Saturday
Feb092019
Tesla Release New Song 'Taste Like'
Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 08:00AM
I'm knocked down with day three of an awful sore throat/ear ache thing. Hopefully it goes away soon. I plan on spending the day in bed, that's for sure.
On the glam front, Tesla has a new song called "Taste Like" featured on the upcoming album Shock. That new album is due out March 8. "Taste Like" sounds like classic Tesla with a Def Leppard twist to me! That makes sense because Phil Collen produced this record.
Reader Comments (16)
From the first few seconds of hearing the hot opening riff of “Taste Like” which is a hybrid cop from the opening of AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)” and the opening of Cheap Trick’s “Tonight It’s You”, you know this is going to be a different Tesla album and by that, I mean, get ready for this - - their best album, not just in years, but ever!
And it only gets better! As you continue to listen to the song it becomes apparent these guys figured out why they’re called Tesla, for crissakes! It’s about electricity, as in electric guitars and that’s what you get here, my friends! It took ‘em this long but they just may have finally made the album they were meant to make!
Listen again to the title track. It’s a TOTAL departure from anything they’ve done before, in fact unlike anything ANYONE’s done before! And have another listen to “Taste Like” and you’ll hear an AC/DC meets Rolling Stones for a Hard Rocked-up electric boogie ride never before taken by Tesla before.
Either they were whispered to by a “horse’s a*s whisperer” (more on this later) or a great producer or they had a visitation from The Metal Gods— whatever the h*ll it was, it’s gotten them to get up off their as*es after all this time to finally tear it up (by that I mean the old playbook) and tear it up!
We still have to wait until March 8th to be absolutely sure but if this tune, the title track plus the title itself, “Shocked”, are any indication, we’re all about to be the latter when we finally get our grubby little ears on the album as I anticipate it’s going to shock the h*ll out of even the most loyal fans! Even the album cover art is a tip off, no pun intended, because if you’ll look closely, it’s quite shocking in it’s own subtle way, as well. Yes, folks, Tesla is sending us a message and that message is, “Get ‘SHOCKED’!!!”
Gone are the redneck “Metal Cowboy” countrified ”yee-haw howdie!” acoustic guitars that f*cked up so many of their classic songs. Gone is the hippie schtick of so much of their other sh*t. This just flat out rocks b*lls in the most bada*sed sense. Hannon is firing on all pistons and it only took him nearly four decades to do it! Jeff Keith unleashes his voice with a vengeance as never before! Well, that’s not completely true ...
I actually had heard his voice like this before. The moment was when he opened the Cinderella & Friends set on The Monsters of Rock Cruise 2013, the year Kiefer called in sick. The song was “Highway To Hell” and I would like to say he tore the roof off except there was no roof, because the show was performed under a beautiful white puffy clouded blue sky!
I was so impressed, when I actually randomly wound up mano y mano with him on an elevator, just the two of us, on the ship a few hours later, I told him he completely killed it and they should put out an album with songs that sound like that because he’s got the chops to pull it off. He was grinning from ear to ear and thanked me profusely.
It only took him 5 years to do it but it was worth the wait and continues to be worth it when Tesla delivers on March 8th. Just think, had I not had that conversation with Keith on that elevator, we might not be listening to these great tunes acting as an album preview but rather the same ol’ sh*t they’ve been foisting on you all those previous decades you’ve been stupidly buying it! Kudos to Tesla for FINALLY making a Hard Rock album worthy of their name!
NOTE: As many of you are aware, I have d*ssed these guys extensively in the past because of their behavior and treatment toward both passengers and crew on numerous voyages of The Monsters of Rock Cruise. Nothing has changed. These guys are still some of the biggest horse’s as*es to ever traverse the earth AND sea! But that doesn’t change the fact they’re about to put out the best album of their lives and I’m going to play the h*ll out of it the very same way I continue to listen to Ted Nugent’s first few albums since I bought them decades ago. Just because he is the king of horse’s as*es that actually makes Tesla seem like a bunch of choirboys by comparison, doesn’t mean I should stop listening to his music. To not be able to separate the two - a man and his music - is to deprive oneself of culture. Get ready to be “Shocked”! I know I am!
I’m just glad I could prime Jeff Keith ahead of time!
And I guess I have to eat a bit of humble pie, as I too like this one and like it much more than the first release. I always liked certain songs by the boys, esp. "Edison's Medicine." But this does portend of good things from the overall album. Fingers crossed.
Glad to see you also noticed the, um, "design" of the Tesla/Wardenclyffe Tower (I mentioned it a few weeks ago). Bummer they tore it down in the early 1900s. I bet it was a sight to behold.
Yes, I was frankly “SHOCKED” at how great “SHOCKED” is and kudos go to Tesla for retaining the services of one Mr. Phil Collen, who you know totally “Bob Rocked” this album. One wonders if Collen had a hand in some of the songwriting, as Allyson’s remarks regarding a Def Leppardness to their sound is evident in these two tracks, something I failed to mention in my comments.
And you’re right, “Edison’s Medicine” demonstrated their early abilities to ROCK. I’m just glad to see them doing it again all these years later. This also lends credence to Allyson’s observation of a Def Leppard / Tesla vibe to this album, but it’s the “Edison’s” Tesla, not the cowboy hick one.
Also, check out the new duds from their latest PR. Gone is the midwestern clashing colors and non-design of their previous hickwear for some much cooler looking stuff (John Varvatos, anyone?) as they now look like Collen didn’t just conjure Def Leppard for them but also called his tailor. Even Hannon’s tank top looks like Collen gave it to him, albeit several sizes larger. Hey, what the h*ll, I was known to roll in NYC in the 80’s and 90’s looking like Plant circa “In Through The Outdoor”z, so I can’t knock his guitar hero worship.
Here’s a thought about something rarely happens ... If these two songs are any indication, Tesla should play the “SHOCK” album from start to finish in their upcoming tour! Though you know they don’t have the balls as promoters’, managers’, even their fans’ sheep like mentality would probably prevent them from doing that as they still only want the hits. Still, all will be pleasantly surprised, or shall I say “SHOCKED” should they include 3 or 4 songs from this album in their set list.
One thing, though, let’s hope this doesn’t make them act like even more bigtiming as*holes they’ve proven to be toward fans and Cruise personnel, should they do any more cruises in the future, though I would assume their hick version of loutishness isn’t restricted to the seven seas.
Still, like I said, I keep the music separated from the as*hollish faux Rockstar behavior, especially when the music is as great as it portends on “SHOCK”! Now, since TESLA are relevant again, they are actually deserving of their top headliner slot on the roster of the upcoming “Monsters of Rock Cruise”!
It should be noted, the other bands can now be enviously proud to be associated with them as the headliner. SAXON, U.D.O., Rose Tattoo, The Wildhearts, Tora Tora, Jetboy, VAIN, D.A.D., Danger Danger plus the various sideshow clown act bands also in the cruise can now feel worthy do to “SHOCK”.
Too bad I don’t have the bread for this one but probably good for them since I called their bass player an as*hole to his face when he and his drum tech or somebody butted in front people in line at the waffle station in the ship’s cafeteria during MORC 2013. I mean, let’s face it, did he even really need those pancakes? That, I find really “SHOCKING”!
And so might Hannon if I rob a bank to actually make it on the cruise and slap him on the back as I buy him a shot of Jaeger at the bar up top for a job well done! Actually, I think his drink of preference is the house Chardonnay, if I remember correctly, from his “bigtiming” incident with the maitré d in the Sushi bar on the first “Sh*tf*cked”, I mean “Shiprocked”.
Regardless, everybody get ready to go into a state of “SHOCK” on March 8th!
And nowhere does Gary throw shade as you are on your very own beloved TESLA. He’s actually seeing the change indicated by this song as, and I quote, “Catchy as all h*ll ...”!!!
Once again, bending the facts to suit your trollish narratives.
The question remains, do you like this song? I’m sure your boy, Hannon would like to know!