Tracks
1. After the Rain
2. Bits and Pieces
3. (Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection
4. Will You Love Me
5. You’re All I Need Tonight
6. More Than Ever
7. (It’s Just) Desire
8. I Can Hardly Wait
9. Senorita
10. Everywhere I Go
11. Lets Get This Show On The Road
12. Far Away From Home
13. It’s Gotta Get Better
14. I Wish
15. That’s Love
16. Avalon
17. Runnin’ Outta Time (The Silence is Broken)
18. Love Is All We’ve Got

Band:
Gunnar Nelson & Matthew Nelson: all instruments

Discography:
After the Rain (1990)
Because They Can (1995)
Imaginator (1996)
The Silence Is Broken (1997)
Brother Harmony (1998)
Life (1999)
Like Father, Like Sons (2000)
Lightning Strikes Twice (2010)

Guests:

Info

Released 3/12-2010
Reviewed 27/11-2010

Links:
thenelsonbrothers.com
myspace
frontiers

American brothers Matthew and Gunnar Nelson invites for a first thought immediately and Gunnar, that sounds more like some Swedish old i name, why not Arne or Alf or perhaps Karl-Oskar? Well, the name may not be the most important thing even if it is a bit annoying, but it is the musical that matters and this is one of many releases by Nelson this year, they have released a new album in Lightning Strikes Twice which has a blue cover and then they have this one which is the demo recording which opened up the opportunity for campfire, sorry I was in other thoughts, of course I mean for After the Rain which was a massive success for this band with three million sold albums and a number one single in Love and Affection. There are also some songs on this release that has not been released before.

Musically it is the same kind of melodic rock that we have heard on other releases from this band like After the Rain or the recent Lightning Strikes Twice which we have reviewed in Hallowed just recently. This of course mean that it is focused on melodies and easily accessible choruses that has for purpose to etch in a place in the head of the listener.

This release was recorded a long time ago in a garage that was converted into a recording studio which of course can be heard somewhat in it, the production is not as clean as in the official releases of before and now, it is not bad in any way but not as good as other releases.

All the hits are there including the biggest one in Love and Affection and there are 18 tracks and 75 minutes of music and that is way too much music for me. I prefer bands to “kill their darlings” and keep records short and to the point which this is not. Then also, I tend to think of releases of demo collections or other kind of collections to be as necessary as cyanide enriched cucumber or batteries in fire and this release does not change that opinion in any way.

I guess this might be something for the real hardcore fans of the band or for those who collect everything by Nelson. For all of us others, semi-fans or genre fans or just plain music fans it really seems unnecessary as many of the songs are available in better versions and the other ones are really a not-have anyway.

So, if you are a die-hard Nelson fan or a collector of Nelson stuff this is something for you, if you are a human being it is not.

HHHHHHH

Label - Frontier Records
Three similar bands - Vega/Journey/W.E.T.
Rating: HHHHHHH
Reviewer: Daniel Källmalm