HardReviews 5
by Martin Popoff
Pat Travers - Pat Travers, Makin' Magic, Puttin' It Straight, Heat In The Streets
(Majestic)First it must be said that I hope Majestic fixes these. I've gotten three of the four, and all of them have an annoying layer of distortion crackling all the way through. So... assuming I just got a bad batch, and that fixed ones will be sold, I highly recommend you get these damn albums. The first one is perhaps the bluesiest, the most derivative, and Makin' Magic retains a bit of that, but man, the red hot funky hard rock begins to flow. Come Puttin' It Straight (drumming by a pre-Maiden Nicko), and Pat is only equaled by Derringer (just Derringer, no Rick) from the same heady era, with respect to meaty chops applied to unbelievable danceability. This one's also a little upscale and jazzy at times, with much of that gone for the guy's masterpiece, Heat In The Streets. There is no larger funk metal song than Go All Night, while the title track, Evie, and the instrumental Hammerhead are killer Aerosmith-styled '70s classics, much help to one of the era's best drummers, Tommy Aldridge. Great original recordings ensure the timelessness of these seminal early hard rock records.
Rating 5, 8, 8, 10The Plot - The Plot
(Majestic)OK, this has been out for a year, but still it's worth examining, just for the sheer oddity of seeing Michael Schenker and Pete Way get together to play very Pete-like songs; by that I mean Stonesy, glammy, hammy, punky and English, topped with the guy's blubbery though lovable rock star-in-his-cups drawl. What makes it work well enough is that there is actually quite a bit of variety - and metal - on the thing. Add to that a rock solid recording (yeesh... who knows how this could have turned out?) and perfect tightness for the loose two (granted, Jeff Martin drums), and you've got... well, a new Waysted album, which in my books, is a reason to drink. Note: Some of these songs can also be found, considerably dressed down and boozed up, on the Pete Way - Live In Cleveland album, also now properly issued by Majestic.
Rating 7
