Customer Reviews

California Free Ride

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

another great piece of work from henrick and the gang , rippin guitars, poundin drums , produced nicely ,this bad boy picks up where the last 2 left off , this cd is touch more grittier in my eyes than " superdeluxe", but non the less on the same page, it don`t disappoint except for the matter of somewhat of a insrumental and a live tune from 94 "chewin on the bit" but the nine outta 11 are VERY good rockin tunes to toss in for a cruise or a party time ,fun style rock, can`t wait for the live one after halloween time to drop thru perris records, they been true rockin , don`t do it like this much anymore ,GOTTA LOVE IT !!!

A GREAT "classic" CD by Dirty Looks. They sound as good on California Free Ride as they did on Cool From The Wire & Turn of the Screw. They way the are releasing CD's now - I can't wait for the next one!!

Wow, what a fine slab of sleazy rock! If you liked Gasoline and/or Superdeluxe, don't stop yet because this is the best of the three. IN fact, I like this disc better than several of their earlier releases, ranking this one up there with '5 Easy Pieces'. Henrik and his band really go for it here, with fast-driving songs and just enough production to make it more accessible than 'Gasoline' (although the rawness of that one is kind of nice in its own right). Not quite as produced as 'Superdeluxe', this one seems to really capture Dirty Looks' sound and energy. I heard in an interview that Henrik is most proud of this record. It sounds like they are having fun and it's infectious. Most of the songs have a sound that harkens back to the title cut for '5 Easy Pieces', with just a touch less production. Has been difficult to take this one out of rotation in my car. Still haven't, actually. This disc is better than 'Chewing on the Bit', 'One Bad Leg', 'Slave to the Machine', and the other two they more recently put out. So don't be scared! A very nice return to form for these guys, and a welcome blast of old school hard rock!!

I CANT SAY MUCH MORE ABOUT THIS RELEASE THAN THE OTHER REVIEWS. THIS IS A GOOD ONE FROM HENRICK AND THE BOYS LAYING IT DOWN LIKE DIRTY LOOKS ALLWAYS HAVE. I HAVE TO LAUGH WHEN I THINK ABOUT TODAYS ROCK BANDS LISTENING TO WHAT AN OLD
TIMER LIKE HENRIK CAN THROW OUT THERE TO KICK THEIR ASS WHEN THIS CAME OUT NOT TO MENTION THE CD ICU. HENRIK PASSED AWAY EARLIER THIS YEAR BUT NOT BEFORE LEAVING US WITH SOME OF HIS BEST AND SHOWING TODAYS BANDS THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. RIP BROTHER, YOU DESERVE IT!

After more than a decade of silence, frontman Henrik Ostergaard got Dirty Looks back together in 2008 to record the band's eleventh studio album California Free Ride. The time off must have done the band some good, because California Free Ride seems very much like the work of a focused and energized band.

Forget about the decade the band spent in exile (or two decades, given just how few people followed the band's 90's output), California Free Ride sounds like it could have been released 20 years earlier as a follow up to their breakthrough album Cool from the Wire. Dirty Looks still sounds like the offspring of AC/DC and Faster Pussycat, and the fact that Ostergaard still sounds like a raw young rocker is pretty impressive.

California Free Ride is a big, sleazy party rock album, and I mean that in the best possible way. I grew up in the 80's, it's hard to listen to songs like "Come to My Party", "Brass Bed" and the title track without thinking of those high school parties where the mullet-wearing dudes would hijack the stereo and play one hair metal cassette after the other. With it's sleazy lyrics, infectious guitar hooks, and raw energy, California Free Ride is a step back in time to when Hollywood hair metal ruled the airwaves and rock & roll was unpretentious and a lot more fun.

Oh, and if you find yourself reminded of Bang Tango and Beautiful Creatures' recent efforts when spinning California Free Ride, that might have something to do with those bands' guitarist Anthony Focx's mastering job. It's hard to give such unabashedly retro songs a modern sound, but Focx seems to have found the right touch.

If you still long for that late 80's Sunset Strip sleaze rock sound, California Free Ride is just what the doctor ordered. Then and now, Dirty Looks can always be counted on to deliver a completely fun, completely rockin' album.

I kinda of forgot about Dirty Looks over the last 20yrs since Turn Of The Screw in `89. Did some digging on the web recently and discovered these guys have got some great material out there. California Free Ride is a greasy,slimey balls out rock n roll cd that has an 80s vibe but dosen`t sound like a throw back to that era , it sounds current and damn I wish more bands made music like this.