...and my review:
Being the only person in Europe to own this album I should be writing a professional review but unfortunately Im not a critic. This is my unprofessional review
First of all thank you to everyone in the beenafix.com. Especially Markus for keeping it going all these years. Thank you to everyone who helped with the petition, whether or not it helped get the album released, Like A Dog is real.
Today I will be posting all of the artwork at
www.izzy.34sp.comIzzy sent me all of the album fonts, new photos, CD artwork, front cover, back cover... everything you need should you want an official look for your CD. The disc, which I will post a photo of as soon as possible, is professionally printed.
Now for a review:
Like a child on christmas morning I ripped open the FedEx box and pulled out its contents. I woke up on the 10th of October to an email from Izzy saying Like A Dog was going to be released; four days later I can't believe I am waking up to receive my copy of the album - this is unreal.
Ignoring my usual need to play with the bubble wrap I threw Like A Dog straight into my PC. Bomb sets the pace for the album. A seconds pause half way through the song builds up the tempo even more because Izzy kicks back in with that addictive bass line. You know the album will be something special as soon as this song starts.
Hammerhead: Yet another addictive bass line opens the song, this time by JT Longoria, and you are thrown straight back into the rock n roll that flows from start to finish on Dog.
Snafu: Some wild guitar opens the song and Izzy says 'Snafu'. For anyone who doesn't know what Snafu is Izzy quickly goes on to sing 'Situation Normal, All Fucked Up'.
Hell Song: With a title like 'Hell Song' you expect some rock n roll and thats exactly what Izzy, Rick
and Taz deliver. Izzys voice echoes over the back-drop rock n roll saying "I only wrote this song for you... go to hell!"
Rollin On: I don't want to offend any Izzy fan but this song is reminiscent of a later Nirvana. The first time I heard it I thought of Kurt Cobain singing a pop-rock version of Drain You. The chorus is so catchy and Taz builds up the tempo that helps carry the song straight into Just Dont Know. This is one of my favourites on a record.
Just Don't Know: More rock n roll. I am trying to think of a comparison to describe the song but I cant.
Chop Away: Co-written by Izzy and Rick Richards. I don't know how many of you have seen the recent Aerosmith DVD that was released but thats what this song reminded me of. It has a bluesy riff and the lyrics sound like the song is about some ex-girlfriend, and the simple chorus fits perfectly between Ricks even-more-awesome-than-usual guitar solos.
Win U Lose: I sound so repetitive but this is rock n roll through and through. Its been a few years since a rock n roll album carried its own but Like A Dog really does. Win U Lose fits nicely in the album.
On The Run: I expected this to be similar to Highway Zero, probably because that was about a dealer on the run and it really is. The character in the song is out of drugs and on the run. Izzy and Rick bring the song to a close; Taz starts pounding away again building up a fast tempo for Izzy to start singing "On The Run" before closing with a riff. Excellent song.
Like A Dog: The title track doesn't stand out from the rest but it certainly does represent the whole mood and tempo of the album. With a running time of 9:10 seconds I was worried that Izzy might have purchased himself a 50-piece orchestra and gone for a ballad but fortunately he hasn't. It is a four minute rocker that brings the album to a cool finish. This was definately worth the wait.
Their is something special after LAD fades out. A hidden song, more of a studio jam by the sounds of it, is opened with a distorted speech of some kind. A very cool hidden extra.
The Dog album carries extra meaning for Izzy fans because of the long two year wait we endured. For whatever reason, Izzy has made it available to us and it has to be added to every Izzy fans collection.
For an album that was recorded, mixed and mastered in just two months this proves Izzy still has it. The album, recorded over two years ago, is a fresh slice of rock n roll that the media has shunned recently for the likes of Pete Docherty. I loved the country rock on 117, I loved the reggae on River, but I have to admit its nice to have Izzy going back to pure rock n roll.
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