George Lynch thinks doing ‘Wicked Sensation Reimagined’ album was big risk but fun work
George Lynch thinks doing ‘Wicked Sensation Reimagined’ album was big risk but fun work
Lynch Mob, KXM, Sweet & Lynch, The Ultraphonics and occasional Dokken lead guitarist George Lynch was recently interviewed by long-time Sleaze Roxx contributor Ruben Mosqueda for KNAC.
Lynch Mob consisting of Lynch, lead vocalist Oni Logan, bassist Robbie Crane and drummer Brian Tichy just released the album Wicked Sensation Reimagined via Rat Pak Records late last month to celebrate the 30th year anniversary of the band’s debut album Wicked Sensation.
With respect to the fact that Lynch Mob could have easily released a live album version of Wicked Sensation rather than the reimagined tracks for the record, George Lynch indicated (with slight edits): “Right, I didn’t see treading over old ground serving any purpose. I just couldn’t get excited about that prospect. Doing something that was more ‘creative’ sounded more interesting and fun, which is why we did it the way that we did it. We wanted to make everything a little more interesting. We didn’t do that with every song. I’d say that roughly half of the songs are significantly different. I’d say that the other half are pretty close to what you have been accustomed to, same tempo, same key and the same approach. We have just brought them up to today’s technology and given them a fresh, new perspective. And they’re very ‘stripped down’. I have to point that out.”
In terms of whether it was challenging to take the songs from Wicked Sensation and apply a “fresh coat of paint” to them, George Lynch opined: “No, no, it actually takes more effort to perform things the same way for the past years as opposed to just having fun with it. Songs are just a product of a moment in time. To pretend that time doesn’t continue to march on and to try to recreate that moment over and over again… it seems counterintuitive. To do something that is more reactive like we did on this album is much more natural for me.”
In regard to whether he took a big risk in tackling the Wicked Sensation album in a different way, George Lynch stated: “I’d say so. It was also a bit of work, but it was fun work. From a creative standpoint, it was very gratifying. We talked things through collectively as a band and we worked through some arrangement ideas and approaches. We did that with half the songs and the other half we ‘freshened’ up some and stripped them down. Then Brian [Tichy] and I talked about potential tempos and grooves and we brought that to the band. I think there were a lot of people screaming “Don’t touch Wicked Sensation. Don’t do it!” [laughs] It’s just so strange to me that people think that way. We’re not ‘replacing’ anything. The other version is still available. I wrote it. Why can’t I have fun with it? I don’t know what the big deal is? Dude, I think we have other fish to fry right now, other than George Lynch doing a ‘reimagined’ version of Wicked Sensation. Fuck!!! [laughs] I think people might be channeling their angst and frustration from areas of their lives and bringing it to something like this record. It’s so silly, I can’t even believe it. [laughs]”
You can read the rest of the interview with George Lynch by Ruben Mosqueda at KNAC‘s website.
Lynch Mob‘s “Wicked Sensation (Reimagined)” single: