"Dan Reed Network"
Dan Reed Network
Polygram Records
★
Every year several records
are released that are so
uninspired and devoid of any
originality that all one can say
is, “This record is plain bad. ”
Such an album is the debut
release by the Dan Reed
Network, a quintet from
Seattle. The album is basically
40 minutes of music combining
funk and heavy metal that
borrows heavily from Prince
and other funk-rockers. If I
want Prince, I’ll listen to him.
“The World Has a Heart
Too,” the album’s first track, is
an obnoxious combination of
hip-hop rhythms and Van
Halen-sounding guitar. The
next track, “Get to You, ” is
about the same, an overall funk
style with heavy metal guitar by
guitarist Brion James. Adding
to this annoying mix is an
overuse of synthesizers and
electronic drums. Now I like
synthesizers as much as the
next person, but they do not
have to be your sound.
Meanwhile, there continues
to be little to distinguish one
song from the next. “Ritual,”
with its African rhythms
introduction, suggests
something interesting, but
almost immediately after this
thought crosses the mind, the
song begins and sounds like a
Prince single.
“Baby Don’t Fade” is
another Prince imitation
worsened by Reed’s vocals and
lyrics consisting primarily of
yells and “oh oh oh. ” Adding
to this horrid song is a tinny
trumpet solo by the record’s
producer, Bruce Fairbaim. It
will suffice to say that Wynton
Marsalis has not a thing to
worry about
Dan Reed’s singing is
another problem with this
album. His vocals are generally
whiny and hard to decipher at
times. Of course, with the
simple lyrics, the songs have
little to offer anyway. This
record was clearly meant for
one thing: dancing.
Unfortunately, here we have
dance music that is entirely
unoriginaL
Guitarist James is a
moderately talented guitar
player, but his contribution to
the record seems to have little
purpose other than to keep the
album from being labeled just a
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Page 4/At Ease/Thursday, March 24,1988
• •••' 'r- 'i V • 1 1 . ; • <- ‘ ‘ •
funk album. Additionally, with
so many musicians today
combining heavy rock with
soul and funk, James’ guitar
part adds nothing new or
original.
Producer Fairbaim has also
produced such acts as
Aerosmith, Loverboy and Bon
Jovi, but be warned, this is not
a rock ’n’ roll album. “Rock
You All Night Long” is the
closest track on the album to
being a rock song, but it has all
the power of the latest Bon Jovi
single.
The songs range from dull
and unoriginal to plain boring.
Some of the musicianship is
fair, but the electronics are
overemphasized, and Dan
Reed’s vocals are simply awful.
Will somebody please pull this
network off the air?
Review by Shane Hall
"Will and the Kill"
Will and the Kill
MCA Records
★★★★
This stuff rocks! At only 17
years of age, Austin’s Will
Sexton has made a smashing
debut with his band the Kill
after years on the Texas bar
circuit.
“Will and the Kill” is an
album of energetic rock ’n’ roll
that does not fall prey to wimpy
love ballads or “trend of the
month” music. The record is
chock-full of driving guitar by
Sexton and fierce backing from
a talented band that features
guitarist David Grissom,
drummer Jeff Boaz and bassist
Alex Napier.
Tracks like “Rocks in My
Pillow” and “Heart of Steel”
exemplify Sexton’s brand of
no-frills Texas rock. Sexton is
joined on guitar on the former
track by his older brother
Charlie Sexton, himself a
talented axeman.
“No Sleep. ” opening with a
blast of guitar firepower, is sure
to bring a smile to the face of
any hard rock fan. Michael
Waegner, the song’s producer,
whose past production credits
include Dokken and Alice
Cooper, gives Sexton’s gutsy
vocals and guitar a good
dosage of heavy metal power.
Other great tracks include
the raucous “Teach the
Teacher” and “Restless to
Wreckless,” both of which pack
a guitar-heavy punch. With
song titles like these, it’s
obvious that this record is short
on subtlety.
Charlie Sexton and
Fabulous Thunderbird Jimmie
Vaughan join Will and crew on
“Breaking All the Rules, ” with
Charlie on organ and Vaughan
on six-string bass. The
musicians combine to create
another track of stripped-to-
the-basics rock ’n’ roll.
“All Just to Get to You” best
exemplifies Sexton’s love for
loud roots-oriented rock
combined with a more folksy,
storyteller approach to lyrics.
Sexton is assisted in this
endeavor by honky tonk rocker
Joe Ely, who produced most of
the album’s tracks.
“Hard to Please” is rock ’n’
roll with a Texas-size helping of
southern country twang.
Sexton’s lyrics tell of a girl
who’s “as faithful as a
crosstown bus” and will “be
right by your side, but she’s
never satisfied.”
From jazz player Charlie
Christian to Stevie Ray
Vaughan, Texas has long been
reputed as a source for great
guitarists. Add Will Sexton to
the list. He has proven his
ability to keep that reputation
with a straight-ahead rock
album that has an
uncompromising, rebellious
side to it
And that’s what rock ’n’ roll
is all about.
Review by Shane Hall
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