Alcatrazz - Disturbing The Peace (1985)

Following their debut album in 1984, Alcatrazz were left without a guitarist leaving Graham Bonnet et al to consider the difficult question: just how do you replace Yngwie Malmsteen? The answer was to recruit ex-Frank Zappa guitarist Seve Vai! Keyboardist Jimmy Waldo’s eye for a talented guitarist – following a recommendation from Rainbow’s David Rosenthal – had not let Alcatrazz down as once again they had an incredibly talented guitarist on board and the band set about writing and recording their follow-up to No Parole From Rock N Roll.

Disturbing The Peace is a strong album with both Vai and Graham Bonnet putting in powerful performances. The album is a marked shift from their Malmsteen work with the distinctive style of Vai taking the band in a different direction of a more commercial edge with the rapid-fire soloing of Malmsteen replaced by Vai’s more harmonic style.

Kicking off with God Blessed Video – which was also a single – Bonnet takes a swipe at the Duran Duran era of music videos: “Some cheap kid from Birmingham blessed with an accent that pours like the darkest brown ale”! Impossibly high-ranged vocals, this uptempo opener features some trademark Vai soloing. Mercy is a bit of a non-entity but the thrid track, Will You Be Home Tonight is a standout track with Bonnet singing in an unusually low register minus the usual growl to his voice until the second verse when he can contain himself no longer and really lets rip! I’ve come across two differing statements from Bonnet as to the background for the track – one being it is dedicated to James Dean, the other that it was written about a fan that the band had heard about who had died in a car accident on the way home from one of the band’s gigs.

The album then gets a little bland for a couple of numbers until the all-out rock of Stripper kicks in at track 6 with a breakneck riff from Vai. Things again drift somewhat until Sons And Lovers, a medium paced melodic rock number with a good hook which is followed by Skyfire, one of the strongest tracks on the album, telling the story of a UFO incident Bonnet witnessed over his Malibu home.

Whilst much trepidation surrounded the post-Malmsteen Alcatrazz, this album turned out a near-cracker, not quite there but very good indeed, with Vai and Bonnet really giving it their all and proving equally as good as No Parole but in a different sound-scape. Unfortunately for Alcatrazz, Vai left following the Disturbing The Peace tour to join Dave Lee Roth but that’s another stony!

• Graham Bonnet – Vocals
• Steve Vai – Guitars
• Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
• Gary Shea – Bass
• Jan Uvena – Drums

Alcatrazz - No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll (1983)

Following an all-too brief stint as frontman with Rainbow, vocalist Graham Bonnet pursued several short-lived projects for a few years – a short stint with the Michael Shenker Group and a solo album – only to re-emerge with Alcatrazz in 1983 and this, their debut album No Parole From Rock ‘N’ Roll. Featuring a largely unknown bunch of musicians, and Bonnet as chief songwriter (as opposed to in Rainbow) the omens weren’t good.

However, what in fact emerged was something of a revelation during what was something of a transition period in the development of rock with Bonnet ‘taking a punt’ on a then-19 year old Swedish guitarist named Ymgwie Malmsteen who, at that time, was heavily under the influence of Richie Blackmore in both classically-influenced style and appearance coupled with rapid sweeps, runs and arpeggios: something which he would develop to a phenomenal extent in his post-Alcatrazz career.

Furthermore, Bonnet’s writing was first rate with Jet To Jet, Hiroshima Mon Amour and Too Young To Die being three of the outstanding tracks from the album. Whilst Bonnet’s vocals were good with Rainbow, the more commercial approach that that band were taking at the time had somewhat limited the scope for his vocal abilities where as here, Bonnet really could let rip with his awe-inspiring range and power.

Unfortunately, the Bonnet-Malmsteen partnership only saw this studio album, and a live offering released, before Malmsteen pursued a solo career but for lovers of melodic shredding guitar, melodic yet powerful rock and soaring vocals, you couldn’t ask for more than No Parole From Rock ‘N’ Roll. My only criticism would be the production is a little ‘limp’ but hey, you can’t have everything!

• Graham Bonnet – Vocals
• Yngwie Malmsteen – Guitar
• Gary Shea – Bass
• Jan Uvena – Drums
• Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards