Alcatrazz
Encyclopedia
Alcatrazz is an American
heavy metal
band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet
, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.
frontman Graham Bonnet
, young Swedish
guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen who had recently left American band Steeler
, Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo from New England
and Clive Burr
of Iron Maiden
fame. Burr was reportedly only in the band for a week, and left upon discovering that the band was going to be based in the United States
, as opposed to his native England
. Burr was soon replaced by former Iron Butterfly
drummer Jan Uvena
, who had just left Alice Cooper
's backing band. Shea dubbed the group "Alcatrazz". For the first album, the bulk of the material was written by Bonnet and Malmsteen, with Waldo contributing writing to several of the tracks.
The band's debut album "No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll" surfaced in late 1983 on Rocshire Records. MTV gave decent support to the lead single "Island In The Sun" which showed a heavy Rainbow influence. Despite the commercial nature of the song, it barely received any radio play. The album still spent 18 weeks on the Billboard charts and peaked at #128. A second video was released in 1984 for "Hiroshima Mon Amour" which became very popular in Japan. Creative differences between Malmsteen and Bonnet surfaced while on tour. Due to this and his admitted desire to begin a solo career, Malmsteen quit in 1984 and formed his own band Rising Force who signed with Polydor Records.
Rochsire then put out "Live Sentence", a concert recording from the recent tour of Japan. A live video concert was also produced. Malmsteen tried to prevent the release of the album but failed. A few Rainbow covers were included, including the classic "Since You Been Gone
". The album would reach #133 in the US. Waldo replaced Malmsteen with Steve Vai
, former Frank Zappa guitarist, despite resistance from Bonnet, and the band signed with Capitol Records. The group worked on new material and then headlined another tour of Japan which introduced Vai to the fans and allowed them to play new material from the upcoming album. A concert video was filmed from these dates.
Disturbing The Peace was released in the spring of 1985. The album was produced by Eddie Kramer who had worked with Led Zeppelin
, Jimi Hendrix and Triumph among others. "God Blessed Video" was the first single and video, yet MTV barely played it. The album peaked at #145 and charted for a solid 16 weeks, but Alcatrazz could never break out of their small following. A tour had to be cut short due to financial problems. Steve Vai left in order to join David Lee Roth's solo band in 1986 and the split was on good terms as it was an offer Vai could not refuse. He was replaced by guitarist Danny Johnson (ex-Axis and Rod Stewart), who recorded what would become Alcatrazz's final studio album, "Dangerous Games", which was released in the fall of 1986. There were covers of The Animals classic "It's My Life" (one of the only Rock oriented tunes) and Marbles' "Only One Woman". Bonnet had been a member of Marbles in the late 60's when they had this hit in the UK. The album failed to chart. Shortly afterward, Johnson also quit to join the band Private Life. Disheartened by an ever revolving door of guitarists, and dwindling album sales, they split up in 1987.
In 1998 the Renaissance label issued "The Best Of Alcatrazz" which was a solid look back at the band's all-too brief career.
"God Blessed Video" appeared in the 2002 videogame soundtrack Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
, playing on Rock station "V-Rock
", a fictional radio station in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Bonnet has reformed his version of the band as "Alcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnet" with guitarist Howie Simon (Jeff Scott Soto Band/ Talisman), drummer Glen Sobel (Impellitteri/ Beautiful Creatures/ Tony MacAlpine), and bassist Tim Luce and did a tour of Japan in May/June 2007. This tour was co-headlined with another ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. As he revealed in a recent interview, it was Howie Simon's suggestion to bring back the Alcatrazz name. They also headlined the BerkRock festival in Berkovitsa, Bulgaria in July 2008 and have played various West Coast USA dates including support slots for Y&T.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.
History
The band's initial line-up consisted of former RainbowRainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
frontman Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
, young Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen who had recently left American band Steeler
Steeler
Steeler was an early 1980s American heavy metal band from Nashville. Band members included: Ron Keel on vocals and guitar, Michael Dunigan on lead guitar, Bobby Eva on drums and Tim Morrison on bass. In 1982, they released the single Cold Day in Hell....
, Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo from New England
New England (band)
New England was an American rock band that was mainly active from 1978-1982. The group was best known for the song, "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", which received heavy radio exposure on Album-oriented rock stations and reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979...
and Clive Burr
Clive Burr
Clive Burr is a British drummer, best known as a member of Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.-Career:Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979...
of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
fame. Burr was reportedly only in the band for a week, and left upon discovering that the band was going to be based in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as opposed to his native England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Burr was soon replaced by former Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
drummer Jan Uvena
Jan Uvena
Jannaro "Jan" Uvena is an American musician, best known for playing drums with a number of notable rock bands, including Alice Cooper's backing band, Iron Butterfly, Alcatrazz and Signal...
, who had just left Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
's backing band. Shea dubbed the group "Alcatrazz". For the first album, the bulk of the material was written by Bonnet and Malmsteen, with Waldo contributing writing to several of the tracks.
The band's debut album "No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll" surfaced in late 1983 on Rocshire Records. MTV gave decent support to the lead single "Island In The Sun" which showed a heavy Rainbow influence. Despite the commercial nature of the song, it barely received any radio play. The album still spent 18 weeks on the Billboard charts and peaked at #128. A second video was released in 1984 for "Hiroshima Mon Amour" which became very popular in Japan. Creative differences between Malmsteen and Bonnet surfaced while on tour. Due to this and his admitted desire to begin a solo career, Malmsteen quit in 1984 and formed his own band Rising Force who signed with Polydor Records.
Rochsire then put out "Live Sentence", a concert recording from the recent tour of Japan. A live video concert was also produced. Malmsteen tried to prevent the release of the album but failed. A few Rainbow covers were included, including the classic "Since You Been Gone
Since You Been Gone
"Since You Been Gone" is a 1970s rock song written and recorded by former Argent guitarist Russ Ballard for his 1976 album Winning. It has also been recorded by numerous other artists, including all-girl group Clout, Cherie Currie and Head East...
". The album would reach #133 in the US. Waldo replaced Malmsteen with Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, former Frank Zappa guitarist, despite resistance from Bonnet, and the band signed with Capitol Records. The group worked on new material and then headlined another tour of Japan which introduced Vai to the fans and allowed them to play new material from the upcoming album. A concert video was filmed from these dates.
Disturbing The Peace was released in the spring of 1985. The album was produced by Eddie Kramer who had worked with Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Jimi Hendrix and Triumph among others. "God Blessed Video" was the first single and video, yet MTV barely played it. The album peaked at #145 and charted for a solid 16 weeks, but Alcatrazz could never break out of their small following. A tour had to be cut short due to financial problems. Steve Vai left in order to join David Lee Roth's solo band in 1986 and the split was on good terms as it was an offer Vai could not refuse. He was replaced by guitarist Danny Johnson (ex-Axis and Rod Stewart), who recorded what would become Alcatrazz's final studio album, "Dangerous Games", which was released in the fall of 1986. There were covers of The Animals classic "It's My Life" (one of the only Rock oriented tunes) and Marbles' "Only One Woman". Bonnet had been a member of Marbles in the late 60's when they had this hit in the UK. The album failed to chart. Shortly afterward, Johnson also quit to join the band Private Life. Disheartened by an ever revolving door of guitarists, and dwindling album sales, they split up in 1987.
In 1998 the Renaissance label issued "The Best Of Alcatrazz" which was a solid look back at the band's all-too brief career.
"God Blessed Video" appeared in the 2002 videogame soundtrack Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
, playing on Rock station "V-Rock
V-Rock
V-Rock may refer to:* WSTB, a radio station in Streetsboro, Ohio which used the "V-Rock" brand during the 1990s* V-Rock, the name of a fictional radio station featured on the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories soundtracks...
", a fictional radio station in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Bonnet has reformed his version of the band as "Alcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnet" with guitarist Howie Simon (Jeff Scott Soto Band/ Talisman), drummer Glen Sobel (Impellitteri/ Beautiful Creatures/ Tony MacAlpine), and bassist Tim Luce and did a tour of Japan in May/June 2007. This tour was co-headlined with another ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. As he revealed in a recent interview, it was Howie Simon's suggestion to bring back the Alcatrazz name. They also headlined the BerkRock festival in Berkovitsa, Bulgaria in July 2008 and have played various West Coast USA dates including support slots for Y&T.
Current line-up - Alcatrazz (featuring Graham Bonnet)
- Graham BonnetGraham BonnetGraham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
- lead vocals (1983–1987, 2006–present) - Howie Simon - guitars, backing vocals (2006–present)
- Tim Luce - bass, backing vocals (2006–present)
- Jeff Bowders - drums, percussion (2010–present)
Former members
- Jimmy Waldo - keyboards, backing vocals (1983–1987)
- Gary Shea - bass (1983–1987)
- Yngwie Malmsteen - guitars (1983–1984)
- Clive BurrClive BurrClive Burr is a British drummer, best known as a member of Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.-Career:Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979...
- drums, percussion (1983) - Jan UvenaJan UvenaJannaro "Jan" Uvena is an American musician, best known for playing drums with a number of notable rock bands, including Alice Cooper's backing band, Iron Butterfly, Alcatrazz and Signal...
- drums, percussion, backing vocals (1983–1987) - Steve VaiSteve VaiSteven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
- guitars (1984–1986) - Danny Johnson - guitars, backing vocals (1986–1987)
- Glen Sobel - drums, percussion, backing vocals (2006–2009)
- Dave Dzialak - drums, percussion (2009–2010)
Studio albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions |
| 1983 | No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll | Rocshire | Weeks on Chart: 18, Peak: #128 |
| 1985 | Disturbing the Peace Disturbing the Peace Disturbing the Peace is the second studio album by Alcatrazz, and is the only one featuring Steve Vai on guitar. One of the singles, God Blessed Video, can be found on the fictional radio station, V-Rock, on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Weeks on Chart: 7, Peak: #133... |
Capitol | Weeks on Chart: 16, Peak: #133 |
| 1986 | Dangerous Games Dangerous Games (album) Dangerous Games was the third and final studio album released by Alcatrazz. This album marked a drastic departure from the bands two previous albums with its heavily Japanese influenced style... |
Capitol | |
Live albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions |
| 1984 | Live Sentence Live Sentence Live Sentence was the only live album released by Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz and contains some of the songs performed by Bonnet in his time with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. The live show was based on their previous album No Parole From Rock N' Roll and had the same lineup... |
Rocshire | Weeks on Chart: 10, Peak: #145 |
| 2010 | Live '83 | ||
| 2010 | No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll Tour Live in Japan 1984.1.28 Audio Tracks | ||
| 2010 | Disturbing the Peace Tour Live in Japan 1984.10.10 Audio Tracks |
Compilation
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions |
| 1998 | The Best of Alcatrazz | Renaissance | |