I was on my way to the beach a few weeks ago when Sirius XM "Hair Nation" played "Back for the Attack" by Dokken. Not the album, but a song called "Back for the Attack." I was stunned for a couple of different reasons.
For one thing, this song is GREAT!!! It has one of the best grooves I have EVER heard in a metal song. The second reason is, I'd NEVER heard it before. I would imagine maybe 105.5 KNAC played it a couple of times in '87 but I honestly don't remember it. When I came home, I double checked my CDs and this track is NOT on either Back for the Attack, or Under Lock and Key.
Why would it be on Under Lock and Key? Because if you listen to Jeff Pilson's round-sounding scooped Fender Bass along with the booming snare hits on this track, it sounds and awful lot like all of the tracks on Under Lock and Key. I've been busy lately but I eventually did some research to track down this song. Apparently, it was taped during the Under Lock and Key sessions...but never made it to the LP. When Dream Warriors was released as a 7" single (featuring Nightmare on Elm Street cover art, as the movie features this song, and the video incorporated elements from the film), apparently its B side track was...Back for the Attack. Sadly, they never released it as a track on their already 13-track long "Back for the Attack" album.
In fact, this song has never been released since the Dream Warriors cassingle/vinyl singles. Indeed, I did checked for "Greatest Hits" albums that might've released it as a bonus track (the way Warrant did with "Thin Disguise" which was a B-side to the Cherry Pie single, I believe), but it's not on any of the ones for which I could obtain track listings. If you have more information about this, I'd appreciate it.
I'd especially appreciate it because there are some people out there trying to make a lot of money on just three songs. Apparently, a website with folks selling CD-R transfers of the original 7" and 12" pressings is available--and maybe the record labels don't yet care, but these copies will practically cost you your first born. You can see what I mean here. They've taken refuge under the "fair use" clause in copyright law, but I think that if whoever owns the rights to these recordings stepped up and decided they need to stop, they would have to. Although I'm glad that hasn't happened yet, because YouTube would have to take down their copy of it, also.
Thank God for YouTube. There is one posting with nauseating levels of wow and flutter (reminds you of the old days of a poorly spooled cassette or a warped vinyl record), but I found a newer, seldom-watched Karaoke-style video with lower levels but better sound. Please enjoy. This song made my day when I heard it.
__________________ Rock on,
~ Dairenn
Recording Artist, STARFIRE
North Hollywood, California
Now that I think about it, Pat's been kind of busy these days working and all...he needs to jump in here because he has everything Dokken related as well as imports and rarities. All that fun stuff us collectors do.
He may offer up good options on where to get this song in hard copy form.
I agree, such a shame Dokken didn't include that song on Back for the attack (or Under lock and key for that matter). I bought the 12" Dream warriors single years ago at a record fair just for this track. It rocks!
Last edited by Herulf; 08-31-2010 at 08:19 AM.
Reason: adding info
1.Tooth And Nail
2.In My Dreams
3.Breaking The Chains
4.Into The Fire
5.Burning Like A Flame
6.It's Not Love
7.Alone Again
8.The Hunter
9.Kiss Of Death
10.Just Got Lucky
11.Back For The Attack
12.Unchain The Night
13.Dream Warriors
14.Mr. Scary
15.Walk Away
16.Paris Is Burning
Perhaps Lynch may have more info for the song, and also how it wasn't included on Under Lock And Key, nor the album Back For The Attack?
I do think it is interesting that this song was recorded during those sessions but only initially released on vinyl? Quite a number of bands and record companies use to do something similar with B-sides many years ago.
I also believe that the song Walk Away was initially available on the Beast From The East live album.
So "The Best Dokken" has the track, but only on the CD released in Japan? I'll bet the import is going for an arm and a leg too (although at least you get way more music for the money).
THANKS for checking into that and showing us where we could find this on a legitimate release! I try to avoid paying for bootlegs whenever possible.
__________________ Rock on,
~ Dairenn
Recording Artist, STARFIRE
North Hollywood, California
Perhaps Lynch may have more info for the song, and also how it wasn't included on Under Lock And Key, nor the album Back For The Attack?
The first time I got my grubby hands on Back for the Attack was on the B-side of the 12-inch single of Dream Warriors, which also had a remix or re-recording of Paris is Burning on it. This single came out about 8 or 10 months before the album of the same name came out (if I remember correctly).
When the album Back for the Attack came out, I was very surprised to NOT see what I figured would be the title track on it. I found out that the song had actually been recorded during the Under Lock and Key sessions, but was left off of that recording as well. I had a friend who worked at a local record store (not some chain) and together we wrote up a letter and sent it to both the record company (Elektra) as well as the Dokken Fan club asking what happened. We got a reply back from one of the two, but I don't recall who, saying that the song had been recorded during the Under Lock and Key sessions, but was left off becaue the band didn't feel it fit in with the rest of the album. The reason that their 4th album ended up with that name was because the band actually liked the name of the song and simply used it for the album title.
If you listen to it, to me the song actually sounds more like it belonged on Tooth and Nail (their 2nd album) a lot more than ULAK or BFTA. So, perhaps it wasn't just bullshit on their reason for not including it on any album. It really wouldn't fit on BFTA, at least not the recording from that single. It really sounds like older, early 80's Dokken. More raw and not so heavily produced.
Perhaps Pat has better or more accurate information, but this is how I remember it.
Originally Posted by Rocker440
I also believe that the song Walk Away was initially available on the Beast From The East live album.
You are correct. It's the last and only non-live track on the album as well as the closing track to Dokken in the 80's.
If you listen to it, to me the song actually sounds more like it belonged on Tooth and Nail (their 2nd album) a lot more than ULAK or BFTA.
Probably because of the different mastering techniques used on Dream Warriors single. Tooth and Nail had a pretty raw sound, mostly in the good way. I was disappointed they over-saturated the signal on "Heartless Heart" and "Bullets to Spare." However, that whole album was probably Dokken's most "metal" album. I recently wrote about that in a separate post... BFTA was an EPIC album, but Lynch's tone was quite a bit thinner than it had been during Tooth and Nail.
I can definitely tell the "Back for the Attack" song itself was recorded During the ULAK sessions, though. I am still disappointed it never made it on ULAK considering it felt much stronger than some of the cuts that did make it onto that record.
Nifty insight, though, regarding having written into the fan club as well as to Electrika Records themselves.
__________________ Rock on,
~ Dairenn
Recording Artist, STARFIRE
North Hollywood, California
Back for the Attack by Dokken 
Linear Mode
