Always a band with great songwriting ability, style, presence and chemistry (albeit internal personal strife among the members), L.A. Guns were head-and-shoulders above most of their contemporaries, and for my money were the finest band to come out of that genre of music. And right up until their last contractual obligation record and tour (Vicious Circle) they ruled.
So, how does the reunion disc stack up? Its hit or miss, really, but fortunately, mostly hits. The real drawbacks to these recordings are the obvious budget restrictions and technical limitations of the production (done by the Guns themselves). It almost all sounds like demos, which takes some getting used to, particularly on songs you've already heard in much more polished form. Its strangely ironic to hear songs re-recorded in 1999 that sound technically inferior to recordings done over ten years ago, but there it is.
Its weird, but the production gets better as the album goes on. Its almost like listening to a soundbord bootleg in that respect (you know how the first few songs always sound distorted or over-modulated because the sound-guy didn't have the mix right). This leads me to believe this was done very much live and in as few takes as possible.
What makes the record work so well, though, is the talent and the aforementioned chemistry of the band. This is why they were always an amazing unit of musicians and a fantastic live act. L.A. Guns were always able to shine, even in the shittiest dives they played in. Even though the vocals are all-but buried on "Ritual," it still has that unique L.A. Guns sound. So does "Disbelief," which would have easily been a hit single in the vein of "Kiss My Love Goodbye" if recorded for Hollywood Vampires in 1991.
"Time" showcases some amazing lyrics and music, and is another song, that under different circumstances, at a different time, could have been quite an MTV staple. Just makes it seem sad that these guys can't seem to work together on a long-term basis anymore. They obviously still have some rock n roll in them (and they never seem to sound as good individually as they do together, like I said - CHEMISTRY!!!).
The re-makes are mostly ho-hum. The guitar sound on songs like "No Mercy" and "Sex Action" has no real monster sound the way they did on the originals, and the lack of rhythm guitar on "One More Reason" hurts. Phil Lewis's re-writing of the melody lines here and there doesn't help the songs any, and he seems to not even be trying on "Electric Gypsy" or "Rip And Tear."
The standout among the remakes is easily the updated "Ballad of Jayne." Done hear with Mick Cripps on piano, and Tracii Guns blazing on a steel guitar giving the song an awesome new dimension and just blows you away. Its amazing. Considering it was their big hit and the song that they'll be remembered for, one assumes they went the extra mile, and it shows. "Jayne" is the only re-make here that lives up to the original. A fitting swan-song, if this is really it for this line-up.
The album ends with a sludgy re-mix of "One More Reason" and a danceable take on "Sex Action." But the real goods is in the new tracks. There's been a lot of negative publicity about this record, but if you're a real fan, you should completely dig it. Its nice to have some closure on a band that once rocked the world (and rocked it well). Even though the name still travels over a different bunch of guys, this is still the real L.A. Guns, and Greatest Hits and Black Beauties is certainly worth checking out for so much more than just sentimental reasons.
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