It was the early nineties and musical polymath Arjen Lucassen had started work on several projects: a solo album, a progressive rock opera and a rock album. Around this time, he saw singer Robert Soeterboek perform live with Bodine, his former heavy metal band from the early eighties. "His vocals really impressed me, a rarity!" recalls Lucassen. "He had the charisma and power of singers like David Coverdale and Robert Plant. When we realized that we got on very well personally, we decided to work on some songs together, just for fun."
"We started writing songs together and found a natural flow that led to a wealth of ideas," Soeterboek recalls. "Our friendship grew as we spent more time together and I remember us getting silly and laughing a lot."
Today, in 2022, they have re-recorded these recordings. The album contains a glorious treasure trove of 11 original songs with a loving 70s and 80s twist. It's a fast-paced romp through the rolling feel-good rocker "Let It Ride", the Beatles-esque "Doctor Robert's Medicine Show", the bluesy groove of "Annie Moore", the chugging glam stomp of "High-Speed Chase" through to the 80s metal of "Ice on Fire", while "The Preacher" would also fit on a number of Arjen's back catalog records. The bonus disc contains all the demos and some newly recorded tracks.
01 Doctor Robert's Medicine Show 02 The Preacher 03 Annie Moore 04 Get Down To Bizniz 05 Before The Morning Comes 06 High Speed Chase 07 Let It Ride 08 Ice On Fire 09 Long Cold Night 10 Drunker Than Whiskey 11 Die With Your Shades On