"Lost" Songs Are Still Very Welcome!
campboy83 | Virginia Beach, VA United States | 06/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This review is NOT for the cd indicated. I don't know how this "Ground Flare" CD ever got mixed up with the Heavy Pettin CD "Prodigal Songs", but it did. The following review is for the latter.
My review is actually 4 1/2 stars. First of all, the quality of the recordings here sound nothing like "demos". With the exception of the one song from 1982, they are all very good. The newest songs (from 1987), take the band on a direction they wanted to go instead of what ended up on "Big Bang" (I wish they'd stop apologizing for that awesome cd). Those two newest songs, however, are not so hard that you can't tell that the band was just maturing. They sound like part Pyromania-era Def Leppard, with some kind of Krokus/Helix sound mixed in. The majority of the songs were written just pre and post "Rock Ain't Dead" -era. That CD ranks as one of my top 5 of all time, so as I listen to the songs that didn't make the cut, I tend to agree. Which is not to say that they're bad, they are all very good, one of them "Keep On Beleiving" is a classic, which should have made "Rock Ain't Dead"
So....if you are a Heavy Pettin fan, you won't be disappointed with this collection, 10 times better than most bands' "demos" that come out years after the band breaks up. If you are not a "Pettin" fan, this is just some great rock that you will love.
By the way, I also own the ultra-rare "Demos '98" CD from the band, but sadly have no story about how it fits into the band's history. If anyone knows, please drop me a line."
Very Interesting
Zoe Ward | UK | 05/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love this collection of previously unreleased material for a number of reasons. First, there's evidence of a fine rock band here that had it given the chance of directing its own future would have went all the way to the top. Secondly, because there is more of all the band's influences on this album than on their released material. Thirdly, the track 'My Love For You' is absolutely AOR at its best. Rock on lads."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1