After the sudden and tragic fall of
Hanoi Rocks,
Michael Monroe began to pick up the pieces and embarked on a solo career. Apart from 1987's "Nights are so Long", which only was released in Japan and Scandinavia, "Not Fakin' it" was Monroe's first worldwide solo album.
At the time Monroe was closely associated to
Guns N' Roses and Axl Rose made an appearance in the video for
Dead, Jail or Rock 'N' Roll and furthermore the entire
Hanoi Rocks album collection was reissued on
Guns N' Roses' short-lived Uzi Suicide label.
Michael Monroe also played on
Guns N' Roses' "Use Your Illusion" albums and "The Spaghetti Incident".
"Not Fakin' it" was originally released in September 1989 on Mercury Records, but has not been available on CD for some 10 years. Lemon Recordings have re-released the album with extensive sleeve notes from Ian Fortham.
As always Monroe proves to be the real deal both visual and musically. The album opens with an in your face
Rocker
Dead, Jail Or Rock 'N' Roll, which is characteristic for Monroe's straight Rock 'n' Roll with a Glam twist. The song is co-written with Little Steven and former
Hanoi Rocks band mate Nasty Suicide. Little Steven has helped Michael with the arrangements, while Nasty Suicide plays rhythm guitar on a few tracks. Other up-tempo kick ass tracks include the title track - an old
Nazareth track, which get a stick of dynamite up the a**. The title pretty much captures Michael's dedication to this style - he is not faking anything, but lives and breathes Rock 'N' Roll. The lead guitar is played by Phil Grande, who adds some really great leads to the title track and also
She's No Angel. Phil Grande's playing is quite tasteful on the amazing MTV oriented power ballad
Smokescreen. Songs like
Smokescreen and
Man with No Eyes plus
All Night with the Lights On all has (or rather had) hit potential to reach a wide audience. Even though this record was Monroe's most successful it never reached the mass population.
Just like the rest of
Michael Monroe's material, "Not Fakin' it" is straight ahead Glam Rock 'N' Roll. However, Michael's ability as multi instrumentalist defiantly spices the songs. Michael plays a mean harmonica on
Dead, Jail or Rock 'N' Roll,
Love is Thicker Than Blood and
Shakedown.
All instruments sound very clear for an album originally released in1989. Michael's vocals are very strong and very up-front in the mix. Personal favorites are the up-tempo Rock 'N' Rollers
Dead, Jail or Rock 'N'
Roll,
Not Fakin' it and album closer
Thrill Me. The diversity of the album is underlined with the softer songs, where my favorites are the brilliant
melodic gems
All Night With the Lights on plus hit labeled
Smoke Screen.
Michael Monroe entertains the listener on "Not Fakin' it" and that is what Rock 'n' Roll is all about. A must for any 80's Rockers.
Written by
Michael Monday, October 4, 2004
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