As requested, more TALISMAN albums, here’s “Life / Deluxe Edition” remastered. Talisman was the pride and joy of talented Marcel Jacob (RIP) who always dreamed with his own band after play and record with the likes of Yngwie and John Norum. With the mighty Jeff Scott Soto they formed this great Melodic Hard Rock / AOR outfit keeping the fire burning during the hardest decade for the genre: the Nineties.
All Talisman catalog has being reissued by a Swedish label with new artwork, newly remastered audio and previously unreleased material. Talisman’s 4th studio album “Life” was quite successful in Japan but suffered severe distribution problems in the rest of the world, and remains as one of the least heard from the band.
Including guitarist Fredrik Åkesson (ex- One Cent, Southpaw) and ex- Treat skinsman Jamie Borger, “Life” was written in Jeff Scott Soto’s house over a couple weeks in March 1995. Recorded in Sweden minus the vocal tracks taped down in Los Angeles, “Life” is a ‘real’ Marcel Jacob’s baby.
His monster bass lines & arrangements (sometimes coming out like a guitar) never sounded so rich. Just listen the previously unreleased, original demo versions of “Temptation”, “Tears In The Sky” and “Sympathy”, all with great sound quality and revealing his masterful ability on the 4-string and 6-string bass. This bonus material is a real treat.
Also “Hands Of Time” (originally a Japanese bonus track) rides a bass heavy attack to a soulful perfection.
But of course, we have the inimitable Jeff Scott Soto… the man rocks all over but if I have to pick a highlight of his vocal mastery here it should be “A Life”, a track were Jeff simply shines.
“Tears In The Sky” is a melodic hard gem, the bass pumped heavy-funk of “Temptation” catchy as hell, and “Loveblind” soars very close to AOR.
For this album, on some songs Fredrik Åkesson tuned-down the guitars a bit to obtain a more muscular delivery as on the moving “All That Really Matters”, the harder “Sympathy” and the kickin’ “Body”, the latter featuring a killer solo and awesome backing / harmony vocals.
If you never heard Talisman, you’re missing something great. Melodic Hard Rock fans of course know them, but perhaps not this “Life”, quite hard to find for years.
Now, this remaster sounds incredible, believe me.
1 Tears In The Sky - Talisman
2 Crazy - Talisman
3 Body - Talisman
4 Temptation - Talisman
5 Loveblind - Talisman
6 Soul 2 Soul - Talisman
7 All That Really Matters - Talisman
8 A Life - Talisman
9 Sympathy - Talisman
10 So Long - Talisman
11 Hands Of Time - Talisman
12 How Was I 2 Now - Talisman
13 Love's Gone - Talisman
14 Tears In The Sky (Demo) - Talisman
15 Sympathy (Demo) - Talisman
16 Temptation (Demo) - Talisman
Talisman – Life (Deluxe Edition+6 bonus) 2013
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