Artist: Dr. Cranknstein
Label: ASCAP
Release: 2006
Of course it’s no surprise when someone who’s just tiptoeing into the early stages of a midlife crisis suddenly goes completely off the rails. Something similar is clearly going on with a trio of goofy uncles who go by the name Dr. CranknStein. They’re three, if not young in years, then at least young at heart, musicians who set about playing heavy rock music laced with influences from punk, funk and other related genres. Add to that a crowd of several thousand Celtic warriors who are more than obviously tacked on throughout the entire recording, and what you get is a mess that these “youngsters” have named Operation Live.
Honestly, it’s hard to rate something that sounds this chaotic and keeps hopping from one movie to another with zero organization. We can’t say the guys don’t know their craft, quite the opposite. Their approach is positively bursting with enthusiasm, and it’s more than obvious they’re having a blast doing what they do. Maybe even too much of a blast. What I’m getting at is that from dudes their age you’d expect more musical maturity. But hey, they’ve still got time, right?? Anyway, let’s kick off with the opener Hard Grind, a truly hard ala Dokken kind of number, which with its wildly uncontrolled and hysterical vocals serves up the first gut disturbances right out of the gate. The rapid rhythm changes come off almost laughable, same as on the next one, No Complaints, where the trio quickly morphs into some lousy UK Subs knockoff. If the guys aren’t complaining here, every single listener of this circus definitely should. Lolipop, with its goofy funky, maybe almost rap intro, only cements the whole party-band picture of this “album.” On with the rock & roll! Or not. Rock Is Not Dead is probably one of the dumbest things you’ve ever heard. Rock isn’t dead, hm, if it ever sounds like this in the future, I truly hope it dies as soon as possible. Now, so we don’t get each other wrong, the guys are pretty likable in what they do, good for a beer or two. But that’s where it ends. Especially when, right in the middle of that very song, they uncompromisingly jump out of nowhere into We Will Rock You!! A disaster… Now a word or two about the gentler “compositions”: the “doctors” present three, of which It’s Not Too Late stands out. It’s a ballad that, vocally especially, flirts with a Leslie West approach. Definitely one of the album’s better moments (though, let’s be honest, the competition here isn’t exactly murderous). The other two, I Can’t Wait and Things, wade through similar shallows, coming across as decent rock ballads better suited to some radio play.
Cute, unlike the next racket, called Stuck, which is a sort of tribute to the Sex Pistols, at least judging by the Pretty Vacant snippet in the intro. What really sticks out like a sore thumb across the whole album is the constant borrowing of assorted motifs from old legendary tracks of every kind and genre. Unoriginal and boring, just like Whiskey, where you mostly hear Sheer Heart Attack, and Wild Side, whose beginning is a plain copy of Whole Lotta Love. Awful. Still, something’s missing. Well, the guys take care of that too with Kickstart My Heart. An interesting version, with vocals that would probably make even Vince Neil feel like he can sing! Did we forget any drunken revelers? Of course, there’s still AC/DC. Two studio recordings that also close out this “phenomenal” little disc offer us a mirror image of the Aussie rockers, “enriched” with vocals that sound like someone crossed Johnson with Plant. And for the bombastic finish, Bang Your Head, of course once again a copy (not a cover!) of the Quiet Riot song of the same name. Insane! Definitely too much for everyday listening.
Lineup
Eliot Chambers – vocals/guitar
Steve Schiegg – vocals/bass
Urs Kalin – drums
Production
Steve Schiegg
Tracklist
1.Hard Grind
2.No Complaints
3.Lolipop
4.Rock Is Not Dead
5.It’s Not Too Late
6.I Can’t Wait
7.Stuck
8.Whiskey
9.Wild Side
10.Kickstart My Heart
11.Things
12.Swiss Tall And Blonde
13.Bang You Head
Trajanje albuma: 63.30
