Negoba Indulgently Over the Top

Though Mark Slaughter appeared in the video for the Vinnie Vincent Invasion's first album, it wasn't unti All Systems Go that he was able to show his now famous pipes. From the opening rip of "The Immigrant Song" on the awesome glam metal anthem "Ashes to Ashes," Slaughter shows himself more than ready to match Vincent's excessiveness with ease. He also adds some songwriting savvy to the album, but the whole group probably didn't write a good lyric in their entire careers. Not that anyone cared in those days.

Vincent is still on full display on this album, but he shows us a much wider array of tricks than he did on the debut. The multi-tracked guitar of "Star Spangled Banner" is great fun, though only in the 80's would a guitarist try to one up Jimi Hendrix. The harmonies, the swells, the plucked rhythm parts, clearly Vinnie wants to show he's more than just fly picking. Of course that's here too.

"Ashes to Ashes" and "Love Kills" are phenomenal songs in the glam metal genre. The rest of the record holds up the pace, but those two songs are the keepers. Perhaps the band would have done better had they not broke up before the tour for this album even got fully underway. Of course Strum and Slaughter would go on to make a wadful of cash behind Mark's voice. Bobby Rock would drum for Nelson next but sit in keeping a solid beat for whoever would have him. And Vinnie Vincent? Well as much as any artist, he fell off the face of the earth.

Negoba Made 2B Played At Maximum Volume

Vinnie Vincent's debut album was one of the most over-the-top examples of glam metal ever made. Let loose from his backseat role in KISS, Vincent made an album of full-on shred guitar, purple outfits, the biggest hair ever, and made no apologies from pushing the gas all the way down and never looking back. The lead song "Boyz are Gonna Rock" is glam metal at its most extreme. The video, with Mark Slaughter lip syncing, was so bad it was great even at the time when it was featured on Headbanger's Ball.

The album features the vocals of Robert Fleischmann, who had had a brief stint with Journey before the acquisition of Steve Perry. (One song from this period is available on Journey's Time3 box set). I personally think Fleishmann's vocals work better than Mark Slaughter's more famous pipes for this music. Though not as acrobatic, they have a little more guts and bite.

Though I wore this tape out back in the day, it never quite maintains the strength of "Boyz," which was probably the best song Vincent would record with the Invasion. There isn't alot of variety in the music, though a number of songs are still great glam. Vincent's guitar work is unashamedly self-indulgent, featuring amelodic fly picking and speed for the sake of speed. But this music was never about nuance. Dana Strum and Bobby Rock hold down the bottom end with little flash, but that's how the other purple one wanted it.