What's wrong with Jake E Lee?

Basvarken · May 04, 2011, 09:46:43 AM

Does anybody know what happened to Jake E Lee?
His work with Ozzy was excellent. And all three Badlands albums are still among my all time favorites.
Amazing guitarist with a very recognizable style.

But he's been off radar for over a decade.
I bought his Retraced album, which was just a disappointing bunch of cover songs.
I had hoped this would be sort of a teaser for the audience to announce his return. But after that nothing happened.

He seems to be in a three piece band doing pubs gigs in Vegas.
WHY?

Their drummer is a horrible singer. The guitar solo is a train wreck.
Drunk ass in the audience makes it even worse.

What is the story?
Alcohol? Drugs? Some other illness?

OldManC · May 04, 2011, 09:59:34 AM

I think someone in the band is a friend of his. He was just sitting in. A friend of mine worked with him off and on a while ago but they never toured. Jake is known to be a bit of a recluse and there were rumors of drug problems but I have no idea whether they are/were true. He doesn't see too well but I don't know if that plays into his not being very active these days. I like Jake's playing and would love to hear something new.

Basvarken · May 04, 2011, 10:06:44 AM

Quote from: OldManC on May 04, 2011, 09:59:34 AM
He doesn't see too well but I don't know if that plays into his not being very active these days.

Hey that never stopped Jeff Healey!

Quote from: OldManC on May 04, 2011, 09:59:34 AM
I like Jake's playing and would love to hear something new.

+1

uwe · May 04, 2011, 12:29:02 PM

He was near blind already in Ozzy days, that can't be a reason. On the Badlands rereleases there is a comment by the bass player along the lines of: "Letting Eric (Singer) go at the time (after the first album) was a mistake. He was right, we were wrong. And look where he is today, playing with two great bands (Kiss and Alice Cooper), while Jake and I are pretty much kicking our feet."

He was the best Ozzy guitarist - Randy Rhoads myth and frenzy or not (I saw Rhoads live with Ozzy - charming and youthful, but sloppy). And the Bob Daisley/Carmine Appice/Jake E. Lee/Don Airey line up was by far the best and most musical Ozzy ever had.

The Badlands stuff was great too.

OldManC · May 04, 2011, 02:00:30 PM

Quote from: uwe on May 04, 2011, 12:29:02 PM
He was near blind already in Ozzy days, that can't be a reason.

But he was also young and hungry. Years and mileage are hard enough on those of us who have no disabilities, maybe for Jake it's one more thing that makes him prefer to live quietly these days. It takes a certain breed to put up (year after year) with the rock star life at any level, let alone the workhorse and/or hired hand end of the spectrum (which is as high as Jake ever got even with Ozzy). His priorities could have changed over the years. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Jake out there, creating and touring. He just seems more content (last I heard a few years ago) to stay at home with his dogs and work on his cars.

Basvarken · May 04, 2011, 02:33:25 PM

Okay I can understand that some artists get fed up with touring.
But why should that get in the way with creating great studio albums?
The guy is a genius on guitar, but he hasn't made a decent album since Badlands split...

nofi · May 04, 2011, 03:58:20 PM

what's the mystery here. it seems jake has had enough his job. don't you ever feel that way. just because he is who he is does not obligate him to anyone or anything.

Basvarken · May 04, 2011, 04:07:47 PM

If that's what it is.
I'd like to know what happened. Nobody (here) seems to know exactly.

Bill Withers got fed up with the music industry and just quit making records.
But at least he told us.

Jake E Lee didn't really quit, but he just makes half hearted productions. (Fine Pink Mist, Running With the Devil - VH tribute, Retraced)
Seeing that video -that I posted here- made me think something must have gone terribly wrong with him.

EDIT:
some more sad stuff.

That shemale drummer/singer claims they're really a band. With "legendary" bass player (who seems to have studied really long and hard on an intriguing look with curled eyebrows). They're gonna do a "big festival with Paul McCartney headlining"...

original "composition" by the drummer. Must have been a HUGE monkey

Something is definitely wrong

lowend1 · May 05, 2011, 04:38:55 PM

Rob and George, you pretty much hit on all of it - and having said that, I'll refrain from making any further comment, since it would all be second hand (I wasn't there). By most accounts, Jake has made some pretty bad choices all around since the demise of Badlands.

OldManC · May 05, 2011, 05:13:26 PM

There are some self defeating issues that have been talked about on various music forums over the years. Jake's daughter has been known to speak fairly openly about some of them on those forums. My best understanding of them comes second hand at best so I didn't really want to post specifics. I wish him the best as a fan and just as a person. He's a talented guy and from all reports a really nice one at that. The entertainment business has been known to chew up nice guys until there's not much left. Between that and the demons (self inflicted or not) I'd imagine Jake may not be doing things on a large scale any time soon.

Basvarken · November 24, 2013, 04:53:01 AM

Looks like he's got it sorted.

A new album is coming soon

http://www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases/frontiersrecords/red-dragon-cartel.htm

amptech · November 24, 2013, 06:40:02 AM

Quote from: Basvarken on May 04, 2011, 09:46:43 AM
Some other illness?

Metal fatigue

nofi · November 24, 2013, 07:28:12 AM

i saw him play on a current tv show a few months ago. he seems intact.

lowend1 · November 24, 2013, 09:51:18 AM

If you're speaking of his appearance on "That Metal Show" with Eddie Trunk (The Oprah of heavy metal), Jake spoke well, was obviously on his best behavior, and addressed some issues that I would have never expected him to (his contact with Ray Gillen before he died, songwriting credits), but playing-wise he was a shadow of his former self. He seems to have righted the ship somewhat on the RDC song, but again, compared to the Badlands or Ozzy material, it's weak all around. The "video" is more than a tad ridiculous and they spelled the word "toil" wrong (there is no "e" at the end of the word). One wonders why they would bother making a video at all.

uwe · November 24, 2013, 05:24:27 PM

The Italian Frontiers label is the elephants' graveyard for AOR, hard rock and glam rock acts that were huge in the eighties. It's where bands and solo acts like Nightranger, Robin Beck, Toto, John Waite, Styx etc release their current material. I'm not knocking the label, I'm glad it exists, but it does cater to an audience that thinks that Hughes Thrall or Icon were more relvant to music than Nirvana (hey, I prefer Hughes Thrall over Nirvana too!).

So that is really not a commercial return in strength, but acceptance of the fact that you are an 80ies rock veteran hero. Which won't keep me from getting the CD (though the news of Paul Di'Anno guesting makes me wary ...), I like Jake E. Lee a lot, I must be one of the few people on earth that actually like Ozzy's The Ultimate Sin album ...