Style: glam, hard rock, shock rock
Label: Metal Blade
Year: 1994
Home: Los Angeles, California
Members: Lizzy Borden ~ vocals
Joey Scott ~ drums
Gene Allen ~ guitar/b. vocals
Alex Nelson, Corey James, Joe Holmes ~ guitars
Brian Perry ~ bass
Michael Davis ~ bass/b. vocals
Additional: Mark Benson, Tony Copozzi ~ choir
William Kidd, Elliot Soloman ~ keyboards
Tim Stithem ~ percussion
Joey Vera ~ bass
Lizzy Borden, the singer not his namesake band, has two phases to his career. There's the more well-known glam rock 80's line-up & then there's the late 90's/current incarnation formed after he broke up the band & spent some time with Starwood. The first is heavily L.A. glam while the second moves further to the shock rock realm which Lizzy had always been a part of but never to the extent he does today. Among these two phases have been numerous musicians, including a supposed solo album, but always with his crazy real life brother Joey Scott as the one steady variable on drums. This collection covers the early era. I believe it's time for an update because the music of the later LB is often far superior let alone less hemmed in by the pressure of getting radio play & popularity. One of my first reviews was their latest release Appointment With Death which I believe is a must have, not just to see LB in top form but also because it's just an a great album of love songs all tainted by death in some form that makes for addictive listening. So, while waiting for Best Of ... Vol. 2 get Appointment For Death & this compilation & you'll pretty much have the best of their catalog, with only the later Deal With The Devil missing. Without question this compilation is a a dated release with an often campy glam sound & Lizzy's soaring tenor. LB never made it as big as many of their L.A. peers, not headlining a tour till the past few years, though Lizzy did get a reputation for wielding an axe on stage a la something Alice Cooper might do while appearing in the first part of the famous movie "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years". Though, some shocking scenes later in the film left this opening largely forgotten. I believe that LB firmly picked up the shock rock mantle of Alice Cooper, who spent the early 80's far from the scene in a alcohol induced commercial slump of music only shocking for its poor quality. LB is the under-rated bridge between Alice & Marilyn Manson & Lordi. This greatest hits album will give you a basic understanding of what made LB originally great - sing along rock anthems of youthful angst & liberation, including: "Me Against The World", "American Metal", "Master Of Disguise", "Psychopath", "Ultra Violence", "Give 'Em The Axe", "Rod Of Iron" & "Notorious", the only song with 'Heil Caesar' as a bridge. The band has never been a chart-topper so this is really more of a collection of fan favorites & a few lesser songs to fill up an album. Having seen LB in concert, now with their autographs on my wall, I can attest to the popularity of this selection. But, as such, this actually gives a great overview of the band as you get both their strong stuff & some less memorable songs which paints a good overall picture of the band. What I love about Lizzy is that whenever he sings it sounds like he's taking on different characters. So many of his peers sang in similar ways but without the nuances or desire to sing in a tone or style that might be unfamiliar. The only weak part of the album are live versions of "Live & Let Die" & "Red Rum", one of which is better in the studio & the other another band would later do better.
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