Desmond Child – ‘Rocks The Parthenon: The Live Concert Album’

(Deston Entertainment / BMG)

There are some names in rock music that don’t necessarily need a lengthy introduction. You hear the name and immediately a whole catalogue of massive choruses, unforgettable hooks and arena-sized anthems comes flooding back. Desmond Child is most definitely one of those names. As a songwriter, producer and musician, Child has had a hand in some of the biggest moments in rock history, and now Rocks The Parthenon: The Live Concert Album gives us the chance to experience that extraordinary body of work in a very different way, live, loud and gloriously celebratory.

Recorded at the iconic Parthenon in Athens, this is an album that understands exactly what makes rock music so special. It isn't simply a collection of songs performed on a stage; it feels like a celebration of a lifetime spent writing music that was designed to connect with people. And when those songs are performed in a setting as spectacular as the Parthenon, there is an added sense of occasion that runs through the entire album.

From the moment this concert gets underway, there is an unmistakable feeling that something special is happening. The production has the size and clarity you'd expect from a major live recording, but importantly, it retains the raw energy that makes a live rock show work. Guitars have bite, drums have plenty of punch and the vocals are allowed to soar above the whole thing. There is a genuine sense of musicians playing to a crowd rather than simply reproducing a studio recording.

And then there are those songs.

That is perhaps the most obvious thing about this release. Desmond Child has spent decades helping to define the sound of commercial rock, hard rock and melodic rock. His songwriting fingerprints can be found all over the history of the genre, from huge power ballads to fist-pumping rockers, and hearing these compositions brought together in a live setting really drives home just how impressive his catalogue is.

What strikes me most is the sheer familiarity of the melodies. Even when you aren't consciously thinking about the original artists or recordings, the hooks are there. These are songs that have become embedded in the DNA of rock music. The choruses are enormous; the arrangements are built for audience participation and there is that wonderful sense of musical theatre that only the very best arena rock can deliver.

This isn't subtle music, and frankly, it shouldn't be. Rocks The Parthenon is all about BIG rock music. Big guitars. Big vocals. Big choruses. Big emotions. It is unapologetically theatrical and completely comfortable with the idea that sometimes rock music should simply make you want to throw your arms in the air and sing along at the top of your lungs.

The live performances benefit enormously from that approach. There is a looseness to the concert that gives the material a fresh personality, while the musicianship remains tight enough to ensure everything hits with the required impact. This isn't a tribute act going through the motions. There is genuine enthusiasm behind the performances, and that enthusiasm becomes infectious.

The audience is another important part of the experience. You can hear the reaction and feel the atmosphere building, and it reinforces the communal aspect of this kind of music. Rock has always been about bringing people together, and when you have a catalogue this rich being performed in front of a passionate crowd, the result is naturally going to be celebratory.

Of course, there is also something wonderfully nostalgic about the whole thing. For those of us who grew up with melodic rock and hard rock, these songs represent more than simply entertainment. They are tied to particular eras, memories, records, concerts and moments in our lives. Hearing them performed live again can be like opening an old photograph album, except this particular photograph album has Marshall stacks and a massive PA system attached to it!

But nostalgia alone wouldn't be enough to make this work. Thankfully, the performances have enough energy and conviction to make the album feel relevant in its own right. These songs have aged remarkably well because the fundamentals of great rock songwriting don't really change. A great melody is a great melody. A killer chorus is a killer chorus. And a song that makes an audience sing together still has the power to raise the roof decades after it was originally written.

The Parthenon setting adds another layer to the occasion. There is something wonderfully surreal about hearing some of the biggest rock songs imaginable performed against one of the world's most recognisable historical landmarks. Ancient Greece meets American arena rock, and somehow it makes perfect sense. Both are built around drama, spectacle and larger-than-life storytelling.

For me, the biggest success of Rocks The Parthenon: The Live Concert Album is that it reminds us just how important great songwriting is. Production techniques change, fashions come and go, but give me a great melody, a huge chorus and musicians who genuinely believe in what they're playing and I'm a happy man.

This is a celebration of Desmond Child's extraordinary contribution to rock music, but it is also a celebration of the genre itself. It is loud, emotional, theatrical, melodic and packed with the sort of hooks that stay lodged in your brain long after the final note has disappeared.

If you're a fan of melodic rock, hard rock, AOR or simply great rock songwriting, this is one live album that deserves your attention. Turn it up, forget about subtlety for a while and let the sheer scale of it wash over you.

Rocks The Parthenon isn't just a concert album. It's a celebration of rock royalty, performed on one of the world's most incredible stages.

8/10

Essential Track – ‘Crazy’

Review by Woody