VANDENBERG – Let’s go back to 1982. I was a sophomore in high school and very proud of my ability to draw the band logos for Styx, Michael Schenker Group and of course… KISS. (The Judas Priest band logo was and forever will be too difficult for me to draw freehand). Hirax, Hellhammer and Armored Saint were formed, just to name a few Metal bands. Alright, W.A.S.P. was formed in 1982 too. World famous pro basketball star, (UCONN & Pheonix Mercury) Diana Taurasi was born.
Ronald Reagan was the United States President and Bryant Gumbel began his 15 year career as NBC’s The Today Show co-host. The Weather Channel also launched into cable television back in 1982. Well, enough with the 1982 trivia… this post is about guitarist Adrian Vandenberg’s own Hard Rock band which debuted their self-titled album Vandenberg, this very same year on Atco Records.
This Vandenberg debut album was and always will be an excellent listen for me. My favorite song from this album is Burning Heart. That’s correct… a ballad. A Power Ballad too. Me, the dude who likes to tip-toe around ballads in almost any album review I do, really digs Burning Heart. Ever since I first heard this song on the FM dial back in 1982, I have been an admirer of it. Bert Heerink was the lead vocalist on this song and album. Could it be the strength in Bert’s vocals that I hear be the deciding factor for my liking Burning Heart so much? How about the guitar talent of Adrian Vandenberg himself? Adrian’s solo in Burning Heart is as articulately placed and played as any I’ve ever heard over all these years.
Adrian’s tone and feel that comes out at me from his guitar just always seemed to have that wallop. On Burning Heart, Adrian makes his guitar come across with such a free floating sound, making this Power Ballad come together perfectly… he dictated this song and commanded it with his guitar eloquence. Burning Heart from the very onset of my hearing it, never came across to me as being sappy. It is quite an emotional song for certain and radiates that essential vibe that seems to be lacking in so many Power Ballads over the decades.
Does Burning Heart remind me of a love I once had? Nope. Does it remind me of a love I could never have? Nope again. Despite this, this is a song that just reminds me of a time in my life when I was seeking out my place amongst my peers and just trying to get along. In actuality, that is really what I’m still doing, to this very day. Any song, from the vast and seemingly infinite world of music, will hold it’s own unique affect on an individual. Burning Heart stays in my music mind files as being… timeless.
* Besides being a legendary guitarist, find out more about Adrian Vandenberg and his other artistic talent… as a world renowned painter in the fine arts. Peruse Adrian’s brilliant artwork by clicking this link: ADRIAN VANDENBERG – ARTIST
Vandenberg, as they appeared on the debut/self titled album:
Adrian Vandenberg – guitar, keyboards and backing vocals
Bert Heerink – lead vocals
Dick Kemper – bass and backing vocals
Jos Zoomer – drums and backing vocals
LONG LIVE ADRIAN VANDENBERG & HIS MUSIC
Stone.
Ah, Lita Ford. Reflecting on the 1980’s would not be quite the same without her being in the Heavy Metal world. Lita Ford proved back in those glorious ’80’s that she was more than just eye candy, she really did shred on the guitar for her albums. Plus, Lita Ford’s vocals always had the harmonic, Heavy Metal diva flare happening. Lita Ford even did a very sappy duet with Ozzy Osbourne, Close My Eyes Forever, that I honestly could never stomach back in 1989 and my opinion has not wavered since. Well, it is 2009 and Lita Ford is back, uh, yeah. Wicked Wonderland is her new album, the title really sums it all up quite well. The lyrics throughout this entire album are wicked indeed… with nuances, imagery and flat out references to sex and lust galore. I want to taste your goddess flesh and I penetrate you are two lines taken from the song Indulge… pretty hot stuff if you are a young dude that can’t buy a date for Saturday night. Lita Ford should have known that the majority of her audience buying Wicked Wonderland are the Old School Heavy Metal crowd and we are no longer eighteen and pissed off at our parents anymore.
Badlands was a Heavy Metal band that I caught onto the instant they released their debut/self titled album – Badlands
I always thoroughly enjoy the Metal musical intricacies that quality Power Metal embellishes. Yngwie J. Malmsteen “Trilogy”, (released in 1986), has the rich and textured heavy musical elements, that make this album an all time favorite of mine. If you embark on a listen of “Trilogy” and are unaware of Yngwie Malmsteen’s guitar virtuosity, then your ears and senses are in for a Metal treat. (If you hold total disdain for the Speed Metal genre that meets Power Metal, well this album is not for you). “Trilogy” is a Metal album for me, containing some of the most melodic Power Metal songs I have ever encountered. Certainly, the classical trained Yngwie Malmsteen takes Metal center stage, with his glistening guitar skills on this album, however, lead vocalist Mark Boals captivates my Metal attention just as well. Both the musicianship and vocals compliment each other in the highest of Metal fashion on “Trilogy”. In my Metal opinion, Mark Boals vocals adds a dimension of harmony that magnifies the song writing, lyrics and melodious brilliance on this album. Metal truth be spoken… this is my favorite Yngwie Malmsteen album ever. Each time I listen to these songs, I am sincerely amazed at how gifted a lyricist and song writer Yngwie Malmsteen is. I am not fibbing when I declare, that this is not one of the – run of the mill, 1980’s Heavy Metal albums out there. In fact, if I was to compile a list of must have 1980’s Heavy Metal albums, “Trilogy” would have to be on that list.
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