Dokken to release "The Lost Songs" in August

This sounds interesting:

Quote :

DOKKEN will release an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" on August 28 via Silver Lining Music.

It wasn't always multi-platinum sales and stadium gigs for DOKKEN. There was a first-phase and there were early days, and it is those bold first steps to stardom which are celebrated comprehensively on "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" LP.

Featuring spectacular sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE), "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" show the crackle and craft of a hungry young Don Dokken as he embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany. It is a trek which is testimony to the sheer endeavor and perseverance Don Dokken showed in those few years between 1978 and 1981, starting from when he spent time at a guitar store called Drake's Music, owned by Drake Levin in Manhattan Beach, California.

A fair selection of the treasure on "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" are from these early European days. "Felony" carries a thuggish fuzz-coated riff -think early VAN HALEN in really greasy embroidered denims, while "Day After Day" showed that Don could pen a radio-slaying ballad.

The writing and creation of "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" are further tribute to enduring early days of struggle in both Germany and L.A., Don would return to L.A. for a spell after those brief European gigs, and he worked with Juan Croucier on material, including perhaps the truest view of DOKKEN's then-future "Hit And Run", which incredibly did not end up on the eventual "Breaking The Chains" release. From the sunbaked SoCal hook of "Step Into The Light" to the furious, fledgling, late-Sunset Strip sound of "Back In The Streets", "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" shows Don in his unfettered early days of balls-out attitude, qualities doubtless forged in the sheer nature of the adventures undertaken in writing, recording and deciding Europe was the place to keep cutting his teeth.

"The Lost Songs: 1979-1981" not only shares that magic with the fans, it gives them the final, vital and undeniably missing (until now) early album in the DOKKEN collection.

A year ago, Dokken spoke to the WSOU radio station about the "The Lost Songs" collection, saying that it was a "fun" release that would include "songs recorded in the '70s when I was a little pup in my early 20s. And I have 12 songs that I haven't released," he explained. "So we're gonna go in and remaster them and all that, and I might put out that record and call it something like 'Dokken: The Early Days' or 'Dokken: The Lost Tapes', or something like that. 'Cause it was just an accident. I was cleaning out my locker and I found a bunch of master tapes from '77 to '79. And I said, 'What the heck are these?' And it turns out it was all these demos I did in the early '70s, before we had a record deal… It's kind of fun record. My voice sounds a lot younger. I listen to it, and I go, 'God, I sound like I've got helium in my voice.' I was 23 years old. I sound like Mickey Mouse."

Musicians who appear on "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981":

Don Dokken - vocals, guitar
Jon Levin - guitar
BJ Zampa - drums
Juan Croucier - bass

Greg Leon - guitar
Gary Holland - drums
Mick Brown - drums
George Lynch -guitar
Rustee Allen - bass
Bill Lordan - drums
Greg Pecka - drums

"The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" track listing:

01. Step Into the Light
02. We're Going Wrong
03. Day After Day
04. Rainbows
05. Felony
06. No Answer
07. Back In The Streets
08. Hit And Run
09. Broken Heart
10. Liar
11. Prisoner

"Step Into The Light", the first single from "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981", can be streamed below.

This is really confusing to me. From Don's initial comments it sounded like the plan was just to remaster the recordings and put them out. The vocals on "Step into the Light" sound nothing like his other recorded vocals from this era though. It sounds like he re-recorded them recently, as it sounds very similar to his vocals on the Dokken live reunion album from a few years ago. I guess it will be clearer once we hear "Hit and Run" because there have long been some early versions of that song circulating. It just strikes me as strange that he would make a comment about his voice sounding like it was on helium on the early recordings, and then put out a song that seems to have had those vocals entirely redone.

I haven't been really interested in Dokken for quite some time, but this is something I would consider picking up.

Ah, this article had more info than I seen previously. Given that Jon Levin is listed as featured on guitar, along with Greg Leon and George Lynch, it seems like it will be some kind of mix of rerecorded demos and tracks that were finished enough to release as is.

Interesting release for hardcore fans, but I doubt it's something I'd pick up anytime soon. For me, I'd probably play it through once then never again.

And I just realized I have 6 of those tracks already from the Back in the Streets bootleg.

I saw this on Don's Instagram page earlier today. This looks cool as I love the Live From Conception disc with the 3 unreleased tracks played live. Thanks for the post and info, Fredo. Dokken Fanboys Unite!!!

I’d buy this - over Danzig Sings Elvis - I’ll say that.
Artwork looks like Don’s solo - from way back when.
Has same vibe as KISS Psycho Circus did. A very strong curiosity factor.
It’s like a time capsule was dug up. Kinda fun. 
I hope he didn’t redo some of his vocals on helium. Bad !

I with this was a release of material from their early career rather than this dog's breakfast or re-recorded tracks and the Back In The Streets demo which has been out for decades. That being said, I'll still buy it because I'm a Dokken fan.

Witchfinder wrote:

I with this was a release of material from their early career rather than this dog's breakfast or re-recorded tracks and the Back In The Streets demo which has been out for decades. That being said, I'll still buy it because I'm a Dokken fan.

Agreed. It's still a cool piece of history though and a nice addition to the Dokken collection. I think I misunderstood the first post I saw (on Don's IG page) and thought this was an unearthed batch of demos/ rarities from before Don had signed to Carrere or something. I love the "Live From Conception" offering as it's such a time capsule of the early days of the Dokken band. I know now this is different, but I am still in and think it's gonna be pretty cool.

glassprison wrote:

This is really confusing to me. From Don's initial comments it sounded like the plan was just to remaster the recordings and put them out. The vocals on "Step into the Light" sound nothing like his other recorded vocals from this era though. It sounds like he re-recorded them recently, as it sounds very similar to his vocals on the Dokken live reunion album from a few years ago. I guess it will be clearer once we hear "Hit and Run" because there have long been some early versions of that song circulating. It just strikes me as strange that he would make a comment about his voice sounding like it was on helium on the early recordings, and then put out a song that seems to have had those vocals entirely redone.

Exactly what I said. Sounds like new vocals.

The song is garbage either way. Haha.

Eyesore wrote:

glassprison wrote:

This is really confusing to me. From Don's initial comments it sounded like the plan was just to remaster the recordings and put them out. The vocals on "Step into the Light" sound nothing like his other recorded vocals from this era though. It sounds like he re-recorded them recently, as it sounds very similar to his vocals on the Dokken live reunion album from a few years ago. I guess it will be clearer once we hear "Hit and Run" because there have long been some early versions of that song circulating. It just strikes me as strange that he would make a comment about his voice sounding like it was on helium on the early recordings, and then put out a song that seems to have had those vocals entirely redone.

Exactly what I said. Sounds like new vocals.

The song is garbage either way. Haha.

Wasn't their some confusion/bullshit about the release of the Live from Conception album as well? Some of the timelines didn't exactly sync up with the history of the band or something. Given that, I certainly wouldn't put it past Don to fudge some of the "facts" of this release as well.

https://heartofmetal.niceboard.com/t884-dokken-from-conception-live-1981?highlight=dokken

It still could be an interesting listen from a fan perspective, but I just wouldn't count on it being some raw original recording.

The "confusin/bullshit" is more the latter in the case of Live:FC. It was, as was outed in the article, a King Biscuit show that Don said had to be "cleaned up" as the source tape, when he unearthed it from a locker he was cleaning out, was pretty badly damaged. I am waiting for DD to rediscover the live from the Beat Club show (of which I own a pro shot DVD boot that looks and sounds great) in the same vault and has to work magic to get it to sound great for the hardcore fans.

I will buy it because I am a fan and a completest, plus I have never been able to find a copy of that long circulated bootleg 'Back in the Street' despite being out there since the mid 80's

I will give it a curio listen here and there but doubt it will be an album I give many spins to.

manny wrote:

I will buy it because I am a fan and a completest, plus I have never been able to find a copy of that long circulated bootleg 'Back in the Street' despite being out there since the mid 80's

I will give it a curio listen here and there but doubt it will be an album I give many spins to.  

Same here. I have seen the boot on the bay a few times but always pass as it's usually around $30+ dollars for only 4 songs and is something that would simply become a collectable and really nothing more.

really like the new track.. I will most defiantly be buying this.. One demo I wish I could hear is the scorpions blackout demo with Don singing.. Wish someone would release those...

brokentulsa wrote:

really like the new track.. I will most defiantly be buying this.. One demo I wish I could hear is the scorpions blackout demo with Don singing.. Wish someone would release those...

Same here, but, I am a bit sketchy on that one, did anyone actually preserve that stuff or did it get lost in a vault somewhere? Also, do the Scorps let Don use that on an album, or do they release it as a bonus somewhere?

Yeah, listened to this again on my PC, better speakers and all that, and there is no way that's an old song, remixed or remastered. Maybe an old song, but that's a new recording.

I call bullshit on it being an old recording, maybe they remixed it and played the tapes thru modern equipment and re-recorded the original tracks similar to what Kevin Dubrow did with the Randy Rhoads tape, but Dubrow re-recorded all the vocals on those tracks and even re-wrote some of the lyrics, and I am sure Don is doing the same thing.

I think this makes it obvious these are not old recordings:

Witchfinder wrote:

I think this makes it obvious these are not old recordings:

Awful vocals to be honest.

The somewhat ironic thing is that, while Don says his voice sounded like he had inhaled helium on those early recordings, the early songs up through the Breaking the Chains era might be some of the only Dokken material he actually can sing now.

As I recall based on the demo collections that have circulated online, those early songs featured nothing like the range and vibrato that became a fixture on Tooth and Nail. Certainly nothing like, say, "Lightning Strikes Again" on Under Lock and Key.

Witchfinder wrote:

I think this makes it obvious these are not old recordings:

And just like that, Shadowlife is no longer the worst Dokken record.

I'm enjoying this more than I thought I would. Over half of it will be familiar to anyone who has listened to the Back on the Streets recording. I hadn't listened to that in ages. The songs are actually not that bad.

A real standout for me is "Rainbows," which I had never heard before. It is one of the songs that was recorded from scratch because the quality of the demo was too poor to release. I really like how it came out.

I forgot that this release existed, till I saw it pop up while online CD shopping this past week. Listened to a few tracks on YouTube, some of which were "meh," some of which were passable, but of course I'm a Dokken fan boy so I wound up ordering it. Just waiting for it to arrive.