Album Review 2007

24/7/365: The Tribute To Led Zeppelin - Frankie Banali & Friends
Genre: Covers/Tribute
Review By: Jere

Album Specs

1. The Wanton Song - Alex Ligertwood (Santana): Vocals - Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake): Guitar.

2. Four Sticks - Glenn Hughes (Black Sabbath/Deep Purple): Vocals - Steve Fister (Lita Ford): Guitar - Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot): Drums/Djembe/Doumbek- Neil Citron (Hero): Keyboards.

3. Kashmir - Don Dokken (Dokken): Vocals - Michael Lardie (Night Ranger/Great White): Keyboards - Steve Fister: Guitar.

4. Out On The Tiles - Robin McCauley (Michael Schenker/MSG): Vocals - Reb Beach (Winger/Whitesnake): Guitar.

5. Ramble On - Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt/Quiet Riot): Vocals - Steve Fister: Guitar.

6. The Ocean - Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen): Vocals - Bruce Kulick (Kiss): Guitar.

7. The Immigrant Song - Bobby Kimball (Toto): Vocals - Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses/Rockstar: Supernova): Guitar.

8. Royal Orleans - Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen/Talisman/Soul SirkUS): Vocals - Gilby Clarke: Guitar.

9. Gallows Pole - Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot): Vocals - Steve Fister: Guitar/ Mandolin /Banjo.

10. Custard Pie - Chas West (Bonham): Vocals - Bill Leverty (Firehouse): Guitar.

11. When The Levee Breaks - The 24/7 Overture- Levee Guest Vocalist: Joan Fraley.

12. (They Were) The Eye Of God - Frankie Banali: Drums & Hand Percussion - Neil Citron: Guitar/Bass/Keys/Stringed Instruments.

The Rundown

It's almost hard to believe that in the contemporary music scene when you take an in-depth look at it you won't find any artists, bands, or musicians that can live up to the epic legacy that Led Zeppelin were able to create in history of music. Now don't get me wrong there are some great acts out there nowadays but even this day in age you won't find a band out there that will be able to be endure as long as and still remain popular as ever. Times have changed and the industry has changed as well. Gone are the days of actually giving bands the chance to build a career and for a group the likes of Zeppelin they weren't a smash success right out of the gate. It was albums like Led Zeppelin III and IV that made that band such a massive entity in rock genre. I mean for me there hasn't been a band that was more instrumental in giving birth to the arena rock era than Led Zeppelin and I'm sure there are many of you out there that will agree with me with this statement. It doesn't matter who you are or what musical background you come from Zeppelin were/are a band that have gone on to influence millions of people and you can't go that far into the industry without finding one artist or another that wasn't influenced by their incredible ability to hone their craft with musicianship that embraced various forms including blues, folk, country, soul, reggae, rockabilly, jazz, and even classical into one sonic sound that was and forever will be hard rock at its very finest.

With the release of 24/7/365 famed Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali is the mastermind behind a tribute which was done in loving memory of the late great John Bonham and comes nearly 27 years after the drummer's tragic death. Even though John's life was cut far too short the legacy he has left behind with Led Zeppelin remains intact more than ever. If he knew just how powerful his influence would become on thousands of musicians, even to this very day, who knows what his reaction would be. Frankie Banali is one of those musicians that came from the classic era of rock 'n' roll and whose own dreams of being a musician was greatly influenced by Led Zeppelin's dominance. Now Frankie steps forward on this new project bringing along some friends and peers that shaped hard rock and heavy metal in the 1980s. Their goal was to take fans back to the magic that only Zeppelin could bring forth and while other musicians couldn't match Led Zeppelin in their unique style each and every artist featured on this album were focused on releasing a tribute that stay trued to the music but also brought all their styles together to show everyone who is interesting in listening why Led Zeppelin will forever remain one of the most dominant bands to come out of rock 'n' roll.

With enough talent on this entire album to bring legions of hard rock fans together Frankie Banali has taken all the right steps in doing a very moving tribute to Zeppelin. Will 24/7/365 manage to capture all fans in the same vein that Led Zeppelin did? Or will the results be cast aside as just another tribute to a legendary band that every artist has at one time or another covered? One can never tell but sometimes when a wide array of musicians come together to show their talents by paying tribute to those that shaped and changed the music industry altogether the results could end up being the definitive thank you for the sacrifices that Led Zeppelin made.

+'s (Positives)

+ A Moving Tribute Done Right: This is such a dangerous territory to explore since it is basically a tribute album to the material everyone knows. It doesn't matter how well a tribute album is recorded, if the guitars and the vocals work together in bringing new life into classic material, and the production is done with crystal clear precision you simply can't touch the originals. I don't think Frankie or any of the rest of this all-star cast went into the project with that intent. However they did want to make sure to record a fitting tribute that all Zeppelin fans could admire and in my opinion they have just done that. This isn't just one band or artist or musician going and saying "Well I'm a fan of Led Zeppelin and here are my versions of their songs..." instead listeners get an entire album of rock stars bringing a wide variety of unique influences to the recording sessions and that is what makes 24/7/365 an exciting tribute album. The fact that each singer and guitarist was influenced in different ways by Zeppelin is brought out by their performances but they also make sure not to stray away from the original form that made these songs so timeless. There is always a right way and a wrong way to approach an album such as this and I'm happy to say that Frankie Banali has done a top notch job here with a final product that not only would make John Bonham proud but I think it would also impress Robert, Jimmy, and John Paul Jones as well.

+ Wide Array Of Guests: This is a who's who of some of the biggest rock stars of the last 20 + years. If you're a fan of hard rock and heavy metal there should be a majority of names you're familiar with. My hats off to Frankie Banali as I would also thank him for doing this as he went and collected a lot of his friends (and who knew he had so many) to contribute not only their prominently known reputations to this effort but they come into this project with plenty of experience. Who better to pay tribute to Led Zeppelin than musicians who can actually both embrace the material and perform and play it the way its meant to be heard since there are simply no session musicians here. Instead listeners get a tribute like no other.

-'s (Negatives)

- Still Remains A Tribute: Ok first off I'm not complaining here if you've been paying attention to this site this year whenever a tribute/covers album comes our way the defenses go up. This is because its not original material and most of the times it's an easy project to do. I would say this album is an exception to the rule that shows when the proper methods are taken the results can still leave an impact on the listener. All-Star tributes have an advantage to them since there is a wide array of artists contributing their artistic talent to this disc. It's hard to ignore the names involved and even if you are have the same views on tribute/cover albums I'd recommend taking the chance here as while the material will constantly remain familiar it's great to hear some of rock's biggest names try their hand at it.

- Several Key Tracks Missing: This being a Led Zeppelin tribute I have a couple minor criticisms with the album mainly focusing on the track selection. Again these are just minor observations but I felt that this release could of used a version of Stairway To Heaven (despite its long playing time I feel you can't pay tribute to Zeppelin properly without it) as well as tracks like Whole Lotta Love and Black Dog. I would of loved to hear vocalists the likes of Kevin Dubrow or Glenn Hughes or even Paul Shortino try their hand at either one of those tracks. All three of those singers definitely shine on this tribute and maybe it would be a tough challenge to live up to since those Zeppelin songs are classics for a good reason but in the end it would of been interesting outcome. Other than that I felt the track list is a good representation of the Zeppelin catalogue and those who give this tribute album a chance should be pleased with final product.

Overall

With September well under way it is safe to assume that 2007 might go down as the year of the tribute/cover album. Nine months in and the latest tribute album to come our way is the fifth review for this particular release. Upon first receiving the press release from Frankie Banali I had my initial reservations towards this latest tribute but after taking a look at who Banali got to play on it I became quite interested on how the release would end up sounding altogether. When it comes to tribute albums all it takes is one visit to Frankie's website and a look through the discography section to see that he is not a novice when it comes to a project the likes of this. Another thing that really caught my interest here is that Frankie is pretty much the guy who led the charge to do this tribute and after the accolades he has achieved in the last year with the release of the latest Quiet Riot album, Rehab, if there was anyone who could be the driving force behind this undertaking in my opinion there was no better pick than Frankie Banali. Coming from an observer's standpoint this was no easy task to pull off as this is after all Led Zeppelin here folks, it takes a certain amount of credibility to pull off recording versions of material that continues to define the very emphasis of what rock 'n' roll is all about. The one essential thing that you have to remember is if you're an artist and you want to paint a landscape you have to make sure that you have all the proper tools and lets not forget a wide array of colors to bring enthusiam into your art.  

As for the artists who paint the landscape they definitely use the best of their abilities to paint a picture that all can take in and enjoy. I think the most distinguishing feature about 24/7/365 is the fact that this is a tribute that was done with musicians that all come from that classic rock era and more importantly they were the generation that were most directly influenced by Led Zeppelin. That alone plays a very big part and I don't think I could see any of today's biggest rock acts being able to pull off a tribute such as this. I'm not saying that any mainstream artist couldn't release a Zeppelin tribute as the results would undoubtedly make for an interesting listen however I don't really think the emotion of the performances would have the same effect. Perhaps the best example of that is the vocalists who appear on the album whether it be Alex Ligerwood, Glenn Hughes, Don Dokken, Mark Boals, Bobby Kimball, Kevin Dubrow, or Chas West (just to name a few) each one of those singers have a high vocal range which thanks in part to their hard rock/heavy metal background they can reach back and belt out vocals that have a bit of Robert Plant influence to them. On the contrary each one of those vocalists are not Robert Plant and use all their own unique approaches to flesh out their interpretations of those tracks. A primary example of that would be Don Dokken's performance on Kashmir as he did a good job on it yet there were a few parts that were considerably noticeable where he couldn't hit those signature Plant wails simply because no one is able to reproduce that voice no matter who you are.

Taking a look at the guitarists who have the challenging task of playing the riffs that Jimmy Page made so famous the line-up is as solid as any classic rock fan would come to expect. Seven virtuosos are able to play this material in a way that has long been forgotten whether it's Doug Aldrich's assertive playing on The Wanton Song or Bruce Kulick's soulfully memorizing technique on The Ocean the whole album features consistent playing that have made each and everyone of these guitarists legends in their own right. I found what made it an enjoyable listen is the way that each and every guitarist featured interpreted the song into his own manner of playing. For example Firehouse's Bill Leverty took on Custard Pie in a way that when you first hear him tear it up you can tell its him yet to hear him playing in the Jimmy Page style was interesting since I've never heard him pay tribute to a guitar god such as Jimmy Page. For all you guitar enthusiasts out there pay attention to the riffs of Steve Fister (best known for his work with Lita Ford) as his playing is featured all over this release. Fister is pretty much the star of the album when it comes to laying down those signature riffs that every Zeppelin fan have come to know and love.

I stated above that a project the likes of this is dangerous territory to explore but I can't help liking the way this latest tribute release was done. It won't appeal to everyone out there I'm pretty certain of that. On the other hand if you're a fan of the artists involved and want an accurate tribute to Led Zeppelin I don't think you'll have to look any further. I honestly couldn't think of anyone better to pay tribute to Zeppelin and considering that the remaining members of Led Zeppelin are joining forces with John Bonham's son, Jason, for a benefit gig for Ahmet Ertegün's education fund, in November, further ignites the hope that Zeppelin will do at least one final tour.

24/7/365 is a reminder that no matter what happens in the music industry, whether good or bad, the music of Led Zeppelin will continue to live on forever and with this fitting tribute to a band that revolutionized rock 'n' roll to remind us all of just how powerful the songs are chances are you will not find a better one anytime soon.

Final Rating
Frankie Banali & Friends - 24/7/365: The Tribute To Led Zeppelin

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