LITTLE CAESAR - Brutally Honest: Live From Holland

June 1, 2016, 7 years ago

(Unison)

Mark Gromen

Rating: 8.0

review hard rock little caesar

LITTLE CAESAR - Brutally Honest: Live From Holland

Shame these Motown-inspired bikers got lumped into the tail end of the Sunset Strip glam decade, as they (like Junkyard, Four Horsemen and a couple others) defied the stereotype and musically, the Caesars were far afield of the lipstick and leather brigade. True, the initial foray single/EP included "Tastes Good To Me", a playfully rowdy double entendre filled take of nursery rhythms and cunnilingus, but they also covered "Chain Of Fools" (popularized by Aretha Franklin). Of course a nationwide pizza chain (and Edward G Robinson gangster movie) of the same name didn't help the credibility. While studio platters were criticized for being too pedestrian, there's definitely a spark onstage, similar to Y&T. 

Recorded last year, this is the band's first live offering, two discs encapsulating 21 songs, including the aforementioned, as well as a few more covers: Rod Stewart's "Every Pictures Tells a Story" gradually gets faster, plus there's a dual voice rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Happy" and a snippet of CCRs "Proud Mary" (also recognized as a Tina Turner song), during the encore. No big intro, just Ron Young's spoken welcome, right into "Supersonic". Throughout, there's little interaction with the crowd, beyond the ubiquitous "Thank you." Energetic "State Of Mind" picks up the pace, with "Hard Times" keeping the triple shot momentum going. Singable melodies atop swing, swagger and plenty of guitar. While the lyrics to newbie "Hard Rock Hell" border on cheesy, the infectious tune is right at home with the oldies. Then it's time for "Tastes Good..." slide guitar with a gleam in their collective eye. “Down And Dirty" rounds out the first six, after which they slow things down, to the moodier side of the band. Young scatting over the romping, string bender "Rum & Coke" comes across like a David Lee Roth outtake. Gritty rock ‘n’ roll at its finest. Might be time to get reacquainted (for the first time?) with Little Caesar.



Featured Video

KELEVRA - "The Distance"

KELEVRA - "The Distance"

Latest Reviews