My Sixth Album

Dokken Tooth and Nail Front Side

I used to think I was the only kid who spent money buying albums by just looking at the art work on the front cover or the way the band looked back cover.  Years later after reading Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman and watching an episode of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show and seeing co-hosts Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine have a "TMS Top 5" contest on the coolest album art I realized there were many like me.  

One album I bought based on looks was Dokken's 1984 album Tooth and Nail (OK, I admit the album name was pretty bad ass too).  I was at Musicland in the Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck ND looking at albums and I saw the monster's hand ripping though the water with flames coming out.  That immediately grabbed my attention along with the Tooth and Nail on top.  The back of the album had a photo of the band and I saw guitarist George Lynch and his Black "Skull and Crossbones" guitar.  The combination of the three sold me immediately. 

Dokken Tooth and Nail Back Side

The funny thing is for months if not over a year I didn't even realize the name of the band was Dokken (It wasn't until the Under Lock and Key album came out that I realized Dokken was the band name.).  I also didn't realize that I had an album of one of the most criminally underrated bands of the hair metal era.  Future posts will discuss this album as well as the other three studio albums released by this great band during the years of their classic lineup that included Lynch, Don Dokken (Lead Vocals), Jeff Pilson (Bass) and "Wild" Mick Brown (Drums).  It is unfortunate that George and Don didn't get along at all resulting in George leaving and starting the band Lynch Mob.  If the lineup listed had even 1-2 more years together they would have been more talked about.  As a hard rock and metal fan I can honestly say Dokken was one of the few bands who's albums got better with time!