Brad Whitford is
the guitarist for Aerosmith. Derek St.
Holmes is/was the vocalist/rhythm guitarist for Ted
Nugent. For a short time in the 80's Brad
had left Aerosmith and he joined up with his friend Derek St. Holmes to put out:
Whitford/St. Holmes (Columbia) 1981
1. "I Need Love"
(3:18)
2. "Whiskey Woman" (3:51)
3. "Hold On" (3:00)
4. "Sharpshooter" (5:29)
5. "Every Morning" (4:40)
6. "Action" (3:45)
7. "Shy Away" (4:12)
8. "Does It Really Matter?" (4:25)
9. "Spanish Boy" (4:09)
10."Mystery Girl" (3:19)
In 1981, Aerosmith's second guitarist left to persue a solo career.(Albeit a short lived one.) Brad Whitford hooked up with Ted Nugent vocalist/rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes. Rounding out the lineup were bassist David Hewett and drummer Steve Pace. Of course everybody, including myself, compared this to Aerosmith and Ted Nugent, but this album is no where near as good as albums like "Rocks," "Toys in the Attic," "Ted Nugent" or "Cat Scratch Fever." That being said, this isn't a bad album either. It is a good collection of arena rock/metal songs with a good amount of commercial hooks. "Sharpshooter" is an exceptional commercial metal song and others like "Whiskey Woman" and "Spanish Boy" are just good rock and roll songs. Probably not an album that would appease the masses, but for Aerosmith and Ted Nugent fans, this album was/is a real treat.
Whitford/St. Holmes – Reunion (Mailboat Records) 2016
DISC ONE
1. Shapes (3:42)
2. Tender Is The Night (4:34)
3. Rock All Day (4:15)
4. Hot For You (4:26)
5. Hell Is On Fire (3:21)
6. Catch My Fall (3:49)
7. Shake It (3:39)
8. Gotta Keep On Movin' (4:06)
9. Flood Of Lies (5:16)
DISC TWO
1. I Need Love (3:18)
2. Whiskey Woman(3:51)
3. Hold On (3:00)
4. Sharpshooter (5:29)
5. Every Morning"(4:40)
6. Action (3:45)
7. Shy Away (4:12)
8. Does It Really Matter? (4:25)
9. Spanish Boy (4:09)
10. Mystery Girl (3:19)
Brad Whitford is an immense talent that has always been in the shadow of the Toxic Twins, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, in Aerosmith. Likewise, Derek St. Holmes is a massive talent who helped build the solo career of the Motor City Madman back in the 70's, but much like Whiteford, was overshadowed by the dominant alpha-male personality of Ted Nugent. However, back in 1981 the two talents hooked up to record an oft forgotten but highly enjoyable record. Together they put out an album that was a straight-forward arena rock album with plenty of hooks and some nice guitar work. Though that album didn't quite have the same unique personality as the music of their main bands, it was still a solid and immensely enjoyable album. Fast forward 35 years and the two have paired up again to put out yet another melodic, straight-forward rock & roll album. Much like their first album, this album is packed full of hooks and St. Holmes soulful vocal melodies. However, the overall sound is a bit less glossy than the debut and much more organic and more rocking. Songs like "Shapes", "Rock All Day" and "Hell Is On Fire" rocks harder than anything on Aerosmith's last studio album. The song infused with a bluesy vibe thank in part to Whitford's lead playing. "Tender is the Night" is a bluesy ballad with an almost country cross-over appeal. Again, this is far better than any of the sappy ballads that appear on Aerosmith's "Music from Another Dimension". Not everything is stellar here, "Catch My Fall" is a bit mundane but overall "Reunion" is a very good rock and roll record. The old adage, "they don't write 'em like that anymore" can be said of this album. This is old-school rock and roll driven by great guitar work, soulful vocals and solid songwriting.
As a bonus, the original 1981 album was also included in this set in remastered form. It had been a long time since I had spun that album and listening to it again was like hanging out with an old friend that I hadn't seen in a while. Every song came back to memory immediately and I again remembered why I enjoyed that album so much. Songs like "I Need Love", "Whiskey Woman", "Spanish Boy" and "Sharpshooter" sounded as good as I remembered them.