Dokken - Tooth and Nail (1984)Release ID: 6320
Most people that know me wouldn't be aware of this but back in the late 80’s & early 90’s I was an absolutely huge fan of an American guitarist by the name of George Lynch. So much so in fact, that I’d put him right up alongside names like Eddie Van Halen & Randy Rhoads as one of my biggest influences as a young musician. So I have to admit that I’ve been really looking forward to revisiting some of the old Dokken records where he first made a name for himself for some time now.
Dokken first formed back in 1979 out of the ashes of front man Don Dokken’s first band Airborn but it wasn’t until 1981, when Don took his second visit to Germany, that things started to move in a positive direction for the band. Legendary guitar hero Lynch had only just joined the group & Don was temporarily groomed as the replacement front man for Scorpions while regular vocalist Klaus Meine underwent surgery. During this period Don was given the opportunity to record the early demos for Scorpions’ “Blackout” album with Michael Wagener of Accept fame & this connection led to Dokken scoring themselves their own recording deal with Carrere Records. Dokken’s debut studio album “Breakin’ The Chains” followed shortly afterwards & it didn’t exactly set the world on fire to be honest but there were definitely some promising signs here & there. Strangely though it’d be another three years before we’d see a follow-up release in 1984’s “Tooth & Nail” & it’d see the band transitioning their more traditional heavy metal sounding material to a more commercially accessible one that was heavily influenced by the thriving LA glam metal scene.
The recording process was a particularly troubled one with Don & George’s notorious personality clashes being exacerbated by heavy substance abuse & causing no end of problems. In fact, they couldn’t be in the same room at the time & this forced the producer to arrange for individual recording sessions for each of them with the scheduling scattered across the day to avoid any chance of physical conflict. I’m not too sure how much of an impact that had on the final production job but it has it’s issues even if it’s unlikely to ruin anyone’s listening experience. Particularly the rhythm guitar sound which could definitely have been improved upon.
But musically these guys can all play their instruments with the rhythm section putting in a solid display built on traditional hard rock disciplines. Don’s vocals aren’t amazing but he does very well with what he’s got for the most part. He isn’t helped by some very cheesy song-writing & lyrics at times though it must be said. But the hero of the day is unquestionably George Lynch whose stunning technique is only matched by his ridiculously wide vibrato & wonderful sense of melody. Boy, does this guy know how to compose a solo. These efforts are so complete that they’re almost like compositions in their own right. His style is almost a perfect match for my taste too & I find myself hanging out to hear his lead work even on the weaker tracks on offer.
And there ARE three or four weaker numbers here. There are no real stinkers but we do get several average attempts at commercial appeal. In fact, Dokken are one of the first bands that could be seen as being a genuine metal band & also built around the commercialism of the US glam metal scene. You can see this clearly in their influences as Van Halen is unquestionably at the top of the list with fellow hard rockers like Def Leppard & Scorpions also featuring quite prominently. But it’s Lynch’s flashy style & shreddy guitar sound that keeps Dokken from turning over to the dark side for long & this makes all of this material sit more comfortably under the heavy metal tag than the hard rock one with Saxon, Dio, Priest, Ozzy & Dio-era Sabbath influences all raising their head at times.
"Tooth & Nail" certainly showcases a fairly unintimidating & poppy form of metal though with plenty of cheese on offer (particularly in the repeated use of gang vocals during the choruses) & in truth I’m not sure I’d be much of a fan if not for the heights reached by my guitar idol. As it is though, I find it to be a pretty rewarding listen that probably lacks a couple of real classic songs to give it more long-term appeal.
