Where To Start With Dokken?

I was a fan of their first two albums back in the day and would like to get familiar with some of their newer stuff.  What sounds like those two albums?  What were major departures?

lightning strikes again is fantastic...so is broken bones... Stay away from the rerecorded greatest hits..its horrible...the best of is a good album...so is live in Japan...erase the slate is pretty good also..i have an extra copy if you want it..pm me where to send it and its yours..

Well, NOTHING really sounds like the original lineup.  Nothing.

That being said......some stuff after the implosion is decent, like Lightning Strikes Again.

Erase the Slate sounds nothing like "classic" Dokken......but it's absolutely fantastic.

Most of the rest of it is a pale imitation of a reflection of a shadow.

Yeah, they will never match the majesty of those first 4 albums when the original members were together.

Having said that, Don Dokken's first solo album, "Up From the Ashes" is fantastic! Just as good (or better) than anything done with George Lynch. John Norum from Europe is playing guitar. So it's like a cross between Europe and classic Dokken. Incredible album. Incredible.

If you are looking for a similar sound to those early Dokken albums, you must simply get a copy of "Up from the Ashes" by Don Dokken.

I agree with others. If you really hold those 80s albums in high regard (as I do), then you will be disappointed by everything since. People are recommending "Lightning Strikes Again"...meh, it's an okay album. It's certainly the most classic sounding of their post-80s albums. But truly, when I want Dokken, I'm pulling out of those 80s records. "Back For The Attack", to me, is one of the all-time greatest albums by any band. George Lynch puts a clinic on guitar solos on that record with melodic and scorching solos and tons and tons of solo fills (which seems a lost art to today's metal bands). The bass and drums were perfect on that album. The drums, especially, had that big 80s reverb which gave the songs more power. And Don himself was still near his peak at that point. The songwriting was excellent, and they stayed away from any of the cliched sexual lyrics that were so common in other bands of the time.

(Can you tell I'm a Dokken fan boy??? )

RavenWolf wrote:Don Dokken's first solo album, "Up From the Ashes" is fantastic! Just as good (or better) than anything done with George Lynch...you must simply get a copy of "Up from the Ashes" by Don Dokken.

RavenWolf speaks the truth. I have this album and it's simply great.

Yeah..I love the Don Dokken solo album "Up From The Ashes"..in my opinion every bit as good as Dokken band albums...To me Don is Dokken..Not Lynch.. And this solo album proved it to me...I have never cared for anything else lynch has done since he left Dokken...including lynch mob...

Wholeheartedly agree about Don Dokken's solo album "Up From The Ashes".  FANTASTIC album! Favorite song:

If you can find it (it took me almost a year to find a copy I could afford) Check out the original EP...Back In The Streets...

Savage Amusement wrote:Yeah..I love the Don Dokken solo album "Up From The Ashes"..in my opinion every bit as good as Dokken band albums...To me Don is Dokken..Not Lynch.. And this solo album proved it to me...I have never cared for anything else lynch has done since he left Dokken...including lynch mob...

Yup! I am a Don Dokken fan! I never cared much for Lynch Mob or anything George has done since Dokken! Whereas, Don has some great stuff!


Too bad John Norum and Don never put an actual band together. That album they did together is just magical! Up there with "Back for the Attack" Primo.