WOW - This probably is the most anticipated re-release I personally could wish for. Finally it's possible to get this gem that I (and many others) have been looking for since its release in 1989 on the Island Record Label.
Vain's debut album "No Respect" is a perfect example of a lethal combination of edgy Hard Rock with blistering guitars and glam looks with LOTS of attitude.
The band consists of :
Davy
Vain - vocals
Danny West - guitar
James Scott - guitar
Ashley Mitchell - bass
Tom Rickard - drums
Vain was labeled hair glam because people listened with their eyes instead of their ears. The categorizing is only partly true, since the album has a touch of 80's glam - but unlike L.A.'s sunset strip bands ruling at the time,
Vain were based in San Francisco's Bay Area. Also the hair band resemblance was a bit afar since Davy
Vain acted as producer on thrash sensation Death Angel's two first albums from 1987 and 1990.
Vain surely looks glam but their music is high octane guitar driven with sleaze elements and a whole bunch of energy probably from their roots in the San Francisco thrash metal scene.
"No Respect" has had a huge impact on my life since a friend transferred his LP to an audiocassette for me to listen to. The audiocassette's side A was
Vain "No Respect" while side B had Junkyard's debut album. At first I actually didn't like the album because of Davy
Vain's "complaining" and sensual way of singing but somehow the album kept drawing me back to it. When I finally was hooked, the album was already rare and out of print. I got a CD'r copy 5-6 years ago and today the world finally have the chance to acquire the real thing because of this re-issue.
The hard edged guitar driven
Secrets opens the album with full blast. Davy
Vain's vocals are very unique and probably kind of a love/hate thing, which probably also goes for the album.
The single
Beat The Bullet opens with a cool wah wah playing. The chord progression, Davy
Vain's very special (sometimes girly) singing style and the tons of attitude put into this song makes it a fabulous song.
Who's Watching You follows the line of kick ass rockers exemplifying the fine axe work from Danny West and Jamie Scott. One plays the riff repeatedly in one speaker and another one laying the foundation chords. One of my personal favorites off the album.
1000 Degrees is a power ballad where everything comes together on the chorus. The song is permeated by an incredible special guitar tone that adds emotion to this great ballad-like song. The song still gives me cold chills because of the emotion, which I totally fell in love from the first time I heard the album.
Aces is a fine example of what I love about "No Respect". The song holds so much attitude and kick ass swagger that you cannot help rocking out.
Track six leaves you time to catch your breath.
Smoke And Shadows is a slow song packed with emotion. The tone of the guitar and the guitar solo itself is amazing.
The title track is my personal favorite. The quiet acoustic intro explodes in plain and simple chords with a powerful chord progression that really works. One can really identify with the lyrics about wanting the ones you can't get. Those are the ones that can twist your mind and where you don't care if you loose your self respect just to be with that specific woman. The guitar duel from Jamie Scott and Danny West is amazing since they trade licks and solos.
No Respect still sounds fresh and hasn't lost its swaggering edge. Kudos to producer Paul Northfield who succeeded in spellbinding the listener still after all those years, since all instruments are very visible in the mix and yet the production has a live band feel.
As you probably realized by now
Vain has a fantastic ability to create emotion to their songs. Apparently a true story of Davy
Vain having a relationship to a 17 year old girl
Laws Against Love has a fantastic chorus and great melody line. The guitar work is splendid and the solo likewise. This song truly stands the test of time, since it still becomes better after each listen.
Down For The 3rd Time is a great rocker which get layered as the song progress and culminates in the great melodic chorus.
Icy is somehow different to Sleaze/Glam Rock at the time and
Icy is also the song I had the hardest time to get into. Davy's sensual vocals seem to drag out the verse, but again a kick ass melodic chorus follows and another smashing guitar solo.
Without You is a haunting and breathtaking ballad with touching lyrics.
"No Respect" comes full circle and ends like it started namely with 100 percent full blast Rock 'N' Roll with attitude.
Ready opens with a variation of an old Rock 'N' Roll riff and is a fast paced rocker that underlines this album's ability to ROCK.
I had almost every song on "No Respect" as favorite song at one time or another, which just illustrates how good this album is. Ever since 1989 I have kept coming back to this album - no matter if it was my old cassette or the greasy CD'r I have. "No Respect" is an album that I keep coming back to every year and when I do, the album is usually glued to my CD player for at least a week straight.
"No Respect" is a very straightforward and direct album. It's very sensual mainly because of Davy
Vain's voice, but Davy's voice and phrasing is perfect for this style of music.
All songs are catchy and well written.
Vain certainly had the look and more important transferred their attitude to the music. Now I hope that Gottdiscs follows up and re-issue
Vain's second album, the out of print "Move on it" which was different from "No Respect" but still a fantastic album.
Still in the year 2004 I get very excited from this CD. The album takes a while to get under your skin, but once it does, the album is a companion for life. "No Respect" is a genius piece of music and a classic in Glam and Hard Rock.
Written by
Michael Friday, February 4, 2005
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