heights of their first two albums. The reactivation, built on a return to their creative roots, has paid off in full for Harem Scarem!
Line-up
Harry Hess – vocals
Pete Lesperance – guitar, bass guitar
Creighton Doane – drums
Darren Smith – vocals on track no. 6, backing vocals
Production
Pete Lesperance & Harry Hess
Track list
1. Saviors Never Cry
2. No Justice
3. Stranger Than Love
4. Change Comes Around
5. Jealousy
6. Sentimental Blvd.
7. Mandy
8. Empty Promises
9. If There Was A Time
10. Just Like I Planned
11. Had Enough
12. World Gone To Pieces*
13. Anarchy*
14. Brighter Day*
*… new tracks
