Let me start by saying, I always liked BANG TANGO. I have hazy memories of seeing them at The Limelight back in 1989… and hearing “Someone Like You” on WSOU (For those living in the New York / New Jersey area). So, when the debut BEAUTIFUL CREATURES CD came out on Warner Brothers in 2001 amidst tons of fanfare and a much-publicized bidding war I was curious to see what Joe was up to. I was pleasantly surprised what the boys delivered was a straightforward 80’s friendly hard rock album… albeit with some modern production values thrown in. Unfortunately even after WB spent tons on promotion, the band was dropped. Leaving the group in flux for years, Joe spent his down time reanimating BANG TANGO.

Fast-forward to 2005 their long-delayed sophomore CD “Deuce,” finally released in America via Spitfire Records (Japan seeing an earlier version of the record long before us). Gone was DJ Ashba their original guitarist, along with Joe the primary songwriter. In came Alex Grossi to fill the void (before leaving for QUIET RIOT). He was subsequently replaced as well, with Mark Simpson (ex-FLOTSAM AND JETSAM). Before contributing heavily to the writing process of “Deuce” he sees the band heading further into the contemporary scene, and with mixed results. “Anyone” makes for a catchy single and “Superfly” definitely has a vintage BANG TANGO groove. “I Won’t Be The One” is a simple, but pretty guitar / vocal ballad. Reminiscent of “Just For You” from “Psycho Café” also warrants high marks. Other material like “The Unknown” doesn’t seem to work as well. Joe seems uncomfortable with the vocal. Instead of sticking to what he does best, the track comes across as faceless modern rock. Other moments remind one of say ORGY, just seem rather forced and not very convincing.

That’s not to say it’s a bad album by any means. The production by Anthony Focx is killer! Which can rival any major label big budget release. The packaging as well, is beautiful. Very classy, moody, and sporting a run-down carnival theme throughout. I just would have liked to see a little less angst with down-tuned guitar riffs and more emphasis on writing hooks. What we’re left with is a real mixed bag trying to appeal two separate fan bases. Modern Rock Fans may eat it up! Though if you long for the BANG TANGO glory days, I’d rather steer you towards last year’s “Ready To Go” first… ironically, it’s basically the same line-up as BEAUTIFUL CREATURES (with Grossi) with more of a Classic 80’s approach. This can stand proudly with anything else in the BANG TANGO catalog.

Look for “Deuce” to be released in Europe in 2006, with four bonus tracks.