Customer Reviews

Up from the Ashes

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will be honest with you. I am not very crazy about solo projects by front men or members of bands I like. Often they "experiment" with things that they shouldn't and a strange, if not indeed just plain bad sound is created. The best example I can give you is Bret Michaels' tribute to Poison called "Show Me Your Hits."

That album almost killed Poison for me. It was just horrible!

So, I was at the store today and there were two Dokken albums on sale for a reduced price. "Shadow Life" and Don's solo album "Up From the Ashes." I had heard Puppet on a String from Shadow Life and thought it was a decent song but since hearing that song I was told by many that it is, to put it mildly, not a good or remotely happy album. So, I opted for the solo album and took a chance.

To say I'm blown away is an understatement!

From Crash 'n' Burn to The Hunger, I was shocked to hear just how much this album sounds like Dokken, the band! In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd swear George Lynch was on guitar! Of course, he wasn't. It was John Norum formerly of Europe. A little "FYI" information for you. John actually played with Dokken on their 2002-2003 tours. Not many can hold a candle to George Lynch, John holds a torch to it.

Crash 'n' Burn, Mirror Mirror, When Love Finds a Fool, Stay, and Livin' a Lie are my personal favorites off the album. There are a few melodies that fall a little flat and there are times when I think the chorus could have been slightly more energetic. But for the most part I thought the album to be one for the ages. It's up there with Under Lock and Key, for sure!

So, if you're afraid, as I was, of horrible and drastically different solo albums, fear not good citizen! This album is living proof, Don is the driving force behind Dokken: Not George, Jeff, or even Mick (though I LOVE Mick.) This is musical ecstasy. Pick it up! You'll be glad that you did!

Being a big fan of the band Dokken, I was pretty ticked off when they broke up in "88" and like alot of other fans, I thought that Don was the one at fault. When he first released this album I refused to buy it just because of that reason. I went out and bought all of Lynch's solo albums and wasn't too thrilled with them. Recently I decided to give this album a listen, so I bought it. Anyone who reads this review take my advice and buy this c.d. especially at this great price. This c.d. is one of the best that I have. The music, lyrics, production is fantastic. Don compiled one of the most talented group of musicians ever assembled and it definitely shows. The only Dokken albums that are as good as this one are "Tooth and nail" and "Under lock and key". It is too bad that after George left the band this time around, Dokken did not hire John Norum to be it's new guitarist because I prefer him over Reb Beach.

I'm more of a casual heavy metal fan. I'm not too obsessed with one certain band, I just like lots of different bands. Some say I'm stuck in the 80's, but the best rock and metal came out of that time. The new stuff is [junk] and it sickens me that records like this one aren't getting the attention they deserve due to the early 90's grunge-wave and then into the newer rap-metal garbage. Back in the 80's, guitarists had to be skilled in the art of shredding, the rhythm section solid and powerful, and the vocalist clear and soaring. Bands like Dio, Ratt, Yngwie Malmsteen, Lizzy Borden, Queensryche, Van Halen, Tesla, Dokken, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Europe, Judas Priest, Skid Row, ect...what happened to these great bands?

Anyway, on to the review. I was always a huge Dokken fan and obviously was [mad] when they broke up. When Lynch Mob came out with 'Wicked Sensation' in 1990, I immedietely went out and bought it. I had always assumed that no matter how good the other guys in Dokken were, George WAS Dokken and without him they wouldn't be half as good. I assumed he had all the talent and was the main driving force for Dokken. It sure didn't show on that Lynch Mob CD! It's not a bad CD, but there are only 2 or 3 really upbeat rockin' songs. Most of them are laid back, slow bluesy hard rock. Like I said, not a bad CD, but definetely not Dokken-esque. I didn't even know that Don Dokken released a solo album until recently when I saw it in a local record shop. I immedietely picked it up and was not dissapointed.

Don didn't skip a beat with this CD. This sounds EXACTLY like the Dokken from the 80's that we all know and love. Let's put it this way: This is not a Don Dokken solo CD, I'm willing to bet the band was called Don Dokken because the other guys in Dokken didn't want him using the name. Other than that, this music on this CD sounds like a perfect mix of Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key and Back for the Attack but with a much more polished and streamlined production. This CD's production is perfect. You can hear all the instruments pefectly and the whole thing sounds amazingly clean and well...perfect. The tunes on here are all hard rockin; metal tunes except for the slower ballad 'When Love Finds A Fool'. This song sounds like the Dokken ballad 'Alone Again'.

John Norum (from the band Europe) is the lead guitarist on this CD, and he pulls off some amazing solos and killer riffs. His skill rivals that of George Lynch and in fact you'd never know it wasn't George himself if it weren't for small stylistic differences in their soloing styles. He definetely rocks and was the perfect replacement for George Lynch.

If Dokken had never broke up, this is probably the next studio album that would have come after Back for the Attack. It could have fit easily into Dokken's 80's catalog. If you like Dokken, George Lynch, shredding guitar solos, rocking riff-heavy metal songs, or any 80's metal I highly suggest you pick up this CD. This is one of the greatest overlooked metal albums ever...Most people don't know that Don Dokken went solo after Dokken broke up. I didn't, but I'm glad I found out because this CD is amazing. And for the low price of $7 bucks, how can you go wrong?

This albums rocks...buy it.

I am a longtime Dokken fan, and I was heartbroken when they disbanded in 1988-9 when Don and George just could not work out a reconciliation.

When this was first released, I admit I wondered how Don would do as a solo artist. This is quite a band assembled here - guitarist John Norum from Europe (careful observers will note that John Norum teamed up with Don Dokken again on the Dokken CD LONG WAY HOME), bassist Peter Baltes from Accept, drummer Mikkey Dee (a stint with King Diamond) and a great guitarist named Billy White. LOADS of talent here. This release totally exceeded my expectations - an all-around great release with no "fillers".

This CD kicks off with Crash 'N' Burn - one of my favorite songs of all time. A fast-paced song with a fantastic guitar solo. I'd rate this one a 10 - Don's vocals are great, and Dee / Baltes make for a fine rhythm section.

I love Don's vocals on 1000 Miles Away and When Love Finds a Fool. The latter features a sad-sounding acoutstic intro, and these songs touch upon the familiar Dokken-esque theme of being wronged by the ol' femme-fatale. Almost like "Alone Again" from TOOTH AND NAIL. Don Dokken can sing and croon with the best of rock's vocalists. "Stay" and "Down In Flames" are lyrically similar to the femme-fatale but those songs are more pop-metal than power ballads - cool stuff.

"Give It Up" is a song similar in theme to "Will The Sun Rise" from UNDER LOCK AND KEY. Kind of the same anti-war lyrics in each track. "Mirror Mirror" was a single released from this - that mid-tempo rocker is probably the most commercial friendly song from this recording.

I LOVE Peter Baltes' bass playing on "Forever" and "When Love Finds a Fool". And the song "The Hunger" is just an all-out rocker (as is Crash N Burn) with some great drumming exhibited. I think Ken Mary is actually the drumer for that last track - listen to his work on CD's released by Gregg Guiffria's band HOUSE OF LORDS - that is some excellent skin-bashing too.

This release stands up to probably EVERYTHING Dokken recorded. For only $7, just buy it new. It's got something for everyone and is one of my favorites.

This CD was simultaneously ahead of its time and a few years too late. Superb production, catchy songwriting, and some of the most powerful vocal performances of Don Dokken's career are backed up by *seriously ferocious* guitar playing from John Norum and Billy White. The CD delivered one single, "Mirror Mirror", but failed to track well on the charts, mostly due to the marketing push towards Grunge and Rap in the early 90's. This CD is a must-have for any fan of Dokken, and will be well received by affecianados of virtuoso heavy guitar.

I bought the cassette tape when this first came out, but I hadn't heard it in a while and I came across it on CD here at Amazon. I had forgotten just how good this album is. And even though this was Don's solo effort after Dokken's breakup, this very much has the same soundas almost any other Dokken album. Most every song rocks. Crash n Burn, The Hunger, and Down In Flames are awesome rockers while Stay, Mirror Mirror, and Living A Lie rock, but are very catchy tunes.
The only curious thing I noticed was John Norum (formerly of the group Europe) played on this one and also played on the new Dokken CD (Long Way Home). The curious thing is how much different he sounds on the 2 albums. On this one, he rips it up pretty good (nowhere near as good as George Lynch though), but on the new one, he doesn't sound that great. Good, but not real good.
Oh well, this album is pretty awesome and I highly recommend it.

For years, I ignored this disc because I had read reviews on how it was full of ballads and how it didn't come close to dokken. Well, not long ago I sampled it at a used cd shop and I was very suprised. In my opinion, this is just as good as any dokken album. Most of the songs on this could have come from "Under Lock and Key or "Back for the Attack."

up from the ashes is a great cd that proves there is life after dokken.(lynch era)great songwriting & musicians make this one of my favorites from don.also, check out "ERASE THE SLATE" with reb beach (of winger) on guitar.reb smokes lynch like a pipe.

This debut solo album from Don Dokken, Up from the Ashes, was released in 1990. It consists of 11 tracks. The material is in a straight-ahead hard rock musical direction. Altogether, I find the songwriting to be solid, the musicianship to be tight, and the sound quality to be gratifying. There is one power ballad, "When Love Finds a Fool." Dokken's singing is pleasing throughout. I am also impressed with the refined rhythm guitar playing and guitar solos. My favorite songs are "1000 Miles Away," "When Love Finds a Fool," "Mirror Mirror," and "Stay." The engaging "1000 Miles Away" features a nice main guitar riff, a memorable guitar solo, pleasant harmony vocals, and poignant vocals from Dokken, especially during the intro. The warm power ballad "When Love Finds a Fool" exhibits an attractive guitar solo, a pretty refrain, and plaintive singing from Dokken, most notably on the ending passage. The spirited "Mirror Mirror" displays an infectious chorus and a cool guitar solo, while the melodic "Stay" sports a creative beginning section, smooth vocals from Dokken, and a charming refrain. The CD insert includes the song lyrics, a color photo of Dokken with his backing band, and an individual black-and-white photo of him and the guys. The album cover artwork is interesting. The disc is just over 54 minutes. Up from the Ashes is a recommendable piece of work.

I bought this on CD about 12 years ago. I loved it then, I love it now. Just to clarify things, John Norum does NOT do all the solos on this one. Billy White plays more solos than John does. The solos that really rip, are done by Billy White. I was blown away by his style. He is just as proficient as Lynch, and I am a huge Lynch fan. For example, Billy White plays the first solo on Mirror Mirror, the first solo on the Hunger, the solo on When Love Finds a Fool, Crash N'Burn, Stay, and many others. In fact, Billy wrote many of the songs with Don, Norum only wrote a couple. No disrespect to Norum, but Billy White needs a huge amount of credit on this album. All of the songs rock on this one, and the production is very solid. Mirror Mirror, Forever, Down in Flames, and Crash N' Burn are my favorites. This album is up there with Erase the Slate, Back for the Attack, and Under Lock and Key. Highly Recommended!