Vandenberg: The Complete ATCO Recordings 1982-2004, 4CD

If you haven’t heard the music of Vandenberg, you really should and in truth that’s always been the case. The band’s 1982 debut was and remains a stone cold hard rock classic, with the quartet of guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, singer Bert Heerink, bassist Dick Kemper and drummer Jon Zoomer recording an album that while gaining some traction, really should have catapulted this band into the stratosphere. Steeped in the hard rock tradition that gave us albums such as the self-titled Montrose debut, Vandenberg’s own eponymous debut has it all - great guitars, stunning vocals, a first rate, energetic rhythm section and songs to die for. Through a deal with Atco, the album also arrived at the right time for this style of music to take the band to international success, but even with high profile touring slots with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and KISS, the expected breakthrough never quite materialised.

The album itself however remains above question, the slow boogie of “Your Love Is In Vain� an immediate proclamation that this band knew how to rock in the most authentic of ways. What really caught the ear though was the fluid yet technical guitar work from Vandenberg himself. Yes, he was clearly aware of a certain Mr Van Halen - just listen to the loose groove of “Wait�, which even opens with a little flurry round the frets to seal the deal - but the worship was more respectful than simple copying, and when a band could build such a groove, did it matter anyway? Heerink matches the guitars every step of the way, his rich but lively tones capable of truly owning the Zep inspired but sonically updated “Burning Heart�, or adding just enough sneer to the almost, in places, Judas Priest like “Ready Or Not�. And maybe that’s the key to this album, because as you run through the hard hitting “Too Late�, unforgettably catchy “Nothing To Lose� or sharply insistent “Lost In The City�, the lines between hard rock and metal are completely blurred in a way that few bands would even dare to attempt these days.

With that debut making a dent but not a real breakthrough in the US album charts, the band’s second outing arrived the very next year in the hope of taking the strides the music so deserved. Vandenberg’s stunning guitar prowess hits hard right from the off, Heading For A Storm opening with the full force smash of “Friday Night�, while Heerink seems to have found a new smoothness during the catchy as hell “Time Will Tell�. It’s a factor across the whole album, a keen eye on the AOR scene that wasn’t really in evidence on the debut now in place as the beautiful acoustic led “Different Worlds� and strutting “I’m On Fire� add a commercial edge that ever so slightly blunts this album’s attack. The other slight change in focus this time out is the glaring spotlight Vandenberg now placed on the guitar work. Yes, this Dutch outfit were always - obviously, I mean they even changed their name from Teaser to that of their guitarist before releasing a self titled debut - built around the fret-fury of their leader, but here it’s front, centre and in your face. It’s just as well the man himself has the talent and presence to merit it. Even with the early Europe like “This Is War� and the more debut like “Rock On�, the album couldn’t quite match the impact of the band’s first outing and that too seemed to be reflected in its sales, but hindsight marks this out as one hell of an album from a band that was seldom matched in this style.

And that too is true of Alibi, which continued the journey into a smoother sound as it hit the racks in 1985. However, even as the attack was maybe softened ever so slightly, the power driven into the album by Kemper and Zoomer remains something to behold. Heerink too seemed to thrive in this setting, his vocals now reminiscent of a Dubrow/Meniketti hybrid and thoroughly convincing they are too. And if anything, that’s also a signpost to the album itself, a Y&T like exuberance wrapped into big choruses, stunning guitar work and hooks, hooks, hooks. In may ways I find this to be the most ‘dated’ of the three releases in this reissue box, but then if an album was released in 1985, why shouldn’t it sound like it was released in 1985? “Once In A Lifetime� may well be one of the most convincing power ballads you’ll ever hear, while “All the Way�, the utterly unforgettable “Voodoo� and “Fighting Against The World� prove that Vandenberg’s hard rocking credentials were still firmly in evidence.

Here, Cherry Red/HNE have gathered these three albums together into one 4CD boxset featuring an excellent liner essay from Adrian Vandenberg himself and which comes with a disc bringing together previous bonus tracks that have been available over the years. In truth, that ‘new’ disc will be the one here that receives least play-time but the five demos from the first two albums are cool in their raw interpretation of what ended up being released. Whereas both “Out Of Cash� and “Help Me Thru The Night�, which never saw official release, pretty much stand up to what did. A few ‘special’ and ‘Mono’/‘Stereo’ mixes are also included, along with a re-recorded acoustic version of “Burning Heart� but in truth it’s the six live tracks from various shows that truly grab the imagination and make you wonder what it might have been like to catch this band on stage.

We all pretty much know what happened next, Adrian Vandenberg being coaxed into Whitesnake for the most commercially successful period in that band’s history. Since then Vandenberg have been resurrected but only with the guitarist back in place, he and his three ex-bandmates having had all manner of legal wrangles in the intervening years… This however, is how to remember Vandenberg, the band, with The Complete ATCO Recordings 1982-2004 reminding us of what should have been. All three original albums brought together here are superb, but it’s the debut that truly stands tallest. For those in the know it’s a genuine, long lost classic and even now it lives up to that billing.

Track Listing
DISC ONE: Vandenberg (1982)
1. Your Love Is In Vain
2. Back On My Feet
3. Wait
4. Burning Heart
5. Ready For You
6. Too Late
7. Nothing To Lose
8. Lost In A City
9. Out In The Streets

DISC TWO: Heading For A Storm (1983)
1. Friday Night
2. Welcome To The Club
3. Time Will Tell
4. Different Worlds
5. This Is War
6. I’m On Fire
7. Heading For A Storm
8. Rock On
9. Waiting For The Night

DISC THREE: Alibi (1985)
1. All The Way
2. Pedal To The Metal
3. Once In A Lifetime
4. Voodoo
5. Dressed To Kill
6. Fighting Against The World
7. How Long
8. Prelude Mortale
9. Alibi
10.Kamikaze

DISC FOUR: Rarities & Live Tracks (1982-2004)
1. Back On My Feet (Demo)
2. Ready For You (Demo)
3. Nothing To Lose (Demo)
4. I’m On Fire (Demo)
5. Out In The Streets (Demo)
6. Out Of Cash (Demo)
7. Help Me Thru The Night (Demo)
8. Burning Heart (Stereo Edit)
9. Once In A Lifetime (Special Mix)
10. Burning Heart (Mono Edit)
11. Ready For You (Live)
12. Lost In A City (Live)
13. Friday Night (Live In Japan)
14. Welcome To The Club (Live In Japan)
15. Roll Through The Night (Live In the USA)
16. Too Late (Live)
17. Burning Heart (2004 Unplugged)

Added: September 11th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Vandenberg @ Cherry Red
Hits: 722
Language: english

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