TOTAL CONTROL

John Norum | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl
• Label: EPIC
• ASIN: B001LVVW5E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,095 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

I1ST SOLO LP FROM THE FORMER FRONT MAN OF "EUROPE". 1 Let Me Love You Jacob, Norum 3:21 2 Love Is Meant to Last Forever Jacob, Norum 3:39 3 Too Many Hearts Jacob, Norum 3:11 4 Someone Else Here Jacob, Norum 4:11 5 Eternal Flame Jacob, Norum 3:13 6 Back on the Streets Freedman, Vincent 4:09 7 Blind Jacob, Norum 3:52 8 Law of Life Lindfors 4:21 9 We'll Do What It Takes Together Jacob, Norum 3:24 10 In Chase of the Wind Jacob, Norum 3:00 11 Wild One [*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Energetic and melodic., August 29, 2000

By 

sauerkraut - See all my reviews

This review is from: Total Control (Audio CD)

I have had Total Control in my music collection for many years. I first became aware of John Norum when I got the album from the band Europe called The Final Countdown in 1987. I have always admired his guitar playing on that album--he especially did a great job with the song's guitar solos. Total Control is the debut solo album that he released some time after leaving Europe. This disc is in a melodic hard rock musical direction. There are a total of eleven tracks--one of the tracks is an instrumental. Total Control is heavier and more guitar-oriented than The Final Countdown. John Norum performs the lead vocals on almost all of the songs. Göran Edman sings on three tracks--he subsequently went on to be the lead vocalist on two Yngwie Malmsteen albums (Eclipse and Fire and Ice). John Norum and Göran Edman both do well with the vocals. The album's musicianship, songwriting, and production are solid and satisfying. There's a nice European flavor to a lot of the material on Total Control. I've always liked that aspect. John Norum delivers plenty of cool guitar riffs and solos. I've always admired his guitar skills--he's a great guitarist. Keyboards are also used sparingly. Some of the tracks that I like are "Love Is Meant to Last Forever," "Too Many Hearts," and "In Chase of the Wind." "Love Is Meant to Last Forever" is a nice hard rock song with melody. The ballad "Too Many Hearts" is also a good song with a cool guitar solo. The guitar instrumental "In Chase of the Wind" is a great showcase for his guitar skills--it's an emotional instrumental. A couple of songs on this album are cover tunes. "Back on the Streets" is a Vinnie Vincent Invasion tune, and "Wild One" is a Thin Lizzy song. His versions of these songs are cool. John Norum wrote almost all of the album's material with bass guitarist Marcel Jacob. John Norum did a good job with Total Control. I still like to listen to it from time to time. This is a pretty cool album.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Norum rocks!!!!!!!, February 16, 2001

By 

Alberto Ramírez M. (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Total Control (Audio CD)

I've waited for 14 years to get this CD into my hands, due to the blessing of the web and Amazon, I've finally got it. The first time I listened to it was from a bad recording in a cassette. Then, it was impossible to find it in my country, and finally, got the record. While I'm writing this, I'm listening to it. It is simply excellent. I really recommend it if you're looking for late 80's really well made rock music, in this ages where virtuosism is almost forgotten, John Norum really rocks!!!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Europe guitarist's solo debut, January 15, 2011

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Total Control (Audio CD)

1987's Total Control was the debut solo album from Swedish guitarist John Norum. Norum was upset with the direction Europe was taking after Final Countdown, so he launched a solo career, which sounded a lot like Europe on The Final Countdown, minus the keyboards and songs about ninjas. For this effort, Norum is joined by bassist/songwriter Marcel Jacob (RIP) and vocalist Goran Edman, who would go on to sing for Yngwie Malmsteen and several AOR groups.

This is an interesting album. I had forgotten about Jacob's involvement, but hearing it again you can imagine some of these songs working with his and Jeff Scott Soto's band Talisman. Norum strikes a good balance between accessible melodies and intricate solos, and ends up being a decent vocalist to boot! I'm a Goran Edman fan, so the couple of songs he's on are standouts for me. There are also a couple of interesting cover songs too. The first is a blazing version of the Vinnie Vincent tune "Back on the Streets" and the second is a very well-done cover of Thin Lizzy's "Wild One."

Your enjoyment of Total Control is going to depend on your opinion of the `80s European melodic rock sound. Obviously I love that stuff, so I'm a fan of this one. Fans of Europe, Yngwie Malmsteen and Talisman should definitely give it a try.

PS - This album is way overdue for a reissue with a good remastering. Rock Candy, are you listening?