TRACII GUNS' LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN - The Second Record (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Retro Rock

Label - 

Track listing:

01 - Anywhere We Want To Go

02 - Cinnamon Girl

03 - Sunshine

04 - Days

05 - Gimme Some Truth

06 - You Get What You Deserve

07 - Citadel

08 - For What It's Worth

09 - Ride Captain Ride

10 - Hey Bulldog

11 - Strychnine

12 - White Rabbit

13 - Devil Or Angel

14 - Eeny Meeny Miney Moe

L.A. Guns founder guitarist TRACii GUNS set himself on a new path last year when he pulled together his own band LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN and revisited the roots of classic rock. The First Record delved deep into Sixties and Seventies blues and psychedelic rock for a surprisingly refreshing venture.
Now, The Tracii Guns League of Gentlemen warp back to the past once more for "The Second Record".
Tracii and friends appear to go a little deeper into the past, more towards the psychedelic Sixties for their sound. However, unlike the previous album, "The Second Record" offer no original material from the band. It's entirely covers, including songs from The Beatles, John Lennon, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Kinks, Rolling Stones, and Mitch Davis to mention some of the more high profile artists.
You might find that you might not recognize some of the songs. But you will remember Cinnamon Girl, White Rabbit, Ride Captain Ride, Lennon's Gimme Some Truth or For What It's Worth.
That latter song, made famous by Buffalo Springfield, is likely best known by it's refrain, 'I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down.'
Possibly the very best thing that can be said of this album, the songs, and the League's treatment of them, is the genuine authenticity and simplicity they give the songs.
In those days there was no digital recording, Pro Tools, or auto-tuning. Recording was simple and direct, often bare bones, raw, and straight forward, with the musician and instrument seeming to have an almost organic bond.
Guns and fellows get this, and while it may seem that these recordings sound more modern, the band strays little from the original vibe of a song.
The aforementioned "For What It's Worth" is a good example when Guns expresses the psycho, sometime eerie, guitar line that both leads and provides the necessary atmosphere. Another is "White Rabbit", where the drums offer this disturbing foreboding at the start and the guitar line, again, reveals the trippiness of the lyrical theme.
Fundamentally, while wanting to render the songs faithfully, I think Guns's League wanted mostly to channel the musical style and spirit of the era to our century.
That's no mean feat, and they succeed substantially. It might even cause you to a little classic rock history yourself.
This is Classic Rock, and really well done.
Well Worth Checking Out!
Recommended.

Rating 9/10

Tracii Guns' League Of Gentlemen - The First Record (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock
Label - Shrapnel Records

Track listing,

01 - Everything, Everything
02 - The Witch
03 - Sugar Mama
04 - The Sound
05 - Jealous of the Rain
06 - Painted Lady
07 - Taste Your Fear
08 - Feathers In a Hurricane
09 - Long Way To Heaven
10 - One
11 - Saginaw Blues
12 - Backside of the Moon
13 - Without You
14 - Space and Time Collide


Tracii Gunns is a rock & roll survivor, its as simple as that. He's toured the world and left his signature with Guns & Roses and LA Guns, Killing Machine and Brides Of Destruction, and to be fair, when push came to shove, he manned up, wished them well and never looked back. Last year there were two versions of LA Guns were touring at the same time. In the end, Tracii did what he needed to do, he walked away from the fray and fashioned a new vehicle for his creative juices to flow.
The League Of Gentlemen was born, and their debut CD "The First Record" is among us, a new venture for Tracii Guns' astonishing eclecticism.
Well, the man has produced a more than interesting recording which it isn't so retro after all. This is Classic Rock with some blues and psychedelic-flavored hard clearly inspired in the seventies, but it sounds quite organic and updated in terms of sound.
Tracii's guitar tends to drive the proceedings, yet not in flashy way. Sure, there's a lot of six-string work to be found, including some cool solos, but I wouldn't call it a guitar-oriented album. Instead, the focus is on the songs, and to be honest, the songs are pretty darn good.
The Gentlemen are all competent musicians, such as drummer Doni Gray (ex-Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds) and rather than try to recruit the next Vince Neil, Tracii has enlisted a ravishing vocalist in Scott Foster Harris, who not only sounds really great, he also writes good damn lyrics and music too.

"The First Record" travels many of the paths tread by some of the rock legends of the last 40 years in music.
It manages to combine elements of Yardbirds, Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, Floyd, Cream, and of course, the Gentlemen's own style. There's even some '80s moments in the midtempo first single "The Sound".
The album kicks off with a very Doorsy/Creamy "Everything, Everything", a good opening with a nice groove. The album continues in such a vein, whilst showing more eery and trippy portions during "The Witch" and the slow "Feathers In a Hurricane" (solid solo here). "Painted Lady" with its old fashioned organ and piano parts, would not be out of place on FM radio's heavy rotation forty years ago.
A great standout track is "Jealous Of The Rain", the only song penned solely by Scott Foster Harris. His voice sounds phenomenally strong and passionate throughout. The album continues through with variation, as on the slightly proggy "One", the Hammond infused "Backside of the Moon", and the masterfully written "Saginsaw Blues" where all members find room to jam, especially Tracii, showcasing his tasteful playing and the fact he isn't just another '80s guitar hero.
Tracii Guns has definitively left behind L.A. Guns, and his new expressive vehicle is called The League Of Gentlemen.
"The First Record" is a classic rock affair with many, many influences, but truly personal and with its own identity.
Kudos to Mr. Guns for this brave move, as this new project opens new doors for his recognized fine tuned craft and let us know (and enjoy) another of his multiple facets.
The man this time has picked up an ol' good Telecaster instead of a tremolo-mounted modern guitar, and he does good.

Highly Recommended.

Rating - 10/10




Tracii Gins' League Of Gentlemen are:
Tracii Guns - Guitars, Backing Vocals
Scott Foster Harris - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
John Bird - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Craig McCloskey - Bass, Backing Vocals
Doni Gray - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals