OK, the Donnas

[Mike Cole]

I just bought a couple of Donnas LPs, their latest effort and "Teenage Rock'n'Roll Machine". The latest LP is a helluva lot of fun. It also shows how much they have improved, both musicwise and lookswise. Yeah, the songs are all really really similar, but once I start listening, it just doesn't matter. And the fact that I got it on a piece of good fat vinyl for only eight bucks makes it even better. Worth checking out.

Mike

 

[jshorva65]

And the fact that I got it on a piece of good fat vinyl for only eight bucks makes it even better. Worth checking out.

Just curious, but where did you hear about The Donnas? Just wondered if you read the article that I posted here about them or found them through some other source. Article about The Donnas

I like that 70's nostalgia thing they've got about them ... right down to the vintage '74 Zenith color tv, Colecovision game console and 8-track stereo on the back cover and on their Web site. Their sound, especially the guitar style, reminds me of KISS circa 1975. This kind of thing is brand new to kids my son's age. Before The Donnas, I hadn't heard a new band with a decent lead guitarist since Hardline in 1992 and was really starting to miss that Les Paul into Marshall into Celestion sound. I hope they come to Cleveland on the tour.

I saw them on Saturday Night Live recently, and they gave me every indication that they must put on a great live show! In case you missed them on SNL that week, you'll be able to check them out this Saturday since this week's SNL is a repeat of the same show according to the NBC web site.

 

[Mike Cole]

jshorva65, yeah, I heard about them thru your post. They don't remind me of KISS too much though. For me, it is more of a rock'n'roll Ramones type of thing. There was a group out of England called Girlschool that had the same sort of sound but they were not quite as addictive as the Donnas. I have never heard of Hardline, I may have to find out more about them. It's always great to find new bands that have more than 1 or 2 good songs on the album.

Mike

 

[jshorva65]

They don't remind me of KISS too much though. For me, it is more of a rock'n'roll Ramones type of thing. There was a group out of England called Girlschool that had the same sort of sound but they were not quite as addictive as the Donnas.

I've got Girlschool's Hit and Run LP in my collection, plus The Runaways' Queens of Noise (Lita Ford and Joan Jett before their solo careers). I notice the similarity, but I still say Allison Robertson's guitar solos remind me more of Ace Frehley circa '75 than of Kelly Johnson or Lita Ford. Maya Ford's bass style and tone (especially the "slap note" thing in "Pass It Around" and the Gibson/Ampeg combination) is more like circa '75 Gene Simmons than Enid Williams. Kim McAuliffe's rhythm guitar really helps fill out Girlschool's sound, but even she and Kelly Johnson together don't keep up with the tone and technique Allison Robertson is pulling off with The Donnas. Torry Castellano is a much more energetic drummer than Denise Dufort. That could be why The Donnas' music is so much more "addictive" than Girlschool's. The Ramones' influence is more apparent on The Donnas' earlier albums, IMO. Spend the Night comes across to me as more vintage 70's Rock than Punk. There is an interesting parallel between The Donnas and The Runaways, though, and it's that The Donnas were in Junior High when they started, and Joan Jett was only 16 when she was recording and touring with The Runaways.

Some of these rock licks were almost cliche' in the 70's, but there hasn't been anyone playing real rock licks through real vintage gear for so many years that they sound fresh again. They're brand new to kids my son's age, though. I'm getting the feeling that the whole rock scene is coming back in a big way and that our kids are gonna have as much fun with it now as we did back then. I know I'll be at every show I can possibly find the time to go see!

There's another band, guys who have a sound that's influenced by KISS, early VH, Mr. Big and vintage Journey called Hair Of The Dog The song "Whiskey Tango" has a classic VH sound (circa 1979), "You Are the One" reminds me mostly of Mr. Big. The cover of KISS's "I" is also cool.

 

[Mike Cole]

I think the drumming on Hit and Run is what reminds me of the Donnas. It has that jumpy forward beat to it. I've only heard KISS's first album, so I can't really say whether the guitar sounds similar or not to me. I agree about the Ramones though, the Donnas earlier album was more like that. After listening to Spend the Night in the car for a few days, there is really a lot more going on than a casual listen would let on. I'm glad the guitarist is doing more these days. I recorded the Donnas on one side of the cassette and Girlschool on the other side. While I enjoy both, the Donnas just have that certain something that begs for another listen.

Mike

Mike