Dokken frontman Don Dokken recently guested on the Battleline Podcast, and during the chat he discussed the release of his 1990 "solo" album, Up From The Ashes", and being sued by his former bandmates George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown for the rights to his own name, ultimately losing the lawsuit.
Check out the excerpt below.
Don: "It wasn't a solo album. It was going to be another Dokken album but the band sued me. Up From The Ashes is one of the best albums I ever did; I'm so proud of that album. If I just had the name 'Dokken' on it, it would have sold four times more, but the judge split the baby. Jeff, George and Mick wanted to go on as Dokken, and I said 'I will fight you to the ends of the earth for you guys going on as Dokken without me.' At the end of the day, the judge says 'You guys can't use the name, Don can't use the name, but I can't legally keep Don from making records as Don Dokken.'"
Dokken have released the infectious new single, "Gypsy", taken from the band’s 13th studio album, Heaven Comes Down, set for release on October 27 via Silver Lining Music.
“While writing the new record, we had written a lot of music, but I sometimes got stuck with the lyrics so I decided to go camping” explains Don Dokken. “I came across a woman wearing a lot of necklaces and jewelry. She was driving an old wagon with one horse and she was stuck in a hole, I asked her if she needed help but she said ‘no the sun will be up soon’. She had a fire going and invited me to have some food that was cooking in an old pot, so I did and we began to talk.”
“She spoke in broken English and looked Navaho” continues Don. “There is a reservation here in New Mexico. The first thing she said to me was ‘you make music’ and I was intrigued by that, so we sat there for several hours and talked, she looked very old yet wise. She told me about her life living on the reservation and I told her about my life. She told me I had lost my way, which I found funny since she seemed to be lost but wasn’t! It was pitch black, she looked up and said ‘the stars guide me’ and started speaking Navaho. I found the experience very surreal!”
Don concludes, “I got my jack out of my truck and lifted up her wagon, we both gathered a lot of rocks and filled the hole so she could get her wagon unstuck, and then she just walked away and started to drive off without saying a word, but then she shouted back to me and said ‘the sun is coming up… you need to go, the coyotes and mount lions will be hunting soon’... very wise advice!”
Watch the video, by Natalia Jonderko Śmiechowicz, below:
Exchange the urban heat of the Sunset Strip for the warm wilderness of New Mexico, as Dokken bring their timeless convertible Ferrari rock’n’roll power to the table with some key modifications along the creative path. Working with engineer Bill Palmer over the course of a year at his studio in Santa Fe, the Dokken flavours remain as potent as ever, yet they’re also sprinkled with some desert seasoning which gives Heaven Comes Down a richness hitherto unseen on a Dokken album.
You want to rock? Sink your teeth into "Fugitive", which rides some shimmering guitar work courtesy of 20+ year member Jon Levin, and if you want ballads, head on over to "I’ll Never Give Up", hanging on that Coliseum chorus, Levin laying down a landmark solo. The pattern of Heaven Comes Down never falters in delivering the goods on both sides of the fence. "Just Like A Rose" brings the Pacific Coast Highway to desert plains with its smooth, effortlessly-driven gears, and "Saving Grace" carries a mystical malevolence. But "Santa Fe" is perhaps the most revealing with Don Dokken opening up with what amounts to a ‘life-moment biography’: a spartan acoustic arrangement allowing the rich yet road-driven vocals to frame what might well prove to be the defining moment of Dokken’s career.
Mixed by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Joe Bonamassa) and produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken, fans will love it, neutrals will be wonderfully surprised by some of the ingredients within Heaven Comes Down.
Heaven Comes Down will be released on CD Digipak, 12” Vinyl Album in Black and colour variants, digital formats and special D2C products and bundles. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
"Fugitive"
"Gypsy"
"Is It Me Or You?"
"Just Like A Rose"
"I’ll Never Give Up"
"Saving Grace"
"Over The Mountain"
"I Remember"
"Lost In You"
"Santa Fe"
"Fugitive" video:
- Produced by Bill Palmer & Don Dokken
- Bill Palmer: acoustic guitar on "Santa Fe"
- Mark Boals: special guest (background vocals)
Live dates:
October
21 - The Piazza - Aurora, IL
November
8 - Jergel’s Rhythm Grille - Warrendale, PA
10 - The Robins Theatre - Warren, OH
11 - Piere’s - Fort Wayne IN,
17 - Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV
18 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA
Lineup:
Don Dokken - Vocals
Jon Levin - Guitar
Chris Mccarvill - Bass
Bj Zampa - Drums
