Dick Wagner on Joe Viglione Radio Show 10-28-10

Dick Wagner to appear on the Joe Viglione Radio Hour! Thursday October 28, 2010

Tune in to http://www.wincam.org
7 PM EDT on Thursday 10-28-10

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Dick Wagner Review by Joseph Tortelli

DICK WAGNER

Full Meltdown

Desert Dreams (DDP-55009-WEP)

Dick Wagner may be rock 'n' roll's least famous/most influential guitarist. In addition to his seminal role in Michigan's 1960s music scene, Wagner's incendiary duels with Steve Hunter on Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal tour inspired countless punk-rock axemen, and his frequent collaborations with Alice Cooper since Welcome To My Nightmare have reverberated through metal and arena rock for decades.

After leading The Bossmen and The Frost in the 1960s, Wagner focused on sessions and tours with artists who admired his formidable musicianship. The recently released Full Meltdown collects 15 solo numbers he recorded between 1979 and 1995; a half-dozen recently unearthed 1979 recordings make their debut here, while other tracks have been painstakingly remastered for this CD.

The cuts exhibit Wagner's unparalleled ability to chisel memorable riffs, brilliant leads, power chords and even pastoral acoustic textures. Along with the guitar acrobatics, Wagner sings every song, piping out crunching hard rock along with power-rock ballads. The previously unreleased tracks include the swaggering Detroit-anthems "Blue Collar Babies" and "Motor City Showdown," a rollicking cover of "Stagger Lee," the expressively layered "Modern Times," and "These Days," whose sensitive lyricism unexpectedly showcases Wagner's singing and piano playing. Full Meltdown also features the seven-minute tour-de-force titled "I Might As Well Be On Mars," composed with longtime musical partner Alice Cooper.

www.wagnermusic.com

Joseph Tortelli

The writer is a contributor to Visual Radio, Goldmine Magazine, Record Collector, Music Business Monthly and other publications