Bring 'Em Bach Alive!

by Greg Prato After Skid Row split up in the mid-'90s, singer Sebastian Bach formed an alternative/heavy metal supergroup dubbed The Last Hard Men. In addition to Bach, the group included Breeders guitarist Kelley Deal, Frogs guitarist Jimmy Flemion, and Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Unfortunately, the group never issued an album (just a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out," for the Scream soundtrack), as Deal and Chamberlin eventually went back to their previous bands. Invigorated by the experience of playing with different musicians, Bach stuck with Flemion and formed a new band, consisting of ex-Frehley's Comet guitarist Richie Scarlet, ex-Madam X drummer Mark "BamBam" McConnell, and a bassist named simply Larry. The band played over a hundred shows together. The best of them, a pair of nights played in Tokyo, Japan, make up the majority of the 1998 release Bring 'Em Bach Alive!, the first full-length album Bach has released since his Skid Row days. As expected, many standards from his former band are featured: raw and rocking versions of "Slave to the Grind," "18 & Life," "Riot Act," "Mudkicker," "I Remember You," and "Youth Gone Wild," plus a merger of "Monkey Business" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla." Also included are several new studio recordings (the Flemion-originals "Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears" and "Blasphemer," among others). Longtime Skid Row fans will definitely enjoy Bring 'Em Bach Alive!.