5 months after Buckcherry unleashed ‘Rock N Roll’ comes the ‘deluxe’ version with additional tracks. The question is of course, great as the album was, is it worth putting your hand into your pocket again so soon?
Read the original album review here: https://www.therockpit.net/2015/Review-BuckCherry-Rock-N-Roll-2015.php
Adding 3 new tracks boosts the album from its original lean no-filler 10 cuts to a sizeable 13 with the inclusion of a new song; a B-side and a newly recorded version of original album track ‘The Feeling Never Dies’ (featuring country artist Gretchen Wilson. Of course it’s debatable if covers by any band are essential to any but collectors, but Buckcherry has chosen wisely and the new song holds up against the rest of the original album. Indeed it’s a nice mini set of songs that don’t sound out of place with the original material that precedes them.
The issue of course is that they could have gone ‘bigger’. In a world where the music industry no longer seems to know what to do to increase sales there is already a ‘Best Buy’ edition of the album and a Japanese release. Both of these add a cover of Sammy Hagar’s ‘I’ve Done Everything for you’ that isn’t included here on the deluxe edition. And whilst the Japanese edition adds ‘Mama Kin’ an Aerosmith cover, the ’Best Buy’ version offers ‘Cannonball’ (that is here). To get all of these tracks if you must have physical product you therefore need to shell out for at least three versions of the album. Is the label trying to drive us towards downloads? Or just cash in on lovers of actual physical product?
As a fan who hates the very notion of ‘tinny sounding’ downloads it’s disappointing and you start to question that as there were already three releases out there why not just put it all on the deluxe version?
If you love Buckcherry then you’ll love the covers even if ‘… Everything’ sounds maybe a little too clean and faithful, ‘Mama Kin’ sounds better than the Gunners did with the same. ‘Cannonball’ is nice and energetic with a dip in the funk pot; and new track ‘Getting’ Started’ has the stomp and hooks you expect from Buckcherry. Personally though prefer the non- Gretchen Wilson take on ‘The Feeling Never Dies’. The question is how deep are your pockets?
