Dick
Wagner – Full Meltdown
Desert Dreams Productions
www.wagnermusic.com
Rating: C
Dick Wagner
is most famous for writing and playing on some of the most
famous Alice Cooper songs of all time, including “I Never Cry”
and “Only Women Bleed.” Wags also played uncredited on albums
by Aerosmith and Kiss among others. His resume is amazing and
the stories he has of rock’s heyday are spellbinding.
While he
recuperates from an injured arm, Dick has cleaned out the vaults
of his solo career, including a handful of songs from 1979 that
had been lost until recently. While most of tunes fail to have
the same flair as his most famous work, one thing that cannot be
denied is Wagner’s guitar chops. “Insatiable Girl” and “Still
Hungry” show the man blasting his axe to full capacity.
Unfortunately, some of the album tends to ramble and some songs
don’t feel fully completed, or at least one wonders if they
could not have been better. Still, the melodies are sharp, the
guitar playing amazing and, at times, the flame burns bright.
This is a must-own for any Cooper collectors as well as guitar
players.
Jeb Wright
