WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS VOL II - A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER

There is only one thing that needs to be said about Jason Becker - GENIOUS. One of the all time great guitarist/musicians – this new tribute offers more insight into the brilliance known as Jason Becker. Once again a stellar cast of guitar virtuoso’s have come together to record some of Jason’s classics. The CD is a who’s – who of shred guitar. Everyone from Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Stephen Ross, Ronnie LeTekro to Rusty Cooley and many, many more;  can all be heard ripping through Becker standards or delivering new compositions in the Becker style. Like Vol. 1 this new installment stays true to the master and delivers the goods.  Warmth In The Wilderness Vol. 2 is simply a joy to behold!

Guitar Mania

http://www.guitarmania

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS VOL II - A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER

I don't think I really have to introduce Jason Becker! A double CD, 27 tracks for an hommage to one of the best guitar player around! First of all, the production of the records is awesome! Some songs are heavy some are ballads but one things for sure is that there's a lot of emotional part on that one! I really think taht they all did a great job for that CD. No negative point! If you love Jason Becker, you'll dig that release for sure! A lot of talents are in this compilation: Lars Eric Mattsson (also produced the album), Steve Vai, Marty Friedman,etc... A beautiful hommage for a guitar hero...

www.thedarkesthours.com Patrick

VARIOUS - WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS Lion Music, 2001
Disc 1: 15 tracks, RT: 78:54, Disc 2: 16 tracks, RT: 77:09
[ http://www.LionMusic.com ]
Subtitled A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER, this mammoth compilation brings together lots of cool artists to pay tribute to, and raise money for, the guitar god, who unfortunately is stricken with ALS. (Proceeds from the album are being given to Becker's family.) All phases of Becker's career so far are represented: the two Cacophony albums he did with Marty Friedman, his two solo albums, and David Lee Roth's 1991 disc A LITTLE AIN'T ENOUGH. There are also a handful of tracks that are either originals inspired by Becker, or covers dedicated to the man. This is a ton of diverse music! (And the Japanese version is said to
come with a bonus disc featuring eight unreleased Becker tracks...) Pretty much any hard rock fan, whether familiar with Becker's work or not, will find things to like here, as there are contributions from bands new and old, solo artists, and all-star collaborations. Jeff Pilson is a one-man band on "Becker's Bolero," Friedman handles "Black Stallion Jam" by himself this time, Jeff Scheetz does an instrumental version of Roth's "Sensible Shoes," Paul Gilbert sings and plays a
cover of Todd Rundgren's "Hawking," and there are original tracks from Mattias "IA" Eklund (Fate/Freak Kitchen), Rob Johnson (Magnitude 9), and Anders Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen/HammerFall). All-stars? Cosmosquad is joined by Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson, and Steve Morse on the original "A Jam For Jason"; Pamme (Haven), Robin McAuley, Johnny Lima, Lars Eric Mattsson, Alex Masi, and Eddie Sledgehammer take on Roth's "Tell The Truth"; Ted Poley, Machan Taylor, Gerhard Pichler, Kenny Aaronson, Johnny Balsamo, Mark Mangold, Paul Morris, and Jonathan Mover team up as All The Usual Suspects on Roth's "Drop In The Bucket"; and the closing "Outro Jam" is handled by Torben Enevoldsen, James Byrd, Patrik Rondat, Ron Thal, Metal Mike
Chlasciak, Sami Asp, Mattsson, and Sledgehammer. Oddities? How about Ron Keel's Iron Horse -- without Keel -- doing the instrumental "Eleven Blue Egyptians"? A couple more Roth tracks are covered nicely by Stormwind ("A Little Ain't Enough") and Rolf Munkes' Empire ("Dogtown Shuffle"). Phantom Blue's Linda McDonald (drums) plays on "Becker Ola" and Josephine (guitar) joins Ralph Saenz (Atomic Punks) on Roth's "Baby's On Fire." (You just *knew* Saenz would show up on something remotely Van Halen-related, right?) All this and I'm only now mentioning my favorite track, Roth's "Hammerhead Shark" as done by a one-off collaboration of singer Mark Boals (Malmsteen/Ring Of Fire), Mattsson, and Sledgehammer. And there's still more... Shred, blues, delicate emotion... It's all here. This is a remarkable testament to a legacy of guitar work from a remarkable man. - Tim

Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
www.detritusweb.com

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS
A Tribute To Jason Becker
Lion Music   LMC 2105 2

For those of you not familiar with Jason Becker, he played with Marty Friedman (Megadeth) at the tender age of 17 on
"Cacophony", arguably one of the best Speed Metal projects ever released. He later played joined David Lee Roth on "A
Little Ain't Enough", Jason also has a couple solo projects to his credit. Sadly Jason Becker has contracted Lou
Gehrig's Disease... and this 2-CD set is a tribute to one of guitar's most amazing players. Very few have influenced so
many in this short of time, he only recorded a handful of projects. Lion Music, the label behind organizing this
masterpiece, is contributing all the royalties to Jason and his family to help him in his time of need. Here's a list of
those who contributed, taken strait from the Lion Music website.

Jeff Pilson, Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, Anders Johansson, Mattias IA Eklund, Cosmosquad feat. Jeff Kollman, Vinnie
Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson, Steve Morse, Robin McAuley, James Byrd, Patrick Rondat, Rolf Munkes’ Empire,
Stormwind, Torben Enevoldsen, Mark Boals & Lars Eric Mattsson, Ron Keel’s Iron Horse featuring Robert Marcello,Mike
Chlasciak, Jeff Scheetz, Cyril Achard, Phi Ansari Yaan-Zek & Lale Larson, Eric Sands with David Ragsdale, Project
Alcazar, Paul Nelson, May Lian, All the Usual Suspects, Rob Johnson, PUA feat. Carina Alfie & Linda McDonald of
Phantom Blue, Mistheria with Rick Renstrom, Eric Zimmermann, Mike Campese, Alex Masi, Pamme, David Martone,
Ron Thal, Sami Asp, Tony Baena, Josephine of Phantom Blue, Hit The Ground Runnin’,Evolution...

Now, onto the music! If you're a fan of GOOD MUSIC, specifically guitar, you need this record. As you can see from the
list of contributors above this is a quality project. I especially enjoyed hearing from some guys who have been involved
with ROCK AND A HARD PLACE in the past, such as Paul Nelson of Liege Lord who contributed a very cool version of
"Blue". Lars Eric Mattson, a very underrated guitarist and one of Lion Music's core artists, played on "Tell The Truth"
and a stunning version of "Hammerhead Shark", both from Becker's work with David Lee Roth. Other cool tunes were
Jeff Sheetz instrumental version of "Sensible Shoes", Project Alcazar's "Opus Pocus" and Rob Johnson's version of
"Forcefield". In reality, there's no bad tracks on here... and how often can you hear Jeff Kollman, Vinnie Moore, Jeff
Watson and Steve Morse on the same song? There's a lot of amazing work here for what's become a dying art here in
the states, shredding guitar! I hope some of the younger generation hears this CD, it's a testament to the brilliant career
of Jason Becker.

Torch / www.rockhardplace.com

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS
A Tribute To Jason Becker
Lion Music   LMC 2105 2

Finland-based Lion Records is helping keep Becker’s name in the limelight  with a new double tribute CD honoring the fallen guitarist. In addition to  Gregg and Matt Bissonette, other musicians appearing on Warmth In The Wilderness - A Tribute To Jason Becker include guitarists Lars Eric Mattsson,  Steve Morse, Paul Nelson, Alex Masi, Marty Friedman, Mike Campese, Chris Poland and Vinnie Moore who appear along with a slew of other outstanding  musicians. All the artists here have donated their time while all profits  from Warmth In The Wilderness will go to the Becker family, who are doing their best under incredible duress. Lion Music are one of the premier heavy metal rock and guitar instrumental labels in Europe today and they clearly have done the right thing by honoring Becker’s musical legacy with this well crafted 31 track double disc tribute album filled with new versions of Becker’s music.

 Robert Silverstien- 20th Century Guitar Magazine
www.mwe3.com

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS: A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER
(www.lionmusic.com)
The talented guitarist who played with David Lee Roth and Marty Friedman was struck by Lou Gehrig's Disease which has rendered him sadly incapacitated on many levels. Fortunately, his cult status is being realized with this completely charitable collection of songs that include covers of Becker's diverse catalog as well as originals dedicated to the guitar wonder. With 2 CDs, there is a plethora of quality recordings and renditions to sink one's teeth into. Well produced and loaded with highlights such as Stormwinds sweeping cover of the David Lee Roth tune "A Little Ain't Enough", the whimsical instrumental "Higher" performed by David Martone, "Dogtown Suffle" by Rolf Munkes Empire and and "Blue" by`Paul Nelson of Liege Lord fame. What is so impressive is the alliance culled in the honor of this guitarist cut short before his time. Also, his music was deceptively soulful, though techincally amazing. Highly recommended on many levels.
Brian Coles www.electricbasement.com

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS
A Tribute To Jason Becker
Lion Music   LMC 2105 2

As you'd probably expect, the bulk of this album is given over to instrumental workouts, with some great contributions forthcoming from the likes of Marty Friedman, James Byrd, Alex Masi, Paul Gilbert, Rob Johnson, Vinnie Moore and Jeff Kohlman - just a few of the bigger names amongst a real galaxy of stars.  Between them, they offer up some emotive, sweat soaked versions of some of Becker's finer moments, tracks like 'Forcefield' and 'Opus Pocus' to name but two.  Of the smattering of non instrumental cuts, Stormwind offer up a fantastic interpretation of Roth's 'A Little Ain't Enough', Lance King (Balance Of Power) and Rolf Munkes give us an atmospheric 'Dogtown Shuffle', whilst the aptly named All The Usual Suspects (Mark Mangold, Ted Poley, etc.) contribute an explosive 'Drop In The Bucket'.  At a massive 31 tracks covering nearly three hours worth of music, this is every budding guitarists wet dream. cWhilst all the contributions to'Warmth In The Wilderness' are done with real feeling, the one overriding impression I was left with at the end was just how phenomenally talented Jason Becker was in his day.  An exceptional release which should be a must for all guitar fans everywhere.
9/10   Dave Cockett www.hardroxx.com

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS: "A tribute to JASON BECKER"
Lion Music 2001

Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom 01-08-06  Jason Becker is one of the most exciting musicians that ever came out of the 80´s and without a doubt a big
inspiration for many guitarists all over the world. His technique was far beyond his teen years when he started out in the hardrock band Cacaphony along side with Marty Friedman actually, later Megadeth´s string bender. Discovered by Mike Varney he would later record three solo albums and the album "A little ain´t enough" with ex.Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth, before his illness took control over his body.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a nerve disease that at first did not prevent him from touring with Roth, but it´s unfortunately an incurable (so far?) disease and things got only worse over the years. Today Becker can only communicate with the use of a computer scanner that read his eyes. "Warmth in the wilderness" is not your typical tribute album but a benefit album where all the musicians are performing for free. All royalties are going direct to the family of Jason Becker.

This is a 2-CD project with 31 tracks and over 156 minutes of music containing covers of music he did in the past, as well as a couple of originals dedicated to Becker. It´s an impressive lineup and some of all the musicians here are: Stormwind, Lars Eric Mattsson, Ron Keel, Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson, Phantom Blue, Lance King, Mark Boals, Jeff Pilson, Ted Poley, Mattias IA Eklund, Mark Mangold, Kenny Aaronson, Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, Anders Johansson, Alex Masi, Robin MacAuley, Johnny Lima etc.

Some of the "highlights" would be Stormwind´s version of "A little ain´t enough", Torben Enevoldsen doing "Altitudes", The Cosmosquad featuring Jeff Kollman,
Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson and Steve Morse doing "A jam for Jason", an original composing. "Dogtown Shuffle" are here performed by Rolf Munke´s Empire including the superb vocalist Lance King. Mark Boals (Yngwie vocalist) and Lars Eric Mattsson do a mean "Hammerhead shark", Jeff Scheetz plays an cool instrumental version of "Sensible shoes". Jeff Pilson (Dokken) handles "Becker´s bolero", Marty Fieldman smokes with "Black stallion jam", and Paul "Mr.Big" Gilbert is "Hawking". Not to forget "Tell the truth" which here features the excellent (female) vocalist Pamme of the band Haven, Robin McAuley (MSG) Johnny Lima, Alex Masi and Lars Eric Mattsson. Bottom line, this is of course a must have for fans of Becker, instrumental and "normal" rock, as 11 out of the 31 tracks features vocals. Best of all? ... your money will be used for something good this time !!! and a Vol. 2 is in the works.www.lionmusic.com
[Note from Bandi: If you only have money for one CD to buy, let it be this one. I don't think I need to explain why...]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Warmth In The Wilderness:
A Tribute to Jason Becker

Label: Lion Music

Release Date: OUT NOW

Track Listing:
CD 1: 1) A Little Ain't Enough, 2) Altitudes, 3) Eleven Blue Egyptians,
4) A Jam for Jason, 5) Higher, 6) Becker Ola, 7) Dogtown Shuffle, 8) Go Off,
9) Hammerhead Shark, 10) Jason Street, 11) If You Have to Shoot . . .,
12) Baby's on Fire, 13) Sensible Shoes, 14) ESP, 15) Air.
CD 2: 1) Opus Pocus, 2) Mandy's Little Throbbing Heart, 3) Blue, 4) It's Showtime,
5) Becker's Bolero, 6) Lydia's House, 7) Drop in the Bucket, 8) Forcefield, 9) Urmila, 10) Black Stallion Jam, 11) Hawking, 12) Primal, 13) Rain, 14) Concerto,
15) Tell the Truth, 16) Outro Jam.

Jason Becker may not be a name the average rock fan will be immediately familiar with. His name could, and should, have slipped off the tongue as easily as such guitarists as Marty Friedman and Steve Vai. But as is the case with so many of rock's best musicians his talents were taken away from us, in this case by a cruel and cripling disease. However the musicians he influenced and inspired do not forget, this tribute CD is solid proof of that.

The first album Jason played on, at the tender age of just 17, was an album with ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman. Under the banner of Cacophony this release is highly regarded amongst today's crop of axe-slingers as an album of astounding quality and a pool of inspiration.

Jason then went on to record a solo album honing in on his neo-classical ideas. He reached his commercial heights when he joined the David Lee Roth band, playing on the 'A Little Ain't Enough' album and the subsequent tour.

At the age of 20, Jason was faced with the biggest fight of his life, shadowing anything he had done previously; he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), an incurable nerve disorder -- a disease he is still fighting to this day.

Contained on this CD, through 31 tracks, is a varied mix of musicians paying tribute to the man they hold great regard for. The likes of Marty Friedman, Vinnie Moore, Jeff Pilson and James Byrd amongst others, performing tracks Jason originally recorded as a solo artists and with Cacophony and Dave Lee Roth. The CD also contains a few new original tracks written for and dedicated to Jason.

Amongst the highlights, the unmistakable Dave Lee Roth tune 'A Little Ain't Enough', performed faithfully here be Stormwind; the Becker/Roth penned 'It's Showtime' which echoes the sound of Roth's previous work with Van Halen such as 'Hot For Teacher'; and a host of moody, atmospheric, melodic, and at all times powerful, instrumentals such as 'Opus Pocus' and 'Urmila'.

All the profits from this release will go directly to Jason Becker's family and all the musicians performed totally free of charge. This CD serves as a comprehensive introduction to Jason's work and talents as a composer, and also provides the route to discovering the original albums Jason recorded for music lovers and aspiring musicians to enjoy and be inspired by.

  Review from www.loudplanet.co.uk

Warmth in the Wilderness - A Tribute to Jason Becker
 (Lion Music - 2001)

Jason Becker's guitar talent was second to none and was picked by David Lee Roth to be the lead guitarist for his '91 album 'A Little ain't enough' and was also the other half of Cacophony with Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth). Then at age 20 he was diagnosed with ALS -   which prevented him carrying on his profession the way he knew it. Around 10 years on, many friends and fellow admirers have joined hands in this incredible tribute (brought together by famed Rock Music Journalist, Nicky Baldrian and Lasse at Lion Music).

'Warmth in the Wilderness' is where you'll discover 31 tracks including covers like 'A little ain't enough', performed by Stormwind; 'A jam for Jason' featuring Vinnie Moore, Jeff Watson, Steve Morse, Chris Poland, Jeff Kollman as 'The Wicked Guitar Quartet'. There are contributions from artists like Marty Friedman (Black Stallion Jam) who says, 'I admired Jason's absolutely flawless technique, and he seemed to like my warped sense of melody'

This tribute really is a fine masterpiece and all the artists concerned have place an immense amount of passion into their performances.  The list of artists is literally outstanding especially when you consider that it includes big names like James Kottak (Scorpions), Alex Masi, Ron Keel (Keel), Ted Poley (Melodica (+ ex-Danger Danger)) and Josephine from Phantom Blue, James Byrd and Rolf Munkes.  There are staggering performances from artists like 'Hit the ground runnin' (with their Jazzy 'Jason Street' complete with sampled vinyl crackles).

The 2-CD set is a collection that will delight lovers of class rock everywhere.   After purchasing this, purchasing all the Jason Becker related albums if you don't have them already - then be sure to check out albums by all of the guests involved.

I really mean it from the heart when I say that this is one of the best tribute albums I have ever heard.

We all love ya Jason!!!

10/10

by Glenn Milligan, BA Hons CS

TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER (Lion Music, 2001)

This is for me (and because of my love for Jason Becker´s music) one of the albums of the year. Hear there are, 31 tracks cellebrating the music of Jason Becker, the great guitarist, the great composer, the great man. This album is full of great musicians and it would be unfair to mention some of them and not mention them all, but because of the lack of space I will mention some of the contributors to this great recording: , Chris Poland, Vinnie Moore, Marty Friedman, Steve Morse, Phantom Blue, Carina Alfie, Rolf Munkes, Torben Enevoldsen, Paul Nelson. And there are many many more playing through the songs here. The material is based basically on the "Perpetual Burn" and "Perspectives" solo albums, on the two ecellent albums that he did with Cacophony and on the album Jason did with David Lee Roth, plus there is some `original material here too!!! This is a must for every guitar freak !!!. Favorite tracks: The whole 2 CD set !!!. www.musicextreme.com/index2.htm 

Various Artists - Tribute to Jason Becker

Warmth in the Wilderness - A tribute album to the phenomenal guitarist Jason Becker, which suffered from the disease ALS, forced to drop the ability to play. His playing has inspired loads of guitarists all over the world, even though he was only 20 years old when getting out of the business.

Stormwind gets the honor of introducing the listener to the music of Becker, with "A Little Ain't Enough" (written by Lee Roth and Robbie Neville though). This performance is a great start of the album for sure with both great vocal and guitar work. The follow up is Torben Enevoldsen, which contributes with the absolutely fabulous track "Altitudes". This tune has it all, delivering goodies of beautiful classical interludes, floating guitars, heavy rhtyhm sections, screaming guitars and well.... it. Torben may not be the usual name on common peoples lips, but even though this he impresses with great talent.

"A Jam for Jason" is performed by a pretty much crazy group of guitarists which goes under the name of Cosmosquad consisting of Jeff Kollman, Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson and ... Steve Morse. Teamed up by Barry Sparks on bass, which by the way does a totally amazing rhtyhm play and some cool bass lines, and Shane Gaalaas on drums. This track is among the best as you can imagine with super cosmic (a phrase which they'd like of course) inputs from each and every involved. I've always love the playing of Vinnie Moore and Steve Morse, so this is candy for me.

Another performance that's pretty speciel to me is the tune "Mandy's Little Throbbing Heart", which is done by Eric Sands and David Ragsdale (ex-Kansas). Since I'm a huge fan of the art rock band Kansas, this is great fun to hear for sure. Even though Sands does most of the speedy inputs on this tune, Ragsdale is there filling the song up with great his violin. Pretty cool to have a violinist which has been inspired by a phenomenal guitarist such as Jason Becker.

Swedish freak guitarist Mattias IA Eklundh does a pretty cool track named "Lydia's House", which is totally amazing. IA who's been signed to the label of Steve Vai is one of the more extra ordinary guitarists out there, playing music that not just sound healthy for you. IA has lots of influences from Frank Zappa, and with this in mind, I think it's a pretty good description to the playstyle of Mattias. Frank Zappa on crack, playing Jason Becker licks.

Just like Mattias IA Eklundh, Rob Johnson has written a track of his own to celebrate Jason Becker. This track is somethign that could be compared to Magnitude 9 (the band of Johnson), with a bit darker mood to it, and electric guitar whirlwinds allover. Great work!

Marty Friedman does the magnificant "Black Stallion Jam", which is a sign of melody for sure. This is what Friedman always has stood for with his music, and this tune is among the best of the album.

Many other artists does a great job, but to keep this review a bit shorter than it could be, I'll just end this by saying.... Long live the music of Jason Becker.

Magnus Florin www.mtm.musicpage.com

JASON BECKER TRIBUTE - WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS (2001, LION MUSIC)
See below for guestlist

Musicians involved - Jeff Pilson, Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, Anders Johansson, Mattias IA Eklund, Cosmosquad feat. Jeff Kollman, Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson, Steve Morse, Robin McAuley, James Byrd, Patrick Rondat, Rolf Munkes' Empire, Stormwind, Torben Enevoldsen, Mark Boals & Lars Eric Mattsson, Ron Keel's Iron Horse featuring Robert Marcello,Mike Chlasciak, Jeff Scheetz, Cyril Achard, Phil Ansari Yaan-Zek & Lale Larson, Eric
Sands with David Ragsdale, Project Alcazar, Paul Nelson, May Lian, All the Usual Suspects, Rob Johnson, PUA feat. Carina Alfie & Linda McDonald of Phantom Blue, Mistheria with Rick Renstrom, Eric Zimmermann, Mike Campese, Alex Masi, Pamme, David Martone, Ron Thal, Sami Asp, Tony Baena, Josephine of Phantom Blue, Hit The Ground Runnin', Evolution

Due to the many amazing guitar players out there, the term 'guitar hero'gets used quite often. In respect to Jason Becker the term doesn't even come close to describing the respect and admiration that many have for this young man as both a musician and human being. For those not in the know, due to the debilitating disease ALS, Jason has been robbed of his ability to play the guitar. However, as you can read at his home page, that has not stopped Jason from living life to the full and even creating new music.

'Warmth In The Wilderness' is quite an amazing collection of music and musicians who have joined forces to pay tribute to a much loved friend and admired musician. The choice of tracks ranges from Jason's own songs, his time with Cacophony and David Lee Roth, and other songs written by other musicians with Jason as inspiration. It is quite a showcase for the tremendous work that Jason has performed and I'm sure he'll be impressed by the exciting renditions of familiar tracks and moved by those written in tribute. While most of the musicians taking part will ring a bell - Jeff Watson, Vinnie Moore, Marty Friedman, Mark Boals,
Phantom Blue for instance - there are also a few new comers (at least to these ears) such as Tony Baena, Project Alcazar and Cyril Achard that really make their mark as well.

As Danny Vaughn stated in the linear notes to this album, "We have been inundated with so-called tribute records for the past 10 years which, quite often, amount to no more than a bunch of musicians patting themselves on the back. This project is a truly worthy effort and reflects upon what I think must be the intense spirituality of Jason Becker himself". I couldn't have said it better myself. You get the best of both worlds with 'Warmth In The Wilderness'. Not only do you get a double cd of great music but you are also directly supporting Jason and his family as all royalties will be passed on to the Becker's. Well done to Lion Music and
everyone involved.

To Jason - keep fighting the good fight. Look forward to hearing the new album. -
Luigi Cisaria  www.heartoftherock.com

 Warmth in the wilderness - Tribute To Jason Becker (2001)

Avant de parler musique, parlons un peu de Jason et du pourquoi ce Tribute To. Nul n'ignore la maladie qui a frappé Jason en pleine jeunesse et contre m laquelle il se bat depuis plus d'une décennie. Maladie rare, brutale,  inéluctable. La maladie de Lou Gerhig est une maladie dégénérescente qui  entraîne paralysie puis mort. Les médecins donnaient deux ans à Jason,  c'était aux alentours de l'année 1990. Allez sur son site pour comprendre ce  combat de tous les jours. Choqués par la rumeur de sa mort il y a quelques  années, l'idée de ce disque a commencé a germé dans l'esprit de la famille de  Jason. Aujourd'hui, tous les gens que Jason a influencé sur le plan humain et  musical (mais l'un va t'il sans l'autre dans le cas de Jason ?), se sont  réunis et ont sorti ce double-CD chez Lion Music, disque dont les profits  seront intégralement reversés à la famille de Jason (les musiciens ont tous  joués gratruitement). Que dire de cette musique ? la plupart du temps, c'est
celle de Jason, revisitée par de grands musiciens, parfois ce sont des  morceaux écrits pour lui. C'est du bonheur en barre.  Je ne citerai pas tous les musiciens impliqués, ça prendrait des plombes,  allez faire un tour sur le site de Lion si vous voulez le détail (ou achetez  le cd !).  Ca commence fort sur le 1er CD avec A little Ain't enough de David Lee Roth  par Stormwind, puis deux reprises magiques de 'Perpetual Burn' : l'aérien  Altitudes par Torben Enevoldsen (l'un des meilleurs moments de cette galette)  et l'énigmatique Eleven Blues egyptians. Sur ce même cd, on notera ensuite en  vrac (liste non exhaustive) : la participation toujours étonnante de Dave  Martone (Higher), le jazzy/bluesy Jasin Street par Hit the Ground runnin',  ainsi que les participations de Jeff Scheetz, Cyril Achard, j'en passe ... Deuxième CD maintenant ! Ca commence aussi très fort avec le dernier morceau   de 'Perpetual Burn', Opus Pocus par Projet Alcazar, encore un grand moment,   une plongée émouvante dans nos souvenirs, j'en pleurerais presque si je   n'avais peur de mouiller cette glorieuse chronique. A noter, toujours en vrac   (excusez, c'est l'émotion) : Blue par Paul Nelson (bluesy à souhait),   l'envoûtant et entraînant Lydia's House écrit par Mattias Eklundh (quine fait
décidemment rien comme tout le monde), Forcefield aussi écrit pour Jason,  cette fois par Rob Johnson, dans un esprit très Cacophony, puis Marty Friedman
 tout en pudeur, Mike Campese et le Concerto, Paul Gilbert, Patrick Rondat,   James Byrd, Ron Thal, ...  A l'écoute de ce double, on retrouve pendant quelques instants toute la  quintessence de l'art de Jason, ce sens mélodique si particulier, ce goût  pour les harmonies orientales et on repart avec une furieuse envie de  réécouter toute la disco du bonhomme, génie fauché en pleine ascension, mais  qui continue à évoluer en tant que musicien (preuve en est le magnifique Air,
issu de 'Perspectives', CD écrit par Jason pendant sa maladie et que l'on  peut se procurer de nouveau notamment via son site).  Achetez ce double (c'est un ordre !), vous augmenterez l'entropie positive du  monde musical, du monde en général, vous serez surtout en possession d'un  disque unique ... enfin de deux.
http://www.guitar-heroes.fr

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS-A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER-VARIOUS ARTISTS (LION MUSIC)

Le voilà enfin ce double album en hommage à la jeune, mais ô combien prometteuse, carrière de Jason Becker fauché en plein gloire par une maladie grave et rarissime qui laisse désormais paralysé le malheureux guitariste virtuose

Tous les musiciens concernés, de Paul Nelson à Marti Friedman, en passant par Patrick Rondat, Ron Keel, James Byrd, ont collaboré bénévolement à la réalisation de ce double CD. Les fonds ainsi recueillis seront intégralement versés à la famille de Jason Becker. Il s’agit donc, ici, d’accueillir l’oeuvre présentée mais également de saluer l’initiative de Lion Music qui, sur le plan musical, nous offre là une très belle pièce: 31 compos pour un total de 156 minutes de débauche guitaristique jouée par le gratin actuel.

Lorsque l’on évoque Jason Becker, c’est d’abord à Cacophony que l’on pense: groupe, faut-il le préciser formé par Marti Friedman. Et même si l’on a peine à le croire en (ré)écoutant ce “Speed Metal Symphony”, Jason n’avait alors que 17 ans, mais son talent pour ne pas dire le don explose littéralement sur cette première plaque. À partir de là, les choses s’enchaînent normalement, il s’ouvre à la musique classique et se perfectionne. On l’encourage. Il expérimente son style au travers de compositions Rock, Thrash sans jamais tomber dans le piège de la facilité, avec comme résultat une musique sophistiquée qui, un jour arrive chez un des maîtres de l’époque: Mike Varney, directeur de Shrapnel Records. On le retrouve ensuite sur son premier album solo Perpetual Burn, qui reste encore aujourd’hui un must pour tout amateur de Metal Music, ainsi qu’un parfait témoignage de l’arsenal guitaristique de Jason Becker, alors qu’il n’a que 18 ans... À l’aise dans tous les styles, explorant le blues, jouant du Power Metal autant que du Rock ou du Prog, le jeune et ambitieux Jason se fait ainsi remarquer par David Lee Roth et joue sur l’album “A Little Ain’t Enough”. On peut dire qu’à ce stade, sa carrière culmine... déjà. Il peut alors, en compagnie d’un des “front man” les plus en vogue de la scène Metal, prouver qu’il n’est pas qu’un rat de studio, mais bien un musicien à part entière. C’est là, à ce moment, lorsque tout semble lui sourire, au moment où tout lui réussit que la vie en décide autrement. Jason tombe malade. On diagnostique une maladie grave, incurable, mais cela ne l’empêche pas de tourner avec David Lee Roth et de composer du nouveau matériel pour son deuxième album solo: “Perspective”, son oeuvre la plus mature, incontestablement la plus variée. Une espèce de cocktail de Hard Rock, de musique classique et d’orchestrations magnifiques. Un testament musical en fait, puisque l’on sait maintenant qu’il le composa alors que la maladie progressait.

La vie a donc décidé que Jason ne jouerait que sur cinq albums, mais cela ne l’empêche nullement d’avoir l’admiration de tous, il suffit pour s’en convaincre de regarder la liste des musiciens qui figurent sur ce double CD. Personne ne manque à l’appel, et c’est avec un réel plaisir, au-delà de l’oeuvre de bienfaisance, que l’on se plonge dans la découverte de cet album où chacun se laisse aller à son talent, à ses sonorités, offrant chacun le seul cadeau qu’un musicien peut faire à un autre musicien à savoir une bonne débauche de décibels bien ordonnés.


Ainsi vous remarquerez parmi d'autres, Paul Nelson, Marti Friedman, Stormwind, Mark Boals, Robin McAuley, Jeff Kollman, Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson, Steve Morse, Anders Johansson, Paul Gilbert, Jeff Pilson, Rob Johnson, Mattias IA Eklund, Jonathan Mover, Kenny Aaronson, Cyril Achard, Ted Poley, Gerhard Pichler, Rolf Munkes, Lance King, Alex Masi, Lars Eric, Mattsson, Johnny Lima, Matt & Gregg Bissonette, Patrick Rondat, James Byrd, Ron Thal, Mike Chlasciak, Sami Asp, Eris Zimmerman, Ron Keel's Iron Horse, Josephine de Phantom Blue,
...
Allez, nous sommes bien peu de chose sur cette bonne vieille planète, pas vrai !

Philippe Demaret

 
WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS-A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER-VARIOUS ARTISTS (LION MUSIC)
This is the tribute we talked about a lot the past few months. Guitarist JASON BECKER started his career in the mid 80s when he became one of the youngest guitarplayers to play on a record. He played along with MARTY FRIEDMAN on the first CACOPHONY record and people went nuts after this album was released. A new guitarhero was born! In the following couple of years Jason released a few solo-albums and played on a DAVID LEE ROTH record. All these records inspired a dozen of young guitarplayers to pursue their goals, just like Jason did. Unfortunately in the early 90s Jason was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a nerve disorder. He still recorded new songs and even played with David after he was diagnosed with the disease. The past few years though Jason has had a hard time and with the help of many great musicians a tribute CD to Jason has been released. 'Warmth in the wilderness' is the title of the tribute CD and on the double CD are 31 songs, of which most are covers of songs Jason recorded with either CACOPHONY, DAVID LEE ROTH or on his solo-albums. Musicians who appear on the album are MARTY FRIEDMAN, TORBEN ENEVOLDSEN, MARK BOALS, LARS ERIC MATTSSON, STORMWIND, HIT THE GROUND RUNNIN', PAUL GILBERT, JOHNNY LIMA, JAMES BYRD, JEFF PILSON and many many more. They all perform Jason's songs at their very best and you can really hear how all these musicians enjoyed Jason's work and were influenced by his guitarplay. This is one of the most respected tributes ever done in history as all the musicians donated their work and recordings totally free, and all the profits made with this tribute CD will go to Jason Becker and his family. Let's hope Jason can still enjoy each and every day of his life, and this tribute CD should please him a lot. Work has already begun for a second part of the tribute to Jason Becker, so let's also hope Jason will face that 2nd CD as well. More info on this CD at http://www.lionmusic.com
(Points: 9.0 out of 10)
Gabor Kleinblosem Strutter Magazine Holland www.angelfire.com/ma/strutteraor

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS VOLUME I - A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER
LION MUSIC

Before joining David Lee Roth's band for the 1991 CD 'A Little Ain't Enough', Jason Becker (discovered by Mike Varney) shot to the limelight along side ex-Megadeth guitar player Marty Friedman in the speed metal band Cacophony. Both Becker and Friedman were in their teens at the time and the pair became recognised for their blistering warp speed guitar complexities and technique which was far beyond their teen years. Jason recorded three solo albums and two albums with Cacophony before he got the job with Roth at the age of 22, replacing Steve Vai. Unfortunately, just as the Roth band went on tour in support of the album, doctor's diagnosed Jason with the crippling Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) which completely over took his body. Today, at 32 yrs old, Jason has to use a computer scanner to read and his eyes to communicate, but he still actively composes music under such a difficult burden. 'Warmth In The Wilderness' is a CHARITY CD and the difference between this and all the other tribute CD's is that this one has been created to help Jason fight his disease with all the profits being donated to Jason and his family which will hopefully ease his battle a little against ALS. This is a double CD that takes a trip through Jason's remarkable career. Mastered by Eric Zimmermann with the original artwork by Eric Phillipethe, the CD features a whole guitar neck of top rate contributors such as (deep
breath)...Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland (ex Megadeth), Marty Friedman, Ron Keel's Iron Horse, Paul Gilbert Racer X/Mr.Big), Steve Morse (Deep Purple/Dixie Dregs), Phantom Blue, Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen), Lars Eric Mattsson, Jeff Pilson (Dokken), Robin McAuley (MSG), Ray Luzier (DLR Band),
Bissonette Brothers, James Byrd, Patrick Rondat, Mike Chlasciak (Halford), Jeff Watson (Nightranger), Ted Poley, Mark Mangold, Kenny Aaronson (HSAS),
David Ragsdale (Kansas), Patrick Rondat, Alex Masi amongst other hugely talented players. The wonderful thing about 'W.I.T.W' is that each artist has recorded their own renditions of Jason's music in their own style, thus no song is a complete copy of the original which would have been the easiest thing to do. Such as Sweden's Stormwind who open the album up with 'A Little Ain't Enough', who add their own stamp on the classic David Lee Roth song, adding technical influences in the mid section which makes the song sound even better. There are also completed versions of unfinished demos which were featured on Jason's 'Raspberry Jams' CD such as Hit The Ground Running's excellent version of 'Jasin Street' where the band have added a scratch vinyl effect to the song and from 'Perspective', David Martone has completely rewritten the song 'Higher' for guitar. This piece was originally a gospelish vocal only Bobby McFerrin inspired song.
Three songs which will suprise people are from Welsh virtuoso Phi Ansari Yaan-Zek whose version of the classic 'Air' piece is awe-inspiring, the neo-classical version of Cacophony's 'ESP' by Frenchie Cyril Archard and the hard to play version of the second Cacophony number 'Go Off' from 'Brighton's Evoloution' - three mega superb artists to keep your eyes on in the future. There are a few tracks on the CD that have been written in honour of Jason by Magnitude 9's Rob Johnson and Freak Kitchen's Mattias IA Eklund and a finale 'Outro Jam' that features a cool selection of players, including Torben Enevoldsen, James Byrd, Patrick Rondat, Ron Thal, Mike Chlasciak (Halford), Lars Eric Mattsson and Sami Asp whilst Cosmosquad's 'Jam For Jason' featuring Vinnie Moore, Jeff Watson, Jeff Kollman, Steve Morse and Chris Poland is another masterful piece that Jason will be proud of. I loved Vinnie Moores Latin section on this song.
Also cool is an instrumental version of Roth's 'Sensible Shoes' performed by Jeff Scheetz and 'Becker Ola' performed by Phantom Blue's Linda McDonald and Carnia Alfie. On the subject of the ladies it was great to hear 'Tell The Truth' which features an Alannah Myles style performance from Pamme of the band Haven along side Robin McAuley and Johnny Lima on vocals, with Alex Masi and Lars Eric Mattsson on guitar.This is a great rendition, and as I said no song on this CD is adirect copy of the original which makes for a hugely enjoyable listen. Listening back to Jason's complete original works goes to show how much of a talented musician he always was. His albums still sound fresh and inspiring (check out the recent reissue of 95's 'Perspective' which has Steve Perry on vocals) and it's such a tragedy that Jason caught this disease, a situation that has affected me profoundly. As it stands 'W.I.T.W' is one of the best tribute CDs and it's nice to see some of the most respected names in rock music paying homage to Jason's art and because of the success of this CD a Volume II follow up is currently being assembled which will feature more musicians. Thanks to all these people it feels as if the whole rock world has come together to help one of their brothers in his hour of need which is quite amazing and really moving. Add to that the fact that US magazine Billboard featured an article on Jason and the CD and that a TV commercial has also been made to help awareness of this record. Buy this CD folks. It is a rare celebration of wonderful music - Jason Becker's music will never ever be forgotten.

Wolf Gant / Fireworks Magazinne NE UK

Warmth in Wilderness - A Tribute to Jason Becker

JASON BECKER dürfte den älteren unter euch als Gitarrist der Shrapnel Band CACOPHONY und durch seine Solowerke in Erinnerung gebliebensein. Die Einnahmen dieses Doppel-Albums, welches vom schwedischen  Label Lion Music organisiert wurde, gehen komplett an die Familie BECKER’s, der seit einer Krankheit schwerstbehindert ist. Highlights zu nennen, ist demnach dieserStelle auch komplett Fehl am Platz, da hier rund 2,5 Stunden gitarrenorientierte Musik für eine guten Zweck geboten wird und jedem Ehre gebührt, der hier ohne Gage teilgenommen hat. Das Songmaterial deckt alle  Phasen von BECKER’s Schaffensperioden ab und wird u.a. in Szene gesetzt von den Bands STORMWIND, RON KEEL’s IRON HORSE und HIT THE GROUND RUNNIN’ sowie einzelnen, miteinander jammenden Musikern wie z.B. Steve Morse (DEEP   PURPLE),VINNIE MOORE, MARK BOALS, Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN), Paul Morris (RAINBOW,MELODICA), Ted Poley (DANGER DANGER, MELODICA), Kenny Aaronson (HSAS), MarkMangold (THE SIGN u.a.), Rick Renstrom (ROB ROCK), Paul Gilbert  (Mr. BIG),Anders Johansson (MALMSTEEN, HAMMERFALL), ALEX MASI, JAMES BYRD, PATRICK RONDATund LARS ERIC MATTSSON. Die Einnahmen dieses Albums kommen der Familie BECKER’s zuguteBirgitt Schwanke Editor of ROCK IT Magazine Germany.

V/A
www.lionmusic.com
V/A "Warmth in the Wilderness - A Tribute to Jason Becker"
(15 Songs + 16 Songs, 78:00 Minuten + 77:01 Minuten, release: 2001, Label: Lion Music)

Klar, Tribute Alben gibt's momentan mehr als Popper auf 'nem HammerFall Konzert und die meisten sind doch eher lieblos zusammengeschusterte Scheiben,  bei denen dubiose Gestalten auf 'ne schnell verdiente Mark hoffen. Diese  Doppel CD hier zählt aber eindeutig nicht zu obengenannter Kategorie sondern
macht wirklich Sinn! Denn der gesamte Erlös kommt der Familie des  Gitarrenhelden Jason Becker zugute. Jason leidet schon seit einiger Zeit an der aus heutiger Sicht unheilbaren Krankheit ALS und es scheint mehr als  fraglich, ob der talentierte Saitenflitzer, der schon im zarten Alter von 17  Jahren mit Megadeth Klampfer Marty Friedman zusammen spielte, je wieder Gitarre spielen kann... manchmal ist das Leben einfach nicht gerecht...  Nun haben sich auf dieser CD viele wirklich große Namen der Rock und Metal  Szene zusammengefunden und alle haben umsonst einen Song für Jason  eingespielt. Teilweise wurden Stücke aus Jason's Feder neu aufgenommen,   teilweise welche aus Jason's gemeinsamer Zeit mit David Lee Roth, teilweise   wurden gar neue Stücke extra für dieses Tribut Album geschrieben! Und die   Liste der teilnehmenden Musiker lässt erkennen, dass hier keine halbgaren   Songs sondern ausschließlich wirklich erstklassiges Material geboten wird!   Mit dabei sind unter anderem: der dänische Flitzfinger Torben Enevoldsen,   Rolf Munkes von der deutschen Heavy Metal Band 'Vanize', Malmsteen-Shouter   Mark Boals, ex-Megadethler Marty Friedman, Liege Lord-Klampfer Paul Nelson   oder auch Racer X-Saitenhexer Paul Gilbert... sowie noch eine ganze Menge   mehr erstklassiger Musiker... hier alle namentlich zu erwähnen würde   sicherlich den Rahmen sprengen.  Zudem hat Eric Phillipe, zur Zeit wohl einer der angesagtesten Zeichner für  Cover Bildchen (u.a. Riot, Rhapsody, Holy Mother, ...), ebenfalls für umsonst  ein wunderbares Artwork entworfen. Die insgesamt 31 Songs sind größtenteils instrumental (nur bei  verhältnismäßig wenigen Stücken wird auch gesungen), meist dem Hardrock oder  Progressive Rock zuzuordnen, spielerisch ohne jeden Zweifel total erhaben und  -wie sollte es bei einem Tribute an einen Gitarristen anders sein- sehr gitarrenlastig. Liebhaber von progressiven Klängen, anspruchsvollen,  auufernden Soli und wunderbaren Melodieläufen kommen hier voll und ganz auf ihre Kosten... Ich möchte fast behaupten, dass diese Scheibe bei jedem Gitarren-Freak für ein mächtiges Zelt in der Hose sorgen wird ;)Nungut, wie dem auch sei, ... jedenfalls sollte sich wirklich jeder, der auch nur im entferntesten auf Gitarren steht, diese Scheibe zulegen, denn zum einen ist die Musik darauf von ausnahmslos superber Qualität und zweitens
dient diese Scheibe einen mehr als noblen Zweck... immerhin geht alles Geld, was mit diesem Album eingenommen wird direkt an Jason und seine Familie, sowohl die vertretenen Künstler, als auch die Plattenfirma Point Music als auch alle anderen beteiligten Personen verzichten komplett auf ihren Anteil!!
Ein wunderbares Beispiel für Zusammenhalt und selbstlosen Einsatz innerhalb der als Haifischbecken verschrieenen Musik Szene und eine wunderbare CD zum
träumen und genießen! Dieses Projekt sollte man unterstützen! Meine Hochachtung an alle, die dieses Projekt möglich gemacht haben!  10 Punkte (sowohl für die atemberaubenden Kompositionen, als auch für die Idee, die hinter dem ganzen steht)
www.metalcoven.exit.de

Warmth In The Wilderness-A Tribute To Jason Becker

Genre: Progressive Rock-Metal

Jason Becker was a young guitar God in the eighties. He played with a group called Cacophony, which released a well-regarded album entitled "Speed Metal Symphony." The word symphony is not referred to loosely by any means. Becker was heavily influenced by classical music and his technical expertise with the six-string was evident in all of his music. He also is well known for his solo work on an album called "Perpetual Burn." After all of that success he accompanied famous front man David Lee Roth on two albums, "A Little Ain’t Enough" and "Eat Em’ And Smile." After his stint with Roth the advanced stages of the disease ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) overtook him to the extent that he could no longer play.

This astonishing tribute to Jason and his courage to fight and refusal to be defeated is a suitable and lengthy recording covering select arrangements by the artist. Created by a truly remarkable and respected artist that had a career that ended much to soon, this two-disc set puts into perspective the impact and supremacy of his music and creative energies. That very drive and vigor is what keeps the man filled with optimism and hope that he will in the end defeat the disease that has ravaged his body. I honestly don’t know that if I was confronted with a life-changing situation like that if I could carry on like he has. I think most people would prefer to give up and curl up in a ball and die.

Artists from all over the world, new and emerging, well known and respected, have come together to salute the man that stood out amongst the crowd with honor and grace. He put all he had into every bit of music he made. The artists involved in this project reflect Becker’s spirit on every track.

This is a breathtaking group of songs. There is a good mix of progressive rock and metal, with and without vocals. The tunes without the vocals really tell the story. That was Becker’s forte; his guitar spoke loud and clear by making some beautifully inventive and original music. He is one of the most technically advanced guitarists that rock has ever seen. "A Jam For Jason" is absolutely awe-inspiring. The men that play on the song are dubbed the Cosmosquad, and they are Steve Morse, Vinnie Moore, Chris Polland, and Jeff Watson. This song happens to be my favorite although there were several others that really caught my discerning ears. The combination of rock, blues, jazz, and Latin influences in this song are simply mind blowing. When I saw Steve Morse’s name on the credits it all made sense after I heard the song. And that is just one number of many that rock the house. There are two full discs of ear splitting, mind bending, electrically charged rock and roll that will leave an ineradicable impression on you. I prey that Jason Becker will recover and bring to us once again his remarkable talent and musical vision. Long live rock and roll and the music of one great guitar man.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

July 28, 2001