REVIEW: L.A. Guns, Shrinking Violet (Perris)
- Paul Hanson
Who asked for this? Who the hell called up Perris Records and said, "Please Mr. Record Exec, give one of my favorite 80s band that never had much of a commercial success ONE MORE CHANCE."
Why do I want to find this person? Simple. I want to say thank you. Yes, thank you for giving yet another reason to the music industry to respect the bands of the '80s. There were talented acts and none less so than L.A. Guns. Yes, they initially rode the Guns-n-Roses ticket to recognition (Tracii Guns was in Guns-n-Roses at one time, before Appetite for Destruction) but they promptly drove that stigma away.
By the time they hit their radio success with "The Ballad of Jane," the band was loaded with success of their own making. It becomes evident quickly that this is a band that wants to stake a claim in the music industry, not as a has-been '80s band, but as a legit band in 2000. The songwriting here is structured around writing a "song" in the traditional sense. There's an intro followed by a verse followed by a chorus followed by a verse. These are songs, not 4 minute ear candy for radio.
This time around, sex is, once again, at the forefront of this band's collective mind, evident with the first track, "Girl You Turn Me On" and later with "Big Lil' Thing." It's immediately evident that Guns and company are out with a vengeance. Gilby Clarke's production is crisp and clean, yet not so much that this sounds slick. Vocalist Jizzy Pearl proves he is talented, toggling between a distorted vocal style and a more 80s style screech. "Shrinking Violet" continues the momentum with a tight musical interplay between drummer Steve Riley and bassist Stefan Adika. Some nice harmonies add to this track.
The stellar tracks, though, are the Led Zeppelin "Kashmir"-ish "Decide" and all-out rocker "Big Lil' Thing." At a mid-tempo plod, "Decide" showcases the magic of this band. Drummer Steven Riley provides a solid backbeat. "Big Lil' Thing" is an up-tempo rocker with yet another chops workout for Riley as he provides slick fills throughout the song. Could it have been recorded and released in the '80s? Possibly, but I doubt the band of then could have pulled it off as well as the 2000 version of this band.
This record easily re-captures the band's groove from their debut release of long ago. Shrinking Violet, is a return to form for this band.
