Back in the early 1990s, The rock TV show Raw Power started being shown on local TV where I live. That meant, if you set the video recorder at about 3am on Friday morning, you could come downstairs before school and watch an hour of stuff that you could excitedly talk to your mate about all day.
One of the first episodes of this window to another world (and honestly it is difficult in this current era to explain how much it meant to us at 16) had a band called Danger Danger on. And, pretty much instantly they were our boys.
They had a song called “Monkey Business”, which is the sleaze rock anthem (granted they also had a track called “Slipped Her The Big One” and one of the others contained the line: “I say screw it, cos my mum and dad do it, and that’s good enough for me…”, but we’ll go with it, it was a different era) and we loved them.
Now, to bring it to the present day, two of the men who played on that song – bassist Bruce Ravel and drummer Steve West – are in The Defients. Technically, there are four D2 men here, given that singer Paul Laine took over as Danger’s vocalist after, and Rob Marcello joined them in 2003, so I am justified in this reverie down memory lane.
There is another reason for reminiscing too. Because once we’d bought “Screw It!” after seeing the video on TV, we saved up our money and got the first, self-titled one.
That was a different beast altogether, a pretty polished AOR thing, as befitted the time and that is where this troupe comes in.
“Zokusho” you see, is 11 tracks that could – with one or two exceptions – have come out in 1989, and that is just fine in this context.
“Love Is A Killer” is all chunky guitar lines, well picked out keyboards and a stack harmony that wants a retrospective Gold Disc. The title of the song perhaps gives away that this isn’t the most original thing you’ve ever heard, “love is the killer, but she drove the blade in my heart” goes the chorus line, but lets be honest here: no one buying this record is doing so to hear avante garde or cutting edge.
Nope, rather they want the FM-ish strains of “Standing On The Edge” or “Hollywood In Headlights” on which, they lament a girl who “fell in love with my rebel heart when we were 17”. It is pure Bon Jovi, pure Bryan Adams, and if you like that sort of thing, pure class.
The Jovi thing, is fair enough too. “Falling For You” starts like their “Runaway” and sounds like it could have been on their first record, and when they do the more epic sounding “Hold On Tonight” they do so with a mid-paced chug that could have been any number of 80s bands in truth.
“Allnighter” is one that tries to break the shackles a bit. It wants a party, and it wants fun – it also rhymes “Vegas” with “Save Us” which is always appreciated, it certainly sounds more alive than the Journey-esque ballad “You X-d My Heart” which is, I suppose, alright if you like that sort of thing.
The keyboard work throughout is interesting, but never better than on the synth drenched “It Goes Fast” and “Stay” is one that sticks out. Imagine Skid Row’s “I Remember You” speeded up? Well its sort of like that and its lyrics are best described as “grown up sleazy” in that this is not debauched, but it still wants to get some tonight.
“Alive” too, is one of the few that take a different option. It’s guitar is U2 flavoured and its chorus understands that there is a 21st century and frankly, if you ever liked Danger Danger then you’ll love the ludicrous “Drink Up!” Bluesy, riotous and containing the worst/best double entendre of the year. Don’t believe me? Check this: Baby, won’t you stay until you drink me good looking? I’ll lick your salt, if you squeeze my lime, meet me when its closing time.”
They’ve still got it. Even if you don’t always want to admit you still like it. The Defients know exactly what they wanted to do, and they’ve done it very well indeed.
Rating 7.5/10
