Casanova One Night Stand

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

2010 ended up being a banner year for rediscovering lost classic German hard rock and metal albums. SPV reissued the early Mass catalog, Metal Mind put the Mad Max discography back in print, and Divebomb reintroduced a pair of melodic rock classics from Casanova, including their 1992 sophomore album One Night Stand.

Formed in the early days of the 1990s, Casanova is a band that every fan of European melodic rock should know, but few actually do. The German band was put together by producer Henry Staroste, the band featured singer/guitarist Michael Voss of Mad Max fame, drummer Michael Eurich (Warlock), bassist Jochen Mayer and guitarist Stephan Neumeier.

Casanova’s 1991 self-titled debut was an absolute classic of European melodic rock, and the band didn’t miss a beat with their follow-up album. Along with Fair Warning’s self-titled debut and Bonfire’s Knock Out, One Night Stand is a brilliant example of the German melodic rock sound in the early ‘90s. Casanova took the basic American arena rock/AOR formula and added a distinctly European sense of polish and precision. They also took elements from the Hollywood hair metal scene, substituted heart and emotion for spandex and sleaze, and came up with a sound that is completely irresistible.

With One Night Stand in particular, you get a good indication of Casanova’s range, from fist-pumping anthems like “Guns Say Fire” to grooving rockers like “The Doctor Is In” to slower numbers like “One of These Days.” As good as those songs are, it’s the “not too heavy, not too soft” arena rock of “I’ll Come Runnin’,” “Home Is Where the Heart Is” and “Seal It With a Kiss” that show you Casanova’s real strength. Those songs bring to mind the best singles from American bands like Giant, Firehouse and Nelson. That, of course, has a lot to do with Michael Voss, whose vocal performance here is nothing short of amazing.

Divebomb’s 2010 reissue of One Night Stand is the perfect companion to their excellent reissue of Casanova’s self-titled debut. Not only is the long out-of-print album reissued with digitally remastered audio, it also includes five bonus tracks. The song “Here Comes That Feelin’ Again” was recorded during the One Night Stand sessions but never made it to the final album. The remaining four bonus tracks are acoustic songs that originally appeared on the 1993 acoustic EP Some Like It Different. The video clip for “One of These Days” is also included in the disc’s multimedia section.

If you’re a fan of the classic European melodic rock sound of bands like Bonfire, Jaded Heart, Treat and Fair Warning, or are a fan of Michael Voss’s work in Mad Max, you owe it to yourself to discover Casanova. Now that both Casanova and One Night Stand have been reissued, there’s no excuse for not checking them out. There were only 1000 copies pressed, and it’s not available as MP3s, so act fast.

Genre: Melodic Rock

Band:
Michael Voss (v) (g)
Michael Eurich (d) (v)
Stephan Neumeier (g) (v)
Jochen Mayer (b) (v)

Track Listing:
1. Guns Say Fire
2. Ticket to the Moon
3. I’ll Come Runnin’
4. Love’s Crashin’ Down
5. The X-tra Mile
6. One Of These Days
7. Wake Up!
8. Home Is Where the Heart Is
9. The Doctor Is In
10. Dead Man’s Hand
11. Seal It With a Kiss
12. Here Comes That Feelin’ Again
13. Judy (acoustic)
14. I Believe In You (acoustic)
15. Out of the Blue (acoustic)
16. Seal It With a Kiss (acoustic)

Label: Divebomb Records

Website: www.casanovaband.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10

Casanova Casanova (Deluxe Edition)

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Now here is a band that nearly every melodic rock fan should know, but few actually do. Casanova was a German melodic rock band put together by producer Henry Staroste, the band featured singer/guitarist Michael Voss of Mad Max fame, drummer Michael Eurich (Warlock), bassist Jrgen Attig and guitarist Stephan Neumeier.

Casanova released their self-titled debut in 1991. This is an album that by all rights should have been huge in the U.S., but was strangely overlooked. If there was ever a winning formula for melodic hard rock, it’s on display here. They were obviously inspired by the Hollywood hair metal scene, but Casanova replaced sleaze and hairspray with perfect melodies and that uniquely European polish and production. Michael Voss sounds terrific here, proving he could do radio-friendly melodic rock with as much style and spirit as he did in Mad Max. The guitar work is also quite good, whether it’s the catchy hooks or the sweet melodies. Highlights include the rockin’ opener “Don’t Talk About Love,” “the dramatic “Love Lies” (you can bet a video would have put that one in heavy MTV rotation) and the soaring “Ride the Wings of Freedom.” That same year bands like Firehouse and Steelheart were taking this kind of sound to the top of the charts. Casanova should have been right up there with them.

For years the Casanova debut has been one of the rarest hard rock gems, commanding up to $100 on eBay. Now, thanks to reissue label Divebomb Records (they’re the ones who brought us the recent Sargant Fury box set), the album is once again available, and just in time for the band’s 20th anniversary. The Casanova Deluxe Edition reissue features brilliantly remastered sound, expanded liner notes and a whopping seven bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are the b-sides “Hot Legs” and “Written In My Heart,” plus acoustic versions of “Hollywood Angels” and “Love Lies” and live versions of “Don’t Talk About Love,” “Burning Love” and “Ride the Wings of Freedom.” The digital remastering alone makes this reissue worthwhile; the bonus material is the icing on the cake.

If you’re a fan of the classic European melodic rock sound of bands like Bonfire, Jaded Heart, Treat and Fair Warning, the Casanova Deluxe Edition is a must-have reissue. There were only 1000 copies pressed, and it’s not available as MP3s, so act fast.

Genre: Melodic Rock

Band:
Michael Voss (v) (g)
Michael Eurich (d)
Jrgen Attig (b)
Stephan Neumeier (g)

Track Listing:
1. Don’t Talk About Love
2. Burning Love
3. Living a Lie
4. The Girl Is Mine
5. Rome Burns
6. Love Lies
7. Bang Bang
8. Sticky Sweet
9. Back To the Wall
10. Ride the Wings of Freedom
11. Hollywood Angels
12. Heaven Can Wait
13. Hot Legs
14. Written In My Heart
15. Hollywood Angels (Acoustic)
16. Love Lies (Acoustic)
17. Don’t Talk About Love (Live)
18. Burning Love (Live)
19. Ride the Wings of Freedom (Live)

Label: Divebomb

Website: www.casanovaband.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10

1991 DEBUT ALBUM FROM CASANOVA FINALLY GETS RELEASED IN THE STATES

On 4/13, Divebomb Records will be reissuing ’80s German metallers CASANOVA’s highly sought-after self-titled 1991 debut album. The band’s roots began in such classic and esteemed German hard rock/heavy  metal bands such as Mad Max and Warlock. Formed  in 1990 when Warlock super-producer, Henry Staroste, brought Michael Voss and Michael  Eurich together to craft the debut album. The record caused waves throughout the hard rock and metal scenes all over Europe and Asia, but Casanova never got their shot in the States. Read more