Tormé

From page 89 of Classic Rock Magazine Christmas 2003



Cover of Christmas 2003 issue.
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‘Demolition Ball’ (Retrowrek Records) It’s a shame that Anne Maurice, presenter of Channel 5’s House Doctor, wasn’t around on TV when ‘Demolition Ball’ was first released in 1993. The fragrant Ms Maurice, who specialises in decorative makeovers of unsavoury properties to make them saleable, would’ve undoubtedly advised guitarist Bernie Tormé to ‘declutter’. Not so much chuck out the chintz; more nix all the noodling.

This was the last studio album recorded by Tormé the band, with Gary Owen (ex-Samson, Jimmy ‘Aerosmith’ Crespo Band) replacing Phil Lewis on vocals, who had quit to join LA Guns.

There may well be some good songs here, but with Bernie-the-lightning-bolt coming on like the Vanessa Mae of the electric guitar it’s incredibly difficult to tell. But from what I could ascertain, ‘Fallen Angel’ sounds uncomfortably close to Mötley Crüe’s ‘Livewire’; ‘Spinning Your Wheels’ is a mad histrionic ballad; and the drums on ‘Long Time Coming’ sound like someone continually falling down a flight of stairs.

Bernie Tormé’s finest recorded work remains with Ian Gillan on the 1979 ‘Mr Universe’ album, where the Purple man helped the guitarist exercise a modicum of restraint. But on ‘Demolition Ball’, someone really needed to tell Tormé to shift into neutral and think ‘beige’ instead of Jackson Pollock.

★★ ★★★

Geoff Barton

Mott The Hoople
Nirvana






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