Frost - Rock N Roll Music +Album Reviews

Best Tracks Now Better on Different Album

Milo Miles | Cambridge, MA USA | 02/18/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The version of "We Got To Get Out of This Place" on this album is indeed a mess, but that's because it's a butchered, shortened version of the whole live performance, which can now be heard on *The Best of the Frost,* which, despite its title, consists of the live tracks from the Grande Ballroom not included on this record. If you dig Dick Wagner -- and hard-rock-guitar nuts certainly should -- the so-called Best of is the place to hear him stretch out with the Frost. "We Got To Get Out of This Place" is 17 minutes long on that record -- but it finally makes sense!"

Dick Wagner

R. Dillard | 02/12/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this album cover as I was searching for some music. I purchased this album some 30 years ago. I never new Dick Wagner was in the band. The Frost...well I didn't care too much for this album, it was weak. I thought I would share a little about what I knew back then about Dick Wagner. He and two other guys did an album that I own a demo of called Ursa Major. It was some 30 years later here at CD Now that I was able to finally get the CD. I have rocked over 35 years, own several hundred rock cds, and still the Ursa Major CD is one of the best! It blew me away over 30 years ago and I still jam to it. I knew back then one of Dick's band members left to go sell insurance, and the other dude played some. Dick went on to jam with Alice Cooper, I recently learned, no wonder I like that band. I've played guitar and wrote songs over 30 years and if I had to get rid of all my music, the Ursa Major CD would be one of the last. So, for all the people that mention Dick Wagner and have not heard the Ursa Major CD. You will be glad you got it. It was definately a 5-star CD. It's sad that they broke up and never released it until recently. Give it a listen and consider when it was recorded, and imagine what they could have done if they had stayed together. I know Alice Cooper never in all that he did surpased Ursa Major. Yes I said that, not to be rude, the CD was just that good. I guess as American rockers I haven't heard as good a CD as Ursa Major in some time. I would compare it to as good of stuff as Train did on their first CD. That says plenty."

Decent Saginaw, Michigan Rock

Timothy R. Gerard | Haslett, Michigan United States | 07/06/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"OK, so Dick Wagner was on my brother's paper route big deal, right? Well I can tell you back in '67-72 Dick Wagner was a big deal. First with the Bossmen and then with the Frost, this guy is one good guitar player. Would Lou Reed and Alice Cooper play
with a slouch? This group put out three decent lp's. This one, with selections live from the Grande Ballroom is no exception. The studio cuts vary from the folksy "Linda" to the country twang of "Sweet Lady Love". Point being, this outfit was versatile, and live they had you standing the whole concert. I've seen the Frost many times at Daniel's Den and was never disappointed. The competition included SRC, the Rationals, the MC 5, the Stooges, the Bob Seger System, the Amboy
Dukes (w/ Ted Nugent), Frigid Pink and Savage Grace to name a few. I saw them all, and they had nothing NOTHING, on the Frost live. Put on Rock 'n Roll Music at any party, crank it up and see what happens. Grand Funk lite my a**!!"

Wild concert stuff---mild studio stuff!

William J. Lambert | Oklahoma City, OK., USA | 12/16/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps one of the more talented and professional of all the Detroit rock bands of the Woodstock-era was The Frost. In this half-live, half-studio album--a concept that was pretty common at the time--never have a heard such a strong contrast between a band as they are in the studio and as they are live. Talk about a "Jeckyll-and-Hyde"!! They are completely different live--unrestrained, loose and free-form, jamming with the best groups of the era. The live performances were recorded in the hallowed halls of Detroit's Grande Ballroom--"The Fillmore" of the Midwest. Fellow motor citians The MC5 recorded a classic album here for a much bigger-budget label the year before (the ever popular "Kick Out The Jams") and so The Frost figured they could try their luck there, too (albeit, for a smaller label.)
Musically, they were much better than the MC5--they click better and play better-all of them. If only they were louder!! The major complaint I have about them is their equipment sounds rather weak for the kind of aggressive, blues-based songs they played. Of course, given the fact that they used the same kind of amplifiers as The Beatles--which at the time were very dated and not up to par with those used by bands like Cream or The Who, then one can see why they could only push their sound so far. Even poor garage bands in Detroit like The Stooges could afford a "Marshall Stack"!
As far as a cover band goes, Deep Purple or The Vanilla Fudge, they ain't! A perfect example is their cover here of "We Gotta Get Outta This Place". Every band from Motor City has covered an Eric Burdon and the Animals song at least once (and played it different, and played it well!) The Frost chose this one, and if not for the drum solo, this is probably the worst live song on this album, not to mention the worst Animals' cover in Detroit history. For one thing, the opening bass riff lumbers on for about 10 minutes, interrupted by frequent "rave-ups" from the rest of the group until the drum solo arrives. "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" really sounds like its having a tough time getting out!! After the drum solo concludes, lead singer Dick Wagner finally decides to sing the opening verses to the song and it finally begins. And so after 10 minutes of an opening bass riff, rave-ups, and a drum solo, you're left with 3 minutes of the actual song!! But overall, they are much better with their original material live.
In the studio, they are a completely different animal (much more tame!) They write good pop songs in the studio, if you like The Lovin' Spoonful. But for 1969, this band sounds lost in a time warp! This ain't "The British Invasion", fellas. This the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, and your studio music should be as creative and aggressive as your live performances. There's got to be some reason why this album contains "lollipop" songs along side "wake your parents" songs. Somehow, I think they had to reach some sort of compromise with a record label that perhaps wanted to market them as "bubble-gum", but they wanted to remain their "grungy" selves in concert. So they put out this half-bubblegum, half-grungy album.
(...)"

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