Hanoi Rocks – The Nottingham Tapes – Review

dvd-hanoirocks200Hanoi Rocks

The Nottingham Tapes (Cherry Red)
By Craig Regala

Straight-up live show from one of the bands linking The New York Dolls and the hair metal thing. Not up to Gun N’ Roses’ attack level, which approaches the classic Aerosmith rocker metal, more roots rock and roll, but hell, singer Michael Monroe plays saxophone and does so live. BUT, they were definitely making a charge at the Poison, Billy Idol, Ratt, Cult audience before a car accident took the drummer’s life while ripping it up on Sunset Strip with the Crüe boys.

Included are decent, catchy songs bereft of the studio gloss and flat recording that always irked me about these guys’ discs. I remember a live one that seems to follow this track listing pretty closely. The single getting worked in America pre-auto debacle was a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revivals “Up Around the Bend,” and later in the set, they take a whack at Stooges and Ramones tunes. A good one for fans and a cool look at that period at the club, rather than the arena, level. Cherry Red has a ton of DVDs in the indie, punk, rock, and metal worlds, and where all they intersect.
(www.cherryred.co.uk)