VARIOUS ARTISTS - Just Like Paradise (A Millennium Tribute To Diamond Dave Lee Roth)

12 songs
47:33 minutes
***
Mascot

I was never too big a fan of Van Halen or Diamond Dave, but that has nothing to do with why this tribute CD receives such a low rating. Even if you were never into their music, you had to admit that they knew how to write catchy hardrock songs, and even David Lee Roth's solo albums were always good for one surprise or another. But what made this rock legend's charm was eventually his frivolous, scandalous glam attitude. Paying tribute to such an icon is doomed from the beginning, and as a matter of fact we have to kind of renditions here. Some that sound nearly exactly as the original, and unfortunately even work best here. Strange example is the band Hot For Teacher, cover the song of that very same name, and being apparently a Van Halen (Diamond Dave era) cover band. It's sad that such a band is the highlight on this compilation album. Other bands try to add some of their own style, but as most come from a melodic hardrock / glam rock / hair metal background, they are mostly forgettable. Worst of all are two non-DLR compositions, namely Just A Gigolo (cheap swing version) and Tobacco Road (poor blues rock). Three songs that work out alright are the driving opener Just Like Paradise, the classic Panama and Shy Boy with a Jason McMaster on fantastic vocals.

So why do I not name any participating bands? Just like many Magna Carta Records compilations, Mascot also seem to assemble a bunch of musicians together and let them make cover versions that sound like an uninspired combination of their respective bands. So there may be current and former members of Lillian Axe, Aerosmith, Poison, Dokken, Riot, Watchtower, Enuff Znuff, American Dog, Dangerous Toys, Lynch Mob and TNT, but don't expect to hear the bands themselves.

This may even be a disappointing listening experience for die-hard Diamond Dave fans!