BGO's 2004 release of
Derringer's
Derringer/Sweet Evil combines the first two albums by the diminutive axe-wielder
Rick Derringer's eponymous band.
Derringer was released in 1976,
Sweet Evil in 1977. Neither record made much of a splash and it is easy to see why. While the songs are borderline catchy, they are very simple (both in construction and production) and unadorned by little things like hooks and good vocals.
Derringer has a thin and not very expressive voice that can't really carry the day. His guitar solos are pretty run of the mill as well.
Derringer is the stronger of the two records, probably due in part to the presence of
Cynthia Weil's (of the legendary
Mann/
Weil songwriting team) help in the songwriting department.
"Let Me In" and
"You Can Have Me" are strong straight-ahead rockers with one foot in the
glam rock camp;
"Comes a Woman" is a tough
ballad that features some excellent guitar work. The only glaring misstep is the
disco track,
"Envy," which shows how wide-ranging
disco's net was cast. It also shows that not everyone was suited to try his hand at it.
Sweet Evil is a little more produced (
Jack Douglas of
Cheap Trick is behind the boards), but the songs aren't as strong. Tunes like
"Keep On Makin' Love" and
"One-Eyed Jack" are rudimentary and boring, and no amount of hot guitar soloing can save them. The record sounds like
Joe Walsh outtakes and makes a good case for
Derringer sticking with a career as a sideman. Both records also show a distressing drop in quality from his previous two solo albums. ~ Tim Sendra
![Zebra [Remastered]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5055300377463_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Zebra [Remastered]")
![The Best of 2 Tone [Chrysalis]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5060516090624_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "The Best of 2 Tone [Chrysalis]")
![Greatest Hits [Jive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0012414127129_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits [Jive]")
