Customer Reviews

Through the Fire

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After VOA and Three Lock Box, Hagar hooked up with Journey guitarist Neal Schon, himself having finished up with their album Frontiers. Along with Mike Shrieve and Kenny Aaronson, the four staged a series of live gigs (November 9-21, 1983) which was recorded live by the Westwood One Mobile Facility, the folks who work out the King Biscuit programs. The entire album is live, but was overdubbed later in a studio, mixing out the audience noise on 7 of the 9 tracks. The result sounds more distinct than a live album might, yet there is more edge and raw energy than a studio album usually has (King Crimson did this same thing on their Starless And Bible Black album). The Hagar touch is particularly evident on the cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade Of Pale." Also of interest are tracks 3-5, which link up in an almost Progressive Rock fashion, contrasting the death-like state of a marriage-gone-infidelity ("Animation") to the state of the buried Pharaohs in Egypt ("Valley Of The Kings / Giza"). If you like Sammy Hagar, want to hear Neal Schon play hot Rock guitar, or just like catchy songs, this is worth the price!

I've been a Hagar fan going on 20 years now and I simply consider HSAS the pinnacle of Hagar's group rock efforts! I bought the LP the day it came out, played the hell out of it, had to replace it within a few months as I'd played it out! VERY strong songs that stand the test of time include the opener, "Top of the Rock" which smashes into powerchord rock anthems like "Missing You", "Animation", "Hot and Dirty" and a great cover of "Whiter Shade of Pale". I was amazed to find a first issue this CD around 1990 when it had first gone out of print and I quickly snapped it up, thankful to finally have it archived on CD! This is just simply the most amazing hard rock CD I have ever heard! I wish some of the outtakes from those original shows would surface at some point....(HSAS covered a James Brown song called "Through the Eyes of Love" which I would kill to have on disc, "Tough Enough", "Since you Came", "Movin' in for the Kill" and an incredible power-ballad called "Reaching Out" haven't seen the light of day since they aired on the radio in 1983). This is most definitely one of my top 5 CD's to have while stranded on a desert island!!

What a Band! A true eighties super group. What on earth possessed them to get together? I have no idea. Why they disbanded? Not a glimmer either, and they only made one album, which was even stranger as apart from one classic cover they were all original songs - and it was a Live album. (Even being with all the crowd noise cut out.)

So, who have we got here? Well, on lead vocal is one of America's finest ever singer and charismatic front man - plus all round maniac - Sammy Hagar. He is an ex of the greatly lamented Montrose, and the not so lamented Van Halen (or Van Hagar as they became known at the time), plus, of course, of a glittering solo career.

On lead guitar we have one of America's most respected axe man (a real musician's musician), Neal Schon, ex Journey, ex Santana, and ex an amazing stint with Paul Rogers.

On bass guitar is one of the best showman this dog has ever seen treading the boards. It is the great and incomparable Kenny Aaronson, who also happens to be one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet. Kenny is of ex Foghat, ex Derringer, ex Joan Jett, ex Blue Oyster Cult, and ex Bob Dylan.

Then behind the drum kit is Mr. Michael Shrieve, a solid man in more ways than one. As ex Santana, his drum sound was almost as important to that band as was the guitarist's.

So, after that slightly over the top opening, what's the music like? Do you really think this Dog is that stupid to give it such a big build up, and then dish it? No, of course not. They simply pour Rock & Roll out the speakers. First song up is 'Top Of The Rock', a great name for an opening number and a great number indeed. Schon is at his hard rock best, peeling out the opening riff before falling back into the up-tempo grove with Aaronson and Shrieve, to allow Sammy Hagar to come in over the top. That proves this dog's point that he is one of the best singers to come out of America's Rock and Roll circus, and when Hagar is singing about being on top of the world, I'm a believer. A couple of times Schon is allowed space to come roaring back into the songs, where he absolutely nails a couple of solos whilst Aaronson and Shrieve fill out the sound not leaving space for even an Iron Filling.

'Missing You' continues in similar fashion, leaving the listener stunned like getting a perfect one-two from Lennox Lewis in the opening seconds of your one shot at the Championship.
Surprising for a band on its debut.

We then get three songs all joined together into one epic of immense scale, a tale of ancient time. All is revealed in wondrous expectation by the storytelling powers of Sammy Hagar. The other three lay down really hard and heavy grooves with some more faster than the eye can see, soloing from Neal Schon. But it is the tightness of the whole band that leaves your jaw dropping. Most group of musicians would not attempt an epic of this proportion unless they had been together several years and had several safe studio albums under their collective belts. This quartet, however, pulled it off with great aplomb, trooping straight out onto the stage and laying it down in front of a live audience.

Cover songs are always a bit dodgy, obviously risking the chance of being held up in comparison to the version by the original artist. The more well known the song, the more difficult the challenge. Taking on an all time classic like Procol Harem's 'Whiter Shade of Pale' takes either great bravery or shows suicidal tendencies. Our bunch of intrepid heroes turn in a version that can only be said is as good - if not better - as the original. It starts off with Sammy Hagar's voice only supported by some acoustic guitar...then the band build it to a crashing climax, including one of the best solos Neal Schon has ever laid down on the live stage.

The album closes out with three more hard and fast songs that leave the audience baying for more. I would be very surprised if any of the musicians on this album have been involved with a finer body of work. As I said, I have no idea why this lineup only lasted the one album, but it is a real corker. It will leave behind a fine legacy to a fine band. Presumably the lure of greater financial gains took their toll, but this lot could of conquered the world of Rock & Roll if they had just given themselves a little bit more time.

Pawed by Mott the Dog
Re-chewed by Ella Crew

1st side only??? Whatever......this is a great record all the way through. This album really lets the listener hear Sammy and Schon at their finest. I am very pleased to find this on CD......had it on tape for years. I would reccomend it to anyone that loves Journey or Montrose.....but mostly for anyone that just loves rock and roll. It starts of kicking ass with "Top of the Rock"//////Sammy attitude all over this one. Then...."Missing You"....a love song with no lack of smoking guitar and drums........then "Animation"...anyone that has gone through a divorce can really appreciate this track. Kind of has a sinister sound to it. Anyway.......pick this one up. It is very well worth the money. Good production on this album as well......fun to listen to.....and before the record companies decided what "WE" want to here is a bunch of compressed crap!

People ask me why I do not like most new rock and roll.......I tell them" because there is still so much music of the old I still have not gotten to here" This is just one of those times........pick it up for yourself....you will see.

I periodically check on this album to see if a remastered edition has been released. Out of six or seven hundred CDs, this is easily one of my top five favorites. It's just that good. I've had it on vinyl and cassette, and can still remember how ecstatic I was the day I found out it was finally out on CD.

This is an awesome live recording, one which really does justice to a high power stereo system. In my bachelor days, this was the first album I'd reach for when I wanted to rattle the windows (mine, and my neighbors). While some of my older CDs are collecting dust, I still play this one all the time.

I'm also a huge fan of Neil Schon, and their collaboration here is nothing short of perfection. One can only wonder what might have been, had HSAS chosen to produce additional albums. I have all of the Van Halen albums with Sammy Hagar, which are pretty good, although none of them are very even in terms of song quality. Their latest effort with Sammy Hagar just sounds like garbage, which makes me appreciate this one-time effort all the more.

Anyone who likes 80's rock music, with soaring vocals and guitar work, should have this CD in their collection. It amazes me that so few people have ever heard of it. Now if they'd only put out on DVD the HSAS concert aired years ago on MTV, I'd be waiting for the store to open just to seize my copy!

This is one of those gems that you stumble across in your friends CD collection and wonder "HOW DID I EVER MISS THIS? " The combination of high energy front man Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Montrose and Solo Career) with blazing guitar master Neil Schon (Journey, Santana, Solo Career) is a one-two knockout punch that makes this album a classic rock masterpiece!

Even if you don't like Van Hagar or you think that Journey is too mellow, you'll still love this album -- it's pure hard rock. Songs like Animation, Valley Of The Kings and Giza are guitar masterpieces. Top Of The Rock and My Home Town are pure rockers, and Whiter Shade Of Pale is often quoted as one of the best covers ever by other musicians. Top to bottom, the album is solid.

Now if we could ever get them to do a reunion.....

HSAS's only album. They broke up as Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen and Neil Schon regrouped Journey for the Raised on Radio album. The album is live with a lot of overdubbing in the studio. The result is absolute pure unadultrated rock n' roll. Sammy's vocals are some of the most powerful he ever recorded and Schon cuts loose on the guitar more than he ever did on a Journey album. I waited for this album to come out on cd for many years. Well it's out and is well worth the price.

This disc is worth the price just to hear the beautiful and stirring cover of "Whiter Shade of Pale" and the epic "Animation/Valley of the Kings/Giza". Though given seperate billing on the song list I consider the latter to be a single piece of music,and it may be the coolest piece of music ever that wasn't done by a band named Queensryche,Sanctuary,or Nevermore. The only word I can think of that describes the sound is regal. Sammy's vocals soar beyond anything I've personally heard him do and Neal cuts loose with some wicked guitar work. In addition to this you get a couple of straight-ahead,balls-out rockers "Top of the Rock" and "My Hometown",a couple of mid-tempo emotional somgs in "Missing You" and "He Will Understand",and "Hot and Dirty" which is,well hot and dirty. I don't know how many copies this record has sold but it should be a lot more. If you're a fan of hard rock/metal you SHOULD have this.

I remember when the album came out. The record store loved me because I'd have to by a new copy about every nine months because I listened to this so much. A number of frineds made copies of it, they dug it so much. I agree with most every one here when the said this version of Whiter Shade of Pale was just a knock out cover. To me THIS is what Van Halen could have been with Sammy Hagar, not what it ended up being, which was much less.

From moment one when this cued up you know this was going to be a killer album. I think somewhere I have a video tape from tapeing MTV where they had filmed on video, one of these concerts.

This is one of thoes disks that if you could only have 5 albums with you, you'd want to strongly consider. This maybe the best work Sammy or Neil ever did.

What a great suprise!! This record has more guts than anything Sammy Hagar has done past or present. From "Top of the rock" to the cover of Procol harum's "Whaiter shade of pale" hardly a bad song in the bunch. Here is a reunion I'd like to see.