Dokken
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Dokkens roots date back to the late 70s, when Lynch, along with drummer Mick Brown, teamed up with Don Dokken to form the Boyz. In 1981, Don moved to Germany and was signed to Carerre Records. The band, now simply known as Dokken, recorded and released Breaking the Chains, their first studio album, in 1983. While the record failed to retain a decent chart position in the United States, the group was immensely popular in Europe.
After a tour in Germany, Dokken was signed to Elektra Records, and Jeff Pilson became their first official bassist. In 1984, the band released Tooth and Nail, which featured the hit songs Into the Fire, Just Got Lucky, and Alone Again. With heavy MTV and radio airplay, Dokken found themselves topping the charts worldwide, and Tooth and Nail eventually sold over one-million copies in the U.S. alone. Following a tour with the Scorpions, the group recorded Under Lock and Key in 1985, which had a similar success due to the hits In My Dreams and Its Not Love. In 1987, the band released Back for the Attack, which featured a track they had written as the subtitle for the third Nightmare on Elm Street film, Dream Warriors. The coinciding music video, which included scenes of the band interacting with the movies characters, was their most popular ever, and Back for the Attack became Dokkens third record to reach platinum status. The albums subsequent tour resulted in a live compilation, Beast From the East, which was released shortly before the band broke up in 1988 due to Don Dokkens and Lynchs creative differences.
After the disbanding of Dokken, Don pursued a solo career with Up From the Ashes, and Lynch formed the Lynch Mob, releasing an album in 1990; both releases failed to chart. In 1992, the band reunited, but it wasnt until 1995 when they signed with Columbia Records and released Dysfunctional, which was met with harsh reviews and poor sales. Tensions once again seemed to hover around the group as they recorded the live acoustic release, One Live Night, in 1996 under the CMC label. In 1997, the band released Shadowlife, which was met with a similar response to their past two recordings. In 1998, Lynch left a second time to reunite Lynch Mob, and was replaced with Winger guitarist Reb Beach for 1999s Erase the Slate. This was followed in 2000 by another concert record, Live From the Sun, which captured the Beach lineup at Anaheims Sun Theater. Beach left the group and was replaced by John Norum, and the group recorded Long Way Home for release in the spring of 2002. In 2003, ex-Warlock guitarist John Levin and ex-Ted Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen bassist Barry Sparks joined the group, resulting in the release of Hell to Pay the following year.
