Mad Jack - Troublemaker

Listen to this southern rock gem "Troublemaker" from Mad Jack's 1984 album Straight Up

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MAD JACK was formed by rock and roll lifer Lou Kaplan in direct response to the show biz glam path hard rock had taken during the rise of early '80s hair metal. He saw that firsthand in L.A. and hightailed it back to upstate New York, looking to put a band together that keeps it real, roots oriented and rocking out down and dirty along the lines of Lynyrd Skynyrd. ZZ Top, Allmans, Outlaws… Southern Rock out of the North but deep fried with the right moves to score gigs opening for his heroes and storming the Eastern Seaboard for the next 20 years. "Straight Up" is Mad Jack's debut LP issued privately in 1984 and it smokes!

There are traditional boogie undercurrents in the rhythms, trouble with lady luck in the lyrics, plenty of Jack Daniels and roadhouse ripping but every track is constructed with non-stop hooks performed with the energy of a buncha dudes partying like there's no tomorrow. With the dual guitar action, gutsy but radio friendly vocals and uncompromising view of how to live life free and fair, Mad Jack doesn't waste a second of your time. I'm sure they jammed out relentlessly at length on stage but what you get here on vinyl is the sort of concise focus that puts the classic into classic rock without putting on any airs. Had a major label pumped some serious green into their thing I'm sure you would already have these songs running wild in your brain!

Lou Kaplan and Danny Austin are an incredible team on guitars, interlocking riffs and soaring dual leads backed by Nick Nicholas on keyboards, Mark Young on bass and Paul Mendillo on drums. They echo many of their influences without losing their own identity… proof Southern Rock about real life and real people transcends geography as well as time!

TROUBLEMAKER is an instant mid-tempo hardrock radio classic. I can hear the Skynyrd version in my head, Bad Company or Foreigner taking it way up the charts as well. Ronnie Van Zant meets Paul Rogers cool dose of swaggering attitude in the lead vocal indicates these guys got nothing to prove and are ready to call you out if you are up to no good. Killer unusual dual guitar interplay in the break, too.

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