So, You Wanna Do a Solo Album? (w/Martin Popoff)
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- čas přidán 21. 12. 2023
- Join Pete Pardo & Martin Popoff for a discussion all things solo albums!
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Pete your face when Martin said he was “not a fan of Gary Moore as a guitar soloist”.😂😂😂😂 Merry Christmas guys 🎄
I think I stuck a lump of coal in Pete's stocking.
What is now very evident to me is that Pete and Martin need to do a Friday morning show debating the Gary Moore albums of the 80s. I REALLY wanna see them lock horns on the matter; after all, they did it 3 times in this episode!
Corridors Of Power and Victims Of the Future were awesome. Agree with Pete 100% here.
Pete's face while Martin is ripping on Gary Moore is priceless!! LOL
I feel your pain, Pete. Lol . Although I did agree with Martin mostly today. Except the Gary Moore part. Lol. I own about 95% of these solo albums . Merry Christmas to you both ! Great episode!
Couldn't disagree more. Gary Moore is one of my absolute favourite players. He's a beast with fire,heart and chops on his playing. Great show guys as always. Merry Christmas all! Cheers
Same here...
Martin’s modus operandi is to be “controversial” and different, possibly as a means of supporting CZcams viewing, which isn’t an unusual approach given the volume of competing product. Unfortunately, on this episode it comes across as highly judgemental and almost narcissistic in the unspoken but implied claim being arbiter of what is good and what is not and that extends to production. I’m not a Gary Moore fan (I do admire his undoubted guitar prowess) but I don’t attach weight to his comments here and Pete is always well mannered on his shows and not to be drawn. Martin regularly devalues the currency of critical language. Jagger’s solo album may be good, it may be excellent, a “masterpiece” it is not. I’m also uncomfortable with the suggestion that putting out solo material very different from the band (albums that one doesn’t like) means we should question why they were ever in the band in the first place. I don’t see the connection. If the artist leaves the band, then that might be a reason or not. “Destroying reputation” ? I understand the sentiment but I think that’s something more related to behaviour, not making artistic choices that may prove unsuccessful, or too successful, although we can all come up with examples where bands and artists released albums that blew up their successes.
@@maddysmith8846 Yeah, he comes across as an irritating, know-it-all who's overly impressed with himself.
Pete was about ready to explode when Martin went on putting down Gary Moore. And rightly so... Seriously Martin, you lost your last bolt, there? G Force is one of my all time fav albums. What a band that was!
Cheers.
Omg. During Martin's rant on Gary Moore I had to look at the calendar to see if it was April 1 and he was kidding. I could not disagree more . Glad Pete defended Moore
Kudos to Pete for keeping cool while Martin destroyed Gary Moore! I'd have been trying to get to him through the webcam!
And as always, Pete is right.
Having just listened to Corridors of Power and Victims of the Future back to back, assuring myself of what I already knew, I must hereby state, categorically, that Martin Popoff has lost his ever lovin mind.
Haha! Great post and you nailed it - Martin "contrarian" Popoff is something else! Ears were invented to hear Gary Moore sizzle on guitar......that's why we have em'.
Empty Glass sounds nothing like the who and Amused To Death sounds nothing like Pink Floyd.
@@treff9226 Lol. Facts! Couldn't agree more. 🤘
Looked like Petes head was going to explode after the Gary Moore rant by Martin.What made it even more entertaining is when Martin keeps twisting the knife and trashing Garys albums after Pete tries to defend them.😂😂😂
Chinese democracy is basically basically an axle Rose solo album. None of the members of Guns N’ Roses you played on the first five albums are on that album. Axel had complete control the band. OK I forgot I guess dizzy does play on the Chinese democracy album but that’s it
Izzy, duff, slash, axl, steven, matt, dizzy and gilby: important members in order excluding fame.
Very good points you make..I don't mind the album ..it's no classic though..
Its a good album. It didn’t live up to the anticipation after such a long wait. I agree that it is essentially an Axl Rose solo album in all but name.
@@jimmycampbell78 I don't really care for that album but it would have gotten a better reception if it was a solo album.
Can’t wait for the Gary Moore episode!
We need a Gary Moore 80s music poll. It sounds pretty split on here. I am a little surprised. Please count me in the pro GM camp!
I could Pete holding back while Martin went on his anti-Gary Moore rant. And then hilariously Pete said no way he could let that go. Great job. Gary Moore was so underrated.
Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti of AlterBridge! Myles expertly explores more bluesy/folksy/Americana style music (and he often plays a mean slide guitar!), while Mark does some great heavier - less melodic metal work - than in AlterBridge. He also has a few crooner ‘Sinatra’ albums, where he actually got living remaining members of Sinatra’s old orchestra together and sounds remarkably similar to ole blue eyes himself!! (2nd album is a Christmas album).
Great artists these two guys!💪
WHOA !!!!!!!!!!!!! A Gary Moore debate! There's an episode that needs to be done in 2024 ! Need to have Butch from the Squares to be part of it (?).
As a GM fan (across his career), there's so much to say...! But, one point of interest is that my wife's favourite album is G-Force, and her favourite track is "Sail Across The Mountain" from Grinding Stone. I love them both too.
First of all, I respect Martin and own almost all of his books. And while everyone has opinions - and none are right or wrong - Martin is COMPLETELY wrong about Gary Moore!! 😄Too much to say in this reply, but suffice it to say I’d love two hours to debate-discuss the issue (Gary’s albums between “Back on the Streets” and “Wild Frontier” are some of my favorite albums ever!). Great episode, guys. Thought-provoking!
I love Buck Dharma's Flat Out.
24:20
Martin: "I have this controversial opinion... not even crazy of him [Gary Moore] as a guitar soloist..."
Pete: "You are killing me right now."
Martin steps in it from time to time! Gary Moore is spectacular.
The day Martin "grinched" Gary Moore.
Thank you, Martin! I’ve tried to listen to those Gary Moore albums and I thought the lyrics were middle-school level and the songs were meh…glad it’s not just me 😅
Very surprising about Martins comments of the Gary Moore albums. A good civil discussion between Pete and Martin should be a show. Call it: Gary Moore: What am I missing?
Interesting episode. I really like all those Gary Moore albums too; After The War is favorite.
Martin should listen to his own panel regarding Gary Moore. Amazing soloist!
No love for the Moody Blues solo stuff, I find most of these quite enjoyable:
Graeme Edge Band Kick Off Your Muddy Boots & Paradise Ballroom (Both with the Gurvitz brothers)
Justin Hayward/ John Lodge Blue Jays (Basically a MB album)
Ray Thomas From Mighty Oaks
Mike Pinder Among The Stars
Justin Hayward Penumbra Moon
Also The Promise
It's easily the best Moodies solo album !
@@paulbrookes413 Sorry I missed The Promise, an excellent album, but I have to admit I prefer the Blue Jays and The Graeme Edge albums more. The only Moodies solo stuff I couldn't get into were the John Lodge solo stuff. I have Natural Avenue and 10,000 days, but just don't connect with it.
Great episode! I'm learning more, getting stronger every day. More duo albums: John Lodge and Justin Hayward, Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz. Both duos did a couple albums.
Happy Holidays and best New Year to both of you and all of SOT.
Someone pick a pub where we can hash this Gary Moore debate out in persons over pints.
This is important stuff ! And deserves pints.🤘😎🤘
Merry Christmas guys! My favorite show on youtube. Thanks for all you do
Mary Weiss's "Dangerous Game" (2007) is a solo album that I highly recommend. The one and only solo album ever released by the lead singer of The Shangri-La's, it's an absolutely terrific record in which Mary turns around all the influence she and The Shangs had on punk and new wave by making an album that combines the classic Shangs sound and attitude with tight, taught, punk-flavored rock and roll. Her immense influence on everyone from The Ramones to Blondie to The NY Dolls to Aerosmith, Twisted Sister, and Joe Jackson, and The Damned, and The B-52's, Johnny Thunders, Rachel Sweet, The Patti Smith Group and on and on and on is fully on display. What a fantastic little record. She still sounded great and if you look at the cover or watch the promotion she did for the album (including Conan O'Brien) she still looked great and absolutely commanded the stage. What a pro. What a legend! Highly, highly recommended album.
I didn't know this! Gonna look it up - thanks for the tip!
Merry Christmas & rock on!
I'll be checking this out. Thanks!
What about an Yngwie Malmsteen solo album? 😂What kind of music would he make if he had total control?
Great, fun episode! Thanks for mentioning Terry Kath!
Another great conversation, as always! Thanks for that and have a happy holidays you both 🍺🤘!!
I like three of the four solo albums the members of The Cars did when they took a break mid-80's. Vocalist Ric Ocasek's "Beatitude", bass player Benjamin Orr's "The Lace" and guitarist Elliot Easton's "Change No Change" are all good albums. Keyboardist Greg Hawkes also came out with "Niagara Falls".
What a great episode! Need some valium, and take out half of my collection, to check!
Best wishes! 🎄👍
Gotta love the pre show weather reports Martin and Pete always seem to do :)
Solo albums close to the band:
Don Dokken - Up from the Ashes
KK's Priest - Sermons of the Sinner
Halford - Resurrection
Paul Stanley - Paul Stanley
Vince Neil - Exposed
Arcade
U.D.O. - Animal House
Lou Gramm - Long Hard Look
Doro - Force Majeure
Todd La Torre - Rejoice in the Suffering
Ace Frehley - Ace Frehley
Iommi - Fused
The Joe Perry Project - Let the Music Do the Talking
Corpsegrinder - Corpsegrinder
Albums that are totally different:
Quorthon - Album
Bruce Dickinson - Skunkworks
Bill Ward - Ward One: Along the Way
Steve Hackett - Cured
Pete Townsend - All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Fight
Peter Criss - Peter Criss
Gene Simmons - Gene Simmons
Freddie Mercury - Mr. Bad Guy
Phil Lynott - The Phillip Lynott Album
Geoff Tate - Geoff Tate
Don Dokken - Solitary
Tommy Lee - Andro
John Norum - Face the Truth
A.S.A.P. - Silver and Gold
Graham Bonnet - Line-Up
Steven Tyler - We're All Somebody from Somewhere
2wo - Voyeurs
GZR - Black Science
Dee Snider - We Are the Ones
Rickey Medlock and Blackfoot
Di'Anno - Di'Anno
I would have loved to see a solo album from Jimmy Farrar from Molly Hatchet before he passed. LOVE his voice.
Solo albums can be very hit or miss.
Great research for your list.
Geddy and Alex exchanging solo works on new projects is an interesting concept. I would picture Alex pulling his own arranged solo on Home On The Strange. 😂
I sometimes have the feeling that Martin has an opposite opinion just to have an opposite opinion!
Happy holidays Peter and Martin ☃️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️🥳🥳
Merry belated Christmas. - Jim Pembroke's Corporal Cauliflower's Mental Function album with members of Wigwam sounds like another really good Wigwam album.
- Ditto Deke Leonard's Iceberg albums that sound like Man albums, to me anyway.
- Tony McPhee's The Two Sides of Tony McPhee is fantastic, with a traditional blues side and a synth side, and not many people know it exists.
- I love Gary Moore's G-Force album. It got me through the eighties, when there was a lot of dross about.
- Roger Daltrey's first album consisted of a number of Leo Sayer's early songs. It really worked for me.
- Pete Townshend's Empty Glass album sounds like a Who album, which it should've been.
- Dave Gilmour's first two solo albums are pretty good, even if they sound like the guitar from Pink Floyd.
- Tony Martin's early solo albums are very good. He is an excellent guitarist and multi-instrumentalist.
- Rob Moratti's solo albums are a triumph with Tony Franklin on bass.
- Jorn Lande's first album, Starfire with Dag Stokke producing, is incredible.
The best part of the video was seeing Pete hold back from arguing with Martin about Gary Moore's solo albums, just cause of the faces he makes! I would've liked to see a Brian Johnson solo album too, especially since AC/DC released less and less studio albums following 'The Razors Edge,' and he stopped writing lyrics for the band starting with that album and onwards.
Ooooh! The Keith Moon album!!
GREAT pull.
Really cool album cover and lay out.
Goddawful record. Truly, truly awful.
but Keith will always be my all time fave😎
Aaaaah Martin you are insane hating on Moore's metal albums. How dare you haha. Had a good laugh on your hot takes :D
Glad to see John Paul Jones get the respect he deserves :)
Glenn Hughes ‘Play Me Out’. A million miles away from Deep Purple and not even tempered by Trapeze sensibilities. I still enjoy the album though as Glenn was working through his musical frustrations during and after the demise of Deep Purple MK4.
Thank you guys for turning me on to John Paul Jones solo music. Listening right now plus I'm gonna check out Chris Squire and a lot of other solo material thanks to you guys. Merry Christmas to you both and a very happy healthy New Year!!!
Frig yeah, that is great news.
Even though it isn't a solo album, but Mad Season's Above sounds a little like Alice In Chains, primarily due to the amazing voice of one Layne Staley. I Don't Know Anything, Lifeless Dead and Artificial Red among others, could've easily been AIC jams.
I think it's authentic and great that you guys don't always agree on opinions . You guys are both professors of music in my eyes , giving us your honest take on all these bands . Thanks 👍
Morrisey’s first solo album “Viva Hate” is a Smiths continuation album.
I think BOTH Pete and Martin hate the Smiths with utter passion.
@@davej.meister5421 Doesn’t matter, the example still fits the premise they presented.
@@davej.meister5421 No Martin likes them. He talked about their album covers on a Contrarians show.
I love Naked Thunder. No More Cane, No Good Luck, Sweet Lolita, Nothing To Lose.
Absolutely, great album think it really rocks, particularly opener, Gut Reaction.
❤❤❤ You're so entertaining.Love you Guys ❤❤❤
Butch Jones accidentally smashes a bottle of bourbon after hearing Martin's views on Gary Moore.
Great episode…I gotta say I disagree on the Peter and Gene KISS solo albums….initially as a 9 year old kid when they came out, yeah I was let down by Peter’s and only slightly by Gene’s. Paul’s and Ace’s blew me away. Still do. But as I got older and became a musician and deeper into other types of music, I came to like Peter’s more as I aged, probably because I dig 70s yacht rock, and I see where he was going with it. The ballads like Easy Thing, etc are very Lennon-esque, and being a Beatles fan, the Beatle indulgences on Gene’s album I love. It’s cool to see his influence and what he can do besides drivel like “put my log in your fireplace” 😂, and I’d take his 78 solo album over almost anything he’s done post Creatures or Elder. His songs on Unmasked are quite good IMO.
The disagreement over Gary Moore is great….it shows that two musically well educated guys with good taste, similar in many ways, can completely see and hear something totally different. Just shows how subjective music is and how or why it connects with some people and not others.
Lowell George's Thanks I'll Eat It Here (1979). I'm not sure what category it belongs to, though; some of it sounds like Little Feat (e.g. versions of "Two Trains" and Allen Toussaint's "What Do You Want the Girl to Do?"), some of it doesn't ("Cheek to Cheek", "Himmler's Ring"). Anyways, generally more song-based and less jammy than LF and better imo than their last couple '70s albums. I wish you would talk more about Little Feat, since (from my understanding) you both like them.
Of course the mighty dio
My fav
Standing on the edge of the world
Kill the king
The last in line
Holy diver
King of rock and roll
Stargazer makes me cry too!
For duo/collaborations I was thinking of Fripp/Eno, Fripp with Andy Summers, and so on but maybe the best of them is Fripp & David Sylvian, especially the DGM version of the live Damage album
My lithmus test of the worthy breakaway solo artists is whoever assembled a band and were able to bring it home live on tour. Ozzy, Garcia, Plant easily come to mind. Roger Waters nailed it on his solo tour only by joining forces with EC
Interesting show. A Ritchie Blackmore solo album!, that's Blackmore's Knight, isn't it? Mike Portnoy does The Clash.
Bachman Turner, Moog Way
Vivian Campbell’s solo album is called Two Sides of If, a very blues-influenced album!
Andy Taylor-Thunder
Mantas-Winds of Change
Tony Carey-Some Though City
All three are lightyears from what they were doin in their bands. But they are great albums.
Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story (back when Rod rocked), is a great solo album that really launched his career, even though it is really more or less a Faces album. The best song on the album "I Know I'm Losing You" features an uncredited Kenny Jones drum solo and the whole Faces band backing him up. There is a great CZcams with The Faces performing it on the BBC.
Plenty of other musicians on it. Especially Martyn quintontion, and drummer etc.
A prefect album!
I really enjoy Mark Kelly’s Marathon album. More of a Genesis sound than the Fish era Marillion albums.
I definitely wish we could have gotten a Terry Kath album. He was the very first person I thought of.
TK had an early 70s standalone single called "Tell Me." It was played at the end of the Miami Vice series finale in 1989. I think the song was featured on an obscure soundtrack. Sounded like the lost Joe Cocker song.
Megadeth's "The System Has Failed" was originally intended as a Dave Mustaine solo album, made with session musicians to execute his ideas. However the record label insisted it be released as a Megadeth album.
Temple Of The Dog, of course a big group of Seattle's finest coming together to record an album in honour of Mother Love Bone's Andy Wood, but all of the songs very much the work of Chris Cornell being at the helm.
Serj Tankian from System Of A Down has a very varied solo career, but two of his albums "Elect The Dead" and "Harakiri" aren't too far from what System Of A Down were doing on some their less frenetic songs like ATWA and Spiders.
Popoff and Pardo are at it again with another round on the solo album concept. A thorough categorical review and thoroughly enjoyable episode in the funhouse. Great examples and a lot of albums not discussed to often. But the highlight for me was the discussion of one of Pete's favorite guitarists and displaying what makes Martin such a great regular on the SoT channel - fearless discussion of his point of view and reasons. Wish there was a way to use some of that guitarist's songs on the channel and have Martin and Pete have a go at their respective views. Thanks, gents, for this great episode to watch before undertaking some holiday travel. There ya go!
'Fearless' - yes, but would be good to have a bit more justification behind some of Martin's more 'contrarian' opinions. For example pointing out the less-than-stellar production of the 80's GM albums may be true but can't negate the great music & playing on them. Sometimes these do come off as trying to be 'opposite' simply for the sake of it (which clearly spurs a lot of responses & in all fairness that's what you want on this type of chat board)...Then again this is about music which is opinion-based/very personal so you can hypothetically elicit every possible reaction to any given piece of music
Ronnie Montrose's Open Fire threw Montrose fans for a loop back in the day, though I always enjoyed it.
Montrose's solo albums are wonderful - Diva Station is one of my all time fave tracks
One solo album I've been enjoying immensely lately is Rick Wright's WET DREAM. Gawd-Awful title aside, it's one hell of a low-key Prog classic. And what an ad hoc band, including the legendary Mel Collins! Every 5 years or so I get back into that album bigly. It has staying power.
Sterling episode. Everyone's opinion is as relevant as anyone else's, except when one doesn't understand Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart. Van Vliet was a child prodigy, an absolute. verifiable genius. His music was so unique, it was beyond categorization. Trout Mask Replica, and its follow-up Lick My Decals Off Baby are 2 of the greatest albums, of any genre ever made of all time! As always thanks for our thoughts.
Hi Pete and Martin! I’m a fan of Eric Clapton; but mostly his 70’s solo material. I like some of the 80’s; but I’m just curious if you have ever done an album ranking of Clapton. I actually prefer his solo stuff over Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and Dominoes. My favorite Clapton albums are Slowhand and 461 Ocean Boulevard.
Ian Hunter made solo albums equaling if not surpassing Mott The Hoople.
In the collaboration category, I love Smith/Kotzen which doesn't sound like anything they do in their respective bands.
Martin was mercilessly funny today😂
Kerry Livgren's(Kansas)first solo album had two songs that could have easily been Kansas songs, but, the rest of the songs, not so much. His 80s band AD, much the same, one or two songs per album could have been Kansas songs, the rest, not so much. His 2000s band, Proto-Kaw, on the other hand( Proto-Kaw means " pre-Kansas ", after all), is as much Kansas as Kansas itself
Roger Hodgson's( Supertramp) albums definitely sound like his later Supertramp songs
Further from the sound of Europe sound is John Norum's "Worlds Away". Yet an even further point away from Europe is the Joey Tempest solo discography.
personally i would a liked to seen motley offer the mick mars gig to gary moore. seems like a good fit.
ACDC Phil Rudd solo album
The Knife Feels Like Justice by Brian Setzer is a beautiful Americana album and he never made anything like it again. His voice is insane on this styleand hearing him experiment with Fender guitars was really interesting. Mike Campbell's parts are great too.
Agreed!
An excellent record! Its been a minute but I do remember it being a little too '80's sounding'.
Slick. You know.
Yes, horrible snare sound and maybe overdone on the backing vocals. The guitars are intense though.
Brian's follow-up Live Nude Guitars wasn't terrible. The single "Rebelene" was actually pretty good.
Yes, I had those first two on one CD. I played them both after watching this.
Wasn't Michael Anthony working on a solo album in the 'Right Now' video text? If so, it's been a long time coming.
Andy Taylor's solo album, Thunder, is the complete opposite to what Duran Duran was recording.
The Nick Mason "Ficticious Sports" album was really the work of Carla Bley, jazz pianist and composer. Nick played drums and produced, I believe. But it's got Robert Wyatt on vocals and it's utterly bizarre, but, I think it's great!
For not quite solos: Bruford-Moraz, GTR (Hackett and Howe), Buckingham-McVie, Santana-McLaughlin, Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane.
Can I say I love Ginger Baker solo albums especially with Bill Laswell and Nicky Skipolotis. Genuinely awesome drumming and production. Ginger's jazz stuff with Bill Frisell is equally great.
Listening to Buck Dharma's "Flat Out" and it's pretty much the BOC equivalent to Ian Anderson's "Walk Into Light". Yeeeesh.
there's a John Lydon solo album called Psychos' Path, which I like.
How about Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly" solo album. It really just sounds like another Steely Dan album.
I will say this: whenever you guys want to do a Gary Moore breakdown, I will gladly participate with transcriptions, harmony analysis, everything. Gary Moore does not need vindication, but we can bring out some music theory. Ian Paice did great drum work there too.
Thanks Luis!
I don't think Martin will be swayed by any music theory arguments but I'm sure many of us GM fans will welcome ANY further discussion of Moore's (great) work in the 80's!
Another great show guys. Not sure if James Young ever did a solo album, but I would like to hear 10 songs of a heavier Styx sound.
James did one solo album called Out on a Day Pass in 1988, and an LP called JY/City Slicker around 1985 that was with Jan Hammer, but I recall it being more Jan Hammer's style than JY's. He also had the James Young Band in the mid nineties that released an album called Raised By Wolves, but I've never heard it.
Goddamn, Pete - Buck Dharma solo! I totally forgot about that album - got it for Xmas back in the day, wasn't much impressed but I liked the back cover.
Vivian Campbell - Two Sides Of If (2005) according to Wikipedia. I didn't know it existed. It looks like a Blues Covers album.
Correct. And it had Terry Bozzio on drums. Unfortunately thoroughly boring to me. Had such promise on paper
Other solo albums I'd love to see, or wish we could have gotten to see (if certain people weren't gone):
Kim Thayil
Danny Carey
Cliff Burton
John Henry Bonham
Muzz Skillings
Mel Schacher
To me, Freddie Mercury's first solo album was, somewhat, a continuation of Queen's Hot Space.
"Goddess in the Doorway" was famously referred to as "Dogshit on the Doorstep" by Keith Richards
Love to hear a John Myung solo album.
Career-destroying solo album: Rick Wakeman - Rock and Roll Prophet.
Btw, I adore the first Thank You album by Michael Schenker. Everybody I’ve ever played it for likes it.
Maybe my opinion of Gary Moore being one of my favourite guitarists is coloured by my having seen him live quite a few times, including with Greg Lake but unfortunately not with Thin LIzzy.
Where I may agree with Martin on his solo albums is the drumming of Ian Paice which compared to his drumming in Purple and Whitesnake sounded a tad more pedestrian - however live he still killed it - and some of the production - imo Corridors of Power is better produced than Victims and half of Run forCover though WIld Frontier and After the War arent too shabby (to my ears that is).
I note that nothing was said about Gary's time in Colosseum 2 which I have always championed as being my favourite period of his - I also quite like his Grinding Stone album but then I am a bit of a sucker for a proggy/Jazz Rock Fusion sort of style. I have to say I also like the sound on his solos on G Force particularly in You and Because of your Love.
Yes some of his 80's output could be a bit mediocre almost hair metal by numbers, and as for a scratchy guitar tone - I'll have to force myself to listen back to his 80's output before commenting (oh what a struggle that's going to be -not).
He did use a number of diffrerent pointy headstock guitars through the 80's like Charvels, Hamers and Ibanezs, as well as strats that could lend themselves to that kind of sound , though he also used Les Pauls and a Gibson Melody Maker. Dont know what pedals and amps he used though as those will have also had an effect on his overall sound. Not to mention that it was the 1980's and that was the prevalent sound from every band.
As with any band or artist he also had not so good lyrics but also had some great ones- e.g. Blood of Emeralds, WIld Frontier, After the War, Murder in the Skies ......
Don Dokken's Up From The Ashes is excellent, it's better than many of the Dokken's albums.