Circus of Power
Circus of Power - Still
Alive (Metal
Blade) 1989
1. "Still
Alive and Well" (3:13)
2. "Motor" (3:32)
3. "Letter Home" (3:41)
4. "White Trash Queen" (3:44)
5. "Heart Attack" (3:38)
6. "Turn Up The Jams" (4:04)
"Still Alive" is a rowdy and raunchy live EP recorded in Detroit in front of what sounds like a bar full of half drunken bikers. Could be the case as 'biker rock' is how I would best describe the music that Circus of Power cranks out. They fall somewhere between the punky attitude of early Guns n Roses and the blues based hard rock of bands like Zeppelin and Aerosmith. The disc starts off with a cover of Rick Derringer's "Still Alive" and then unleashes five heavy, grungy originals. "White Trash Queen" reminds me of Faster Pussycat's "Bathroom Wall", although the vocal melodies and hooks are really not similar. Some of the in between song edits are a bit annoying as it obvious some of the stage banter was cut out. Overall, however, a nice live EP, that would have been better had it been a bit longer. This disc has been out of print for years.
Circus of Power - Magic and Madness (Columbia) 1993
1. "Swamp Devil"
96:08)
2. "Evil Woman" (6:49)
3. "Heaven and Hell" ( 3:51)
4. "Circles" (4:26)
5. "Poison Girl" (5:29)
6. "Shine" (6:34)
7. "Dreams Tonight" (3:53)
8. "Mama Tequila" (5:24)
9. "Black Roses" (3:58)
10. "Waitin' for the Wizard" (4:34)
11. "Outta My Head" (3:13)
12. "Slip Away" (4:17)
Dirty, grungy bicker rock for the 1990's. Since I have heard very little of the band's earlier catalogue, it's almost impossible for me to compare and see how they've changed over times, but it seems to me that the grunge movement of the early ninties may have had some effect on this band. Not that Circus of Power sounds like some Nirvana wannabe band or anything. Their music seems to be a mixture of the NYC glam scene, biker metal, a 90's production and an almost punk delivery, like the Cult.