Tunes: Vixen Is Back!

The late 1980’s

Vixen first rose to fame in the late 80’s with their self-titled debut album that featured the hits Edge of a Broken Heart and Cryin.  They followed up that album with Rev It Up.  Despite a solid track list that included How Much Love and Love is a Killer, the album failed to meet expectations for the band’s label at the time and Vixen was soon dropped.

As was the case with most glam and hair bands of the time, Vixen attempted to change their sound with their third album, Tangerine.  With a sound leaning towards grunge, the album failed to make a mark.  Also, neither bassist Share Pedersen nor guitarist Jan Kuehnemund played on the album.  More ups and downs would follow, including a legal battle for the band’s name and another ill-received album, Live & Learn, which had no participation from drummer Roxy Petrucci, vocalist Janet Gardner, or Pedersen.

In 2012, things started to look promising as Kuehnemund, Pedersen, Petrucci, and Gardner started gearing up for a reunion tour.  Sadly, Kuehnemund would fight and lose a battle with cancer, ending any chance for a reunion of the classic lineup.  Gine Stile, who played guitar on Tangerine, was brought in to fill the void left by Jan and the band started regularly touring once again.  As a fan of the band, it was great to see them back together and on tour again, but I wanted more.  I wanted a new album.

In March of 2017, it was announced that Stile was no longer a part of the band.  She was replaced by Jaded guitarist, Britt Lightning and the band continued successfully touring.  It was during this time that the group made a live recording of their performance at the Arcada Theater opening for Slaughter.  That recording became their most recent album, Live Fire.

Released on July 6, fans of the band were given the opportunity to pre-order the album on CD, as a digital download, on vinyl, or even cassette.  There were multiple options to purchase the album including an autographed CD pack (the one that I purchased) featuring an autographed CD sleeve, stickers, a pick, and a limited release print.  Other options included t-shirts, larger prints, and even a thank you call from Janet Gardner.

The album features songs primarily culled from the group’s two most successful albums, but it also includes the previously unreleased Big Brother, and a cover of I Don’t Need No Doctor with Share Ross (formerly Pedersen) taking on the vocals for the song.  It was originally recorded by Nick Ashford in 1966, but has been covered by numerous artists including Ray Charles, Humble Pie, and Joan Osborne.

The album also features a new studio recording of You Ought To Know By Now and a slow acoustic version of Edge of a Broken Heart.  You Ought To Know By Now, if memory serves me correctly, was never released on a studio album but was a track that the band would play at live shows.  The acoustic take on Edge sounds wonderful.  It’s stripped down and played at a slower pace and despite the slower groove, the song is still just as singable as the original.

The album’s sound quality is a little sketchy at the beginning in my opinion, but before the opening track, Rev It Up, really gets rolling, the sound greatly improves and is excellent for the rest of the disc.  Since this is essentially a greatest hits album recorded live, you already know just how great these tunes are and there’s really no need to go into a deep discussion about them.  Still, there are a couple of things that I can talk about before ending this post.

For starters, the band sounds great.  The harmonies are tight and Janet’s voice sounds as strong as ever despite recently having surgery.  Roxy and Share provide excellent rhythm and a heavy bottom end that punches along with each song.  Britt Lightning tackles the lead guitar with a gritty touch that fits in perfectly with Vixen’s sound.  Also, be sure to listen for a little Purple Haze thrown into one of the band’s tunes by Britt.

The autographed slipcover, pick, stickers, and print were a nice touch.  The band is also having a drawing to give out classic goodies from the band’s history (autographed photos, vinyl, posters, CDs from the band’s solo efforts, etc.) for all of those that pre-ordered Live Fire.

The band is currently on tour and there are rumors floating around that they might head back to the studio to record a new album.  I truly hope that they release some new music and tour in support of it.  I also hope that they come to Louisiana or southeast Texas.  I’ve never seen Vixen live, but would love to see them in concert.  I would definitely take advantage of any Meet and Greet package that they offer, as I’ve always wanted to meet the band.

I’m excited to see that Vixen is back and stronger than ever.  Live Fire does a great job of catching their spirit on stage, and it feels like 1990 again in my forty-plus year old mind.  If you love Vixen (and ya know you do), pick up Live Fire.  Relive a few old memories that you made while listening to the songs that Janet, Roxy, Share, and Britt are belting out for you on the disc and make plans to attend a live show if they come to your town.  Support your favorite acts no matter how long it has been since they released any content.  Show them some love on social media as well.

Finally, I want to say that the loss of Jan was pretty big to me.  I was so excited when the group announced that they were getting back together and immediately crushed when I heard that she was diagnosed with cancer.  She is missed by myself and other Vixen fans across the world.

Thanks for reading this post.  Technically it’s a review of Vixen’s new album, but it’s really just a love letter to a band that I’ve enjoyed listening to for many years. I plan on doing a few more album reviews in the near future, including a look at The Amorettes’ latest effort, Born To Break.

Keep rockin’, ya big nerds!