Style: covers, tribute, hard rock, classic rock
Label: Deadline
Year: 2021
Home: Los Angeles, California
Members: Jack Russell ~ vocals
Robby Lachner, Michael Olivieri ~ guitars
Dan McNay ~ bass
Dicki Fliszar ~ drums
This is the second album of Led Zeppelin covers by Jack Russell's Great White. The first was a live album recorded in 1996. Now Jack & co. returns with a studio album, but the band recorded it live in the studio after they had trouble with the mobile recording studio. When someone does a covers/tribute album, the question they must ask is: Do I copy the songs as they were done, or do I give them my own spin? Essentially, does one duplicate, or make the other band sound more like their band? Making it one's own is more interesting, but the chance to fail is higher. Yet, the successes are shown with both Soft Cell & Marilyn Manson finding success by re-creating the disco song "Tainted Love." Sometimes its only a slight change, but just perfect to make the versions distinct. The original version of "Black Magic Woman" by Fleetwood Mac & the chart-topping version by Santana are not so different, but feel like different beasts. So, duplicating is not always bad. Yet, Santana had it easy as the song wasn't so well known. When you're doing something like Led Zeppelin, where the songs are ingrained in every music fan's head, the chance to fail actually is more with the duplication. Bands are encouraged to spice things up, as nobody can imitate the original so don't even try. Leave that to the tribute bands who obsess over the details. The problem also with imitating the originals is if you do it perfectly, then why not listen to the originals? If you fail miserably, then folks want to listen to the originals. Jack Russell's Great White decided to imitate Zep & not interpret any more than necessarily. The risk is huge for the guys & its obviously built around Jack's ability to sing like Robert. Its not note or tonally perfect, but they really try their best to recreate the original songs. Not just do they copy the notes, but also tweak the results in the studio to layer the songs the way the originals are. For example, the guitar on "Whole Lotta Love" is mixed low like the original. They've really studied the originals & tried to emulate as accurately as one reasonably can & I give them credit for that. They put a lot of effort into this. Yet, as I said, the risk is huge & I think they don't quite make the jump over the cliff. If this has been an EP it would be better, but with 14 songs there's too many places they fail. You're going to end up going to the originals. I likely should confess I might be more judgmental than some listeners/reviewers. In late 2020 I wrote the book "In The Shadow Of The Gods: The Memoir Of A Led Zeppelin Tribute Band Singer" about vocalist Jean Violet who has fronted Kashmir for 20 plus years singing Robert Plant. You can find the book on Amazon & your local bookshops. I listened to Kashmir's music & the entire Zep catalog to the point where I don't want to hear Zep again. I'll confess my bias to anyone who might think me too critical. I'd be interested in hearing someone from someone who is a diehard Zep fan. First, I don't think the songs rock as hard as Zep. They certainly don't have the emotional depth. Perhaps its a mix of recording & playing, but it sounds reserved over all, even in "Moby Dick". Its like they are keeping a tight lid on everything as they don't want to misstep with the wrong note. Jack aims to get the phrasing & pitches right, but loses the emotional undertones. Instead of rocking & sounding huge, they sound cautious. This leads to songs losing their impact. For example, "Whole Lotta Love" is a song that comes at you by Led Zeppelin, but here it feels like a cornucopia of sounds that don't mesh. The drums & guitars don't grab you & the bass doesn't sound a big. Its like they used a Crate amp instead of a Marshall. This is a modest complaint, but when the songs fail than it becomes more noticeable. The biggest thing under the microscope here is Jack as Robert Plant. He's not bad ... sometimes. Its hard to get Robert's tone right, particularly as its a middle aged guy trying to sing like a young guy, but even if the tone is wrong the phrasing must be perfect. Robert has a way of slurring and phrasing that makes him even more recognizable than his tenor. If you mess that up everything else is a bomb. Jack nearly perfectly has his phrasing at times. Its almost scary, as I've heard tribute band singers who can't get it this good. Though, I've never heard Jack sing before, so I have no clue how he normally sounds. He totally nails the phrasing of "Whole Lotta Love", "Kashmir", "The Rover". No, he doesn't get "Stairway To Heaven." Yet, he falls into what I imagine is his normal singing voice which is all nasal in other songs. When this happens so goes the phrasing, like some songs are more important than others. One of my fave songs is "Trampled Underfoot." I love that keyboard. Jack doesn't even try here to be Robert. Is this a cover of Aerosmith doing Zep? Totally disheartening. Nasal "Good Times, Bad Times" & "Misty Mountain Hop" I found rather annoying ... particularly after nailing "Whole Lotta Love". His voice really grated on my ears. This isn't Bob Dylan does Zeppelin. It tanked so much of the album for me & why I feel it would be better as an EP. Given when he goes nasal it feels so far from Robert that I wish they'd then done some experimenting with the songs versus imitating perfectly. You've already lost the sound, so why not just go with it? "Misty Mountain Hop" was almost torture as Jack sounded more like a woman in the throes of passion than one of the great blues rock singers who changed music. You should feel the music ... not feel up Robert. Sometimes the band is so perfect. Highlights are "Whole Lotta Love", "The Rover", & "Kashmir" where the imitation is right on, even with the vocals, followed by "Houses Of The Holy". Other times I didn't know. "Dancin’ Days" was a bit shocking. It had the wrong guitar part & I was wondering if they got one of those poorly written sheet music books that aren't even close. I listened to the original to verify & discovered they put the rhythm guitar high & the lead guitar low, so the distinctive lead part is lost in the mix. Who does this? Who thought this was the correct mix? The mystical "No Quarter" is as haunting as the original, until the singing starts. Why no effects on the vocals, outside of what sounds like some auto-tune, when they've aimed so much for authenticity on all the other songs? While the vocals are so prominent in a song that reigned them in, which is another error. If you're going to change them, go all the way. Then the guitar solo is very different. It becomes not Led Zeppelin, but Great White. Its the only real Great White song on the album, the rest is a wannabe tribute band with some sloppy moments. If Great White ever gives up they can be a Zep tribute band. Kinda sad, really, but I'm not really sure what the Great White sound is if they aren't imitating.
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