The Complete Donnie Iris And The Cruisers
bangSheet, Volume 1 Issue 8, October 5, 1998


BACK ON THE STREETS - A pure Pop/Rock gem.  Layers of guitar, vocals and downright, serious melody.  Donnie Iris has a voice for the ages in modern rock.  It soars, sinks, suprises, and screams it's way through ten amazing tracks, all produced to a shimmering and shining rock-n-roll polish.
 

KING COOL - Here the story unfolds.  The first albums  characters return to inhabit these crunching, melodic rock gems.  Purely conceived, pure energy, pure,glorious rock popped to perfection.  Playing their guitars, they are more than local stars.
 

THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY - "Get on your feet, and raise your hand.." I did, and still do.  Tougher in sound than the earlier recordings, but more tender in song.  Another gem.
 

FORTUNE 410 - Somewhat an experiment in sounds.  An inconclusive experiment at that.   Entertaining, for entertainment sake, with clear, solid, pop moments.  Less focused, but more diverse.  Diversity can give you a taste of everything, but an appetite for none.  "Do You Compute?" I'd order again.
 

NO MUSS... NO FUSS - Out of the studio and into the garage?  Albeit a hook laden, melody filled garage that invites the neighbors to call their friends, not the cops.  This sounds good, sounds live, sounds like a label should hear this.  The man with that plan missed the boat letting these guys get away.
 

OUT OF THE BLUE - This one literally came out of nowhere--primarily to satisfy the hunger of "Ah! Leah!" CD-starved radio programmers.  The other 6 re-issued songs are taken from "Back on the Streets", "King Cool", and "No Muss...No Fuss".  The inclusion, as well, of 6 additional original songs is what makes this disc click.  Solid new rockers like "Love Whispers" and "Temptation", along with the feel good ditty "Be Still My Heart" all hit the mark. -- Vic Savage
 

FOOTSOLDIER IN THE MOONLIGHT - If you're looking for those trademark Donnie screams or soaring vocal harmonies - don't look here. ; Even the better songs on this uneven, uninspired disc don't manage to make the leap from standard formula rock to memorable Iris fare.  A disappointment overall for even the die-hard fans. -- Vic Savage
 

POLETOWN - The world which Louie, Agnes, Merilee and King Cool himself have grown into.  Youthful days of love, passion, bars, cars, and late nights have given way to kids, divorce, wrinkles, affairs, class reunions, jobs and loves lost, and introspection.  Change with redemption.  Age with wisdom.  Music that is classic, mature and timeless.  A classic.

LIVE! AT NICK'S FAT CITY - The band being...the band.  An amazing live set.   Career spanning, it is set to the backdrop of a hometown celebration.  The band blazes through their history.  Respecting it, while reviving it.   "Live" absolutely captures the band at a moment in time that deserves this preservation.

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