On disc: Lita Ford

 
 The Complete Video Collection (DVD)
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
   


 
 Wicked Wonderland
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 The Bitch Is Back Live
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

The Bitch Is Back Live

(SPV - 2013)



 
 

 

Lita Ford started her career as a member of The Runaways back in 1975. The sixteen year old blonde was the counterpart of the black-haired guitarist Joan Jett. After the band broke up in 1979 she pursued a solo career. After getting divorced from Jim Gillette in 2011 she presented Living Like A Runaway in 2012 and now she presents a live album called The Bitch Is Back Live which was recorded in 2012 in Los Angeles.



The album kicks off with a cover of Elton John's 1974 single off Caribou. Lita Ford covered this tune on her last album Living Like A Runaway and so it's not such a big surprise that she's opening up a show with this one. With Hungry one of her own tunes followed, a track off Stiletto (1990), just to present a few songs from her last studio album. Then it's time for Back To The Cave! The heaviest tune is Can't Catch Me which Lita wrote with Lemmy and so it has some Motörhead-ish moments. Before she presented her most successful tunes at the end of the album, she gets back to the latest studio album with Hate. After the rocker it's time for the ballad Close My Eyes Forever, and I don't miss Ozzy at all. And with another song off Lita she closes the set - Kiss Me Deadly.



Some might criticize that the sound could have been more polished, but personally I like a more live-ish sound and if I can hear the audience between the songs and so I have noting to complain. Sure, there are songs I miss, but the album is a nice round-up of Lita Ford's solo career. Enjoy it!



Track listing:



01. The Bitch Is Back

02. Hungry

03. Relentless

04. Living Like A Runaway

05. Devil In My Head

06. Back To The Cave

07. Can't Catch Me

08. Out For Blood

09. Dancing On The Edge

10. Hate

11. Close My Eyes Forever

12. Kiss Me Deadly

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Wicked Wonderland

(ear Music - 2009)



 
 

 

Lita Ford took a long career break for raising her children, living on a Caribbean island she lost touch with the music scene at all. Now she is back with a new album and everybody who expects her new album Wicked Wonderland to sound like anything she has done in the past, is a fool. People get older, people change and the musical taste changes, too. If you are just want another Dancing On The Edge or Lita, then Wicked Wonderland won't please you! But if you are open-minded then you can discover a heavy, guitar-driven rock songs.

The opener Crave kicks off with a heavy, modern beat. Lita's vocals are melodic and this time accompanied by Jim Gillette's vocals which add some aggression... The song has a slight industrial touch. Piece (Hell Yeah) is more based in heavy rock, a little darker then her previous works and she uses some spoken word parts as well as some lascivious vocal lines. Perhaps a bit repetitive towards the end... The songs aren't as catchy as her late 80's / early 90's ones, but sooner or later they hook you up - if you give them a chance. At Inside Lita's husband Jim Gillette kicks off and Lita answers him. Perhaps the song - beside Sacred - which fans of her early days most easily get into.... The songs on Wicked Wonderland are dealing with love and sex - and at Inside that is very obvious! That song has a cool guitar solo to offer, too. Another track with sticks out is Indulge. Again Gillette is Lita's counterpart and his raspy voice makes the song sound heavier. The song seems to be a bit chaotic at times, but they always get back on track. But sometimes you get lost one in the game... At Love it gets more obvious that the synthesizer sounds give it a chaotic edge, they should have reduced the synthi sounds a bit.... Betrayal is based on a heavy groove and is steam rolling you! Disturbing you when stopping dead and offering a guitar solo - which ends the song. With Bed you get the last song of the regular one, the version I got has 2 bonus tracks called Garden and Push. And I think Garden should be on the regular release, the song could have build the bridge for long-time followers to get into the album. If she would have opened up the album with Push and Garden the fans would have more easily discovered the album... At least I think so.

Vinyl lovers should look for the Wicked Wonderland vinyl which has a different artwork and a gatefold cover! A strictly limited picture vinyl is available in the States.

Some songs get a bit lengthy, coz they are too repetitive like Sacred, but it's still a good song. Many of Lita Ford's long time fans will have a problem to get into the album, coz after listening to her old releases for ages, this is too different. Partly I would like to have her voice more up-front - and in general less synthesizer sounds! Lita Ford and her husband are doing something totally different now, but if she would have delivered an album like Dangerous Curves or Black, the same people would have called her back-dated! I guess that this album will find it's way to new, younger fans - and perhaps the others get used to it.
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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The Complete Video Collection (DVD)

(BMG - 2003)



 
 

 

Many will know the blonde rocker, even if she was most popular in the mid- and late-80's. But she first stepped into the limelight next to Joan Jett as one of The Runaways. In the 1983 Lita Ford released her first solo album - Out For Blood. In the following years she released several albums and toured around the world. At that time MTV's Headbangers Ball was one of the most important media tools and so Lita Ford did several video clips. During her career she released 3 VHS videos and all these videos are now released on DVD. The DVD includes Lita XX (Live From Wembley), Midnight Snack and Dangerous Videos Vol. 1. The live footage was recorded during her world tour in 1988/1989 - if memory serves she supported Bon Jovi at that time. Anyway, it's great to see her playing live and it's like a trip back in time. Beside the concert you find most of her video clips, but as not every video clip was released on one of the 3 VHS videos, there are some missing - like Out For Blood. But it's great to see the clip for Close My Eyes Forever again! This duet with Ozzy Osbourne was outstanding.

When you choose 'Play All' it only plays the Lita XX video - for the rest of the songs (bonus footag) you have to choose 'Bonus Footage' in the menu. A bit inconvenient... From Midnight Snack there are also the interviews included and when you choose Lisa, it starts with a few words about the song by Lita herself.

For fans of 80's metal this is a great thing, even if Lita Ford never made it big in Europe, there are still fans of her and its great to see the videos again. The fans probably have / had the videos and so this is it on DVD. With Playin' With Fire the DVD offers one previously unreleased song, not much... But well, it's a great collection of the works of the blone guitarist and singer who smoothed the way for many female rockers to follow her footsteps.




Track list:



Kiss Me Deadly (video clip)

Dancing On The Edge (live)
Broken Dreams (live)

Can't Catch Me (live)

Hit And Run (live)
Fatal Passion (live)

Falling In and Out Of Love (live)

Kiss Me Deadly (live)

Close My Eyes Forever

duet with Ozzy Osbourne (video clip)

Back To The Cave (video clip)



Bonus footage:

Lisa (video clip)

Hungry (video clip)

Larger Than Life (video clip)

Shot Of Poison (video clip)

Playin' With Fire (video clip - previously unreleased)
 

 






Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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