Will Play for Food

Back in the mid- to late '80s, then-Dokken guitarist George Lynch shared almost equal "page time" in guitar publications alongside Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani. While his high profile may have dipped a bit over the years, Lynch still issues solo albums on a regular basis (and when the time seems right, is present for momentary reunions with the Dokken clan) -- such as 2001's Will Play for Food. Keeping in step with the times, the album is a collection of covers of other artists' songs (something that just about almost every veteran rock act seemed to be doing at the time). Included are the expected hot rod heavy metal rockers -- Van Halen's "Panama," Rush's "Anthem," Alice Cooper's "Billion Dollar Babies," and a pair of Ozzy Osbourne tunes, "Mr. Crowley" and "Flying High Again" (the latter of which are interesting choices, as Lynch tried out -- unsuccessfully -- for a spot in Ozzy's band post-Randy Rhoads). And changing things up a bit, a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" is included -- done in a manner similar to the popular Rod Stewart/Jeff Beck reading from the mid-'80s. Hardcore fans of Lynch may get a kick out of hearing their guitar hero tackle some well-worn tracks -- but was it really necessary?