Alcatrazz
| Alcatrazz | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Hard rock |
| founding | 1983, 2007 |
| resolution | 1987 |
| Founding members | |
| Graham Bonnet (1983-1987) | |
| Yngwie Malmsteen (1983-1984) | |
| Gary Shea (1983-1987) | |
| Jimmy Waldo (1983-1987) | |
| Jan Uvena (1983–1987) | |
| former members | |
guitar |
Steve Vai (1984–1985) |
guitar |
Danny Johnson (1986-1987) |
Alcatrazz are an American hard rock band from Los Angeles that were active in the mid-1980s. In addition to singer Graham Bonnet , guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen and former Frank Zappa guitarist Steve Vai were the most famous musicians in the band.
history
Alcatrazz was founded in 1983 by former Rainbow singer Graham Bonnet . Shrapnel Records ( Mike Varney ) signed the band in the same year and also made contact with the Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen , who at the time was playing with Ron Keel in the band Steeler , which was also under contract with Shrapnel . The line-up was completed by bassist Gary Shea , keyboardist Jimmy Waldo and the former Alice Cooper drummer Jan Uvena .
The band's debut album was released that same year entitled No Parole from Rock N 'Roll . On January 28, 1984, Alcatrazz recorded their first live album, Live Sentence, at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo , which was released that same year. Also in 1984 Yngwie Malmsteen left the band to begin a solo career. Malmsteen became one of the most influential guitarists in the metal genre in the following years .
The former Frank Zappa guitarist Steve Vai joined the band as a replacement for Malmsteen . With him, the group recorded the second album Disturbing the Peace and the home video Power Live '85 , both of which were released in 1985. But Vai didn't stay with the band for long either. In the same year he joined the solo band of the former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth before he started a successful solo career after an interlude with Whitesnake . Like Malmsteen, Steve Vai is now considered one of the most outstanding guitarists in rock music .
In 1986 Danny Johnson (including Rick Derringer , ex- Blackfoot and Alice Cooper ) joined the band to replace Steve Vai. The album Dangerous Games was released in 1986, a year before the band split up for the time being.
In 1998, a greatest hits compilation called The Best of Alcatrazz was released , which contains songs from all albums. The band name moved back into the spotlight in 2002 when the song God Bless Video (from Disturbing the Peace ) was used as part of the soundtrack for the PlayStation 2 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City .
In 2007 the group reformed and announced a new album.
Discography
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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| Albums | ||||||||||||
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Studio albums
- 1983: No Parole from Rock n 'Roll
- 1985: Disturbing the Peace
- 1986: Dangerous Games
Live albums and compilations
- 1984: Live Sentence (Live)
- 1998: The Best of Alcatrazz (compilation)
Singles and EPs
- 1984: Island in the Sun
- 1985: God Bless Video
- 1986: It's My Life
Video albums
- 1985: Power Live '85 - Live in Japan
swell
- ↑ Chart sources: Switzerland
Web links
- Detailed biography (English)