Search - Eric Gales :: Eric Gales Band

Killer Debut From Young Gales!

JAMES MCCORMICK | cedar rapids, Iowa United States | 07/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"4 1/2 Stars = Minor Masterpiece



A guitar prodigy at the age of 16, Memphis native Eric Gales hit the world of heavy, heavy, blues/rock running at full throttle with the self titled debut, "The Eric Gales Band," in 1991.



Young Eric came on hard & heavy, funky & shredding, like the second coming of Hendrix via the teachings of Frank Marino & Joe Satriani. His licks extremely fast, & accomplished. His phrasing very mature & emotive. His tone supremely heavy. Eric Gales set the small world of guitar aficionados on fire with an album artistically that matched his technical skills, & I ate it up!



Unfortunately Eric was not ever able to follow up the extrodinary power of this album, losing his focus with the next two recordings, but Eric's fourth, "Crystal Vision," is a whole hearted attempt at trying to catch the energy, if not the focus of his debut.



All in all, "The Eric Gales Band" was another killer album from that very potent & creative time period of the late 80's through the early 90's, & also another long forgotten gem amongst many criminally forgotten albums & bands of those years.



"

Still a great CD in 2003

Kevin Chu | CA United States | 05/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD in 1991 at an Eric Gales concert (signed!) when I was impressed by this young talent (he opened for Stu Hamm). I recently listened to it again and it's as great as it ever was. Some of the other CDs I bought at the same time haven't aged as well, but this CD still rocks. Talent is talent in any era.I expected him to become a superstar, and while he hasn't receieved the fame that he should, this CD belongs on the shelves of anyone who likes great guitar rock. I plan on buying some of his followup CDs since the reviews for those albums indicate that he's only gotten better.BTW, as great as the album is, the live show was even better, so see him in concert if you get the chance."

A Sadly Overlooked Classic...

strt486 | Bloomfield, New Jersey United States | 03/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently heard "Sign of the Storm" on a hard rock station - it was during a segment on black rock artists. The deejay described Eric Gales as a "kick-[butt] guitar player". Apt words, indeed. It's still hard to believe how young he was when he recorded this album - I remember being blown away by the video and his subsequent appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show. Arsenio was the only one to recognize how special this guy was. Carlos Santana also gave Eric Gales props during interviews. The whole album kicks [butt], though my favorite cuts are "Resurrection", "Sign of the Storm" and "World for Ransom". It's almost like a hybrid of rock and gospel. I went to see Eric Gales in April of 2001 in New York City. The club was half full, but the audience was mixed - there were even some German tourists who came just to hear him wail. It was an unforgettable (and very loud) experience. We actually made him come back and do a few Hendrix songs - he was smoking so much on the guitar that night, I was waiting for his fingers to catch fire...
All in all, a great album!"