Customer Reviews

Enuff Z'Nuff

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE BAND: Donnie Vie (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Derek Frigo (lead guitars, R.I.P.), Chip Z'nuff (bass, guitars, vocals), Vikki Foxx (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1989) 10 songs clocking in at approximately 43 minutes. Included with the disc is a 10-page booklet containing song titles/credits/times, song lyrics, black & white individual band member photos, and thank you's. All songs written by Vie and/or Z'Nuff, except "Finger On The Trigger by Vie and Frigo. This is the band's 1st studio album. Recorded at Royal Recorders, Lake Geneva, WI. Label - ATCO / Atlantic Records.

COMMENTS: A great start to an amazing and unique band from the Chicago suburbs (Blue Island, IL). Caught somewhere between Cheap Trick and The Beatles - the songs are groovy and instantly catchy (the band has sighted The Beatles as one of their major influences). Thinking back, 1989 was an incredible year in the world of long haired rock music - outside of the established big names of the time like Aerosmith, Van Halen, Scorpions and Motley Crue - there were many bands just getting their feet wet. 1989 gave us some amazing albums from Blue Murder (self titled debut), Mr. Big (debut), Skid Row (debut), "Shark Island (debut "Law Of The Order"), Giant (debut "Last Of The Runaways"), L.A. Guns ("Cocked & Loaded"), King's X ("Gretchen Goes To Nebraska"), White Lion ("Big Game"), Junkyard (debut)... and this 1st release from Enuff Z'nuff. Donny Vie's slightly scratchy vocals are full of attitude and Frigo's guitars full of swagger. Frigo's guitar solos are amazing... he was truly one of the greats flying under the radar. Foxx's drumming and flashy high-hat work reminds me of a young Steve Smith (Journey). Two hits came from this debut - the infectious opener "New Thing" (singing about the infatuation and the beginnings of a new relationship), and its polar opposite "Fly High Michelle" (substance abuse and love lost). Other highlights include the power ballad "I Could Never Be Without You" and the bluesy tracks "She Wants More" and "In The Groove". The last track, "Finger On The Trigger", is an all out guitar assault by Frigo... an upbeat and exciting way to end the album. In my opinion, Enuff Z'nuff never got the critical acclaim they deserved. They came onto the music scene when hair/glam bands were a dime a dozen (though the band was never really a hair/glam band per say), and grunge was right around the corner. If you purchase only one or two of their albums - this debut, or their 2nd release "Strength" (1991) is the place to start (4.5 stars).

It's weird because when I first got into this amazing band, I really had no idea they used to be full-on Poisonesque glam. I was only 9 when this album came out, and not into the whole MTV music scene yet, so I missed when "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle" were actually popular. The first album I actually bought from them was "Animals With Human Intelligence", their '93 release, after reading countless rave reviews. I liked their look during that time, too...Donnie kinda reminded me of a glammed out hippie (like Chris Robinson, I guess). Anyhow, this album was the third one I bought from them after Strength, and I was suprised how glam rock it was! At first I was kinda appalled, after being used to the power pop, Jellyfish-like tunes that graced albums such as Peach Fuzz and Seven. But the more I listened to it, the more I started to realize that after you get past the way-too-much reverb on the guitars (plus Derek Frigo's notey guitar noodling), there are actually some really great songs on here. Highlights, for me, are New Thing, She Wants More, Fly High Michelle, For Now, and In The Groove. I still can't stand Hot Little Summer Girl (maybe because it reminds me of that one 90210 episode) or Kiss The Clown, but that's my humble opinion. It seems like Z'Nuff's fan base is divided into two types of people: the ones who love this sort of pop-metal stuff, and got into them when they first arrived on the scene (kinda the Bon Jovi/Poison crowd). Then there's the fans like me, who got into their later, more poppier releases by word of mouth from friends or something (the Jellyfish/Beatles crowd). It's kind of sad that most people only know them from their cheesy videos that came from this album, and only remember the big hair and paisley spandex, and from these videos were not able to really listen with their EARS instead of their eyes. I don't think I'd be able to get past that image now if I saw one of their old videos without knowing who this band is or what they're about.

All in all, their debut is a good album...and I am a die-hard fan (even got the green peace sign tattooed on my ankle), but albums like Strength and Paraphernalia do it for me more than this. This just seems like a mean ploy the record labels tried to do to make them more popular at the time, and it hurt them more than helped in the longrun.

As difficult as this may be to imagine, Enuff Z'nuff's crackling debut is essentially bubblegum disguised as lite metal disguised as power pop by four hair farmers masquerading as Poison operating under cover in the federal witness protection program as Hanoi Rocks. And they're from Chicago, which probably explains the Illinois juju here, singer Donnie Vie a dead ringer for Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, from neighboring Rockford.

Although he tends to over rely on some sort of string-bending hocus pocus which sonically approximates Barbaro getting his first whiff of the glue factory, hooks burst forth in a technicolor splash from Derek Frigo's guitar on perfect-world hit singles like "New Thing," "Fly High Michelle," and "Little Indian Angel," the latter a 100-watt bust-up between Jeff Lynn-era Move and the 1910 Fruitgum Company.

And lest there's any doubt left what motivates these guys by the time track eight rolls around, there's the snappy, Crue-on-pop-rocks prance of the not-so-double-entendre "Kiss the Clown," and its not-so-subliminal suggestion: "bend over baby, this ain't love."

I still can't decide if it's a complete piss-take, mind-numbingly rote and overdone, or bloody genius. Let's split the difference.

I have been listening to this CD on a regular basis since 1989! Do the math, that's 17 years! I still believe this is one of the best CD's of all time. They didn't quite fit in the 80's glam genre, sure they looked glam but they have kind of Beatle's melody thing going. Hard to describe... so, I recommend you buy it!

Good first album. Bought this back when it was released off the strength of Fly High Michelle, which still sounds awesome. New Thing is okay, as is Hot Little Summer Girl. Little Indian Angel is a good track as well. They were just warming up with this debut, and their efforts that followed just got better and more personal.

i couldnt understand it after listening to this album. this album has awesome songs on here. melodic and cathcy. all the songs are great to listen to. the album after this "strength is yet another electric charge of fun also. bthese guys rule album after album, their praised by lots of critics, and legendary rock stars. i would recomend this album any time to anyone who wants to try somethin different. yeah their glammy but they put those other glam boys to shame with well written songs and energy!!!

Bought this because I had the cassette in HS. Still sounds good.

This is the debut album for enuff znuff. its jammed packed with songs that should have been commercial hits but were not. that said this album will not dissapoint. as they say...play loud.

This Album is a Pop Metal Masterpiece! From start to finish it just rocks like an old school Metal Album should."New Thing" is so damn catchy it should have been a bigger hit than it was and "Fly High Michelle" has such a great vocal and tune to it it just blows my mind these guys didnt blow up in the 80's and 90's.Their songwriting skills and playing ablilties are way above average.One to check out if you like 80's metal.

Donnie vie is brilliant.
Listen to new thing and fly high michelle. Perfect pop tunes.