L.A. Guns Shrinking Violet Deluxe Reissue
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
Helming the band since its very inception, Tracii Guns is and will always be the man behind L.A. Guns. From the early Michael Jagosz-fronted metal of Collector’s Edition No. 1, to the radio-friendly Phil Lewis years, through the heavy-as-hell Chris Van Dahl-voiced American Hardcore period and beyond, Tracii has always been there. Back in 1999, after a period of stylistic experimentation, Tracii enlisted former Love/Hate vocalist Jizzy Pearl to fill the recently vacated lead vocal spot, and the resulting album was the oft underappreciated Shrinking Violet. A powerful combination of emotional heaviness and Led Zeppelin-inspired riffs, Shrinking Violet boasted some of Tracii’s darkest and most epic writing, taken to new heights by Jizzy’s versatile and powerful vocals. Favored Nations has luckily realized that this album deserves another shot at notoriety, and has thus reissued it in a “deluxe edition” (well, sort of, more on that later).
Released on the heels of the somewhat disappointing Wasted EP, Shrinking Violet was very much a return to form for the band. Instead of taking things in another new direction (as was done on American Hardcore), Tracii instead blended all of the best bits of the previous L.A. Guns albums into one very solid record. Adding Jizzy Pearl was also a stroke of genius, as his range and gritty delivery suited the songs to a T; harsh enough to keep things heavy, but smooth enough to carry the melodies. It seemed that a perfect balance had finally been struck.
The opening bars of “Girl You Turn Me On” are chill-inducing, and the song is as classic a Guns song as has ever existed. The mellow “Dreamtime” acts almost as a musical sequel to 1991’s “I Found You,” with an extremely emotional delivery from Mr. Pearl. Conversely, “I’ll Be There” reaches American Hardcore heights of heaviness, and simply pummels the listener into submission.
“Big Lil’ Thing” and “California” are more traditional LAG fair, and “Bad Whiskey” sees the guys veering into classic blues territory. One of the most outstanding moments on the record comes at the end of the spectacular “Barbed Wire,” where Tracii lays down an inspired and beautiful acoustic solo over the final notes. Many shredders seem to have problems when it comes to acoustic soloing, but clearly this is not a problem for TG.
As noted earlier, what makes this reissue a bit strange is the omission of several songs, two of which happen to be some of the best tracks on the original album. “Decide,” though present here in a pretty spectacular live version, was perhaps the strongest, darkest song to come from these sessions. Certainly drawing from Kashmir-era Zep, the track varies from subtle, gloomy verses to powerful, epic choruses. Luckily not removed entirely, new fans need to experience the original version in order to fully appreciate the somewhat stripped-down live version.
Also missing from the reissue is the suggestively titled “It’s Hard.” A mix of slow, hardcore riffs and rough garage rock, it seems tragic that the label has left it off. Not getting to know its blazing prechorus is a tragedy for new fans. It’s a good thing original copies are plentiful on ebay…
The final track to be left behind was the cover of Zep’s “How Many More Times,” and though an excellent version and a fun way to close the original album, it makes sense that perhaps licensing was the cause of leaving it off.
To compensate for the removed tracks, Favored Nations has added five live tracks recorded in San Angelo, Texas last July. Minus the aforementioned “Decide,” the songs are rather obviously selected, as they are some of the band’s most well-known classics. While they sound great, and Jizzy arguably out-sings the originals, they don’t quite pack the punch necessary to replace the dropped songs. If anything, they will do little more than leave fans jonesing for a release of the entire show. Drummer Chad Stewart is also an excellent addition, bringing his own powerful style while still retaining the feel of the original tracks. If anything, these bonus track surely leave fans jonesing for a release of the entire show.
While it’s great to have Shrinking Violet available once again, the reissue could have used a bit more of a deluxe treatment to make it totally worthwhile. It does serve one major purpose, though, that being whetting everyone’s appetite for an album of all new Tracii/Jizzy/Jeremy/Chad songs. Judging by the quality of Tracii and Jizzy’s previous output, and the quality of the current incarnation’s live performance, it will no doubt be an instant classic. Until then, though, do yourself a favor and check out this forgotten gem.
Genre: Hard Rock
Current Lineup:
Jizzy Pearl (v)
Tracii Guns (g)
Jeremy Guns (b)
Chad Stewart (d)
Track Listing:
1. Girl You Turn Me On
2. Shrinking Violet
3. Dreamtime
4. Barbed Wire
5. I’ll Be There
6. California
7. Cherries
8. Big Lil’ Thing
9. Bad Whiskey
10. Decide (live)
11. Rip And Tear (live)
12. Never Enough (live)
13. The Ballad Of Jayne (live)
14. One More Reason (live)
Label: Favored Nations
Website: www.lagunsofficial.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 7/10 (reissue); 9/10 (original)