Buckcherry Album: “Buckcherry [PA]”

Back in 1987, a hard rock song called "Welcome To The Jungle" by a band called Guns N' Roses hit the airwaves. I was instantly blown away. 12 years later, after enduring a decade dominated by alternative and "grunge" music, I turn on the radio to hear an amazingly catchy, hard-rocking song named "Lit Up". All I could think was who on earth is this, and how rocking is THIS? Again, I was blown away. For sure, this debut masterpiece by Buckcherry does not disappoint if you are a hard rock fan. After "Lit Up", two equally rocking tracks follow--"Crushed" and "Dead Again". The fourth track, "Check Your Head", is the first hint of a pace slowdown; but the message is serious and the vocals are searing. "Dirty Mind" absolutely rocks again, while "For The Movies" slows things down again but just a bit. If you like balls-to-the-wall hard rock and miss the glory days of Guns N' Roses (which to me is the "Appetite For Destruction" album only), this album will be a refreshing change from most rock releases by "new bands" in recent years. For younger folks who listen to this and like it, this might help you understand why "old folks" like myself miss the "heavy metal" days of old.

I love these guys, great reissue with a dvd If you have the first album already you'll still want this for the dvd, which has there video's + some live stuff. Packaging is pretty much the same, my only complaint is that they should have put some bonus tracks on the cd, there's a couple on the dvd.

Buckcherry's first record proves that the guitar is not dead and, in fact, is making a definitive comeback. With their guitar driven rythems and the tenacity of Josh Todd's vocals, it reminds me of what rock and roll used to be, hard and with attitude. Buckcherry, you could say, is a cross between the Black Crows and Guns and Roses. I hate to typeface bands, but others need a comparison. Just about every track is well written with the height of the recording being Dirty Mind, with it's wonderfully written guitar rythem and solo. It has the hard edge that most bands now a day stay away from, but with a blues edge. Buckcherry has again re-entered the guitar driven, blues rock with an edge that hasn't been around since the day's Axl Rose was storming off stage in a huff over the champaigne that was delivered to his dressing room. Enjoy.

Buckcherry ****

What a beautiful beginning. Buckcherry are the best straight up rock and roll band around today, there is no disputing that. The band seems to get better with each album because this, the bands first and self-titled release is a far cry from their recent third album, 15. What Buckcherry did here on their first album was fuse the styles of their idols like Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith with bluesy grooves and soulful vocals. Boy do they do that well. To really serve this album full justice one would have to listen to it, as you would with all of the bands albums. While this isn't as good as the bands later releases it is still a good solid album.

Joshua Todd's vocals are phenomenal. It's the only word that comes to mind. Full of passion and angst. His lyrics at this point struggled a little bit for maturity but were great rock and roll lyrics none the less. The man is the prototypical front-man for this generation of rock lovers. Keith Neilson is one of the strongest guitar players around. He knows exactly what to play and what not to play and more importantly when to play it. This album was before they added second guitarist Steve D. The rhythm section is nice and strong here but was replaced after the release of this album with a new drummer and bass player. But the point is the musicianship on this debut is of the quality of a veteran band.

The album opens with what is the bands best song and what I believe will go down as the bands signature song, `Lit Up.' It's perfectly arranged with awesome guitar nice vocals, and a killer chorus that reads "I love the cocaine, I love the cocaine." This is one killer song that should be heard by all and Im guessing if your thinking about buying this album this song is part of the reason why. `Crushed' is a great song. One of the strongest songs on the album, simply subject, rock and roll. `Dead Again' is a fast paced rocker with hard driving drums but does grow old after a few listens. `Check Your Head' is just boring while `Dirty Mind' is a killer and one of the better songs on the album. `For The Movies' is slower but still a good song, much better then `Check Your Head.' `Lawless And Lulu' is fantastic. A real good rocker that everyone will enjoy. `Related' can get a little old after a while but is still a really great song. `Borderline' is a nice change of pace in that it is a slower bluesy song. Very cool and contains a really good groove. `Get Back' and `Baby' are awesome, both are heavy rockers that contain great guitar through and through. The album ends great, couldn't have been done any better. `Drink The Water' is a killer rocker with great guitar and cool vocals. The slide guitar by Neilson is fantastic and really adds to the song. The songs ends the album with a bang, leaving you wanting more Buckcherry, which is exactly what the last song on the album should leave you wanting.

So while Buckcherry is not as good as Time Bomb, or 15, it is still a very good album that is sure to please any real rock fan. Besides this album really does have something for all music fans no matter the genre. So do yourself a favor and pick up Buckcherry. Highly Recommended.

Released in 1999, a time when Limp Bizkit and Korn ruled rock charts and rap-rock was that era's equivilent to the hair metal era of the 80's, Buckcherry's full length self titled debut album was (and is) a refreshing throwback to the way hard rock used to be. Beginning with the irresistibly catchy single "Lit Up" and on to "Dead Again", "Check Your Head", "For the Movies", "Borderline", and "Baby"; Buckcherry brings up fond memories of the days of Guns'N Roses and Motorhead. Singer Josh Todd (who has also become an actor of late appearing in the film The Salton Sea and on TV's The Shield) has the sort of likeable mysterious charisma that made Axel Rose and Jim Morrison so popular; and the band as a whole rocks and grooves very tightly knit. All in all, in an era of all the pouty Korn's of the world; Buckcherry stood much more higher.