Tesla--Mechanical Resonance (1986)
Rating--9.1
A fabulous debut from a band I had hoped wouldn't break up for a long, long time. However, the media of the 90's got to them. More on that in later reviews...
Tesla plays straight-forward rock/metal on this disc, and have remained true to it since. Similiar to no-frills artists such as AC/DC or heavier Dokken, Tesla earned the respect of metal fans from various genres right from the start. They crack forth with the whiskey-vocaled voice of Jeff Keith (think a nastier, down-home Steven Tyler), a double-barrelled guitar crunch, and a thumping rhythm section. This debut (which some feel was the band's top spot, but every studio offering has its own legion of "favorite album" fans), contains a number of stellar tunes: the first-single and riff-rolling "Modern Day Cowboy," the acoustic-to-metal "Little Suzi," "EZ Come EZ Go" with its bass moves, and the concert-starter "Cumin' Atcha Live".
Oh, you want more? "Gettin' Better" was another single that started with slow picking before a crunch-groove, and "Rock Me To the Top" is anthemic bliss. An extremely solid band and disc. Don't merely lump Tesla as a "hair band" because of when its career began. Make that erroneous assumption and you will miss out on some solid metal.
HOT CHOPS--The solo of "Little Suzi"--succinct but effective. Also, check out guitarist Skeoch and Hannon "dueling" during the solo of "Cumin' Atcha Live". The acoustic guitar intro to "Little Suzi" is another special moment, and is probably the most emotional piece on the album. Very nice...

TRACK LIST:

  1. EZ Come EZ Go
  2. Cumin' Atcha Live
  3. Gettin' Better
  4. 2 Late 4 Love
  5. Rock Me to the Top
  6. We're No Good Together
  7. Modern Day Cowboy
  8. Changes
  9. Little Suzi
  10. Love Me
  11. Cover Queen
  12. Before My Eyes
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