by Justin Gaines
– Senior Columnist/News Editor —
One of the last highly successful melodic rock groups of the 1990’s, Damn Yankees was a supergroup featuring guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw (Styx), bassist/vocalist Jack Blades (Night Ranger), drummer Michael Cartelloni (Tommy Shaw’s band) and guitarist/deer annihilator Ted Nugent. Shaw, Blades and Nugent had all seen their popularity decline towards the end of the ‘80s, but when they got together they made Melodic Rock.
Musically, Damn Yankees was quite similar to Bad English, another high profile supergroup (featuring John Waite and members of Journey) of that era. It was the logical progression of each band member’s earlier 80’s arena rock sounds into the “hair metal” era. The result was a very slick, polished, Melodic Hard Rock sound that was appealing to Hard Rock fans and pure gold to mainstream radio and MTV. The band’s major hit was the massively poplar power ballad “High Enough,” which was actually a pretty rockin’ song, especially compared to Bad English’s sappy When I See You Smile. The rest of the album was upbeat, melodic, and a good blend of Styx’s arena rock, Night Ranger’s melodies, and gonzo lead guitar by Nugent, who really cut loose with the closing track “Piledriver.” Obviously “High Enough” is the song people remember, but “Coming of Age,” “Runaway,” “Bad Reputation” and “Come Again” all charted as singles. There are a couple of tracks midway through that feel like filler, but with so many great songs here, that’s easy to forgive.
Perhaps the best thing about Damn Yankees is that it brought Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades together. Each was a respected songwriter, but together they made a brilliant songwriting team, not just for Damn Yankees but for other artists as well.
If you’re a fan of ‘80s Melodic Rock, Hair Metal, or any of the band member’s earlier work, the Damn Yankees debut is an absolute must-have release. It’s about as perfect an example of the pre-grunge, early ‘90s melodic rock sound as it gets, and the songs still hold up well all these years later.
Edition Notes: Nearly 25 years later, the Damn Yankees debut finally got a proper reissue in 2014 courtesy of the reissue experts at the Rock Candy label. Not only did they do their usual fantastic job remastering the album, but they’ve also included the b-side “Bonestripper” as a bonus track, and the booklet has a great band essay/interview by Classic Rock scribe Malcolm Dome. It’s a fantastic reissue altogether, and makes a nice upgrade for those of us who already own and love the album. Here’s hoping Rock Candy takes on the band’s follow-up Don’t Tread before too long.
Genre: Melodic Rock
Lineup:
Tommy Shaw (v) (g)
Ted Nugent (g) (v)
Jack Blades (b) (v)
Michael Cartellone (d)
Track Listing:
1. Coming of Age
2. Bad Reputation
3. Runaway
4. High Enough
5. Damn Yankees
6. Come Again
7. Mystified
8. Rock City
9. Tell Me How You Want It
10. Piledriver
11. Bonesplitter
Label: Rock Candy Records
Hardrock Haven Rating: 8.75/10
