KINGDOM COME „The Best Of Kingdom Come/The Millennium Collection”

Kingdom Come's rise to glory was short-lived. After Lenny Wolf released two CDs with Stone Fury for MCA with guitarist Bruce Gowdy – also see Unruly Child – and various bassists and drummers, Lenny formed Kingdom Come with Danny Stag (lead guitar), Rick Steier (Rhythm Guitar), James Kottak (drums) and Johnny B. Frank (bass). With help from producer Bob Rock Kingdom Come released their self- titled release in 1988. Being a high-school child in the mid-to-late 90s the only Kingdom Come song I ever head on the radio (my home state of Utah actually had/has a good 80s rock station) was 'Get It On' off the debut. Apparently, according to the liner-notes of this CD, 'Get It On' was Kingdom Come's only charting single. Following the release, Kingdom Come were often tagged as Led Zeppelin imitators, a fact that probably led to the groups early fall from popularity in the States.

The format of this compilation includes four songs each off the first two Kingdom Come CDs, Kingdom Come and In Your Face, and three songs from Hands Of Time. Following Hands Of Time Kingdom Come departed from the Polydor label, and this chapter of Kingdom Come ends there. This release works in chronological order and you get 'Living Out Of Touch', 'What Love Can Be', 'Get It On' and 'Pushin' Hard' off the debut. 'Living Out Of Touch' 'Pushin' Hard' and especially 'Get It On' really rock, but you can clearly hear the Zeppelin overdo on 'What Love Can Be'.

The best song here is actually 'Do You Like It' from In Your Face. The cover art off the In Your Face release depicted a simple speaker on a white background with the Kingdom Come logo on top, perhaps trying to depict a sense of volume in their music through the artwork. You also get 'Who Do You Love', 'Gotta Go (Can't Wage A War' and 'Overrated' off In Your Face. Kingdom Come really attempted to burst the Led Zeppelin bubble, which was hanging over their heads prior to In Your Face, and release a CD with a more unique hard rock style. The four songs here show they succeeded but In Your Face wasn't terribly popular upon it's release.

'I've Been Trying' from Hands Of Time brings the Led back into the Kingdom Come formula, but the song has an interesting bass-hit once the song picks up for the chorus that I swear nearly blew the speakers in my car. 'Should I' and the average mid-paced 'You're Not The Only…I Know' end this compilation. The song-list makes for a CD 50 minutes and 8 seconds in length. For the most part, The Best Of Kingdom Come / The Millenium Collection is really the only Kingdom Come release anyone would ever need. And in my humble opinion, Lenny Wolf never toped his Stone Fury days which produced his best song ever 'Break Down The Walls' on the Burns Like A Star (1984) MCA release. But bottom line, if you are an 80s hard rock fan lacking Kingdom Come music, this release does stand as a landmark for the time period which produced this group, and it's suggested for fans of melodic hard rock.

http://www.universalchronicles.com/

note: 7 of 10

Tracklist

Living Out Of Touch
What Love Can Be
Get It On, Pushin' Hard
Do You Like It
Who Do You Love
Gotta Go (Can't Wage A War)
Overrated
I've Been Trying
Should I
You're Not The Only…I Know