• Invasion
• All Systems Go
• Euphoria EP
• Speedball Jam

Invasion

Released August 24, 1986
Tracks:
Boyz Are Gonna Rock/ Shoot U Full of Love/ No Substitute/ Animal/ Twisted/ Do You Wanna Make Love/ Back On The Streets/ I Wanna Be Your Victim/ Baby-O/ Invasion

    When this album came out, I remember being very excited.  I thought Vinnie Vincent was the coolest thing to come along in a long time.  He saved KISS (in my opinion) and obviously had a lot to offer being the head of his own group.  Invasion is an incredible album that really showcases what a talented musician and writer Vinnie Vincent is.
    Boyz Are Gonna Rock opens the album.  This song has a great riff to kick off with.  The guitar effects are absolutely stunning!  The solo makes this song as does the noodling during the ending.  Great harmonies from the band during the chorus too.  Shoot U Full of Love has a great chorus as well.  This is a very catchy song and super sleazy, too!  Vinnie at his raunchiest with a fast-fingered solo that is reminiscent of his work on Lick It Up.  Ex-Journey man Robert Fleischman shines on this song as well.  His vocals have a definite impact on the song.  No Substitute has an opening that reminds me of a Winger tune!  Robert sounds an awful lot like Kip Winger and the song itself is the schmaltzy type that propelled Winger to the head of the Hair Metal genre.  The only thing separating No Substitute from total cheesedom is Vinnie's short but blistering solo.  Back on track with Animal, Invasion returns to the heavy stuff.  I really like the vocal effects that open this song.  That resonates to the chorus.  Very catchy and I can't see why Animal wasn't released as a single. Vinnie does some really cool effects with his guitar throughout the song, too, but the ending--WOW!!  I can't say a bad thing about Animal; one of my personal favorites. Twisted is another one of my favorites on the album.  Though a little heavy on the production, the song is nonetheless cool.  A great groove from Bobby and Dana drives the song.  And Robert's vocals help out, too.  He is really on the mark here.  Cool chorus that sticks in your mind and the ending is another cool piece from Vinnie and Bobby.  Like Animal, I have nothing bad really to say about Twisted.
    The second half of Invasion opens with Do You Wanna Make Love, a catchy, fast-paced number with some impressive drumming from Bobby.  There isn't anything special about the song, though.  Vinnie's guitar is kept in tow and Robert basically screeches throughout.  Back On The Streets has Vinnie singing lead on a couple of lines.  Though he does a respectable job, I can say that the vocal duties are better left to Robert.  That aside, Back On The Streets is a slower number and seems to be more of a group effort with Vinnie's guitar blending in better with Dana's bass and Bobby's drums.  He does take the spotlight at the end of the song with some heavy guitar but otherwise he is kept in check.  Next is I Wanna Be Your Victim.  This sounds so much like a KISS song it's ridiculous.  I can almost hear Paul Stanley belting it out!  Good tune, though.  Vinnie once again takes the reins with an amazing solo.  Baby-O seems like a strange song to me; the chorus sounds like an old 50's song that I still cannot place.  The song is OK but except for the great chorus, Baby-O is the weakest track on the album.  The final track is Invasion.  This song has some of the best guitar work from Vinnie on the album.  The extended solo lets Vinnie's fingers do the talking.  The song is a bit overlong, though, even without the amazing fade-out from Vinnie and Bobby.  Invasion is definitely a standout cut on the album.
    Invasion was a welcome return for Vinnie Vincent.  The album sold well and he was accepted as a separate entity from KISS by the fans.  His band was a big part of this as Dana Strum had some production work under his belt and was (is) a fine musician.  Bobby Rock, though a bit of a gun-for-hire, is a solid drummer.  And Robert Fleischman, who had the misfortune of being ousted from the group soon after recording finished, adds an original voice to Invasion.  If Vinnie is ever able to capture the quality of material he was putting out with KISS and on Invasion, he will be very fortunate.
 

• Vinnie was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on August 6th, 1952.
• Vinnie's real name is Vincent Cusano but it was changed to Vinnie Vincent upon joining KISS in 1982 to sever any links to his past due to the group's desire for anonymity.
• Vinnie parents were talented country musicians.  His mother, Terri, sang and his father, Alfonso, played the steel guitar.
• Animal, Twisted, and I Wanna Be Your Victim were originally written for KISS' 1984 album, Animalize but Vinnie didn't bother to give the songs to KISS after being ousted from the group.
• Dana Strum introduced Randy Rhoads to Ozzy Osbourne and later would link Jake E. Lee up with Ozzy as well.
• Robert Fleischman toured with Journey before landing the Invasion gig.  He was even the initial choice for lead vocalist with the band before Steve Perry.
• Rumors circulated that Mark Slaughter was originally Vinnie's choice for the band but lost his name and number.  Having Slaughter's audition tape, Vinnie reportedly asked Fleischman to copy Slaughter's falsetto style.
• Early promos done for the album raised the ire of KISS as Vinnie not only often alluded to his tenure with the band but used a marketing campaign that read "a member of the KISS Army goes AWOL".
• Boyz Are Gonna Rock was originally written and recorded in 1978 by Vinnie's pre-KISS group, Warrior.  It would also later be morphed into And On The Eighth Day on KISS' 1983 album, Lick It Up.
• The only single released from the album was Boyz Are Gonna Rock.  It was released as a pink vinyl single.  No Substitute and Twisted were also considered as single-worthy but the band decided to return to the studios rather than continue touring with Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden.
• The video for Boyz Are Gonna Rock features Mark Slaughter lip-synching Robert Fleischman's vocals as the vocalist had already been kicked out of the band.  It also features Vinnie's pink double Flying V guitar.
• Ace Frehley recorded a demo of Back On The Streets in 1985.

    All Systems Go is a slightly weaker album than Invasion.  Now I realize that is a strong statement, especially for die-hard fans to accept.  But All Systems Go suffers from the curse facing many albums released in the late 1980's--over-production.  Sure, Mark Slaughter blows Robert Fleischman out of the water as a vocalist.  Slaughter has a much broader range and isn't quite as nasally-sounding.  What ever happened to Fleischman, anyway?  We know that Mark Slaughter went on to form Slaughter with Dana Strum but Fleischman disappeared!
    As far as the music goes, the material here has a fresher feel to it.  Invasion seemed more like Vinnie took the songs from his "vaults" rather than penning new ones.  All Systems Go has a real glam feeling to it that was popular in the late 80's.  The sleazy lyrics, high-pitched vocals, lightning-fast guitars...all are archetypes for the glam movement.  Not that that is a bad thing!  My point is, All Systems Go sounded fresh, "with it", if you will at the time of its release; Invasion sounded as if it were culled from a different era even though it was released merely 2 years earlier.
    All Systems Go begins with my favorite track, Ashes To Ashes.  There is a backward "message" that opens the song of which I have no idea what is being said.  That leads to a strong guitar shred from Vinnie and an introduction to Mark's very 80's voice.  Upon closer listening, one can hear the incredible guitarwork done by Vinnie on this song.  Acoustic, electric, 12-string, wah-wah, a cool Eddie Van Halen-Cathedral-like sound effect during the solo; Vinnie delivers!  Next is Dirty Rhythm.  This has to be the sleaziest song Vinnie has ever written.  "Pull the pin of my love grenade", "Let your love drip down on me"...CLASSY! Dirty Rhythm is a decent song but lacks the catchy chorus and ballsy solo from Vinnie which brings it down.  Love Kills follows and is an excellent song.  A real departure for Vinnie in terms of writing.  He slows things down here creating a strong power ballad with a catchy chorus and some excellent acoustic guitar.  My second favorite cut on the album. Naughty Naughty ups the raunch level again for a terrific song.  This is a good rocker with a strong rhythm section from Dana and Bobby on bass and drums, respectively.  Great chorus, too, with everyone joining on harmonies.  This is probably the catchiest song on the album.  However lyrics like "Little vixen take your whip and tease me" are obviously alienating Naughty Naughty from becoming a radio-friendly single. Burn follows with a searing guitar lead from Vinnie that he brings again to his best solo on the album.  There's a lot going on here if you listen closely.
    The second half opens with Vinnie the maestro playing a pretty impressive version of The Star Spangled Banner solely on guitar.  That segues into Let Freedom Rock which is a fist-pumper that falls a bit short of being the anthem I believe Vinnie was shooting for.  The song boasts another strong outing from The Vin Man on guitar, though.  That Time of Year is one of those forgotten songs, "the one that got away", if you will.  It is definitely one of the stronger songs on the album and should have fit in perfectly with the commercial metal that was soaking up MTV's The Headbanger's Ball at the time.  Unfortunately, as a single, it didn't perform very well.  Good stuff.  I can't help notice the similarities between That Time of Year and Love Kills, though.  Listen to the choruses; they're pretty close!  Heavy Pettin' is "Grade A" filth.  Vinnie alludes to his predilection for the young 'uns.  Sample lyric: "Sweet little child...she's sweet as virgin clover she's my baby love doll".  Hmmm...pretty subtle?!  They just don't write songs like this anymore, though Gene Simmons was still doing it on 1992's Domino.  Maybe Vinnie's influence on Revenge was stronger than just songwriting?! Ecstasy is next and seems to have found its way on to All Systems Go via a Stryper album.  Every time I hear the harmonized chorus of this song, it immediately reminds me of Always There For You, Stryper's sappy Christian ballad from the same year.  Weak boys, very weak.  Deeper and Deeper is a nicely written song with barely an offensive lyric.  Vinnie does manage however to squeeze in the line, "And when I drink from her fountain of love it tastes sweeter more each day" to take away any saccharinity that may result.  As a whole, though, the song is a definite throwaway.  Breakout is a return to quality material with a great guitar riff opening.  This is one of the heavier tracks on the album with a cool chorus and a great drum beat from Bobby Rock.  The Meltdown is the closing track and is a smattering of instrumentals from Bobby and some indescribable effects from Vinnie.  If Vinnie is the over-indulgent control freak that everyone says he is, why does he let his drummer showcase his skin-pounding chops in a Moby Dick-style bombastic like The Meltdown?  The answer: to lead into a 4-minute ego trip for himself called Ya Know- I'm Pretty Shot where he fiddles with some classical guitarwork and a bluesy riff in the middle.  Vinnie shows his stuff on Ya Know-I'm Pretty Shot by moving beyond the wailing solos that he is famous for and concentrates on what he learned in beginner guitar lessons: picking.  Pretty impressive stuff.  There is also an evil-sounding voice at the end of the track demanding you to "tell your friends about us".
    All Systems Go is a decent album.  It's sad that Vinnie has virtually disappeared from any recording since 1988.  Except for a barely released 4-song EP in 1996 called Euphoria, and several rumored projects, Vinnie has vanished from the music scene.  Sure his name is credited to 3 tracks from KISS' Revenge album but otherwise, he has only surfaced to sue KISS in 1997 and, in a sadder note, the disappearance of his wife.  Hopefully Vinnie will return to the studio or release the long-awaited box set, Guitarmageddon.

Interesting Facts:
 

• Love Kills was featured in the film A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master.  Vinnie appears in the video wearing Freddy Krueger's sweater, hat, and razor-fingered glove.
• The success of The Vinnie Vincent Invasion was short-lived as the band announced it was breaking up after its August 26th, 1988 show in Anaheim, California.
• The final single from the album, That Time of Year, had the band listed as The Vinnie Vincent Invasion with Mark Slaughter.  This caused serious inner turmoil within the band, especially with Vinnie who did NOT care to share the marquee.  Each member would later be quoted as saying that, as in KISS, Vinnie wanted the spotlight to be on him all the time.
• Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum would leave to form the successful group Slaughter.  Bobby Rock would join the flash-in-the-pan novelty group, Nelson.
• After the breakup of the Invasion, Vinnie's record company dumped him and by early 1990, Vinnie had filed for bankruptcy due to several impending lawsuits.
• Vinnie reunited with Robert Fleischman in 1990 to shop around some demos that went nowhere.
• In 1992, KISS gave Vinnie the chance to redeem himself by co-writing 3 songs for their Revenge album.  Unfortunately Vinnie's reportedly bizarre behavior caused another rift in KISS and he was once again ostracized by the band.

    Euphoria saw little release in 1996 and was supposed to be a teaser for Vinnie's forthcoming full-length album, Guitarmageddon.  As of this writing, no plans have been implemented to release the album, most likely due to the poor reception the Euphoria EP received.  Unfortunately, fans will be missing out on some decent material if they do not at least hear these 4 songs.
    The title track opens with one of Vinnie's killer solos.  Robert Fleischman's recognizable vocal lends a reminiscent tone to this song right away.  It's like you are back to 1986 and hearing a lost-track from the Invasion album.  Euphoria has a very original (musically, at least) chorus that is the most catchy song on the EP.  Get The Led Out follows with a reversed demonic voice opening the song.  This track has a great blues groove to it with more of Vinnie's wizardry on what sounds like a slide guitar.  However this is about the only good thing I can about this song.  It really grates on you, especially the chorus.  Wild Child is another song that really isn't up to snuff.  The only thing that stands out for me is the solo.  Full Shred redeems the album with a great chorus and a cool riff from Vinnie throughout.
    Overall, Euphoria only scores a 50%, which is pretty poor considering that Vinnie hadn't released anything in ten years.  I would have thought that he would be able to offer more great tunes than this.  Euphoria and Full Shred are two of the best songs Vinnie has ever recorded but Get The Led Out and Wild Child are absolute drivel.  I hope that if Guitarmageddon ever gets released that we can see the full scope of what Vinnie is capable of because Euphoria simply doesn't do him or his work justice.
 

Interesting Facts:
 

• By early 1996, Vinnie had recorded a 4-song EP called, Euphoria, which showcased material from his soon-to-be-released album, Guitarmageddon.  Robert Fleischman appeared on vocals but the EP was not well received and Vinnie went into seclusion once again.  Guitarmageddon still has not surfaced.
• Vinnie appeared in 1996 at several KISS conventions donning his Wiz makeup and costume before receiving a cease and desist order from KISS.
• In January 1998, Vinnie's ex-wife, Annemarie, disappeared from her home in Connecticut and was not found until mid-2000.  The couple had twin daughters.

Rating: 1/2