Customer Reviews

Two Sides of If

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being a fan of Mr. Campbell's from his days in Dio, I've been telling folks for years what a great guitar player this guy is. From "Messin' With The Kid" thru "Willin' For Satisfaction," this CD does not disappoint. I'm very glad Vivian has the chance to show off another side of his talent and what makes him such a great guitar player on this disc.

Vivian Campbell is best known as the guitarist who replaced Steve Clark in Def Leppard. He's still a member, too. 'Two Sides Of If' is his first solo release. In my opinion, it's his best playing on record. Sometimes the blues can bring out the best in people.

`Two Sides Of If' isn't dark and mysterious blues like the acoustic music of Mississippi Fred McDowell or Robert Johnson. That's the blues. This CD is blues covers done electrically, and driven by the superb drumming of Terry Bozzio. It's often quite rocked up, and it's definitely blues-rock in genre. This fact doesn't belittle the music at all, because it's excellent material. It does possess more of a blues edge to it than most, though, as a gritty, traditional emotion is present throughout, not to mention some superb musicianship.

Vivian's ability to articulate is immediately noticeable in Mel London's `Messin' With The Kid'. Rory Gallagher, Vivian's hero, would be proud to hear this cover. It rocks! The guitar tone is incredible throughout the whole CD. The presence of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons is mere icing on the cake, as both guitarists complement each other perfectly. To top it all off, Viv's vocal ability is credible as well. Joan Osborne is wonderfully sexy in `Spoonful'.

`Two Sides Of If' isn't just another bluesy release from a rocker; it's a good one.

Who decides what Vivian likes? I find it humorous that the reviewers that gave this CD a poor review are stating what Vivian is. I could have sworn that Vivian decides what he is and what he likes. If Vivian says he likes blues, then let him play the blues. I guess that is the advantage of being somebody that is somebody or compared to just another pickle laying in the gutter wishing they could play guitar or sing (like a few reviewers I have read about).

First off, I don't need to know the blues to know when I hear good music. You can say all you want but Vivian Campbell is a great guitar player and even though I don't know how the original recordings sound, I don't care. What I got was a CD that I enjoyed listening too at work and at home.

As far as his voice, it does take an adjustment but to be honest I love it! The blues are gritty and raw sometimes and considering he recorded the album in just 3 days you get a good feel for the energy.

I'm glad this CD is part of my collection.

Why is everyone saying "former Def Leppard" guitarist? I just saw Viv with the Lep this week. He is still shreding the old British hair band rock and quite well I might ad. I like this cd and say "Well done Viv"? Its quite a departure from his Lep antics but a good solo cd. Good vocals that fit and as always great guitar. When you see Def Lep you sometimes focus on Phil Collen, mostly his bare chest, but Viv holds down the left side of the stage superbly and this is just another facet of his great guitar playing. Well done Viv and I highly recommend picking this cd up.CK

What a great album. If you like the blues ( or not), this album will make you wanna pick up the guitar and punch out your best riff. Campbell's voice shines on this and the band is very cool, complete with legendary drummer, Terry Bozzio! Billy Gibbons sounds like it's the most fun he's had in years. Joan Osborne is magical. This album was made the way all albums should be, live in the studio...you can feel the excitement and energy off the band. Great production. Most of all, Campbell proves he is blues legit...could be a new career? There is life after Leppard!

Listened through all the samples and that's all I need to tell that this is very average versions of a lot of great blues songs. I agree that Spoonful is the only song on this disc that seems to have the power or feeling of any previous versions of these songs.

In general don't waste your time with this, instead go back and listen to versions by more credible blues artists or better yet the original artists like Junior Wells and his friend Buddy Guy Play the Blues for Messin With the Kid. Try Lowell Fulson the writer of Reconsider Baby or Freddie King Texas Cannonball who did a classic remake. Robert Johnson Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings or The Allman Bro's for Come On Into My Kitchen. Etc, etc, etc...

No one plays guitar and sings the blues like Vivian Campbell. I love this disc, and have played in sooo many times and will continue to. Viv is a terrific musician, a professional with lovely kick butt style.

Great feeling in this cd...Viv does a great job adding contemporaries to cover some classic blues stuff from the likes of Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and Rory Gallagher...love Joan Osborne on the Howling Wolf cover "Spoonful"...Calling Card has a great groove...you gotta have a cold brew listening to this gem...Willing for Staisfaction is a little rockier blues with ZZ Tops Billy Gibbons complementing Viv...good stuff...I'm a Lepp fan and a Man Raze fan but I'm impressed with what Viv has done with this...I'm checking out old blues stuff now...the originals... because of this cd!

This is interesting, and a worthwhile buy, for several reasons. First, the music you'll find here is very much of a straight blues vein, it's not "blues rock", it's blues. It's even grittier than one might expect from a former guitarist of a pretty-boy band like Def Leppard.

Campbell certainly has chops and he displays his abilities to solid effect within the confines of these songs. What's a genuine surprise is how effective his vocals are on most of the cuts - he does a very enjoyable job on Rory Gallagher's "Calling Card" and sounds like he was born to sing James Pryor's "Good or Bad Times". Unfortunately, Campbell doesn't have quite the vocal cajones to make much of an impression on "I'm Ready" or "The Hunter"...it's hard to listen to those songs without comparing these versions to those sung by the likes of Muddy Waters, Steve Marriott, and Paul Rodgers, so Campbell pits himself against some stiff competition in that regard.

This cd also includes performances by drummer extrodinaire Terry Bozzio (who seems to be somewhat under-challenged operating in the blues context) and Joan Osborne who absolutely smokes on "Spoonful"! Now, if Osborne had handled the lead vocals on "I'm Ready" and "The Hunter" this release would have been elevated to a whole 'nother realm!

And what's with Billy Gibbons? For years he was under the thumb of Bill Ham's management of ZZ Top and wasn't allowed to sit in with anybody, now he's shown up in relatively short order, first on BB King's latest and then on two songs on this one. Regardless of his motivation, Gibbons sounds like he's having fun here, even if his playing is a bit more complimentary to that of Campbell's rather than sparking competitive fires.

This is good stuff and it's great that a talent like Campbell is back in the game. I can't help but wonder what it would be like if he and Jake E. Lee would form a band, with Joan Osborne on vocals, maybe Tim Bogert on bass, and either Bozzio or Aysnley Dunbar on drums...that's a combo I'd pay to hear have a whack at "I Ain't Superstitious"!

All in, I give this one 3 1/2 stars and highly recommend it.