HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES




One thing about rock music – it either cures your headache or gives you one. This 48 minute woke this reviewer up from a dreary weekend stupor – and he isn’t the most knowledgeable about the rock genre. Maybe it’s the gothic looking disc cover, maybe it’s the luring album title “Hollywood Vampires”, there’s just something mystifyingly enthralling about this CD.

It is the debut studio album by American rock supergroup Hollywood vampires, formally formed earlier in the year by shock rocker Alice Cooper, king of weird Johnny Depp and Aerosmith’s lead guitarist Joe Perry. Cooper’s project is meant to honour a loose group of rock musicians who enjoyed drinking on the Sunset Strip back in the 1970s. Artistes included John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Kieth Moon and Jim Morrison. This album is a tribute to his “dead drunk friends”, and contains covers of classic rock tunes.

The album opens aptly with the late Christopher Lee reading “The Last Vampire”, before segueing into “Raise the Dead”, a new track written for the album. Fans of rock music will identify with The Who’s My Generation, Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”, Spirit’s “I Got a Line on You” and The Doors’ “Five to One/ Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, which are now covered by the band, together with guest performers like Tommy Henriksen, Kip Winger and Bruce Witkin, names which are familiar to rock enthusiasts.   

There are also renditions of Harry Nilsson’s “One/ Jump into the Fire”, Paul McCartney’s “Come and Get It” (easily the most feel good song on the album) and John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey”. Fans should also lap it up because of performers like Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, Slash and Robbie Krieger.

I’m raising my glass and tossing it back but I can’t remember why / So let’s have another for all of my brothers who drank until they died.” The other new track on the CD, “My Dead Drunk Friends”, has lyrics that would do all rockers proud. It closes the journey.

This particular line says it all: “We drink and we fight, and we fight and we puke, and we puke and we fight, and we drink … and then we die.” 



Recommended Track: 
(14) My Dead Drunk Friends

Review by John Li

Back

TRACK LISTING
1
The Last Vampire
2
Raise the Dead
3
My Generation
4
Whole Lotta Love
5
I Got A Line On You
6
Five To One/ Break On Through (To The Other Side)
7
One/ Jump Into The Fire
8
Come And Get It
9
Jeepster
10
Cold Turkey
11
Manic Depression
12 Itchycoo Park
13 School's Out/ Another Brick In The Wall
14 My Dead Drunk Friends


 ABOUT THE SOUNDTRACK

Artistes: Hollywood Vampires & Various
Label: Universal Music Enterprises
Release Date: September 11, 2015