Mad Hatter

Bonham | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epic
• ASIN: B00000DSHN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,824 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

MAD HATTER - Bonham

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mad Hatter Carries The Torch of Progressive Rock, February 29, 2004

By 

Terry Duffy (Burlington, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad Hatter (Audio CD)

"Mad Hatter" is an excellent Prog Rock recording surpassing the quality of the band's previous release, "The Disregard of Timekeeping". Although it was never a big seller, don't let this discourage you from purchasing it. It's comparable to Led Zeppelin's "Presence" title, but with a less bluesy sound.

The vocals and guitar solos are phenomenal. "Mad Hatter" is Art Rock at its best, produced at a time when no one seemed to have much interest in the genre.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Gem of a disc! Must own for hard rock lovers!!, January 9, 2008

By 

B. Latronica (california) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad Hatter (Audio CD)

Bonham's Mad Hatter is my new favorite album! I just got it and the first song hooked me!

My first impression was that they sounded a lot like The Answer, who was one of my favorite new bands of 2007. But then this disc came out in '92, so props to Bonham for originality.

Think Zepplin meets Tesla and you have a good idea of what Bonham sounds like.

I gotta go....gotta go listen to some more Bonham...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Evolution, June 20, 2008

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mad Hatter (Audio CD)

1992's Mad Hatter was the second album from Bonham, the band formed by Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Naturally, given Jason Bonham's personal history, there is a significant Led Zeppelin influence to Bonham's sound. That influence is further reinforced by Daniel McMaster's (RIP) Robert Plant style vocals.

Bonham's 1989 debut The Disregard of Timekeeping was a melodic rock album on par with Loverboy and Foreigner, but with Mad Hatter the band takes their sound in a different direction. For one thing, the album is not as pop-oriented as its predecessor. The songs are longer, the instrumental elements are more technical (there is a lot of guitar "noodling", but I wouldn't go so far as to call this a prog album), McMaster's vocals are a bit grittier, and the album as a whole just seems a lot heavier. The Zeppelin influence is still there, but Mad Hatter sounds more like a later day Tesla album than anything else.

Mad Hatter is a better overall album than The Disregard of Timekeeping, though it's not quite as much fun to listen to. They're both good albums though, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to any fan of late 80's/early 90's hard rock.

Though Jason Bonham continued to be very active in the music scene, this was the final Bonham release. The grunge and alternative rock scene that exploded in the early 90's made it all but impossible for a band like Bonham to survive.

NOTE: SPV reissued Mad Hatter in 2009. The reissue does not include any bonus material, but it has been digitally remastered.