Recommended Albums #88

22 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Recommended Albums Tags: ,

Zebra: 3.V (1986)

Zebra was (and as of this writing still is) an overlooked melodic hard rock band whose eponymous 1983 debut was the fastest-selling album in the history of Atlantic Records thanks to buzz generated by relentless east coast gigging.

That debut is a fine album. Its follow-up, for which guitarist/singer/songwriter Randy Jackson admits he had little material prepared due to the band’s tour and promotion schedule, is lackluster by comparison.

With the third album (whose title is a reference to the lengthy process of its creation) came a commitment to make the best record of the band’s career, as they perhaps sensed their major-label mortality.

Predictably, it was the last of their Atlantic tenure, as the label did little to promote it and it failed to chart.

But critics have given 3.V high marks, saying it contains some of the trio’s best material. The powerful, infectious guitar and synth sound and Jackson’s songwriting deserved a better commercial fate.

I saw the band live for the first time in 2023 and they were still bringing it. Randy Jackson’s guitar work was brilliant and his vocal range still impressive.

Listen to: “He’s Making You the Fool”

Listen to: “Hard Living Without You”

Listen to: “Isn’t That the Way”

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2023/08/27/video-of-the-week-zebra-dont-walk-away-live-1983/

Video of the Week: Zebra “Don’t Walk Away” Live 1983

27 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags: ,

Released the same year as debuts by R.E.M. and Marillion, Zebra’s 1983 eponymous first album was one of Atlantic Records’ fastest-selling debut albums.

But somehow its brilliance–like the stellar skills, on electric and 12-string acoustic guitar, of lead slinger and singer Randy Jackson– remained somewhat overlooked in a decade dominated by New Wave and synths.

If you’re not familiar with the trio, Canadian threesome Triumph is a fair point of reference. Jackson’s vocals reach stratospheric heights that evoke Geddy Lee, Robert Plant or Nektar’s Roye Albrighton.

This encore from an October, 1983 performance at the Summit in Houston features a frantic Jackson guitar solo that leads into set closer “Don’t Walk Away”.

The more I hear this guitar solo (the one midway through the song, not the one that precedes it) the more convinced I am that compositionally it’s one of the greatest I’ve ever heard–a scintillating blend of long, emotive notes and rapid-fire shards of shred. This mixture was Eddie Van Halen’s calling card, and is the very thing that separates the true Guitar Hero from the all-speed-no-soul hack.

THIS is how a guitar solo is properly, expertly done.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2023/12/22/recommended-albums-88/