PETER PANKA'S JANE: SHINE ON

SHINE ON is a 2003 JANE album released by the PETER PANKA'S version of the band. Yes, there is no KLAUS HESS, the heart and soul of the glory days of JANE but somehow the line-up playing on this album cam make this band version legitimate as the 4 members were all at one time or another playing with the band in the 70s.

Apart of PETER PANKA on drums,CHARLY MAUCHER played bass on JANE's first and third album and WERNER NADOLNY was their first keyboardist as well. Guitarist KLAUS WALTZ was part of the band for HERE WE ARE and JANE III.So the credentials are here, but does it mean we are back to real JANE music? definitely not!

SHINE ON is a product of a band well in their fifties and it sounds like it! There is absolutely nothing prog on this album, except the great cover design. The only link to JANE past is the band logo. What you hear on this recording is middle of the road mainstream rock with absolutely ano adventurous spirit. Verses,chorus and verses again followed by a prefabricated 10 second guitar solo . This is an album of 4 buddies having a good time recording together with no sense of urgency. They are not here to rekindle with their past, just playing conventional songs you have heard a million times on radio before in your life.

The vocals are so predictable, you always know in advance what's coming next and they get sometimes very corny. (just listen to the horrible HOW TO DO IT RIGHT) .It should have been a law in Germany to forbid to record songs like that.Where are you KLAUS HESS when we need you ? I don't know if JANE would have been better with their lead guitarist on board as him too, sure is 30 years older as well in the meantime. But HESS was the spirit and the sound of the band and without him, just the name remains from the glorious times, nothing more.

Don't ask me which songs are the best ? after multiple listenings, i still can't come up with one that stand out, not one. Oh! yes, everything is well played, the sound is clear but that's not enough to add stars to the rating.This is JANE only in name!

1 STAR.

I guess lots of you know that song.But of course at this time of their career, it was not really sweet times that "Jane" was offering. Especially during their "Beautiful Lady" (gosh!) or "Resurrection" (re-gosh!) period.

The quality of their recordings picked up for "Genuine" though. And this album is not too bad after all.

No "Sweet Jane" references of course but maybe some "Shine On YCD". Not that this album sounds like this fantastic piece of music but the opener is purely Floydian and I admit that I like this song. I admit that its structure is pretty much basic (like most of the numbers here) but the hypnotic beat is rather catchy.

What's for sure is that since Peter Panda is on the full command of the band, the sound has completely changed. From a pure hard to heavy rock, the band has hugged several different genres. "Heartbeat" is an example of mellow ballad which couldn't have been released in their glory days.

In terms of ballad, I have a weakness for "Another Day Another Way" : fully pop and melodic. But again, this is not the "genuine" Jane but I guess that one cannot expect a band to always play the same music throughout the years (especially when their career is spread over more than thirty years). The guitar break featured here is also very pleasant.

Some straight-forward rock songs like "Know It All" or "Still Want More" aren't bad per se, but won't be a highlight in "Jane" 's career either of course.

Some songs are pretty weak, that's a given. "Honestly" is the first of the genre. Press next (or skip depending on your configuration). But next will only lead you to "Freedom In His Word", another ballad in the sort of love/hate type. Some sort of jelly song for some of you, some nice rock ballad for some others.

Funny enough "How To Do It Right" is one of them. I'm often wondering if the bands didn't do it on purpose in the research of their title! It is very daring to call this song like that. It is an AWFUL song, with AWFUL backing vocals (same style as during their live album "Jane Live 89"). Press next. NOW. And you will automatically go to an extreme poor ballad. "Sign My Name" is the type of songs I wouldn't have liked to sign. Press next again.

Fortunately there will be a better end for this album. The last two songs are pleasant. Even if the pop orientation of "Something New" might be disputable, I appreciate the melodic chorus. But when one has been trough several weak songs, it is a pleasure to listen to a decent number. One has even the tendency to inflate its qualty...

The closing number is also one of the good songs from this album. Since it is the longest number from this album, it will even feature a long guitar solo (well over ten seconds my friend Febus). Again the mood is on the pop side but the same remark than for "Something New" apply.

This is an average album. Two stars. Nothing to worry about for a non-"Jane" maniac.