DRN ON DISC:
A LISTENER'S GUIDE
BREATHLESS: NU-VISION RECORDS, 1986. PRODUCER: MARLON McCLAIN.
The title track is pure Portland Dance-Funk. But underneath beats the heart of a hard-rock band. The album contains songs such as: "Mind and Body," and the heartfelt ballad "Steal Me" [co-written by keyboardist Rck DiGiallonardo]. BREATHLESS is still availabe locally and sells well [Sorry, it's not. But CDRs can be found].
DAN REED NETWORK: POLYGRAM RECORDS, 1988. PRODUCER: BRUCE FAIRBAIRN.
Fairbairn brought forth the band's harder edge, while allowing ballads such as "Tamin' the Wild Nights" [written when Dan was still in high school] and "Tatiana" [CD bonus track] to leaven the fiery funk, rock and metal. This is the Network at their most tender and tough. The band's first successful single, "Ritual," [US #39] begins with a tribal drum intro and blends into a euro-smooth funk beat that gradually builds to a shattering Brion James-directed assault [the B-side remixes really kick!]. Reed shows his softer side with "Halfway Around the World" [a pre-Breathless song].
SLAM: POLYGRAM RECORDS, 1989. PROCUCERS: NILE ROGERS AND DAN REED.
DRN camps out in the Big Apple for inspiration, and the result is the grinding, hard funking release of "SLAM." From the searing "Make It Easy" to the Grateful Dead [concert] inspired "Rainbow Child," the Network proves that the first album was no fluke [Makes #3 album for 1989 in KERRANG!].
THE HEAT: POLYGRAM RECORDS, 1991. PROCUCERS: BRUCE FAIRBAIRN AND DAN REED.
DRN heads back up North to Vancouver, BC to reunite with Bruce Fairbairn and Black Belt [what?] engineer Mike (This album has been FRAZED) Frazer. The result: "The Heat," a power house package that taps into the diverse musical styles of five "brothers" in music. "The Heat" starts out screaming with the hook-laden "Baby Now I" and takes you on a musical journey you won't soon forget. "Life Is Sex," "Love Don't Work That Way" and "Blame It On the Moon" literally drill holes through your cranium [?] while ballads like "Let It Go" and "Salt Of Joy" [also found on the "Poison Ivy" soundtrack] take you on a different ride. "The Heat" is an exclamation point at the end of this paragraph in the career of Dan Reed Network!!!!!!!!! [Makes #24 album for 1991 in KERRANG!].
MIXIN' IT UP: POLYGRAM RECORDS INTERNATIONAL, 1993. PRODUCERS: ALL OF THE ABOVE [Hey, what about Nuno Bettencourt?].
"Mixin' It Up" is DRN's greatest hits (and misses) of the last three albums, with a few surprises to boot [Nuno's butchering remix of "Get To You," his duet w/ Dan on a new recording of "Long Way To Go" and "Stardate 1990"]. An accompanying video compilation and Summer tour of Europe finish it off quite nicely.
LIVE AT LAST: HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD: VIDEOMEDIA, 1998. PRODUCERS: DAN PRED & BLAKE SAKAMOTO.
This is a double-disc feast for the die-hard DRN fan! Almost 2 1/2 hours of favorites, plus treats like the nowhere else available "Colour This Hour" "Woman," & "Chill Out" w/ Brion on vocals! Other treats include songs previously only available as B-sides: "Burning Love," "Stronger Than Steel/All My Love (Dan solo on piano)," "World Has A Heart Too (Boombox Jam)," & "You Can Leave Your Hat On." Plus, The Doobie Brothers would be proud of the acappella version of "Takin' It To the Streets." This album is a collection of songs recorded straight through to sound board--no overdubs--spanning 1989 to 1993. There's a good chance you were at one of the shows, too, since these songs were recorded on three continents!
