Plot, The vs Damage Control ft. Pete Way & Michael Schenker: 2003-2009 - 3CD

Continuing their overview of the catalogue of the much missed bassist Pete Way during his times away from the legendary UFO, Cherry Red/HNE now offer as a dual as The Plot go up against Damage Control. The Plot was a one and done outfit featuring Way, his ex-UFO band mate Michael Schenker and Badlands drummer Jeff Martin, and the story goes that the three were just having a bit of fun in the studio without ever really intending on releasing the results until some of the songs from the sessions were leaked. How true that tale is, who knows, but the self titled album was released in 2003 with, given the stature of those involved, little fuss and it arguably passed most people by. Did they miss out? Well, truth be told, not hugely. Schenker, who was about 5 years from his current purple patch of solo releases was going through something of a dip in form and that comes across in what is a decent set of songs that lack for any real spark. What doesn’t help is that Pete Way’s singing is hardly the sweetest sound you’ll ever hear. “You And Me� is fun in a punked up blues kind of way, “Just My Luck� possesses a fabulous riff and the attitude to make the vocals fit perfectly, while “Ain’t Got You� is a cracking knock about. However, on the flip side, “Kicked Out� is leaden and listless, “Miss You Tonight� sounds decidedly unfinished and “Señorita� stumbles along without any real conviction.

Four years down the line and Way was back with something of a minor supergroup, guitarist Robin George, whose resume includes time with Robert Plant, Glenn Hughes, Phil Lynott and, amongst many others, John Wetton, drummer Chris Slade (AC/DC, Asia, Uriah Heep, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band) and The Quireboys singer Spike joining the bassist for the self-titled Damage Control album. Immediately this sounded like a much more formed and rounded band than The Plot, George’s guitar striking a great balance between bluesy authority and crunching riffs, while Slade, as ever, simply laid down the law behind the kit. Add in Way’s always reliable bass work and “Dead Man Walking� and “Savage Song� become a cracking opening pair. The only sticking point for me is that I’ve never particularly connected with Spike’s vocal delivery, his rasp lacking melody and force to my ears, but I do appreciate that others completely disagree. For me, this aspect sucks life out of the slow, blues-laden “Selfish� and I must admit that I’m not a fan of the ‘woman did me wrong’ lyric either. However, “Raw� undoubtedly possesses an authoritative strut, while “Damage Control� itself is an interesting mixture of clever little sections that live long in the mind. For me though, this album would have been much better with a singer, rather than a hoarse whisperer.

And that, for the most part, is exactly what we get with the second and final Damage Control album Raw, the quartet slimmed down to a trio where Robin George handled most of the vocals, with Way picking up the slack. Rather oddly, however, the trio decided to re-record 10 of their previous album’s 12 songs, and only add a further 2 new cuts (although this version adds 1 more). For the large part I undoubtedly prefer the re-workings over the originals, with a tighter but still raw (natch!) sound and, for me, huge improvement in the vocals completely apparent throughout. Here the likes of “Savage Song� truly comes to life with a power and fury, while “Spy� has a real sense of melody pushing a clever lyric along. For me, and by some distance, this album is the pick of this bunch, and from “One Step Closer� to “Redundant� the impact is clear to hear.

In truth, this 3CD set, while interesting and good fun, shines a light on some of the lesser moments from Pete Way’s glittering career. Raw on it’s own, however, makes it an interesting proposition for anyone who didn’t pick up this fairly difficult to come by release when it was originally released through Robin George’s website, or its subsequent reissue through Angel Air, and the opportunity to compare and contrast that album against the Spike fronted self-tilted effort is interesting indeed. Add in some Schenker, and there’s a lot to recommend here, even if you might have to dig through some not quite so inspired moments to find the nuggets.

Track Listing
DISC ONE - THE PLOT featuring Pete Way & Michael Schenker (2003)
1. You And Me 
2. Need Her Bad 
3. Kicked Out 
4. Miss You Tonight 
5. Born Again 
6. Take Another Shot 
7. Shake Down 
8. Señorita 
9. Just My Luck 
10. Wild Wild Things 
11. Ain’t Got You 
12. Might As Well Go Drinking

DISC TWO - DAMAGE CONTROL (2007)
1. Dead Man Walking 
2. Savage Songs 
3. Alice 
4. Selfish 
5. C’mon Down 
6. Damage Control 
7. Victim 
8. Raw 
9. One Step Closer 
10. Redundant 
11. Seven Golden Daffodils 
12. Bitching Blues

DISC THREE - DAMAGE CONTROL �" RAW (2009)
1. Raw 
2. Alice 
3. Savage Song 
4. Damage Control 5 One Step Closer 
6. Selfish 
7. Pray For You And Me 
8. Spy 
9. Redundant 
10. Slaughtered 
11. Victim 
12. Seven Golden Daffodils 
13. Bitching Blues

Added: October 12th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Plot Vs Damage Control @ Cherry Red
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Language: english

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