EXCLUSIVE FEATURE BRUCE KULICK TALKS ABOUT KISS & HIS NEW BAND UNION! I was fortunate enough to land this interview with now ex KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick. Bruce was with the band from 1985 to '95, making him the band's longest serving guitar player! He is currently promoting his new project 'UNION', which features ex MOTLEY CRUE / SCREAM singer John Corabi, Canadian drummer Brent Fritz, and bassist Jamie Hunting. The band's debut album on Mayhem Music is heavy, yet the songs retain a somewhat commercial edge and melody. Personally, I like it a lot more than the last KISS album! UNION is definitely a band to watch for in the near future! Q: Billy Squier - You played on his first album. What do you recall of that album? BK: I really like that album; I really enjoyed that record! He wanted to hire Brian May from QUEEN - and he knew Brian. So for him to settle on me, I was very flattered, as you can imagine. I saw him work very hard. That wasn't the record that put him over the top, as you know, but there was good material on that album. Q: I thought that album was a little underrated.BK: Absolutely! But, you saw the talent the guy had, and the vision. It was just going to happen a year later on the next record. It was a good experience. He asked me to go on the road but I couldn't because of my band with Michael Boltin at the time, which was called 'BLACKJACK' (ed: Auhhhrg!!!). But it worked out. I might not have been available for KISS if I was on the road with Billy Squier. Q: You did "Rich Kid" on that album, your brother did Paul Stanley's album and the tracks on "Killers" (KISS). (This may seem strange, but..) the riff on Rich Kid is the same riff to "Tonite You Belong To Me" (from Stanley's album) and "Nowhere To Run" (from Killers). BK: Well, Paul's solo record was in some ways like the style Billy Squier was doing at the time, so there was a common thread there - which is just like really cool poppy-rock 'n' roll. And they knew each other; they were part of that whole New York scene, New York - Boston. Q: Regarding KISS, what were some highs and lows of your time with the band? BK: There was some very exciting times! Like playing Madison Square Gardens, doing Donnington in England, Maple Leaf Gardens - that was fun too. Certain places like South America, traveling to Japan, having kids camp outside your hotel, you know! And going to Europe, Sweden with everybody screaming and stuff! A lot of that kinda stuff. And also doing some cool TV shows like Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien - all those kind of highlights! I guess the only lows I had was obviously that sometimes the relative success of the albums being up and then down. Another highlight was the MTV Unplugged thing, and that also became bitter sweet because that pushed the reunion thing that happened, so that of course being the ultimate low! Q: Any favorite tracks or albums? BK: "Unholy", "Forever", "Tears Are Falling". A lot of stuff from "Revenge" - I really dug. There's a couple of things on "Carnival" that really showcased me; so again throughout all the albums there's some things that stand out. Q: Did you ever get, I wouldn't say upset, but a little miffed by perhaps being overshadowed musically by the mystique that surrounded Kiss, a lot of the hype and that?? BK: There's no doubt there's a shadow of the make-up era which has not as much to do about music as that 'set' element of Kiss - which is an important one, even though I still feel the band was able to hold it's own as an exciting rock group. But it turns out that's a part of the band you can't shake from it. No matter how much you're pictured without make-up and then going on out there just like any other band. I still think there was a certain attitude and style of the band without make-up that was very different; but it's hard to compete with platform boots and rockets shooting out of your guitar, and the 'space' out-fits, ya know!? And I'm not saying that to take anything away from that; all that's entertaining and exciting, but it does create a certain thing that you can't even compare with it, because you're not playing in the same field. Eric Carr had the 'fox' for a while, and even Vinnie (Vincent) became a make-up character, and I think that worked, but I never had that opportunity, and the band never put the make-up on with me, so it was a different form of the band. Q: Did you ever feel your own playing got over-shadowed by Gene and Paul doing all the interviews and everything? BK: I knew, press-wise, that the story would always be Gene and Paul's thing, 'cause they created the band. And even with the make-up and reunion thing - they mostly do the interviews. I'm just really proud that obviously, with UNION, I have a lot to say and a lot to be proud of! You know, the press are going to choose where they feel the story is. Q: Do you still have contact or connections with the (KISS) guys at all? BK: Yes, everything's been really cool with the guys. I just recently gave them a couple of the discs, advanced CDs, and Paul asked me to help him on some of his songwriting demos - to decide which songs he was going to present for the next album. So, that was kinda cool. He's very comfortable with me, and I really enjoyed playing guitar with him; we know how to communicate that way. So he hired me to do that kind of work, and that's exciting! Q: You've probably been asked this a million times, but can you clarify - regarding 'Creatures Of The Night' - if and what you played on that album? BK: Actually, I played nothing on that album. At the time Ace wasn't in the band, so they had a lot of different players on that record; from Dick Wagner to Robin Ford! He played the solos on a couple of things like "I Still Love You". And Steve Shellas, the guy from MISTER MISTER, played the solo on the song "Creatures Of The Night". But basically what happened on that record was they didn't know what was going on with Ace, and it was obvious, I think, he was going to leave or whatever. That was a good record that got over-looked. And then later, when I joined, I think they said "OK - let's put a new cover on with the non make-up band. Since you do some of these songs maybe we can sell it like that!" - which was a stupid idea! But, the record companies will always look at ways to try and increase the profits and sales. But, I think it was a mistake that they did it; and there I am on the picture. I didn't ask to do it, you know!? Q: Have you read any of the KISS books that have come out recently? BK: "Black Diamond" - I read. That was kinda cool! I have "Kiss and Sell" - but have not read it yet, next plane ride I'll take it along. And I still haven't read "Kisstory", ...but I was there - I know it! (ha ha). Q: How was the Black Diamond book? BK: I did find some things that weren't actually correct, but I realize he's relying on a lot of different things. It's kinda weird to read about a situation you're so close to. I did enjoy it though! Q: Thoughts on 'Carnival Of Souls'??BK: I'm really happy that it came out, of course, because it was so heavily bootlegged, and there was songs missing on the bootleg, the sound quality was terrible. I wanted people to hear it the way we recorded it and mixed it. I spent a lot of time working on that record; we all worked very hard on it. I'm a little disappointed with the packaging, but when I weigh that against whether it'd be out or not - I'm thrilled to death! So, overall I really can't complain about it - I'm just excited that it finally got released in it's full sonic glory. Q: Favorite tracks?? BK: I love "I Walk Alone". "Jungle"'s great! "Master And Slave".-.There's some really interesting playing from me, a lot of different songs. There's nothing I really dislike on the record. It was certainly a very heavy - dark album. And Toby, the guy who produced it with the band, and mixed it - even mixed it really dark. But I think it stands on it's own for what it was. Q: What influenced some of the heavier - darker sounds on it, compared to previous albums? BK: "Revenge" had some darker stuff on it, maybe not quite as dark as this, but we were kinda getting more into some heavy riffs, and it wasn't calculated. It was like - I came up with a lot of really dark riffs, which was fun to do. "Childhood's End" and "I Walk Alone" certainly aren't that dark sounding at all. But, it just evolved as a real guitar heavy - crunchy record. We'd fooled around with alternate tunings before, but everybody was writing some really heavy riffs in some of those tunings, so it just went a little bit on the heavy side there. Q: What's the story behind you and John meeting? Did the high profiles play a part? BK: Well, on paper - of course the high profiles look like - "wow! this could be cool!", but it wouldn't have mattered how cool we look on paper if we didn't get along and realize we're into the same kinda music, you know!? And that was the beauty - as soon as I started playing a riff he responded well. We were both having a lot of personal things in our lives, we were in upheaval at the time, and both had careers in a new direction - not knowing where we were heading with. So, there was a lot to bond over. And it turned out that the music just came together very easily - very easy to create, and it was obvious that we were meant to work together. Q: Was it easy to find a deal? BK: It was a little difficult. Our first batch we didn't really play for a lot of people, but we had a couple of acoustic songs on it, and people didn't understand, you know - "what are they doing?". But we had to keep writing, and by then we shopped a real cool tape - 4 songs. There was some people at real major labels that really liked it, but there was no way they were going to get it past their 'higher ups', because very few rock bands in the whole sense of what UNION is about have been signed of late, and I think they're missing out.But "Mayhem" got it right away. This is what we're into, and this is what we want to do. We didn't try to calculate the market or create something that's like "OK - this is what the labels are looking for!" We didn't do a KISS or MOTLEY record because we're not Kiss or Motley - we're UNION! Q: The band's based on you and John. How much of a part did Jamie and Brett play? BK: Both of them are very creative. In the sense of songwriting, they weren't actually involved as songwriters, but certainly they were very creative on their instruments. Jamie's a really great bass player and moves around in a really cool fashion. He's definitely a master at his instrument. At times, because he was re-creating some of the demos, because he came in a little later, he had to take some suggestions from me, and I think he was appreciative a lot, because he knew it worked. And Brent was there a little earlier, so some of the beats that are on the record were right there from the 'formative stages' - so to say. We're really proud of their contributions - John and I. It is a band; I wouldn't want anyone to think that they're just hired guns. We're gonna sink or swim all together on this, and profit or not together. We're not in a position to 'hire anybody", so we're all along for the ride, bumpy or not! Q: How does the songwriting work with you and John? BK: Well, generally - he'd play me a riff, I'd play him a riff; he'd come up with something and I'd go "what's that?", you know. And off we'd go. Sometimes we'd have a song done in a half an hour, sometimes it would take 3 days. We really worked hard on it, and our co-producer - Kirk Cuomo, got involved in writing and helped out - did a lyric that was missing, an inception or a bridge. We all really worked hard on it. Q: You both play guitar and (presumably) sing!? BK: I'm not as strong of a singer as John, but yes. Q: Is there a lot of duo guitar on the record, or do you do most of the guitar work? BK: John is just about on every song, on a rhythm track as a scruff guitar, so he was very involved in, you know - "laying that track". I did more work on guitars, because that's my job. John's a good guitarist, very valuable for the whole situation. Q: I'll tell you, I've had the album for about a week now and I quite like it because it's got the heaviness of the last Kiss album, and it's got a certain 'rawness' - production wise. And it's also got a lot of melody and it's very radio accessible, I think.BK: Thank you! Q: Not to put down the last Kiss album, but "Union"'s a lot more accessible as far as the harmonies. BK: I think Union overall - is a bit more melodic than Carnival... Again, it's not intentional, it's just what we wanted to do. Q: What are some of your favorite tracks? BK: I love 'em all - I gotta tell you! There's certain songs that really feature me. Q: Anything that stands out as far as being a single? BK: I think "Old Man Wise" is great start to show people - "hey - we kick ass, and here we are!" It's got some real catchy riffs and parts in there. "October Morning Wind" is a very cool acoustic song that I can hear it crossing over. "Pain Behind Your Eyes" has definitely got a very catchy hook that people seem to remember and point out to me as being real hooky. I love "Let It Flow" because of the whole 'opus' of it. It's a long song, with a lot of guitars and stuff. But like I said - I dig all the songs. "Tangerine" - sometimes I can't get that out of my head! I just dig the album, you know!? Q: And even the ballad type songs like "Love Don't Need Anymore" have got quite a bit of bite to them. BK: Yes! Q: Any favorite guitar solos? BK: The stuff on Let It Flow - I'm really quite proud of. There's a couple of different solos in the songs and each one is a different level of intensity, shall I say!? One's where I'm showing off a little more classic melody type of thing, and then like Jimmy Page, and then I kinda brewed some nasty unholy thing with the wah-wah. So, it was kinda nice to spread out on that and play a couple of different things. I think the solo on "Empty Soul" was cool. I'm proud of them all! There's even a little 'trip of the back-woods' thing in the song "Get Off My Cloud". So for all you classic guitarists trying to figure it out - you're not gonna get it buddy! (ha ha). Q: "October Morning Wind" - was that Zeppelin influenced at all? BK: Actually, when I came up with the music for that I was thinking of an old Cream song that had this half-step kind of acoustic thing going on. I forget the title now. Anything from that era I'm turned on to! Q: Favorite guitar players? BK: Oh, definitely - Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Brian May...there's a few there! Q: Anything to add? BK: I just want to thank all the Kiss fans who have been supportive over these years, and I hope that they give Union a shot, and they come to check us out live. Mayhem's really behind us, so if you have any trouble finding it - they have a '888' number (which is toll-free). For this kind of music we need everybody to make the effort. It's us vs the Spice Girls, you know!? (ha ha!) Q: What's your brother (Bob) up to? BK: He's producing a lot of different bands here in LA. He's involved with this big Alice Cooper Tribute, which has got some really cool people on it. So, you can look for that later on this year. Q: Any Favorite Uriah Heep songs? BK: The Wizard, Easy Livin, and Look At Yourself. Interview Conducted January 1998 Copyright KJJ

URIAH HEEP RELEASING 20TH STUDIO ALBUM! This fall will see the release of "Sonic Origami" - Uriah Heep's 20th studio album! The album was recorded at Chipping Norton Studios Oxfordshire in the U.K. and was produced by legendary British producer Pip Williams. Mick Box says "Pip was an absolute dream to work with. It was a fun CD to make; hard work - but fun! He got the best out of us!" According to Box, the album's unique title was suggested by Pip Williams - "Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper. To make our CD we do this with folding sound, hence Sonic Origami. It was a term Pip used in the studio and we thought it would make a good title." Sonic Origami will be issued in the UK and Europe on Eagle Rock Records in mid September. The band's founder / guitarist and manager is excited about the band's latest recording, and feels "ready to take on the world". The Heep set out to come up with a few radio play friendly, in order to gain some commercial success - something that has eluded the band in major markets like the UK and North America for a number of years. The first single slated for European release is titled "Heartless Land", and the album will include such titles as Shelter From The Rain, Everything In Life, Sweet Pretender, In The Moment, Question, Across The Miles, Change, Golden Palace, Feels Like, Only The Young, I Hear Voices, Perfect Little Heart, and Between Two Worlds. According to Box, a deal with Velvel Records (distributed by BMG) is nearly completed for North America, and this will include releases of the band's previous 2 albums - ('95's) "Sea Of Light" and ('96's) "Spellbinder (Live)". For more information on Uriah Heep and tour listings check out the official site > www.uriah-heep.com < URIAH HEEP BOOKS ON THE WAY!! At least 3 books on Uriah Heep are currently in the works and at least 2 should be ready before the years out! Uwe Reuter, from Germany, wrote "Easy Livin - The Story Of Uriah Heep" with help from the members of the Stay On Top Fan Club, which was published early this year. It was written in German language, and contained full discographies on UH, as well as all past and present bandmembers, plus a history of the band, live tape listings, and much more! Uwe is presently redying a 2nd edition titled "Can't Keep A Good Band Down". Mick Box has also mentioned in the past year that he is planning a book about his years with Spice & Uriah Heep (nearly 30). This will include road stories straight from Mick, never seen before photos, and probably plenty of interesting tales of the band's lengthy history. Yours truly has been working on a UH book since 1994, and it looks like the whole thing may be ready to go anytime. A publisher is currently being looked into, and one way or another, this book will be ready to obtain sometime in the near future. This book (not yet titled), will include a lengthy in-depth history of the band, plus chapters on all past and present members (and a few noteable sidemen), UK and North American discographies, tour dates, and plenty of other surprises! It will include loads of exclusive and revealing quotes from various past and present band-members that have never been seen before! At present UH tour dates are still being searched for, if you may have any tour flyers from the past drop me a line or e-mail me. FEATHERWHEEL TRAGEDY The new band lead by Elora's Rob Seagrove was put on indefinate hold after the death of bass player Alan Afeldt. Alan died on June 19 in a car accident on the way home from a gig. Feathwheel's bio boasted that Alan had played nearly 4000 live gigs in his career throughout North America, having also played with Sam Crosby and Michael Bruce. Feathwheel had recently released their debut album, largely written and produced by Seagrove, and featuring keyboardist Gregg Dechert (ex Uriah Heep & Bad Company) and drummer Randall Coryell (previous with Tom Cochrane & Alannah Myles). The album, released on Seagrove's own Bounce Records, contained the US radio hit "Hold On" (issued on Caprice Records), as well as receiving good reviews, but has yet to attract a major label. It is recommended to classic rock fans, with it's blues based and diverse r n' r songs. For contact or to order, e-mail Rob Seagrove @ rseagrove@golden.net or write to him at PO Box 1002, 16 Sophia St., Elora, Ontario, N0B 1S0.     REVIEWS GUNHILL Nightheat (Hi-Hat Records) This 11 song indy release comes from the UK, featuring former Uriah Heep vocalist John Lawton. GUNHILL started as a blues-rock covers band, thus 6 of these tracks are covers. Most notable cover is of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" - which is a very different and updated arrangment, a fave amongst the band's fans at home in England. Other covers include 2 Bad Company tunes - "Ready for Love" and the rocking "Clearwater Highway", which closes out the set. Although it is Lawton's voice that is the main draw here to those who remember him (he was once compared to the likes of Roger Daltrey. But for Gunhill (who also cover Melissa Ethridge's "Nobody Loves You The Way I Do" & gasp - "When A Man Loves A Woman"), it is the original tunes which stand out the most. "Don't Stop Believing" is the opening track, a straight ahead catchy rocker, with guitar and vocals up front, and as with many of the songs it is the performance of guitarist Brian Bennett that provides with short but brilliant hooks and solos. "Wall Of Silence" is another original, a heavy blues ballad written by a friend about past abuses in his own life. The musicianship and Lawton's powerful and emotive delivery make this another big fave. With Nightheat, Gunhill relies on simple production, almost no keyboards, yet some strong songs, and strong performances. The combo of Lawton, Bennett (who's been a well travelled giutarist), drummer Chris Jones (ex Bernie Torme) and bassist Neil Kavanagh , proves to be of 4 classic rock musicians with all the goods in no BS blues tinged r 'n' r. To Order CD Send 12 pound Sterling (UK Money order) to GUNHILL : 57 Tenterden Drive, London, NW4 1EA, England.................. WASP - Double Live Assassins (2 Cd, CMC/BMG) Don't know if Blackie Lawless would ever admit how much he screwed up with last year's pile o' poop "K.F.D.", but obviously it should be 'back to the drawing board', and this is a good start! Yeah, all the cool bands of the '70s had 2 Lp live sets out, so Blackie wants to be on that bandwagon too, thus making this 16 track set a 2 CD release, when he could've saved the record company some dough and hacked off the 4 useless songs from KFD! But, anyway, for the most part this is really good! Featuring something from every Wasp album, including a few medleys of things to cram more tuneage on ain't a bad idea either! (Another '70s concept!). Early songs like "LOVE Machine" and "Wild Child" sound strong and more raw than those tidied up remixes from '94's compilation release in which Blackie went for the squeaky clean Def Leppard mix type of thing. Not much missing here as the Blackie's circus freaks include goodies like "Blind In Texas", "The Idol", "The Headless Children", the hit anthem "I Wanna Be Somebody", and the notorious "Animal (F**k Like A Beast)". Definately good value for the buck, and a nice career retrospect to boot...... CAPITOL ROCK - By Mark Opsasnick (Fort Center Books, 264 pages) In Capitol Rock, Mark Opsasnick has researched an in-depth history of the Washington, DC music scene from the '50s onward. Although, there may not be too many overly huge names that came from the area, it is a very interesting read, as far as who played with who, local clubs that became landmarks, and local heros (features on the likes of Henry Vestine [ex-Zappa, Canned Heat] and Roy Buchanan among more).CR features interviews with such people as Nils Lofgren, Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna), and Punky Meadows, among others. The latter had been in popular local ealry '70s band "The Cherry People" before going on to brief fame with glam hard-rockers Angel in the late '70s. There's also a list of named musicians born in or raised in the DC area, and a guide to some of the most famous gigs held there. Although, focused on the DC scene, much of which may seem of uninterest to those outside the area, there is enough links and excellent reading to keep one's interest. To order send $20 (US) from outside the USA or $17 (US) [money orders and checks to be made out to author's name] from the USA to > Mark Opsasnick : P.O. Box 189, Riverdale, Maryland, 20738. MEN WITHOUT SHAME - Roxy Roller / Three Ply (Finegold Ent.) These guys are a refreshing dose of '70s hard-rock! MWS hails from Regina, Sakatchewan, and specialize in doing classic '70s covers, as well as a few originals, and heck - even dress like the '70s!Of course, they got my attention when I heard they do a Uriah Heep cover and a few April Wine covers, but with one full and one - 4 (and a half) song CDs, there is alot more to the story here. MWS are all professional musicians, not just some mediocre bar-band hacking away. Heck, each bandmember has some small claim to fame through a previous band, such as having opened for someone even more famous.The band's first CD release was the "Roxy Roller" ep a few years back, which, besides a solid rock cover of the old Sweeney Todd (ie Nick Gilder) hit, they also do fine versions of Nazareth's "Turn On Your Receiver" (with a guy sounding a good deal like Dan McCafferty), Uriah Heep's "Stealin" (without the hammond even!), and perhaps best - an excellent take of April Wine's "Drop Your Guns"! The last half-song is a small comedic bit, a side which the band also encorporates into their music and live show. Their first full CD comes from late last year titled "Three Ply" (promotional items for the CD release included a MWS roll of toilet paper!). This 10 track album is a blast (musically and somewhat humorously!). It features 7 covers and 3 originals, and it is a definite trip into the '70s! Although MWS are really a hard-rock band, they sure can offer up some interesting tunes, as with a hard-rock cover of the Bay City Rollers "Saturday Night" (complete with the "S.a.t.u.r.d.a.y...."), and a polka version of Roxy Roller (which apparently made it on to the play lists of local country radio stations!). Other decent covers include "Could Have Been A Lady" (April Wine hit), Naz's "Sunshine", and 3 live recordings - "La Grange" (with a pretty good vocal impersonation of the ZZ Top guys, and excellent guitar re-working), "Bad Case Of Lovin You", and the Kiss anthem "Rock And Roll All Nite". The 3 original tunes all blend in easily, and show slightly the band's sense of humour. "Good Ol' Rock n' Roll" is a cathcy riff rocker, that I could easily imagine AC/DC doing. "Fermez La Bouche" is a solid rocker, with a slight Elvis/'50s influence on the vocals, but has hard-edge, and is my fave of the 3. "One More Spin (VLT Blues)" is a somewhat humorous story of a video lottery junkie, with a catchy hook and chorus line. MWS have expressed the idea of doing more original material, and this would be something to look forward to, because their own songs definitely stand up with the best of 'em! Not just for fans who want to hear specific covers, but CDs that can be cranked up, and enjoyed thoroughly (either in the car or with alcohol to boot!) To order send $15.00 {for "Triple Ply"}, or $10.00 {for "Roxy Roller"} to : Finegold Entertainment Group: PO Box 22114, Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 7G7. Prices include GST. Add $2 for shipping & handling.........For more info, e-mail > finegold@sk.sympatico.ca< BLACKFOOT - King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents (KBFH Records) Of special interest also to Uriah Heep fans because this is from the band in LA in 1983, when Ken Hensley was then on keyboards. A nice collector's piece more so, because this was never intended as a real live album, thus the sound is not overly great. The band's performance though is great, very energetic as they run through a number of 'Foot classics like "Train Train", "Fly Away", "Highway Song", their version of Free's "Wishing Well", and for Hensley's sake - Heep's "Easy Livin". 9 songs in all, plus a lengthy interview with band-leader Rickey Medlocke. A nicely packaged item with all the usual KBFH added notes and quotes and pics, and a solid piece of r'n'r from one of the bext Southern Hard rock bands of their day........ DIO - Inferno : The last In Live (Mayhem) Well, about time Dio got a live disc (this one being 2!) out! Having been around and part of such great bands (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, & DIO), a live set of all the classics was due anytime. Here, Dio and band - Tracy G (guitar), Larry Denisson (bass), and old pal Vinny Appice (drums) storm through 15 favorites touching on every period of the singer's career. Rainbow tracks include "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock 'n Roll", and surprisingly Deep Purple's "Mistreated". From the Sabbath days there's the 2 album title tracks "Heaven & Hell" and "The Mob Rules". The Dio albums are almost all represented, with many of the highlights being from the early albums with Vivian Campbell, while later cut "Hunter Of The Heart" stands up fairly nicely. Dio's voice is in amzingly great shape as he has no problem with so many heavy numbers. His band, albeit not bad, are OK (especially Appice), as Tracy G intreprets the early Dio solos his own way - fine, but he seems pretty out of place doing the Iommi and Blackmore stuff. Much of the sound comes out darker and less sparkling than it should, but it passes. Inferno's a good live offering and a fine career retrospect, of one of hard rock's most influential singers........ UNION - Union (Mayhem) A solid effort from a new band featuring guitarist Bruce Kulick (ex Kiss), and singer John Corabi (ex Motley Crue) (see interview!). Union's debut runs the line between the last rough edged Motley Crue album and the last few heavier Kiss albums, yet retains enough melody and commercial appeal that it isn't strictly for fans of Kulick's or Corabi's former bands. Corabi's big voice suits Kulick's raw and heavy guitar sound, and the 2 are complimented by bassist Jamie Hunting and drummer Brent Fritz.. Union features a good wide range of songs and showcasing the members as musicians as well as songwriters. Fave cuts include heavier tracks like "Pain Behind Your Eyes", "Old Man Wise", and "Get Off My Cloud". "Love (I Don't Need It Anymore)" features quite a catchy chorus and would be an obvious choice for a single. But Union shows a real classic rock influence with more varied and crafted numbers like "Let It Flow", in which Corabi delivers a smooth vocal, with Kulick delivering some great hooks and solos. (Most of Kulick's playing on this album should make Kiss look seond rate!) "October Morning Wind" is an acoustic track, which is reminiscent of early Led Zeppelin with that rootsy feel, plus it has some nice harmonies and a soft vocal from Corabi to match the pieceful feel of the whole song. Another obvious choice for a single, October Morning Wind could be a big hit if given the chance. Union is something of a 'back to the roots' album, with no keyboards, plenty of great guitar, harmonies, cool vocals, powerful drums and bass, and songs all penned and delivered with a good feel and enough heaviness that make this a strong candidate for one of the best albums of 1998! Definately superior to the last albums by Kiss or Motley Crue, and presumably deeper and more musically crafted than what can be expected of the new Kiss to come. Union could just become the next big thing!..... Stay On Top Presents The URIAH HEEP COLLECTOR'S GUIDE Basically a magazine styled publication from the German Heep fan club guys, which lists the numerous Heep items issued on CD, singles, and video, as well as live audios, and numerous bootleg video and TV appearances. Nicely printed, with plenty of pics of common and rare CD and single covers.For more info write Bernd Pleis > Stoberl str. 94, 80686 Munchen, Germany. MOTORHEAD - Snake Bite Love (CMC)I never got into Motorhead, don't know why (!), Lemmy Kilmister's heavy and unusual voice being somewhat of a hurdle that one has to be able to learn to appreciate or at least tolerate. Listening to "Snake Bite Love", it's clear that Lemmy's no metal thug, and in fact his knack for coming up with catchy and easily likeable riff-rockers coupled with the voice make for one decent dose of loud guitar rock. (I know Lemmy don't like the term 'heavy metal').Motorhead's riff-rock goes beyond straight ahead memorable rockers like "Love For Sale" and the title cut. "Assassin", another rocker, shows more to the music with a some cool drum and guitar solo interplay. The guitars are always heavy, thick, and solos are killer throughout this album. Drums are always up front, and play a huge part in the band's heavy sound, working in sync with Lemmy's thundering bass lines (check out "Take The Blame"!). "Dead And Gone" offers up some quiet moments here, going from a slow intro and verse to heavy chorus' and fierce solos (not to mention spooky lyrical content). Snake Bite Love is filled out with a number of cool rockers, without getting redundant. Cool sounding album! Play loud!........ DOUBLE TROUBLE -Ten Years Trouble (Indie)This blues based band hails from Germany, with it's blues roots firmly inspired by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, and classic bluesmen. This album marking the band's first 10 years together offers up a number of blues-rock favorites with plenty of slide-guitar and harmonica included. Fave cuts include the track "Double Trouble" - a classic blues-rocker, with a catchy guitar hook, and harmonica breaks. Other up beat numbers of special mention include "Resignation", and the funky "Starter". Decent covers include the Wither'spenned "Ain't No Sunshine" and Cream's "Politician". The CD finishes with a (near) 11 minute blues epic titled "Boogie Tribute", which features plenty of guitar hooks, solos, and harmonica.For more info contact Richard Wagner : Erlengasse 1, 90596 Schwanstetten, Germany Visit the band's website at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/7366 VINYL CLASSICS SANTERS - Shot Down In Flames (1981) & Racing Time (82). The 2 essential albums from Toronto based power trio from early '80s. Shot Down In Flames contains the classic title track, plus hard rockers like "Caught In the Wind" and "Crazy Ladies", while Racing Time contains the hit "Mistreatin Heart", and great rockers "Mystical Eyes" & "Two Against The World" Now both on CD in Canada (finally!!) Great guitar from Rick Santers (where are you Rick?) and drums by brother Mark...Both highly recommended!! LUCIFERS FRIEND - Where The Groupies Killed The Blues (1975) Great '70s HR, with plenty of sounds (ie strings & brass) from German based band, which featured former Uriah Heep singer John Lawton. Inlcudes acoutic opening classic "Burning Ships", plus cool rocker like "Hobo"! BLACK SABBATH - Sabotage (1975) Somehow, seemingly more aggressive than most '70s Sabbath stuff. Killer rockers in "Hole In The Sky", "Symptom Of The Universe" & "Thrill Of It All", plus eerie epic "Megalomonia". A FOOT IN COLDWATER - Or all Around Us (1974) A way overlooked classic album by one of this country's best bands ever! Plenty of heavy & acoustic guitar, hammond organ, and great vox! Contains unedited version of the hit "Make Me Do Anything You Want", heavy ballad "Isn't Love Unkind In My Life", and heavy tracks like "He's Always There" & "It's Only Love". 'Purple & Heep fans - check it out!