By Stephen Kasenda
TESLA "MECHANICAL RESONANCE" (1986)
Unlike many glam metal bands in the mid 80s that were fueled with hairspray, spandex, and booze, Tesla emerged as a different earthy band playing real deal of rock and roll in blue jeans and plain shirts as their uniform. The fact is that they're far from pop metal and more of a traditional heavy/blues metal band, but since they toured extensively with many glam bands, the media labeled the band as one of them. Never crossed anyone's mind that a bunch of tomato farmers and cement truck driver like them could possess indisputably miraculous talents, and "Mechanical Resonance" is proof of how smart they blend the retro ingredients of classic 70s rock and blues with the 80s hard rock vibe.
"EZ Come EZ Go" relentlessly moves fast between the relaxing verse and heavier chorus. "Getting Better" crawls with an emotional vocal before bursting into a powerful rocker. "Rock Me To The Top" is an astonishingly great upbeat tune and "Modern Day Cowboy" is everyone's favorite. Tesla cracked a one minute acoustical jam on their cover of Ph.D’s "Little Suzi", which later inspired their timeless classic, "Love Song”. Many other great songs to like here, such as "Cumin' Atcha Live", the lazy and bluesy "We're No Good Together", or the classic Bad Company-like song, "Love Me".
Tesla is one of the few bands hard to hate since they always concentrated in making great music with splendid lyrics – they partied less and never betrayed their roots. This album is one of their most remarkable and the landmark record that started the whole journey. If you're new to the band, "Mechanical Resonance" is a perfect starter.
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