This new compilation will be of particular interest to Rockford residents because Rockfordian Ronald Johnson (currently in TraSH 80s) is one of the bassists featured here. His contribution is with his old band, Hugh Betcha. In addition to Johnson the musicians are Rich Gocken (lead guitar), Al Altamore (guitar and lead vocals) and Kevin Hutchens (drums). Dating back to 1987 it is the oldest cut on show here.

Like most compilation discs, this is a mixed bag. There are some tracks I like a lot here. There are also a couple I'd skip over. The majority fall somewhere in between. Because of the Rockford connection we'll take a look at that Hugh Betcha track in particular, along with the hits and misses of this collection. There are a couple of points about the whole disc that I'd like to mention, though. First off, while the fact that this is a collection of songs featuring 12 string bass is interesting, it's not very obvious. Really, I'd say that for the most part you don't really notice the bass at all - and I'm a bassist. That makes this a tenuous connection at best. Secondly, It would be nice if there were better liner notes on this set. Those two things are the only real issues I have with the set, though - and they are fairly minor. I suppose one could also complain that there isn't enough of a common musical theme here. Personally I consider the variety of sounds to be a bonus.

Now, let's take a look at a few of the tracks. Getting the negatives out of the way first, Judge Unger's "Imitation" really has a bit of a flat production and the vocals are rather harsh. That's a shame, too because the music here is pretty exceptional. It feels a bit like some crunchy neo-progressive rock with bits of old school Rush. It's also worth noting that with a different mix and production those vocals would probably work. They are just set too poorly into the mix of music. The number that follows it is the other minor clunker here. Entitled "Kalungkutan," it's by Kulukati. Like "Imitation" the real issue is a combination of weak vocals and mediocre production. It comes a lot closer to making it into the good category, though. The track reminds me in some ways of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Now that we've got the negatives out of the way let's take a look at the Rockford connection. The track from Hugh Betcha is "Bring Me Down." It opens with a 1980's hair metal riff - hey, it was 1987. The production on this is a bit lacking, too - but as old as this is, you can cut it some slack. The vocals are perhaps more along the lines of punky metal (think Skid Row meets The Ramones). There's some smoking guitar soloing and this just plain rocks. It's not the best song on here, but it's definitely well into the upper half. I'd love to hear more from this outfit - and some better recordings. Of course, that's if those recordings exist.

So, what about some highlights of the disc? I really like the opener, "The Lucky One" by Crunchy. It pounds in with a bass heavy tone that feels like some nu-metal, but then drops down to a power pop vocal arrangement that reminds me a lot of Cheap Trick. This combination of nu-metal stomper with catchy power pop is great. Two more that I'd consider real standouts are both tracks by the only person to get two (Tony Senatore). The first, "Lord of the Subtones" is a killer progressive rock instrumental. The second, "Shafla" is his interpretation of some cool Beatles psychedelia - and I mean that literally.  "Title Fight" by Philip Snyder is one that I like a lot, although perhaps not as much as a few of the others. It reminds me of a punkier Blue Oyster Cult with some Cheap Trick thrown into the mix. It's a cool number that's catchy, but still a bit left of center - in a good way.

Overall this is a strong compilation. I'd bet there will be a few cuts here that blow you away, and probably none that have you running for cover. It covers a lot of musical territory. You get a great tune by a Rockford resident, too. How can you argue with that? For more information, or to get the disc, stop by 12stringbass.net. You'll also note when you go to that site that there's another Rockford connection to this disc. To quote the description of the CD on CD Baby, "The first widely distributed album to prominently include the 12-string bass was Cheap Trick's 'Live At Budokan' album." You may not get Cheap Trick on this set, but it's a great way to see how the instrument has influenced music over the years.