Search - Vinnie Vincent :: Invasion

No, THIS is Spinal Tap

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 03/29/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Vinnie Vincent is obviously a very talented guitar player, so talented in fact that he felt KISS was just not an adequate showcase of his technical and songwriting prowess. Behold the debut of Vinnie Vincent Invasion, one of the most craptacular acts of the 80's hair metal scene.



I'll give the man proper credit for his guitar skills. The guy's a shred wizard, no doubt about it, but his songwriting skills leave a lot to be desired. Vinnie embraced every single hair metal cliché he could find for his debut album, including lyrics fit for a Spinal Tap album. Shoot You Full of Love in particular make Warrant's Cherry Pie look downright subtle. Joining Vinnie on vocals is Robert Fleicshman, who (very) briefly sang for Journey. I'm a fan of Fleischman's solo material, but here he spends the whole time using a high pitch wail in a vain effort to keep pace with Vinnie's fretwork.



I'm sure I'll be hearing from the dedicated contingent of Vinnie Vincent fans over this review, but I have to call it like I see it. This is one of the most obnoxious hair metal albums I've ever heard, and I love hair metal.



The 2003 reissue of Vinnie Vincent Invasion puts the previously impossible to find album back into circulation, this time with digitally remastered sound. Of course that means those dreadful lyrics are that much easier to hear.

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Interesting album, hard to listen to

Allister Fiend | Baltimore, MD United States | 01/01/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"We all know Vinnie Vincent is a talented guitarist. He co-wrote all the songs on the Kiss "Lick it Up" album, and others as well if you dig into some Kiss history. I bought VVI originally on LP way back in the day, intrigued to see what Vinnie would put together without Kiss.



This is nothing like Kiss, so get that out of your head. It's full-on, spandex rock that stands alone among the other 80's rock/metal albums based on 2 factors: 1. Crazy, over-the-top guitar playing, and 2. Vocals that are more over-the-top than the guitar.



Vincent's guitar playing is frenetic and loud (you decide if that's good or bad). One complaint is that the solos don't seem to go anywhere. Sure, they go a million miles per hour, but there doesn't seem to be much of a point--just a lot of notes. I've read in several interviews over the years that Vincent slowed the tapes while recording in order to make his soloing sound even faster (don't know if that's actually true, though).



Robert Fleischman's vocals are what make this disc a tough listen for me. First off, the lyrics themselves are pretty ridiculous, even by 80's glam metal standards. I can get past that. But the vocals are so over-the-top and high-pitched I have a hard time listening to this after a just a few songs. Perhaps the one exception to this is "Back on the Streets," which also features Vinnie on co-lead vocal. I've heard a demo of this track sung by Jeff Scott Soto (new Journey vocalist) and I'm left thinking I'd probably like this album more if JSS handled the vocals.



One thing is for sure: this album is pretty unique. "All Systems Go" was the follow-up to this disc (and the group's last), but it's fairly tame compared to this one."

Vinnie Vincent deserved better

R. Gorham | 05/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE BAND: Vincent Cusano (guitars), Robert Fleischman (vocals), Dana Strum (bass), Bobby Rock (drums & percussions).



THE DISC: (1986) 10 tracks clocking in at approximately 48 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page booklet containing two band photos, song titles/credits/times, song lyrics, equipment used, and thank you's. Recorded at Baby'O Recorders (Hollywood, CA). Label - Chrysalis Records.



COMMENTS: Sandwiched somewhere between Cinderella, Britny Fox, House Of Lords, Bulletboys and 80's Kiss, was the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Shredding guitars, high pitched wails, thundering drums, purple ruffles over spandex, lipstick and a ton of Aqua-net (see Bobby Rock's picture - his hair on the album is perhaps the biggest I've ever seen). There are some great tunes here with lightning quick ripping guitar solos. There are a couple of nice power ballads here, also with lightning quick ripping guitar solos. Maybe that was the issue... as good as Vinnie Vincent is/was... to me, he had one speed. I have some favorite tracks here - the mid tempo rocker "No Substitute" with wonderful guitars and neat vocals (and backing vocals), the heavy "Twisted" (reminiscent of old school Krokus), the bluesy ""Back On The Streets", the minor hit "Boyz Are Gonna Rock", and the closer "Invasion" featuring some amazing guitar work and an odd siren-like ending. I always thought Vinnie Vincent was an up & comer in the world of rock guitarists when he latched onto Kiss' Gene Simmons - unaccredited guitar work on "Creatures Of The Night" (1982) and credited work on "Lick It Up" (1983)... and then abruptly being fired from the band for unethical reasons. I've always wondered what could have been for Vinnie... he had another few releases with his "Invasion", but then he just kind of disappeared (unless of course you can say writing songs for Joanie and Chachi on "Happy Days" is still making it in the business). The last I saw Vinnie's name was on a few song credits (writing only - no playing) from Kiss' "Revenge" (1992). "Invasion" was a good album for the time - fits perfectly in the mid 80's world of glam/hard rock. I think Vinnie Vincent deserved better - the man could shred (4 stars).

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