Customer Reviews

Live From the Sun: Best From the West

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I waited for April 18th to come around. I bought the disc, and I must say that I was not disappointed. After the so-so live album "Beast from the East", it gives me great pleasure to see the boys from Dokken deliver a true-to-life testament of what a quality live show they can deliver. While we all enjoyed "One Live Night", which as we now know was a sort of swan song for George Lynch, this set is a great mixture of old and new that gives the new line-up a chance to show what they can do. Mick Brown's drumming is better than ever, Jeff Pilson is excellent on bass and vocals as always, and Don Dokken still shows why he has always been considered one of the if not THE best vocalist of the 80s and 90s hard rock world. This is a great effort for a notoriously underrated band! As for the man brave enough to replace George Lynch, Reb Beach gives an admirable effort. His skills are on par with the best, and he plays the old solos very well for the most part, though not quite as crisply as George did. Sorry, just an opinion, but overall he is still an excellent guitarist and a perfect fit with the band and their style. His work with Winger was always under-valued due to the fact it was Winger after all, and while they were very talented musically, they didn't get any respect because they hit late in the '80s. Above all, and to put it simply, buy this disc because it's a hell of a great album! Support these guys in the '90's along with Poison, Ratt, Great White, Cinderella, and all the rest! Thanks for coming back to the forefront guys. You've definitely been missed! See you on tour this summer.

With the release of "Erase the Slate", Dokken showed that there is life after Lynch after all. Undoubtedly though, there were still people who needed "proof" that Reb Beach was up to the challenge. With that in mind, "Live from the Sun" appears to be a release to help silence the critics. The problem is that Reb Beach will never be George Lynch. The two players have TOTALLY different styles. George Lynch made a lasting mark on music with Dokken, but the ride is over now. It's time to let Reb make his own "Mr. Scary". Then, and only then, will the critics realize that Reb IS the future of Dokken. Now, Dokken needs to once and for all "erase the slate". The 4 star rating is for Reb - anyone who can hang with Lynch on classics like "Into the Fire", "Kiss of Death" and "Tooth and Nail" deserves it.

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME. This is one smokin' live album, and have I mentioned it's AWESOME! What a great pick in Reb Beach taking over for not so irreplacable after all George Lynch. This band was headed in a terminal velocity downward spiral with Lynch on board after hearing the last 2 efforts of the band prior to Reb Beach stepping in. The sound quality is fantastic, the song selection is super, the band sounds great, even if Sir Dokken himself can't hit the high notes like he use to, you know he's really enjoying being on stage with a guitarist whose not fighting for the spotlight. THe newer material, only Erase The Slate and Maddest Hatter are already live Dokken staples and older cuts like Alone Agian, Kiss Of Death, and Into the Fire get superb treatment from Beach, proving he's the one in the sun!

Talk about hot, this album is kicking!!! Most people who even know who Reb Beach is and where he came from (Winger) should not be so totally surprised at how excellent he really is! Although they were a "girls" group of the hair band era, Reb's guitar playing has always been superb. He's a great addition to the band (can't quite say "replacement" for G. Lynch). The production on the album left me saying, "Now that's how a great live album sounds!" Super list of songs...killer opener in "Erase The Slate", and how nice to hear "Kiss of Death" right on its heels. Don sounds as good if not better than ever and the whole band smokes. This is a must for all Dokken fans and for anyone wanting to hear a group of guys having a good time kicking it "Live"!

I had totally forgot about this CD,but I do remember getting a copy soon after it was released.So nice to be able to relive the experience again.'Live From...' was recorded at a Dokken reunion that took place in Anaheim,CA on November 4,1999.Believe they toured some at the time as support for Ted Nugent.Noticed that former Winger guitarist Reb Beach takes over for George Lynch.Okay,he does the job good.No complaints there.Eleven tracks,running time is 69:09.Tunes I was most impressed with were "Kiss Of Death","Into The Fire","Too High To Fly"(sort of reminded me of The Doors for some reason),my personal Dokken favorite "Breaking The Chains","It's Not Love" and "Tooth And Nail".Basically,if you like Dokken,you should have a great time listening to this disc.Great '80's hard rock as you like it.

I do like Reb Beach. He's an excellent guitarist, but George Lynch hit on something with that growling sound from the Seymour Duncan pickups he uses: first it was the Distortion TB 6 and then the "Screamin' Demon", which has a big open bashing sound with a nice growl at the end. I am tired of people telling me it's the amplifier and your effects. It's the pickups and the wood on the guitar my friend. That's the foundation. I don't know what Reb uses but it's not the same sound. Listen and compare with the unremastered inferior sounding "Beast from the East" and you will hear the difference in sound and it still sounds better than this. Reb's setup is weak. Also, Don's voice sounds downright horrible in parts. He's obviously been smoking or drinking too much, or maybe not sleeping. I could likely do better myself at times, and I am no Lou Gramm from Foreigner. He shouldn't sound like he's sixty. Further complicating this is that "Dream Warriors" and the best track from the "Erase the Slate" CD was omitted: "Change the World". Why? Why would you shoot yourself in the foot when you're already having trouble walking to begin with. I know this review sounds a bit harsh, but I must speak the truth. Fans deserve better. Maybe Don should just throw in the towel if he sounds this way. I'd listen to Lynch Mob's REvolution CD anyday over this mediocrity.

The new incarnation of Dokken with Reb Beach does justice to older material and manages to shine through their newer songs.It is a quite decent album with Don's vey soulful and competent vocals,however one still misses George Lynch's ferocious attack:Reb Beach is a great player in his own right,yet his highly polished style lends the older songs an unwanted touch of pop...As far as the production is concerned this is one of the better sounding live albums I've heard.Die-hard fans will grab it for sure,while newer fans may want to start with their unbelievable 1988 live,'Beast from the East'.

I wrote a review for this album some weeks ago and i rated it with two credits. Im so sorry. Right now, i think this was pretty unfair as this album has grown on me. I believe it is my obligation to straight this. I still and strongly think that the selection of the tracks could have been longer and so much better and that dissappointed me quite so much, but ultimately, i have never heard this impressive sound and production quality. It really can not be better. The versions of the songs (even the classics) are better than the originals. I agree that Don is not hitting those high notes as before but i prefer a honest performer and not an overdub job and he is more raw than in the first live ep. Jeff is outstanding as always. I never thought of Mick as a talented drummer but in this album his drumming is the best you can hear in any of his recordings, it's awesome. As for Reb Beach, i don't get it when people say that "he's not george lynch"it is so absurd to say that. "Reb is not George" that's so correct! (wise guys). The point is that, like it or not, there are people who play and handle all of the lynch material as well as he and Beach does that. The positive attitude that this band has right now is evident in the erase the slate ep and on this one. You can hear george on the lynch mob albums. This band is dokken, it's better than ever and this album is outstanding. The best live recording you can get and the dvd live concert production is also amazing. Beast from the east falls behind.

"Live From the Sun" showcases the best sound quality I've heard yet from a live CD. The song line-up is very good, and includes most of Dokken's greatest hits (although I would have very much liked to have heard "Dream Warriors" live on this one). One of their best songs, "Paris is Burning" was cut from the US release and is only on the import CD, very unfortunately. The background vocals sound a bit weak, but Don Dokken's voice, although not a powerfully high as in his previous records, still sounds great and is as charismatic as ever. So what's the problem then, you say? My problem is Reb Beach. The man has some real talent, and it comes out when he plays the newer Dokken hits, such as "Erase the Slate", "Maddest Hatter" and even "Too High to Fly". But when I hear his whiny renditions of some of the older Dokken hits like "Kiss of Death", I shudder. I don't know if it's the strings he uses or just the way he plays, but the whiny, wimpy sound he applies towards the classic Dokken line-ups just makes the whole band really SOUND like there are a bunch of old men playing. Seriously, listen to Dokken's OTHER live album, "Beast From the East" and listen to George Lynch play "Breaking the Chains", "Kiss of Death" and "Alone Again". Lynch captured the sound of what Dokken is REALLY supposed to feel like... loud, searing and powerful. Beach's whiny take-off on these good sounds waters down the songs. Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe it was the excessive studio editing that made "Beast From the East" sound so much louder and more powerful. In any case, I recommend "Live From the Sun" to hard-core Dokken fans (like myself). However, for more casual fans of Dokken (especially of their older material), I HIGHLY recommend you check out "Beast From the East" first. That album REALLY smokes.

Ok, don't get me wrong, I enjoy Lynch like the rest of you, but this CD rocks. I have been a Dokken fan for as long as I can remember and this CD is a great addition to my collection.