This is a 15 track compilation of classic 80’s power ballads played acoustically, featuring the likes of LA Guns, Warrant and Great White.

Poison too, are included. Every Rose Has Its Thorn sounds pretty much like the original, except for Bret Michael’s vocals, which for some reason sound shaky. Surely he should be used to singing live by now. Or maybe he had wig itch that day.

Night Ranger’s Sister Christian is nice enough; they’re a band whose material I don’t know a lot of, and this recording would definitely encourage me to check out some more of their material. Same goes for songs by Alias, Firehouse and Slaughter- the best of which is probably More Than Words Can Say, although all of those songs are a bit too sickly sweet for me. Also quite vomit-inducing is Winger’s Miles Away.

I suppose I should mention The Scorpions’ Wind Of Change. Um… good band, but that song just screams the word ‘mullet.’ It may be a classic cut (the song, not the mullet), but that whistling grates on my nerves. It conjures up images of a load of Germans with their arms around eachother, singing. I will grudgingly admit that I like the chorus, though.

Favourite tracks would have to be a great version of Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone) from Cinderella, and The Way It Is by Tesla. The Tesla track in particular I like due to the audience singing along during it. Queensryche’s Silent Lucidity is another stand-out song, although it does seem a strange track to sandwich in between Cinderella and Extreme.

Yes, More Than Words is on this. And an a cappella version to boot. The only difference seems to be the use of bongo drums. Ugh. It’s just wrong.

Warrant’s I Saw Red proves again that Jani Lane has a good voice; something that people have perhaps forgotten due to all his personal problems and his appearance on the US’s answer to Celebrity Fit/Fat Club(!) LA Guns are featured on here too with Ballad Of Jayne, a song of theirs that I’m not particularly keen on- but it’s good to have one of the best ‘80’s bands on this compilation along with the relative also-rans of the glam scene.

All in all, this is a good enough compilation. With 15 tracks you get your money’s worth, and even though all that acousticness (is that a word?) can start to become slightly dull after a while, it would sound good on a Sunday morning having spent a rowdy Saturday night listening to the ‘plugged-in’ versions of these songs.

Best get the lighters out for this one.

5.5/10
Suzie