your thoughts on Dokken?

[SoundMaster]

What do you all think of Dokken? I hated the image, but damn, Don's got a fine voice and, well, George is one of the few guitarists who's solos really interest me! The solos in "The Hunter" and "Heaven Sent" blow me away.

Of course, their classic triumverate of "Tooth and Nail", "Under Lock and Key" and the massive "Back for the Attack" are classics. But, they've also released other GREAT records, including the '95 reunion album, the Reb Beach record from the late 90s (I forget the title). Also, the 1990 Don Dokken "supergroup" record was really strong, as well.

 

[wdiv]

I think they tend to get grouped in with the rest of the crappy LA hair metal scene, which is a shame, since they had a great melodic rockin' sound & their lyrics weren't the generic cheesy hair metal lyrics. Admittedly, I've never really bothered with their 90s stuff...
I saw George play a solo show in a small club a couple years ago & I was blown away how much better his live work is than his solo albums are.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

I love them up to the Back to Attack album.. George is a amazing guitarist.. he almost was Randy's replacement when Randy died.. i think he did play a show or two with Ozzy... at the time...

 

[sixxswine]

The only two Dokken records that you listed & after that they got stale...
And also Tooth & Nail...
I saw them back on the Monsters Tour they did with Van Halen...
At the Kingdome, which is no more...

 

[KMADD]

I agree everything up to Back To Attack. Then I lost interest.

 

[Jean-Pierre]

The only hair band ever worth looking into. As everyone said, everything up to Back To Attack is great.

 

[TheGraveDigger]

The only hair band ever worth looking into. As everyone said, everything up to Back To Attack is great.

I thought early Motley Crue and Ratt are also really worth looking into.

Dokken fuckin rules. They can't make an album if their lives depended on it anymore and Shadowlife is the worst piece of garbage I have ever listen to but the classics is where it is at.

LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN! \m/

 

[USMC0341]

I never cared for Don's voice, but they had some really good melodies, and George Lynch is one of the greats in my opionion. I saw Lynch Mob at a small club about 7 months ago, and he put on a clinic. The dude is a machine on guitar and he can shred with taste.

I'd say they got a bad rap bacause of a lot of other shitty hair bands, but they were definitely more than just hair (without Lynch it would probably be a different story in my opinion).

JB

 

[MetalAges]

Agree with one exception, everything through Attack, but I am a big fan of Dysfunctional as well. Erase the Slate is half good half "eh". I was really happy with the job Reb did filling George's shoes.

Rokken with Dokken! (I still have this shirt somewhere!)

 

[Greeno]

They are my favorite "hair metal" band hands down!! I like everything they released in the 80's before the breakup. Was lucky enough to see them 5 times in the 80's opening for other bands.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Anyone listen to the Beast from the East live album? was very good .. and George kicked ass in it especially on Unchain the Night.. the lead parts are great...

 

[Wicked Child]

Hands down, one of my favorite hair bands, out of the small handful i like. Dokken ruled.

 

[Mxgonzo]

I agree everything up to Back To Attack. Then I lost interest.

Same here

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Great band in the '80s.

I think Tooth & Nail, Under Lock & Key and Back For The Attack are all classic albums, totally. Under Lock & Key is my favourite *just* ahead of Back For The Attack coz I think it has their best songs on it, but Back For The Attack is the most consistent album start to finish and also has George's best guitar playing ever. And I agree, that solo in Heaven Sent is UNBELIEVABLE, what a mix of fmelody, groove, flash and technique with such unique sounding licks... Night By Night also features a totally underrated solo I think!

I don't mind their image either, on Back For The Attack especially they just look like an average '80s hard rock band. Though the video clips off Tooth & Nail are ATROCIOUS. My god they are bad.... hahaha! They are by far among the worst video clips of all time, along with the early Y&T video clips!

 

[SoundMaster]

on Back For The Attack especially they just look like an average '80s hard rock band. Though the video clips off Tooth & Nail are ATROCIOUS. My god they are bad.... hahaha! They are by far among the worst video clips of all time, along with the early Y&T video clips!

Agreed concerning "Attack" and ESPECIALLY agree concerning the "Tooth" vidoes. The vid for "Into the Fire" is especially disturbing. Don's makeup job is just putrid. Goddamned awesome song, though.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Yeah those videos are just terrible! How's "Just Got Lucky" with the fuckin mirrors haha! The band looks atrocious, their moves are disturbing and whoever directed them should get a day job!

The videos improved alot later, how good is the Heaven Sent video. The silhouette of that foxy chick walkin down the misty street being followed by Don or whatever, and George playing that solo in the graveyard... looks unreal.

With the whole glam makeup thing, there were bands who could pull it off (whether or not people like that look is another thing, but some bands made it work for them) like Pretty Boy Floyd, Poison, Tuff, Big Bang Babies, where the image had a certain attitude to it and everybody's makeup, hair and costumes at least suited them... but then there was Dokken in the early days, White Sister, King Kobra, Night Ranger, and a whole host of AOR bands who's "hair" image just looked dreadful!

 

[tedvanfrehley]

DOKKEN is great so long as George Lynch is in the band! My opinion....

 

[Bryant]

I really liked everything up to BftA and about half of that release, but Dokken hasn't stood the test of time as well as some 80's bands for me. I can't put into words exactly why, but I don't care for listening to a whole release by them anymore. I can still listen to a few songs here and again and enjoy them, but don't make it through a whole CD.


Bryant

 

[Walter_Langkowski]

Agree with one exception, everything through Attack, but I am a big fan of Dysfunctional as well. Erase the Slate is half good half "eh". I was really happy with the job Reb did filling George's shoes.

I agree. As much as I have a love for heavy and technical music, Dokken has been one of my favorite "hair bands". I love Don's voice and we all know how much George shreds. They also had those great group harmonies live with Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown chipping in.

I think that Don should give it up nowadays though as his voice is shot. He has smoked away all his vocal talent and at his age (52-53), that doesn't help things at all.

On a side note, Dokken also spawned the group with one of favorite albums ever, and that would be Lynch Mob, the LP "Wicked Sensation". This album is straight-out BALLS. Deadly combo of Oni Logan's great blues-esque voice and George's totally inspired shredding still ranks up there even today!