PAUL DEAN (Loverboy) – Hard Core [Dean’s own remastered reissue]

Great news: LOVERBOY’s creative force / guitarist PAUL DEAN debut solo album “Hard Core“, originally released in 1989 on Columbia Records, is now available for the first time digitally on all major outlets. The album has been remastered by Dean himself.
“Hard Core” spotlights Dean’s fiercely distinctive guitar work on a series of songs that rock hard and show off classic influences, ranging from sharp hard rockers to awesome melodic rock / AOR melodies.
The album’s first single, ‘Sword & Stone’, a mythic tale of King Arthur and Excalibur written by PAUL STANLEY, BRUCE KULICK and DESMOND CHILD, was originally slated for KISS’ Crazy Nights album, and later additionally recorded by Germans BONFIRE in 1989 for the film Shocker and accompanying soundtrack. Desmond originally pitched the song to Dean during the New Jersey sessions where Paul co-wrote ‘Notorious’ with JON BON JOVI and RICHIE SAMBORA, (with additional contributions from MIKE RENO and the late TODD CERNEY), which appeared on LOVERBOYS’s Wildside album in 1987.

Another track on the album, ‘Under the Gun’, features a JON BON JOVI harmonica solo (and backing vocals), which took place while Dean was mixing his album at Vancouver’s Little Mountain Sound Studios with BOB ROCK, while BON JOVI were making ‘New Jersey’ in an adjacent room with producer Bruce Fairbairn.

‘Draw the Line’, written by BRYAN ADAMS / JIM VALLANCE, was previously recorded by TED NUGENT for his 1984 ‘Penetrator ‘album with vocals by BRIAN HOWE, who was PAUL RODGERS’ replacement as lead singer in BAD COMPANY.
Coincidentally, when Dean went out on tour to promote “Hard Core”, his band opened for the same BAD COMPANY, fronted by Howe.

Other tracks include the rocking, self-penned ‘Doctor’, the raucous fan favorite ‘Black Sheep’ (killer song, I love this rocker), ‘Action’ (co-written with LOVERBOY rhythm section, drummer MATT FRENETTE and bassist KENNETH “Spider” SINNAEVE and dedicated to Kenny Shields (STREETHEART frontman), and the very timely ‘Politics’, which was originally a stab at a well-known Canadian pop singer’s hypocritical stance. With a grin, it is still someone Dean still refuses to identify by name.

After “Hard Core”, PAUL DEAN went on to record two more solo albums, including Machine, released in 1995 by Strawberry Records in Canada, and Blackstone, featuring singer Marc LaFrance, in 1997. Both are strong albums, but this “Hard Core” is far superior because packs that late ’80s feel and glossy production.

“Hard Core” was produced by Dean’s pal, Chilliwack / Headpins leader Brian ‘Too Loud’ MacLeod, who died just over three years after its release. MacLeod obtained a fantastic sound, melodic & punchy at the same time. He was a total recording nerd, a pioneer at splicing together different bits from the multi-track.

If you’ve never heard PAUL DEAN’s “Hard Core”, you better take advantage of this welcomed remastered reissue, and if you got a copy, check this refreshed sound, truly awesome if you ask me.
A fabulous late ’80s album full of terrific songs / melodies.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

01 – Sword and Stone
02 – Doctor
03 – Draw the Line
04 – Dirty Fingers
05 – Under the Gun
06 – Action
07 – Down to the Bottom
08 – Black Sheep
09 – Politics

Paul Dean (vocals, guitar, bass, background vocals)
Brian MacLeod (drums, keyboards, key bass, backing vocals)
Matt Frenette (drums on track 6)
Spider Sinnaeve (bass on track 6)
Jon Bon Jovi (harp on track 5)
Dave Steele (background vocals)
Marc LaFrance (background vocals)
Ricky Renouf (background vocals)
Geraldo Dominelli (background vocals)
Vern Wills (background vocals)
Frank Felder (background vocals)
Gregg Sheehan (background vocals)
Rosalind Keene (background vocals)
Nashy Nash (background vocals)

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www.amazon.com/Hard-Core-Paul-Dean/dp/B0761B7X51/