Steelheart - Still Hard DVD

It was February 1991 and I was in Tokyo participating in the World Aerobics Championships. While wandering through the CD stores near Akihabara, I picked up a copy of the ‘Steelheart’ CD, took one look at the band photo and decided it was worth a punt.  I never looked back.  As far as I was concerned, Miljenko “Mili” Matijevic‘s vocals knocked everybody else into a cocked hat, even the likes of Mark Slaughter and Tony Harnell.  With his powerful multi octave range, the passion and depth of his vocals became the hallmark of the Steelheart sound.  He was truly the heart and soul of the band and epitomised everything that was great about 80’s rock.  Two years ago I tracked down a rare copy of this DVD.  Now, with the re-launch of www.SteelHeart.com including a brand new fully functional Steelheart store on 10th May this year, I am happy to report it is a lot easier to obtain.  There are 222 minutes of pure gold on two discs, and at a mere $20 plus shipping, this music DVD is the best value for money that I’ve ever come across. 

Disc 1 opens with a montage of live clips including one which is particularly chilling to watch.  The first chapter is the live show from the Festival Hall, Osaka on October 5th 1990.  The set is understandably taken from the debut album as the follow up ‘Tangled in Reins’ wasn’t released until two years later.  The exception is ‘Girl Gone Crazy’ which wasn’t on the album, but was most probably either a B-side (as singles were still popular then), or a bonus track on the Japanese pressing.  Three tracks are actually omitted from the concert footage; ‘Everybody Loves Eileen’, ‘Sheila’ and ‘Love 'Em And I'm Gone,’ but given that there is so much other content, I’m guessing there were space issues on the DVD.  Mili puts in an athletic performance, leaning back and screaming with the microphone held high, running and shimmying across the stage, shaking his blond locks during the sustained notes, executing lots of fast spins and interacting enthusiastically with the crowd, including jumping into the pit between the barrier and the stage.  

There are five official music videos of the big hits including ‘Everybody Loves Eileen’ and ‘She’s Gone’ with subtitles for the lyrics. This never fails to spark off a bout of Steelheart karaoke each time I play them. 

The final chapter on Disc 1 is the Acoustic shows, the first of which is Hong Kong’s version of MTV Unplugged where Mili is accompanied by bass player James Ward on acoustic guitar and piano. On ‘Mama Don’t You Cry’ from the 1992 follow up album ‘Tangled in Reins’ he accompanies himself on the piano.  The second acoustic show is from a Japanese TV programme called Bang Up Rock which was recorded during a promotional tour of Asia in support of the comeback album ‘Wait’ in 1996.  ‘Electric Chair’ and ‘Shangrila’ are the two songs featured, with Mili on lead vocals and guitar and his then guitarist, Kenny Kanowski, who had sung backing vocals on Slaughter’s debut album, also supplying backing vocals here.  

Disc 2 features a bootleg concert at Toad’s Place in New Haven, Connecticut, home of Steelheart, on August 27th 1991.  Again, given the era, the songs are from the debut.  During the first song the sweat is already dripping from Mili, which shows how much energy he puts into his performance.  An instrumental jam half way through the set allows the charismatic singer to undergo a costume change and he comes back wearing dark glasses, cowboy hat and long coat, smoking a cheroot and wielding a bottle of tequila which he takes two swigs from before summoning guitarists Chris Risola, who performs some nice slide work during the interlude, and Frank Di Constanzo to do the same. He then shakes the rest into the crowd!  Actually, I prefer watching this live show to the one in Osaka, as the Japanese audiences tend to be a bit more reserved.  The sound isn’t the greatest, with a tendency to fade in and out, but it definitely captures the spirit and the attitude of the band and the performance.   There is a bit of fast zooming during ‘Down n’ Dirty’ which is rather annoying and not recommended after too many tequilas … perhaps the cameraman was in that position himself! 

The extras include TV appearances, two “making of” videos, a photo gallery and three pieces of interview footage with the band, where Mili is the main spokesman.  Interestingly, there is some amateur footage of ‘Red Alert’ singing ‘No Mercy’ live at Pinecrest Country Club in Shelton, CT, on September 5th 1983.  With his stage clothing and aerial split jump from the stage, it doesn’t take a genius to spot that Mili is a major David Lee Roth fan.  To his right, Chris Risola gives his best Eddie Van Halen as well as sporting a slightly dodgy moustache!   For the uninitiated, Red Alert was the original name of the band, but when they got their contract with MCA, they discovered that the name was already taken and settled on ‘Steelheart’, allegedly because of their attitude after trying to get a record deal for so long.

The final video is from Denver Colorado on 31st October 1992 when the band opened for Slaughter on the final night of the tour.  While performing the song "Dancing in the Fire" Mili climbed a lighting truss not knowing it was improperly secured.  He tried to evade the falling rig, but it struck him on the head, pinning him face down to the stage, breaking his nose, cheekbone and jaw and creating a wound in the back of his head that required 28 stitches.  He was very lucky not to die from his injuries.  For Steelheart the band though, it was all over. The fact that Mili not only survived, but has returned stronger than ever to the music industry, is testament to the man’s passion, dogged determination and iron will.    

To sum up, if you never had the chance to discover Steelheart, this is very highly recommended as a good starting point.  For die-hard Steelheart fans, it is an absolute NECESSITY!