Customer Reviews

The Best of Donnie Iris: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dominic Ierace was a barkeeper's son from Pennsylvania. In 1970, he became Donnie Iris--the guitarist and frontman for The Jaggerz, hitting the top of the charts with "The Rapper." It wasn't until a decade later that he found his next success with the smash single, "Ah! Leah!" It was at the height of `new wave,' and this song was all over the radio. Iris' attention-getting overdubbed vocals were the focal point, but above all, this was a great power-pop tune. The album's rocking title track, "Back on the Streets" (unfortunately missing from this collection) received airplay at the time as well, but it never attained the same degree of success. The following year, Iris released King Cool, which featured the hits "Sweet Merilee" and "Love is Like a Rock." After that, there were two more albums, but both quickly took up residence in the cutout bins.

The Best of Donnie Iris collects all the singles from the four albums, along with a few album tracks and a live version of "The Rapper." It's not perfect, but aside from the omission of "Back on the Streets," it's the only Donnie Iris CD you need.

I really liked Donnie Iris's album "Back On The Streets" which included the hit "Ah Leah" which in my opinion was his best song. The other songs on this 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Donnie Iris are really good with a few standouts. Other than the above hit "Ah Leah" you've got "Love Is Like A Rock"," That's The Way Love Ought To Be", "Do You Compute" and an excellent "live" version of "The Rapper", originally an early seventies hit for The Jaggerz. Iris had a knack for writing some pretty catchy songs, many of which are kind of corny but still good none-the-less. If you like groups like The Rubinoos, The Plimsouls, The Knack or The Romantics then you'll certainly enjoy this collection. Recommended!

Donnie Iris is an underrated songwriter who managed to concoct about a dozen letter perfect pop songs in a short career. Although he still records and tours, this single disc condensation of his four MCA albums provides a dozen pure pop thrills. The 1980 breakthrough single, "Ah! Leah!," soars with multiple harmonies and a big guitar hook and an instantly catchy chorus ("here we go again"). His first album was a bit starchy, as Iris and partner Marc Avsec were trying too hard as a two man band. But the addition of a full band for touring led to the new moniker, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, and a great album, "King Cool."

Targeting hip new wavers and classic rock, songs like "Love is Like a Rock" and "That's the Way Love Oughta Be" became radio staples. "My Girl," Iris' biggest hit, was a creamy vocal confection that sounded uncannily like Huey Lewis and The News. This success made them toughen up their sound for "The High and The Mighty" and the initial blast of "Tough World." Despite that single's urgency and catchy nature, Iris failed to crack the top 40. Not like the Cruisers were anything less than a great band, "This Time it Must Be Love" should have been a smash.

Confused, the band cut one more MCA disc, 1983's "Fortune 410." The first single leaned in a new-wave keyboard direction, but "Do You Compute" was ahead of the Internet by a decade. On the other hand, "She's So European" is a moment worthy of Cheap Trick. (Think "She's Tight.") That was Iris' last big gasp at the charts, but he did record a couple more albums and one more great single ("Injured In The Game Of Love" for Sony). The bonus track here is a live version of "The Rapper," Iris' first hit with 70's one hit wonders The Jaggerz. (It was a b-side to one of the singles.) If you have a soft spot for simple eighties pop ala Huey Lewis or Marshall Crenshaw, or just miss the classic drum roll that leads into "Ah Leah!," this is a solid collection at a budget price.

The liner notes to this CD tell how Iris went for a look in line with the nerdy Buddy Holly-inspired new wavers of the early 80's (Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, Moon Martin), but in fact he eerily looks like Eugene Levy ("American Pie", "Best In Show", "Greg The Bunny", "SCTV").

That said, Iris' sound was definitely new-wave-inspired, but that influence was usually buried under a wall of excellent radio-friendly hard rock. "Ah Leah!" remains one of the greatest songs of the 80's, a tune that kind of came and went during its initial chart run, but still creeps into classic rock playlists just often enough that you never get sick of it. The metallic four-chord guitar progression is anchored by a pulsating bass, catchy verse and chorus, punchy synthesizers, and Iris' multi-tracked vocals that make it one of the ultimate singalong tunes of the decade.

"Love Is Like A Rock" gets less recognition these days, but it is equally fun, replete with another crunching guitar riff that alternates with a more funky guitar part on the chorus while tribal percussion plays throughout. And of course, those catchy multi-tracked gang vocals. "My Girl", Iris' third and final Top 40 hit, was actually his biggest single but is probably his least-remembered. It's kind of a throwback to the doo-wop sound of the 50's. "Sweet Merilee" starts out like an jazzy version of a Police song awash in keyboards, then goes into another killer chorus.

"Do You Compute" was a gimmicky song designed to show off a few electronic sound effects, but was a pretty decent song nonetheless. It failed to ignite much interest, missing the Top 40 by a good 25 places or so. There are some other decent songs on the collection including "The Rapper", a live remake of his big 70's hit with the Jaggerz, and some dumb ones ("Agnes" is a pretty bad ripoff of the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'"). Beyond the 3 or 4 more well-known tunes here, it's mostly a hit-and-miss collection of songs that only diehard Iris fans would know (I doubt any of them received much if any airplay), but still do their part to recreate the early 80's rock vibe, a time after the progressive art-rock of the 70's but before the cheesy hair metal groups, a time when bands like Journey, Foreigner, Van Halen, Tom Petty, Rush, Styx, REO Speedwagon, and Sammy Hagar defined rock music for the day. And because you've never heard most of these tunes, you aren't burned out on them like you might be some of those other groups. Listen to this, and for a few spins, it'll be like the era never ended!

This small collection of great songs is a small step in the right direction to redress the lack of attention this great rocker and his band have gotten over the last few years! MCA needs to get it together and release the rest of the music Donnie made for them. ...

O.K., in a perfect world, Donnie Iris would be popular enough to be performing at the Superbowl halftime show and tearing Janet Jackson's top off instead of Justin Slumberlake (or whatever the hell his name is). Unfortunately, in the real world, 99% of the world's population has no idea who Donnie Iris even is. But you do, because you're reading this, and that means you have good taste in music. Anyway, back to my review. This cd is 100% prime Donnie Iris, with no filler. Just about everything you could possibly want is on this disc, although I strongly recommend that you search out all of his discs. Great songwriting, superb vocals, and rocking guitar are all Donnie's trademarks, and every song on this collection demonstrates this. If you don't own any Donnie Iris music, pick this one up. Trust me, you'll be back for more.

The 5 stars said it all for me.If you love rock -n- roll you'll love this CD.The music you can dance to,or jam in your car to.If you like Don Iris,then you'll love this album.It's got all his hits on it.Plus you can listen to the songs before you buy the album.Which I think is great,you don't waste your money on a album you don't want or like.

I always loved Donnie's sound and many of his songs. A couple I had forgotten were his. I love that he stayed true to his style and made it work. Proof that the roots of rock-n-roll are still the best part of it. The hook of Love Is Like A Rock, the story of Agnes, the smooth harmony of Ah! Leah and the throw back to The Rapper are awesome. Love Donnie and his sound. Fun CD to own.

I bought this because of the song "Do You Compute?", which I'd never heard before, but liked -- after seeing the music video on a station that plays classic videos. Now the rest of the songs are stuck in my head ! If you're an 80s fan , like I am, this would be a GREAT add to your 80s CD collection :D

Donnie Iris is from Beaver Falls PA, just outside of Pittsburgh (which is nowhere near Philly -- where'd he get that from ?). He was part of a great Pittsburgh scene that included Crack the Sky, The Silencers, Iron City Houserockers, B.E. Taylor, and others. They put out some timeless rock music that still sounds fresh today. The lyrics in "I Can't Hear You" still crack me up and the desperate story of "Agnes" rocks out with a great story. His biggest hit may have been with the Jaggerz, but I still think his solo work makes for the best repeated listening. Get this and enjoy.