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Looking for 10 good tracks. What I’ve heard is just generic forgettable Dokken. And Erase the Slate is NOT a good song.

They must have 10 damn good tracks out of all the post Lynch releases. What do you recommend?

Prozac Nation!

Check out this tune. Kinda Dokken. It is on Alex De Rosso's album with Don on vocals. Alex was briefly in Dokken
https://youtu.be/Phj18YhMX50?feature=shared. From 2003. It is credited as Don being the songwriter

My favorite track on Lightning Strikes Again is "Oasis".
https://youtu.be/qODzVsM1Sk0?feature=shared

Empire is pretty cool too.

https://youtu.be/I7G3IIgH4zY?feature=shared

Even if you don't like the song Erase the Slate, there are some good songs in the album.

The problem with Levin Dokken is it does have a too formulaic generic sound. The songs are good for the most part, just not memorable. They are trying too hard to have a classic Dokken sound which causes them to sound bland and unoriginal. At least on Erase the Slate Reb didn't try to sound like George.

It's a shame they didn't have a proper follow up to Dysfunctional.

Dokken released tons of quality material after Dysfunctional. It is your loss if you haven't given them a chance.

< A+ songs >
There Was A Time
Change The World
Dancin'
Almost Over
Sunless Days
Judgement Day
Fade Away
Sunset Superstar
Can't Fight This Love
Gypsy
Over The Mountain
Burning Tears

< A songs >
Standing On The Outside
Point Of No Return
Empire
Voice Of The Soul
Upon Your Lips
Only Heaven Knows
I'll Never Give Up
I've Found
Haunted
Heart To Stone
Give Me A Reason
Tonight
Deep Waters
Bitter Regret

The Sacred Cowman wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2024 3:58 pm Dokken released tons of quality material after Dysfunctional. It is your loss if you haven't given them a chance.

< A+ songs >
There Was A Time
Change The World
Dancin'
Almost Over
Sunless Days
Judgement Day
Fade Away
Sunset Superstar
Can't Fight This Love
Gypsy
Over The Mountain
Burning Tears

< A songs >
Standing On The Outside
Point Of No Return
Empire
Voice Of The Soul
Upon Your Lips
Only Heaven Knows
I'll Never Give Up
I've Found
Haunted
Heart To Stone
Give Me A Reason
Tonight
Deep Waters
Bitter Regret

I agree about them having a lot of good songs and I have heard every song on your lists. The problem is, I can only recall how a handfull of them sound. Only 2 of the Levin songs on your list can I recall, which is Empire and Standing on the Outside. I agree those are both good songs. I can immediately recall the Erase the Slate, Long Way Home and Shadowlife songs. The Erase the Slate songs you picked are excellent. I love Voice of the Soul and Change the World. Even the Shadowlife tunes you picked, if remixed (I hate the sound of that album) are good ones.
I am sure most of the other songs you listed are good songs, the Levin ones just aren't memorable. I am a big Lynch fan, but I am not anti-Levin. I think he's a great guitarist, but the songs just don't do a lot for me. Maybe I need to give the Levin albums another listen.

I am surprised you didn't list "It's Another Day". That is another good one.

There's a lot of good stuff post-Dysfunctional. That record wasn't even that great. The last top notch album with Don Dokken was UFTA. Sunless Days and There Was A Time are really great. Not as good as something like Dream Warriors, but not that inferior either. Biggest problem was having to write for Don's diminished voice. Shadowlife even had Puppet On A String and Bitter Regrets. Erase the Slate has 3 or 4 songs that are pretty good. Hell Toupee has some good stuff. Lightning Strikes Again not bad either. The next ones are alright too. There just isn't anything that's similar to the 80s records.

Maddest Hatter
Puppets on a String
Sunless Days
The 2 singles off the new record.

Put me in the "Erase the Slate kicks ass" and "the rest of the album is listenably solid" category.

And as much as I love George, while I don't doubt there may have been lots of studio trickery/re-recording here, this might be the heaviest Dokken ever sounded live:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7m1x5XAKYk

Mick's use of the ride cymbal post solo makes me randy.

Erase the slate
Change the world
Maddest Hatter
Sign of the times
Sunless days
Little girl
Dancin' (The Irish song)
Only heaven knows
Point of no return
Sunset Superstar
Can't fight this love
It's another day

I'll save you the time. There are not ten good Dokken songs post Dysfunction. I mean, there aren't even ten good post Back For The Attack tracks.

Created a big playlist with all the above songs. I’m embarking on some serious post Dysfunctional Dokken studies.

Lots of good tunes. Can probably get rid of the stuff off the newest release.

Still listening.

It's Another Day isn't a good song. It sounds like a filler track from The End Machine albums. Its music was writte by George and Jeff and Don wrote the lyrics. The problem with George and Jeff is that the majority of songs that they wrote together post '80s lack melodies and hooklines, I understand that their headspace isn't in the '80s anymore but their songwriting abilities have seriously diminished. Don's version of Dokken, despite Don's limited vocals, kept putting out good songs, and to me it's obvious that Don was the driving force behind Dokken's classic sound.

Maddest Hatter
Shattered
Sunless Days
Little Girl
Prozac Nation
Dancin' (The Irish Song)
Oasis
Empire
It's Another Day
Gypsy

Heart To Stone
Standing on the Outside
This FIre