Bulletboys Albums (8)
'Behind the Orange Curtain'
Release Date 4/3/2007
Tracks 12
Label Crash
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Someone who hasn't spent time in southern California might not fully appreciate the title Behind the Orange Curtain. Back in the '70s and '80s -- when there was still a Soviet Union and the communist governments of Eastern Europe were referred to as "behind the Iron Curtain" -- folks in Los Angeles County jokingly referred to Orange County (their neighbor to the south) as "the Orange Curtain." That term became dated when the Cold War ended and there was no longer an Iron Curtain separating Eastern and Western Europe, but it's still a funny term. Well, the L.A.-based Bulletboys ventured "behind the Orange Curtain" when they recorded this live hard rock/metal album at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana. The credits, unfortunately, don't tell listeners when Behind the Orange Curtain was recorded, but it was probably around 2002-2003 because lead singer Marq Torien refers to Sophie (a 2003 release) as a new album that would be out soon. The Bulletboys lineup heard on this 55-minute CD is not the old Torien/Mick Sweda/Lonnie Vencent/Jimmy D'Anda lineup; Torien, the only remaining original member, is joined by guitarist Tommy Pittman, bassist Jimmy Nelson, and drummer Pete Newman. But a lot of old favorites are performed, including "Hang on St. Christopher," "Hard as a Rock," "Shoot the Preacher Down," and the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" -- and Torien fares well by letting his bluesy, R&B-ish instincts prevail. Occasionally, Behind the Orange Curtain ventures into alternative rock/post-grunge territory ("Walls" and "Toy," for example), but much of the time, this album is a tribute to the Bulletboys' late-'80s/early-'90s heyday (before alterna-rock became an influence for the band). And while it falls short of essential, Behind the Orange Curtain is a generally enjoyable release that the Bulletboys' die-hard fans will appreciate. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Smooth Up in Ya: The Best of the Bulletboys'
Release Date 7/18/2006
Tracks 17
Label Cleopatra
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Their blip on the hair metal radar may have been brief, but the Bulletboys did manage to score a few MTV hits back in the late '80s. And while it's debatable whether or not they warrant a "best-of," the Bulletboys got compiled in 2006 regardless -- with the release of Smooth Up in Ya: The Best of the Bulletboys. Although another release was billed as a "greatest-hits" set a year prior (Burning Cats and Amputees: People with Issues), this is the first Bulletboys release to include all the original versions that many a cowboy boot-wearing metallist will be familiar with. Included are such pop metal favorites as their breakthrough hits "Smooth Up in Ya" and "For the Love of Money," as well as the Zeppelin-esque "THC Groove" and a metal-ized cover of Tom Waits' "Hang on St. Christopher." For many, this is all the Bulletboys they'll need in their collections. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Burning Cats and Amputees'
Release Date 4/11/2000
Tracks 13
Label Cleopatra
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
By the late '80s, a "third wave" of hair metal bands could be spotted infiltrating MTV, but with a slightly harder edge. Tops on this list would be Skid Row and the Bulletboys. The latter group endured countless comparisons to David Lee Roth-era Van Halen, due to Marq Torien's "likeness" to Diamond Dave, Mick Sweda's Eddie Van Halen-esque guitar work, and their choice of producer, Ted Templeman (who produced all of the Roth-era VH albums). And for a brief, shining moment, the group was "the toast of the Sunset Strip," so to speak, before fading away. Come the early 21st century and nostalgia in the air for the late-'80s/early-'90s hair metal bands, the Bulletboys were back in business, as they re-recorded their best-known tracks -- in a much more raw/straightforward style than the original versions. The resulting album, 2000's interestingly titled Burning Cats and Amputees, mixes anthemic originals "Smooth Up" and "THC Groove" along with a few oddball cover choices that work surprisingly well -- the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" (included here as just "Money") and Tom Waits' "Hang On St. Christopher" (again, given a truncated title -- "St. Christopher"). While the earlier studio versions are obviously better known, the Bulletboys manage to improve on the originals quite often on Burning Cats. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Why it took three years between their debut and Freakshow is anyone's guess -- perhaps these things are better left for a documentary-length special on the band -- but Freakshow alters things a bit stylistically when compared to their first record. Many things have remained the same: the blues-driven, scale shredding guitar work, lyrics that would make Keats spin in his grave, and of course, the obligatory odes to feminine charm ("Do Me Raw," "Goodgirl," and "Huge") all remain constant bulletpoints (no pun intended) that keep the boys strong rockers. But unlike their first album, things do get to be more a bit on the serious side at points, and this is where the album begins to lose its charm. While the band would continue to release records, this would be their last for Warner Brothers, perhaps a reaction to the serious and sensitive music movement that was brewing on the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast around that time. Whatever the reasoning may be, this was their last solid album, as what followed in their career was merely a rehash of the latest music trends of the moment, with trace elements lurking here and there of what made the Bulletboys so fun to begin with. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This eponymous debut brought the L.A. group from the Hollywood club strip to the world's hard rock spotlight, often with mixed results. Nonetheless, it's a decadently wonderful excursion into the eye of the hair metal hurricane, with the singles "Smooth Up in Ya," and the magnificently awkward cover of the O'Jays soul classic "For the Love of Money." And while the group released several albums afterwards, none of them truly captured the band's fire and spirit as this one did. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Za-Za starts out with a bang, but the scattershot approach to stardom (copping AC/DC's attitude with petty theft of Van Halen's playfulness and Bon Jovi's ballads) seems like a desperate measure; after all, Warner Bros. banked on Bulletboys to be a leader, not a follower. That's fine for some folks who look at the L.A. metal scene as a source of good, consistent product, but most fans were just as happy to get their fix from longstanding acts like Mötley Crüe and Ratt. Producer Ted Templeman (a veteran of Van Halen, whom Bulletboys were pegged to succeed early in their career) gives the record plenty of pop/metal punch, placing them somewhere between Cheap Trick (on the Templeman-produced Woke up With a Monster) and Jackyl in terms of menacing posture. If Za-Za is only so-so, it's because the track placement undermines the momentum built up at the beginning. The opening "When Pigs Fly" is a scorching kissoff, taunting pop/metal that Templeman brought with him to the subsequent Cheap Trick sessions. "Slow and Easy" introduces elements of Living Colour and Primus into the music, and the band continues to embrace the cutting edge with "The Rising." But just when you think you've got them pegged, Bulletboys spin the clock back ten years with a lame ballad, "Sing a Song"; channels the spirit of Steve Perry ("Mine"); and ends up with an AC/DC screamer that's juvenile even by their standards ("1-800-GOODBYE"). Midway into Za-Za, it's unclear what Bulletboys are after; while the rest of the songs are generally good, they feel disingenuous after so many costume changes. As it turned out, this was Bulletboys' last shot with a major label. And so one more studio science project to create the perfect band winds up in the scrap heap. ~ Dave Connolly, All Music Guide
