Legendary STYX guitarist Tommy Shaw and former NIGHT RANGER and DAMN YANKEE frontman Jack Blades team up again for their second venture on [title]INFLUENCE[/title]. INFLUENCE is also the first CD release coming out on the new created VH1 Classic Records label. From Tommy Shaw, on the making of INFLUENCE: 'This album has been years in the making. The recording process didn’t take years, but the concept had been looming in our conversations for years. From the day Jack Blades showed up on my doorstep, we discovered our chemistry as writers almost immediately. We became best friends as a result of the music and the experiences we had because of it.' 'After two albums and two world tours with Damn Yankees, we decided to do our first Shaw Blades album, Hallucination. The album was a departure from Damn Yankees that it was more acoustic in nature, not nearly as heavy and more organically produced.' 'On INFLUENCE, we went song by song; some we held very close to the original version, while on others we departed from the familiar arrangements and made them our own.'

1. Summer Breeze
2. Time of the Season
3. Your Move
4. I Am a Rock
5. Lucky Man
6. Sound of Silence
7. California Dreamin'
8. On a Carousel
9. Dirty Work
10. For What It's Worth
11. Dance with Me

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MX7TRW/?tag=imwan-20

I'm seeing them on 4/4 at a small venue here in town. Should be a good show.

No offence to fans of these guys, (and to a certain extent, I am one), but this project seems a little mockable.

"Let me get this straight: Damn Yankees break up, and two of the guys get back together...to do a COVERS album?"

Although, honestly, I'm glad they're not playing with the Nuge anymore. He gives right-wingers a bad name.

Who cares about his politics? They were a tremedous band on record and in concert. Very good mix of hard rock and harmonies with just the right amount of humor.

I do, however, agree that a covers album is a complete waste of their time and talents as good songwriters. I guess the "covers" record is another way to drag out a career past the standard live album or endless comps.

Just got the CD home, and noticed a major error in the songwriting credits on the back of the CD. They list B Gibb-A Galuten as the songwrtiters for "Dirty Work" when in fact it's the Steely Dan tune!...

Jeff