Terry Ilous got shafted. His Don Dokken-discovered band, XYZ, appeared too late on the Eighties hard-rock scene to make a difference, and then the band's original guitarist decided to release some of XYZ's vaulted material on an unauthorized CD. But the man has written and recorded several worthwhile songs – many of which have appeared on XYZ's studio records, 2005's Forbidden Demos-1985/1991 and now Here and Gone-Rare Tracks from the XYZ and Solo Years. Unlike Forbidden Demos, which featured all XYZ material, this 18-track collection also includes recordings Ilous made for television and movie soundtracks, as well as others that never saw an official release. He's paired with such renowned players as JK Northrup, Tony Franklin, Vinny Appice, Matt Bissonette, Jeff Pilson, Randy Castillo, Mike LePond and Jack Frost. And in addition to acoustic versions of XYZ tracks like "Face Down in the Gutter" and "Inside Out," Ilous covers the hard-rock spectrum with songs like "Walk On Water," "Ticket to Hell," "The Road," "Got To Believe" and "Soul to Soul." He even includes an old-time piano take on the Christmas classic "Silent Night." The vocalist is less successful, however, with covers of Foreigner's "Waiting For a Girl Like You" and a Zeppelin-like version of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "American Woman." Despite the various production levels, the disc's sequencing works and gives Here and Now the feel of a complete, albeit eclectic, rock record. That said, more historical perspective on the songs – besides who played what – would have made this a stronger package. Nevertheless, Ilous deserves credit for finally putting these songs out there and proving his worth.
Track Listing:
1) Walk on Water
2) Ticket to Hell
3) The Road
4) Here and Gone
5) Waiting For a Girl Like You
6) Got to Believe
7) Face Down in the Gutter
8) Save Me
9) Inside Out
10) American Woman
11) Out in the Cold
12) Soul to Soul
13) Unconditional
14) The Day I Spoke to Dog
15) Maggie (Live)
16) Can't Get Over You
17) Make Me Blind
18) Silent Night
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