C D R e v i e w
Sebastian Bach & Friends - Bring 'Em Bach Alive
Spitfire Records (USA)
Overall Rating The Breakdown
Shred 7
Production 8
Vibe 9
Songwriting 8
On Bring ‘Em Bach Alive, former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach proves why he is STILL one of Hard Rock’s premier voices. Since those morons from Skid Row (or should I say Monday Ozone) opted to oust Sebastian Bach in favor of former Mars Needs Talent...er, I mean... Women vocalist Sean McCabe (WHO???) because Baz’s balls are too big for the band’s new direction (It’s been described as Oasis meets The Foo Fighters -- or, in other words, my vomit meets the floor), Baz decided to take the bull by the horns and prove that the market for Hard & Heavy music is still very much alive by going off on a very succesful World Tour. And boy, did it pay off.
Bring ‘Em Bach Alive manages to do what few live recordings do - it captures the true essence and energy of a Sebastian Bach live show. A rippin’ new studio track called "Rock N Roll" (MetalGod's Pick) featuring great guitar work from former Accept Axe-Slinger Wolf Hoffmann opens the CD in fiery fashion. 4 more studio songs, including the never before released "Counterpunch" follow. That's the cool thing about this record, all the US fans who bought the Japanese release are holding a collectors item that has 3 different live tracks. The Spitfire Records release has 2 brand new, never released tunes. I urge every fan to buy it. I for one own both the Japan and US release and believe me, they're worth it. Now on to the Live Show. From the opener, "Slave To The Grind," which sends the crowd into a never-ending frenzy, Sebastian Bach and "friends" rip through old Skid Row Fast-Paced, Fist-Pumping, Ass-Kickin’, IN YOUR FACE classics such as "Riot Act," "Mudkicker," "Monkey Business" (which rips into the BOC classic Godzilla), "Eighteen and Life," and "Frozen." Sebastian’s band, or his "Friends," which feature former Ace Frehley axe-slinger Richie (The Emperor) Scarlet and Jimmy Flemion (Or the "wing guy" from The Frogs) on guitar, the heavy-hitting Bam-Bam on drums (I swear this guy is Tommy Aldridge’s illegitimate son) and a very cool character named Larry (Lar-ry!!! Lar-ry!!! Lar-ry!!!) on bass, are very tight and fiery. And since Scarlet is a much better guitar player than either Snake Sabo or Scotti Hill ever will be, the songs sound waaay cooler live.
Featured on this CD is also a live version of a tune from his Last Hard Men project, the beautiful ballad "The Most Powerful Man in the World," which is one of the highlights of the CD because it totally features Baz’s impressive vocals (they just don’t get any better than this). On this acoustic ballad, Baz is joined by just Jimmy Flemion on the acoustic guitars and killer vocal harmonies. Another highlight of the CD is the bluesy "In A Darkened Room," during which Sebastian’s vocals have such emotion that they pierce a hole right through your heart; you can tell that this guy loves these songs as much as we do.
You can feel Baz’s energy jump out from the speakers as he feeds the crowd and you can almost imagine the jumping, grinding, head-banging, crowd-riding, bra-removing frenzy! Other highlights include the beautiful "I Remember You," which features crowd participation galore, and the Anthem that defined an era, the YOUTH GONE WILD!!! The studio tracks are a nice bonus, but the live album stands on it’s own. If you call yourself a Rocker then get this CD - it’s quite a listening experience. Signing Off...
-MetalGod
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Sebastian Bach & Friends
Bring 'Em Bach Alive (Spitfire Records)
By: Geoff Melton
When I heard that ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach had a new disc split between new songs and live versions of Skid Row tracks recorded with his new band I wasn't quite sure whether to expect much from it or not. To my pleasure, Bring 'Em Bach Alive is much more than I expected. Kicking it off are five new studio cuts featuring the likes of Anton Fig on drums and guitarists Richie Scarlet and Jimmy Flemion (Frogs). While three of these cuts, the anthemic rocker "Rock 'n' Roll," the hard-hitting "Done Bleeding" and "Counterpunch" (check out Scarlet's blistering guitarar-work here) have a heavier, more aggressive sound, they wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Skid Row disc. The other two however, both penned by Flemion, are a different story. "Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears", a stunning, jangly glam gem is the biggest surprise on the whole disc, and a personal favorite, while "Blasphemer" throws in some glam elements, but still packs a punch. Bach and Co. also shine on the eleven live cuts, showcasing the superb talent of the musicians and giving Skid Row songs like "Slave To the Grind", "Frozen", "Riot Act" and "Youth Gone Wild" a kick in the pants, resulting in an added level of intensity and aggression, and also turn in strong versions of crowd favorites like "18 and Life" and "I Remember You". The live set also includes a new cut the passionate and emotional "The Most Powerful Man In The World". Bring 'Em Bach Alive is a great way to bring Bach back to the ears of his fans as tehy wait for an all new full-length release due in late August.
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bring 'em bach alive - album credits
Michael Wagener Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Sebastian Bach Vocals, Vocals (Background), Producer, Main Performer
Mark Weiss Photography
Richie Scarlet Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background)
Mike Nuceder Engineer
Jimmy Flemion Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Eric Conn Mastering
David Bierk Art Direction, Design
Todd Goldstein Engineer
Wolf Hollman Vocals
Anton Linsk Guitar (Rhythm)
Mark "Bambam" McConnell Drums
Mort Todd Illustrations
Larry Bass, Vocals, Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar (Bass)
Michael Bruce Vocals
Anton Fig Percussion, Drums
Wolf Hoffman Guitar, Photography
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bring 'em bach alive - album reviews
After Skid Row split up in the mid-'90s, singer Sebastian Bach formed an alternative/heavy metal supergroup dubbed The Last Hard Men. In addition to Bach, the group included Breeders guitarist Kelley Deal, Frogs guitarist Jimmy Flemion, and Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Unfortunately, the group never issued an album (just a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out," for the Scream soundtrack), as Deal and Chamberlin eventually went back to their previous bands. Invigorated by the experience of playing with different musicians, Bach stuck with Flemion and formed a new band, consisting of ex-Frehley's Comet guitarist Richie Scarlet, ex-Madam X drummer Mark "BamBam" McConnell, and a bassist named simply Larry. The band played over a hundred shows together. The best of them, a pair of nights played in Tokyo, Japan, make up the majority of the 1998 release Bring 'Em Bach Alive!, the first full-length album Bach has released since his Skid Row days. As expected, many standards from his former band are featured: raw and rocking versions of "Slave to the Grind," "18 & Life," "Riot Act," "Mudkicker," "I Remember You," and "Youth Gone Wild," plus a merger of "Monkey Business" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla." Also included are several new studio recordings (the Flemion-originals "Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears" and "Blasphemer," among others). Longtime Skid Row fans will definitely enjoy Bring 'Em Bach Alive!. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Bach, Sebastian Bio
Band Members
Sebastian Bach - vocals
Larry - bass
Richie Scarlet - guitar
Jimmy Flemion - guitar
Wolf Hoffmann - guitars
Anton Fig - drums
BamBam - drums
Subgenres:
The story of Sebastian Bach & Friends begins
in 1996, when Bach received an offer to record a track for the soundtrack to the smash hit film, Scream. When his old band opted not to cut the tune, Bach put together the Last Hard Men with Breeders guitarist Kelley Deal, guitarist Jimmy Flemion (leader of the American underground band known as the Frogs), and once-and-future Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin to record a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out." The experience whetted Bach's appetite for playing rock 'n' roll to a rapturous throng.
"I was getting stir crazy being off the road," Bach recalls. "Basically, I was inspired by Kelley Deal. I was hanging out with her and she just had her own solo band - The Kelley Deal 6000 - and I went in their Winnebago for a couple of days. She just put her name up on the marquee and I said, 'Man, I can do that.'"
Bach enlisted Flemion, guitarist Richie Scarlet (best known for his work with Ace Frehley), drummer Mark "BAMBAM" McConnell (formerly of Bach's early band, Madam X), and, on bass, the man known only as Larry. Two weeks of dates turned into over one hundred gigs around the globe, including stops in Japan, Korea, and Canada, plus two weeks touring U.S. arenas with Pantera. Among the highlights of the Sebastian Bach & Friends tour were sold-out shows at packed punk clubs like NYC's Coney Island High and Hollywood's the Whiskey, but Bach remembers the first of two shows in Tokyo as among the greatest moments of his life.
"The first time we hit the stage in Japan," he recalls, "the lights went down and the sound of the crowd was the loudest, most vociferous reception I've ever experienced in my life - and I've played every big enormo-dome that you could name. It was like the bond that I had begun with these people ten years ago has only increased over time. It was all the excitement and craziness of every gig I've ever played put together into one. I'll never forget it."
Much of the fervor surrounding the Bach & Friends gigs came from the singer's impassioned performances of the songs that made him famous. While many artists attempt to separate themselves from their original hits, Bach is more than happy to give the people what they want. "My arm says 'Youth Gone Wild' on it so I'm going to be singing that song for the rest of my life," Bach says. "There's no reason to not sing songs that I put my whole heart and soul into for my whole life, all those songs you've been cranking in your cars for the last ten years. "It's like, here's a stage, here's a mike, here's a crowd. What song should we do? I think I'll do '18 & Life,' you know? I have a feeling I'll be in Las Vegas when I'm 75 singing 'I Remember You'... just a couple of octaves lower."
In addition to Bach co-written staples like "In A Darkened Room " and "Slave To The Grind," & the brand spankin' new "Done Bleeding", "BRING 'EM BACH ALIVE!" includes three songs written by the famously prolific Flemion. Though Bach's name appears on the album cover,
The singer has never been one to let ego get in the way of the quality of his work. "My first concern, ever since I started in the business, is to make great albums," he says. "I'm not out to prove I'm the ultimate songwriter. I just think Jimmy has a lot to offer and I'm really proud to sing his material."
Two of Flemion's songs - "Blasphemer" and "Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears" - were recorded at New York City's Electric Lady Studios and Nashville, Tennessee's WireWorld Studio with famed session drummer Anton Fig, while his "The Most Powerful Man In The World" was a regular highlight of the Sebastian Bach & Friends gigs. "He's a six-foot-seven, wing-wearing lunatic," says Bach of Flemion. "Part of the audience sound that you hear on the record is peoples' jaws hitting the floor when they see the band. I'm six-foot-five and I wear heels, Jimmy's like seven feet with his heels and these nine-foot-in-diameter green sequined wings. It's just unbelievable."
"BRING 'EM BACH ALIVE!" was co-produced by Bach and renowned producer Michael Wagener (Skid Row, Metallica , Ozzy Osbourne, Janet Jackson) "I figured if it's going to have my name on the cover, I'd better take responsibility for everything," Bach says. "I'm super proud of how the guitars sound and the overall production. Michael and I are already planning to work together again, because of 'BRING 'EM BACH ALIVE!'"
Yet another awesome aspect of "BRING 'EM BACH ALIVE! " is the CD packaging . a 10 page comic book done by Marvel Comics artist Mort Todd ...... & artwork done by Sebastian's father , artist David Bierk ( who also painted the cover for Skid Row's # 1 Billboard album "Slave To The Grind " , which was voted the 4th best album cover of the year in 1991 by Rolling Stone Magazine ).
Bach is already hard at work writing his next record - for regular updates, check out his
www.sebastianweb.com site - with the aim of bringing hard rock into the new millennium. Until then, "BRING 'EM BACH ALIVE!," amply demonstrates the eternal majesty and magic of Sebastian Bach's special brand of good-times heavy rock 'n' roll. "This music is timeless," he says. "It strikes a major chord with people. I was walking down the street in New York City at about 4 in the morning and these construction workers come up to me and my lady and they go, 'Sebastian Bach? We fucking love you man! We grew up to your music!' It's amazing. Being only 30 years old, sometimes I kind of cringe at the words 'classic rock,' but hey man, there's nothing like a classic."
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Bored I am it'sa round 6am
so IM cranking Bring "em" Bach ALIVE & thought lets
check out some reviews & stuff.
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