PRETTY MAIDS is one of the greatest bands ever, and chances are good you’ve never heard of them.
I consider these Danish wonders to be one of four that are horribly overlooked in the USA. The other three are Talisman, Thunder and Harem Scarem.
Sure, there are other groups out there that are far more deserving of the recognition than they receive compared to 99.9% of the top 40 garbage, but all four of these bands are the most extreme examples of groups not huge phenom’s around the world.
And frankly, I think Pretty Maids is the band that tops that list.
How Pretty Maids aren’t at the level of success of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard or Journey completely baffles me. You will find no group that has more consistently released incredible music from their first album to their most recent.
They have a catalog filled with catchy and powerful songs, chock full of melody yet with a hard edge not found in the above mentioned mega-bands.
Musically you will find no pairing that meshes as well as the ever constant core of Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer. With Atkins you have a vocalist able to sing some of the most beautiful lines you can imagine then go into a growl that is intense, but not so grating as to detract from the songs. Match that with the guitar prowess of Hammer and you’ve got a musical duo that ranks as high as any other (I’m looking at you Jagger / Richards, Perry / Tyler, Schon / Steve Perry).
While listening to their latest release on Frontiers Records, an incredible career spanning live opus entitled "It Comes Alive", I hear these astounding songs like “Hell On High Heels”, “Walk Away”, “Yellow Rain”, “Future World” or “Savage Heart” and I ponder many things.
For starters, I would stand any of their songs up against any of the big hits of Bon Jovi and Def Leppard and will state clearly that there’s no competition. Pretty Maids has catchy songs full of more hooks, fantastic vocals, sing-along chorus’ than both those bands combined.
They can go from the hardest of rockers like “Red Hot and Heavy” to the sweetest of ballads with “Savage Heart” without missing a beat or losing the listener. And unlike both Bon Jovi and Def Leppard - and this is made obvious listening to "It Comes Alive" - that after 30 years in the business they haven’t changed what they do one iota yet remained true to their sound. A still sound fan-tas-tic.
Not to pick on either of those other bands, but they have some serious clunkers in their catalogs respectively. I also have no personal beef with either Jovi or Leppard, I consider myself a true fan of most of their material, but they’re still able to do big tours and sell records, while Pretty Maids is more or less unheard of after slogging away for three decades.
I’m sorry, but what the hell is wrong with people?
If it’s not clear that I am a rabid Pretty Maids fan, I’ll just say it straight out: I have loved these guys for many years now.
I remember just like it was yesterday the first time their video for “Future World” (from the outstanding '87 album of the same title) came on to The Headbanger’s Ball on MTV. The blazing guitar lick and the galloping keyboard melody had me from the first few seconds.
I immediately got the vinyl as import and played it repeatedly. Sadly, due to the fact that they barely made an impact on the scene, I didn’t know they had albums prior, nor was able to keep up with them until much later on.
"It Comes Alive" showed me beyond a shadow of a doubt that not only do the songs stand the test of time, but their actual performances are just as powerful and fresh as if they were a new band. And despite the fact that they’re not as huge as they should be, they have a devoted following as evidenced by the audience participation.
Ronnie directs the crowd to sing along, and from the word go the crowd is fully into it. He’s not forced to do the 'I can’t hear you!' shtick so many bands have to do to get the crowd going. The crowd is already singing along!
This CD is so incredible you almost feel like you’re in the crowd as well, singing along, even though you’re in your car driving to work.
I realize that live albums aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I respect that. I don’t listen to live albums as much as I used to.
However, Pretty Maids' "It Comes Alive" is too incredible to miss. And I don’t think there was much (if any) touch-up work done on this album, as typically happens with live recordings. The sound and the vibe in this double CD is out of this World.
This is where all started guys. Pretty Maids were - and healthy are - one of the pioneers of the Melodic Hard Rock scene.
In short, regarding "It Comes Alive - Maid in Switzerland";
Q: Do you like classic, killer Melodic Hard Rock in its purest form?
A: You will be blown away.
Q: Do you dislike live albums?
A: You will be blown away.
CD1
01 - Pandemonium
02 - I.N.V.U
03 - Hell On High Heels
04 - Wake Up To The Real World
05 - Destination Paradise
06 - Another Shot
07 - Scream
08 - Walk Away
09 - It Comes At Night
10 - Queen Of Dreams
11 - Savage Heart
12 - Clay
CD 2
01 - Yellow Rain
02 - Rock The House
03 - Back To Back
04 - Rodeo
05 - Love Games
06 - Future World
07 - Little Drops Of Heaven
08 - Please Don't Leave Me
09 - Red Hot And Heavy
10 - Nightmare In The Neighborhood [iTunes exclusive Bonus Track]
Ronnie Atkins: Vocals
Ken Hammer: Guitar
Rene Shades: Bass
Allan Tchicaja: Drums
Morten Sandager: Keyboards
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Pretty Maids – It Comes Alive (Maid In Switzerland) (2012) 2CD
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