Girls with guns,Classic Rock,March 2008.

[gr8dane]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

[Toph]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

While Girls with Guns has its moments, my biggest beef with it is the production quality. With the exception of the title track, the backing vocals are bland and without any personality what so ever. Ambition is a much stronger effort IMHO.

[Jodes]

Thats because of Mr.Taylor producer extroidinaire..

You put Ambition, Foreigner's Unsual Heat and Bad Company's Holy Water/Here Comes Trouble together and they all have that sound..

[Grotelul]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

While Girls with Guns has its moments, my biggest beef with it is the production quality. With the exception of the title track, the backing vocals are bland and without any personality what so ever. Ambition is a much stronger effort IMHO.

I have never liked any of Mike Stone's albums. Journey, Asia...never liked the sound of their albums.

[Higgy]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

While Girls with Guns has its moments, my biggest beef with it is the production quality. With the exception of the title track, the backing vocals are bland and without any personality what so ever. Ambition is a much stronger effort IMHO.

I have never liked any of Mike Stone's albums. Journey, Asia...never liked the sound of their albums.

Yeah I know - it sucks when albums are GOOD.

[Grotelul]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

While Girls with Guns has its moments, my biggest beef with it is the production quality. With the exception of the title track, the backing vocals are bland and without any personality what so ever. Ambition is a much stronger effort IMHO.

I have never liked any of Mike Stone's albums. Journey, Asia...never liked the sound of their albums.

Yeah I know - it sucks when albums are GOOD.

You just can't stand the fact someone thinks Asia sucks.

[gr8dane]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

While Girls with Guns has its moments, my biggest beef with it is the production quality. With the exception of the title track, the backing vocals are bland and without any personality what so ever. Ambition is a much stronger effort IMHO.

I have never liked any of Mike Stone's albums. Journey, Asia...never liked the sound of their albums.

Yeah I know - it sucks when albums are GOOD.

You just can't stand the fact someone thinks Asia sucks.

I was the same way when I was 13.
I hated it when people didn't like what I liked,but ofcourse had no problem critizising them for what they liked.

[BRETT5150]

"Girls with Guns" is amongst my next picks to complete my Styx and Styx related collection.

But "Ambition" to me, is one hell of an album. I love it. The production maybe a little dated, but the writing is excellent. I was watching Sly Stallones "Lock up" the other day, and did'nt realize the song over the ending credits was "Ever since the world began" but done by Survivor. This was on "Ambition" and Tommy done it better.

[kansas666]

I have never liked any of Mike Stone's albums. Journey, Asia...never liked the sound of their albums.

Mike Stone engineered Queen's "A Day at the Races"

What's not to like about that?

[Higgy]

6* of 10.Jon Hotten.

GWG marked a productive time for TS.He'd recorded 3 platinum albums with Styx,but by the time of GWG,he seemed to be losing a power struggle w DDY over the direction the band should take.DeYoung had masterminded the concept hits of PT and KWH-and Styx went on hiaus while both recorded solo albums.Shaw seemed to have more gas in the tank.Girls...is too clever and too lovingly crafted to be written off as a sideshow MOR.The ballads,notably Lonely School,are less saccharine than DDY's famous Babe,while Shaw adds enough twist to straight-up radio rock like Heads Up and the title track to elevate it above the humdrum.

While Girls with Guns has its moments, my biggest beef with it is the production quality. With the exception of the title track, the backing vocals are bland and without any personality what so ever. Ambition is a much stronger effort IMHO.

I have never liked any of Mike Stone's albums. Journey, Asia...never liked the sound of their albums.

Yeah I know - it sucks when albums are GOOD.

You just can't stand the fact someone thinks Asia sucks.

I was the same way when I was 13.
I hated it when people didn't like what I liked,but ofcourse had no problem critizising them for what they liked.

Perhaps you haven't aged as much as you think you have.

[sniper16]

im going to have to listen to ambition again, i dont remember it being anything outstanding back then.
GWG was an ok album. sold the cd for 75.00 nice
i love just about anything mike stone produced
hagars 3 lock box included.
great rock sound, live honest. if you dont like his production, you must not like the genre

[MCM]

Someone at Classic Rock must be a fan as the Ambition reissue rec'd a favorable write up when it was releases... they called him "the quiet man of AOR" wonder what that was supposed to mean??