Damn Yankees

One of the last highly successful melodic rock groups of the 1990's, Damn Yankees was a supergroup featuring guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw (Styx), bassist/vocalist Jack Blades (Night Ranger), drummer Michael Cartelloni (Tommy Shaw's band) and guitarist/deer annihilator Ted Nugent.

Musically, Damn Yankees was quite similar to Bad English, another high profile supergroup (featuring John Waite and members of Journey) of that era. It was the logical progression of each band member's earlier 80's AOR work into the hair metal era. The result was a very slick, polished, melodic hard rock sound that was appealing to hard rock fans and pure gold to mainstream radio and MTV. The band's major hit was the massively poplar power ballad High Enough, which was actually a pretty rockin' song, especially compared to Bad English's sappy When I See You Smile. The rest of the album was upbeat, melodic, and a good blend of Styx's arena rock, Night Ranger's melodies, and gonzo lead guitar by Nugent, who really cut loose with the closing track Piledriver.

Perhaps the best thing about Damn Yankees is that it brought Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades together. Each was a respected songwriter, but together they made a brilliant songwriting team, not just for Damn Yankees but for other artists as well.

If you're a fan of 80's rock, hair metal, or any of the band member's earlier work, the two Damn Yankees albums (this one and 1992's Don't Tread) are must-have melodic rock albums. They're about as perfect an example of the pre-grunge, early 90's hard rock sound as it gets.

If a CD has at least three good songs its worth buying and this CD has eight. If you like Ted Nuggent and the rock from the 80's and early 90's you'll like this CD. If you like good music that is well crafted you'll like this CD. If you like rock bands that can sing you need to get this CD.

This is still on of the best Rock n' Roll CD's out there. There is not a bad song on this disk or the follow-up "Don't Tread." These guys truly are a super group. Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades went on to make "My Hallucination" in 1995 witch is another great CD. Every true fan of the Rock Genre should own all 3.

Wow has it really been 16 years since this album came out? Damn Yankees was a "supergroup" project that put together Ted Nugent, Tommy Shaw (Styx), Jack Blades (Nightranger) and drummer Michael Cartellone for two albums of early 90's era heavy rock. The album spawned the huge hit ballad "High Enough" and it looked for a while as if this band were going to be really big. All 3 of the big name musicians pretty much get equal billing on this one with Shaw, Blades, and Nugent sharing lead vocal duties. Shaw sticks to rhythm guitar on this disc with Ted contributing most of the lead. This is not what I would call a great album, but there are some decent songs on it. "Runaway" is a good Tommy Shaw tune. The title track "Damn Yankees" is a fist pumping anthem, and Ted's finale "Piledriver" is pretty much what we have come to expect from the Motor City Madman. The rest of the songs on this disc are ok with rather juvenile lyrics and typical power rock instrumentation. Amazon has this CD listed used for .39 cents so if you have ever thought of checking it out you can get it cheap.

Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, and Ted Nugent join up here to form the supergroup Damn Yankees. And it is awesome. The raw talent talent showcased here is also a stickler too. Their other pursuits such as Shaw's Styx, Blades' Night Ranger, and Nugent's solo. These guys proved that the arena rock style will never die as long as we don't let it.

One of the last highly successful melodic rock groups of the 1990's, Damn Yankees was a supergroup featuring guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw (Styx), bassist/vocalist Jack Blades (Night Ranger), drummer Michael Cartelloni (Tommy Shaw's band) and guitarist/deer annihilator Ted Nugent.

1992's Don't Tread was the band's second album. Ted Nugent played a larger role in the songwriting process for this one, so Don't Tread is a little less clean and polished than the first Damn Yankees album, and a bit more rowdy (see Don't Tread on Me and Dirty Dog, which is completely fun despite some ridiculous lyrics). The single Where You Goin' Now is pure Shaw/Blades though, and is a good counterpart to their earlier hit High Enough. The rest of the album is hit and miss. There are some great songs, and some obvious filler.

Unfortunately Don't Tread proved to be the band's final offering, as the 90's soon became unwilling to embrace this kind of music. Fortunately Shaw and Blades would continue to work together as Shaw-Blades and would include some unreleased Damn Yankees material on their debut album Hallucination.

If you enjoyed the first Damn Yankees album, chances are you'll like the second one too. It's not as strong as the debut, but it's still a very solid melodic rock album, and a good example of what the pre-grunge, early 90's hard rock sound had to offer.

After the success of the first disc it looked like this supergroup was going to take the world by storm. With the release of "Don't tread" things did not quite turn out as planned. The album received very little radio airplay and after the tour the band members went back to their solo / other band careers and called Damn Yankees a day. I remember when this came out seeing a review in a major music magazine that just said one word; "Stupid". Unfortunately I agreed with the review to an extent. Some of the lyrics on this album are just plain stupid clichés that are almost painful to listen to. "Dirty Dog", "Firefly", "Double Coyote", "Mister Please" all have lyrics that are almost embarrassingly bad. Oh well.....maybe I am being too hard on this disc. The music, for the most part is good power rock. The Nuge has some killer guitar work on the disc, and drummer Cartellone stands out significantly on this one as well. There are a few really good tunes to be found, "Don't Tread", "Silence Is Broken", and "Uprising" are all solid. "Where You Goin Now" is the power ballad that was released as a single. It's ok, but not as good as "High Enough" from the 1st disc. I like this album enough to have kept it around all of these years, but I still think the first one was better.

Don't Tread released in 1992 is the great sophomore effort by Damn Yankees who are made up of tough-guy superstars such as Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Tommy Shaw of Styx and Ted Nugent rock-n-roll beast icon.

It is as damn as their debut album in 1990 and one of my all time bests as well. Damn Yankees as a whole is predominantly
Night Ranger minus keyboard,partly Survivor partly Styx with extra damnness.

My first pick is Where Are You Going Now, first single from this album. It is as if popped out from Survivor's Vital Signs(boy it is also produced by Ron Nevison). And Silence Is Broken, Zep&Purple styled Mister Please. Rockers such as Fifteen Minutes of Fame, mid-tempo tracks such as Dirty Dog, Someone to Believe
are fine as well.

Why such great album has been treated so damn bad by classic rock market?

Note: Michael Cartellone who looked obscure and fresh guy among the gang of four found his place as an ACCEPT drummer just before the band broke up. Also known as a drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd tours

Verdict: Well-done second effort
Rating: 92 out of 100
Recommended for: Night Ranger, Tommy Shaw and Survivor fans and wide range of 80s and 90s hard/pop rock fans.

On the first outing, Nugent, Blades, Cartellone, and Shaw occasionally mustered the sound and snappy hook to make a few tunes that were pleasures, albeit guilty ones, to listen to. On this one, the sound is still self-important, the riffs gargantuan, and the vocals huge. But they don't couple them very often with a tune that sticks with you.

HIGHLIGHTS:
The title track is a decent romper-stomper "Hey man, I'll kick your A**!" song. It's not as good as "Comin' of Age" but it's an OK opener. Much like "High Enough" on the last album, "Where You Goin' Now" is the big power ballad. Again, it's one of the better ones here but not as good as "High Enough" was. "Dirty Dog" is flat out cheesy ("She said 'Get down, you dirty dog'/'You've been sniffin' where you don't belong'/'Cuz I'm not one of your b**ches'") but it's hard to dislike it. It may be the great undiscovered Aerosmith single that should've been. "Silence is Broken" is another coulda been Journey ballad with nice stacked harmony and a pretty decent chorus.

LOWS:
"Double Coyote" is a goofy metaphor for the musician's life on the road. ("I gotta go go go/Go, baby, go/Go, mama, go/Double coyote man") My guess is that they meant it to imply that they're like lone wolves (coyote is the same general family) except they're extra individualistic,hence a DOUBLE coyote. (Anyone else hearing the guy from Spinal Tap explaining "But ours go to 11!" right about now?)

BOTTOM LINE:
Oy veh. Don't you dare...Don't you dare buy this. If you gotta have a Damn Yankees disc, get hits collection ESSENTIALS, which is only missing the nice cheesy double entendre rocker "Dirty Dog", will be all the DY you ever need.

1 1/2 stars

Well here is another Great Rock album that unfortunatly nobody heard.
These guys are all excellent musicians and they sound awesome together. No airplay, no promotion, the usual problems with the industry, but as these other guys also say, this and their first CD really Rocks. At the price you can find it here you really should just get it. To bad the band seems to have folded.

The Melbourne (Aust) based Production Company recently revived 'Damn Yankees' for an all too brief season. This CD has a feeling very similar to that captured by the outstanding performances in Melbourne. Jarrod Emick is brilliant as Joe Hardy with great feeling and good strength and fine tone - much like David Harris brought to the role in the Australian production. The rest of the company also brings much verve and energy to the show.
This is an excellent CD with very welcome added tracks that flesh out the story line for the uninitiated. A preferred choice to the original and now quite dated, production which is also available on CD. Highly recommended - you won't be disappointed, 'cause "It's got Heart"!!

Great recording!!! Who knew Victor Garber and Bebe Neuwirth could sing???? This movie could make you a baseball fan if you aren't already :)

LOVE THE CD, BRAND NEW AND REMINDS ME OF WHEN I SAW THE CLOSING SHOW WITH JERRY LEWIS ON BROADWAY. THE PRICE WAS GREAT AND SO WAS THE SERVICE. THANKS A BUNCH FOR A GREAT CD

Unfortunately its true, the Damn Yankees revival took many, many liberties and changed quite a bit of the show. However I happen to like this recording better. "Near To You" as a three way song, is AMAZING. Its worth it just for that song. I'll say the original Old Joe, was better than on this recording, but this recordings Lola is better. So, get both, I did. If you can only choose one though, I would go with this one. The orchestra is so much fuller. Favorite Song: "Near To You"

Okay. Maybe this 1994 revival of Faust in the baseball world isn't as revered as the 1950's original featuring Gwen Verdon. But it has sterling sound quality and is one of the few cast albums that almost allows you to understand the story just via the songs.

It's also a must buy due to the vocal pyrotechnics of Jarrod Emick. Emick's range and power are stunning. He literally blasts onstage as the younger incarnation of Shoeless Joe Jackson. In later numbers ("A Man Doesn't Know," the gorgeous multi-part "Near to You") his voice is quiet, controlled and unique. He sounds like no one else.

I saw the show during its initial release and left the show a fan for life. It's one of those rare times in the theater (seeing Idina Menzel in "Wicked" was another) where someone or something comes out of left field and makes you say "wow." This person is an astounding talent. He seems able to hit just about any note - high or low - and like Menzel can raise goosebumps. He's about to hit Broadway again in the Johnny Cash musical review "Ring of Fire." He should be a HUGE Broadway star and recording solo albums of his own. Why he's not is a mystery.

Bebe Neuwirth fares less well in her comic turn as Lola. While an amazing dancer and great comic actress, her comic faux Latin accent spoils the big "Whatever Lola Wants" number. This may have gone over well in 1950's America. But it's borderline offensive now.

Vicki Lewis, prior to her sitcom days, plays a reporter and delivers a rousing "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo." Her energy and comic timing are impressive. I found her singing impressive. Victor Garber's devil keeps the plot moving along. But it's Emick's performance that keeps the show centered.

One of the last highly successful melodic rock groups of the 1990's, Damn Yankees was a supergroup featuring guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw (Styx), bassist/vocalist Jack Blades (Night Ranger), drummer Michael Cartelloni (Tommy Shaw's band) and guitarist/deer annihilator Ted Nugent.

Musically, Damn Yankees was quite similar to Bad English, another high profile supergroup (featuring John Waite and members of Journey) of that era. It was the logical progression of each band member's earlier 80's AOR work into the hair metal era. The result was a very slick, polished, melodic hard rock sound that was appealing to hard rock fans and pure gold to mainstream radio and MTV. The band's major hit was the massively poplar power ballad High Enough, which was actually a pretty rockin' song, especially compared to Bad English's sappy When I See You Smile. The rest of the album was upbeat, melodic, and a good blend of Styx's arena rock, Night Ranger's melodies, and gonzo lead guitar by Nugent, who really cut loose with the closing track Piledriver.

Perhaps the best thing about Damn Yankees is that it brought Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades together. Each was a respected songwriter, but together they made a brilliant songwriting team, not just for Damn Yankees but for other artists as well.

If you're a fan of 80's rock, hair metal, or any of the band member's earlier work, the two Damn Yankees albums (this one and 1992's Don't Tread) are must-have melodic rock albums. They're about as perfect an example of the pre-grunge, early 90's hard rock sound as it gets.

If a CD has at least three good songs its worth buying and this CD has eight. If you like Ted Nuggent and the rock from the 80's and early 90's you'll like this CD. If you like good music that is well crafted you'll like this CD. If you like rock bands that can sing you need to get this CD.

This is still on of the best Rock n' Roll CD's out there. There is not a bad song on this disk or the follow-up "Don't Tread." These guys truly are a super group. Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades went on to make "My Hallucination" in 1995 witch is another great CD. Every true fan of the Rock Genre should own all 3.

Wow has it really been 16 years since this album came out? Damn Yankees was a "supergroup" project that put together Ted Nugent, Tommy Shaw (Styx), Jack Blades (Nightranger) and drummer Michael Cartellone for two albums of early 90's era heavy rock. The album spawned the huge hit ballad "High Enough" and it looked for a while as if this band were going to be really big. All 3 of the big name musicians pretty much get equal billing on this one with Shaw, Blades, and Nugent sharing lead vocal duties. Shaw sticks to rhythm guitar on this disc with Ted contributing most of the lead. This is not what I would call a great album, but there are some decent songs on it. "Runaway" is a good Tommy Shaw tune. The title track "Damn Yankees" is a fist pumping anthem, and Ted's finale "Piledriver" is pretty much what we have come to expect from the Motor City Madman. The rest of the songs on this disc are ok with rather juvenile lyrics and typical power rock instrumentation. Amazon has this CD listed used for .39 cents so if you have ever thought of checking it out you can get it cheap.

Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, and Ted Nugent join up here to form the supergroup Damn Yankees. And it is awesome. The raw talent talent showcased here is also a stickler too. Their other pursuits such as Shaw's Styx, Blades' Night Ranger, and Nugent's solo. These guys proved that the arena rock style will never die as long as we don't let it.

Damn Yankees did two great CDs in 1990 and '92. It seems to have done something for Tommy Shaw's songwriting...unlike one other reviewer seems to think, Styx has grown into an honest to God ROCK AND ROLL band ande Dennis DeYoung is touring with a full-blown symphony orchestra (not to take anything away from his considerable talent, they just didn't want to be playing "Babe" the rest of their careers, and Lawrence Gowan seems to have injected some adrenaline there...and they all get along, more than you could say seven years ago). This is a good starter kit...but you're best off just getting the two CDs and finding the soundtracks to Nothing But Trouble and Encino Man for the songs "Bonestripper" and "You're Invited But Your Friend Can't Come" (essentially Vince Neil singing with Damn Yankees backing him). That's everything that's been released aside from a live video "Uprising"...go looking and enjoy!

PS: They saved the best track for last..."Silence is Broken" is a very powerful song that will bring chills to anyone that's ever been in any kind of abusive relationship, and needs the courage to stand up and say "enough"...one of Tommy Shaw's finest pieces of work, intense and emotional and has plenty to say. That alone is worth the price of admission!

Great stuff, but come on they only had two disks. Just get them both for Pete's sake. To act like this is all you need as some reviewers state makes me wonder how you'll love all of these songs and still wake up feeling good in the morning knowing that you are missing awesome rockers like Uprising, Rock City USA, and Livin This Side of Hell.

If you already own "Damn Yankees", and "Don't Tread" CD's, there is no need to buy this "Best Of" release. If you don't own either of the CD's, this has all the songs you will need. It would have been nice, (in this compilation), if there was something new that didn't make it to either original CD's. That is why I'm only giving this CD, 3 stars. To bad Ted, Tommy, Jack & Michael didn't give us another release. If or when they ever do, crank up this or either of the only 2 original CD's, and enjoy true American musicians, doing what they do best...playing good solid kick ass rock & roll!

I would consider myself a "radio" Damn Yankees fan, having only heard their radio hits like, "Don't Tread on Me," and, "High Enough." After hearing this Essentials CD though, I see that there's more than meet's the ear. The only song on here that I can't seem to get into is, "Come Again," but all the others are real rockers for me. From the milder, "Silent is Broken," to the fast and heavy, "Piledriver," this CD never stops! The guitars, vocals, bass, and drums, all rock. I tend to give conservative ratings, so that's why I gave this a 4 out of 5 stars, but otherwise, I would highly recommend it for any other "radio" fans like myself.

I must say...instead of buying both Damn Yankees CDs...save yourself some $$$$ and buy this compilation instead....all of their best are here..High Enough, Come Again, Where you goin now, Runaway, etc. I definitely recommend this for any "Yankees" fan!!!

as a longtime fan of ted nugent, tommy shaw and jack blades, this cd showcases their multiple talents. excellent harmonies, ripping guitar riffs and great songs make this a cd i reach for time and time again. you won't be disappointed!!

I suggest you get essential because you miss out on alot of their ballads. But if you don't really know who Damn Yankees are (you really need to get out more) this isn't that bad to start with but really get essential instead.

get ESSENTIALS instead. What you miss out on with this collection is 2 great Journey-esque tunes, rocker "Runaway" and ballad "Silence is Broken".

This cd is a waste of money. Buy The Essentials by Damn Yankees. It has 2 extra songs for $5 more. Heck, buy it used. The song selection is decent but there is no reason for it to be out there.