Vixen - The Best of Vixen: Full Throttle

Jan's New Band

Drawing Down the Moon is Jan Kuehnemund's new all-girl group. I listened to their new CD, "Angel In My Dream," last night and Jan is still wonderful. Like Vixen, there's more than one lead singer and it's straight-ahead guitar rock - -but with superlative lyrics. A definite buy!

October 8, 2005

Normally, compilations are sloppy. The one exception: Vixen

The Best Of Vixen: Full Throttle(1998). Compilation comprising of the best tracks from Vixen's first two albums: Vixen(1988) and Rev It Up(1991), plus a couple of unreleased tracks.

Hard Rock and Glam Metal. In those two genres normally dominated by male bands such as Motley Crue, Scorpions, Poison, and Def Leppard, one band rose up and proved that "Female hardrock can play with the best of them." Vixen was that band. Sporting a style that sounds like a combination of Heart and Lita Ford, Vixen launched a very brief career with only 3 real hits: Cryin', Love Is A Killer, and Edge Of A Broken Heart. However, even in that short time these hot girls showed that they could really rock the house down with passion! The best part about them is that their other material is equally great, and most of it could've easily become hits, given the proper airplay attention.
Here's the breakdown according to albums:

VIXEN (self-titled debut)-1988
tracks: Edge Of A Broken Heart, Cryin', Love Made Me, Charmed Life, and Cruisin'
comments: Great songs. American Dream and One Night Alone are also good too, but the ones chosen for this compilation are still the better picks.

REV IT UP-1991
tracks: How Much Love, Love Is A Killer, Not A Minute Too Soon, Streets In Paradise, Bad Reputation, and Fallen Hero.
comments: Much more emphasis on this album, though it is the better of the two. Hard 16 is another good track that could've been on here, but once again the song choices made were perfect for representing the album. Fallen Hero is a major standout track as it shifts from a melodic ambient verse to an all-out rocking chorus.

UNRELEASED (new tracks)-exact years unknown
tracks: Give It Away(b-side), and I Want You To Rock Me(live)
comments: Give It Away proves to be a decent melodic fast song that should have made the cut for the debut album, though the other songs on here outshine it a bit. I actually like the studio version of I Want You To Rock Me better, though it's not bad at all. Still, its inclusion on here is perfectly appropriate and shows that Vixen can pull off a real performance well.

Overall, I am EXTREMELY impressed with how well this compilation is put together. There isn't a single song that I don't like on here, though my favorites are Fallen Hero, Streets In Paradise, Edge Of A Broken Heart, and How Much Love. Full Throttle easily gets five stars hands down. Before you look at the tracklist and suddenly don't remember most of these songs being famous at all, keep in mind: THIS IS A BEST OF COMPILATION, NOT A GREATEST HITS COLLECTION. Plus, even though it takes many songs off of only two albums, BOTH OF THEM ARE NOW OUT OF PRINT, SO THIS COLLECTION IS THE ONLY REAL WAY TO GET THEM. Both of these facts boost the quality of this collection even more. If you're a fan of Heart, Lita Ford, Pat Benatar, or any other female 80s hard rock bands, then by all means PICK THIS UP NOW. It is guarunteed not to disappoint. If you're not, then I at least recommend giving it a try. To this day, it is one of my favorite cds, and one of the few compilation discs that truly captures a band in their prime.

Also, Vixen apparently released another album many years later, titled Tangerine(1997). I haven't heard any of it, though I've been told that it sounds much different than the music on this collection. March 30, 2003

Great compilation from one of the best hard rock bands

I decided to purchase this greatest hits a year and a half ago because I really like hard rock/heavy metal bands. I definitely wasn't disappointed with Vixen. I now have all of their albums, and they have remained one of my favorite bands of all time. If you can come across their first two albums, which are out of print, and the 1998 Tangerine, be sure to try them as well. I really hope they release another one someday. My favorite tracks on Full Throttle are: "How Much Love," "Cryin'," "Love is a Killer," "Streets in Paradise," "I Want You to Rock Me (Live)," "Fallen Hero," and "Cruisin'." Purchase this if you're like me, and love hard rock/heavy metal. You won't be disappointed. December 20, 2002

Vixen really rocks!

Full Throttle is loaded up with good material. You just gotta have it. If you like Heart, Lita Ford, and Doro Pesch, there's no doubt about it--Vixen's gonna be one of your favorite purchases. And guys, this would make an excellent x-mas gift for your girlfriends. December 2, 2001

First, the compilation, now they need to follow through.

It's sad, really. A great female rock band release one really ungodly lousy album called 'Tangerine', and only one year later they release a compilation of they're obviously better stuff from the late 80s early 90s. Even though this is just a compilation, take into consideration that they're first two albums are out-of-print in the USA, and probably cost too much money to buy as imports. So if you REALLY want to know what true Vixen is, buy this compilation; don't waste money on 'Tangerine.'

After they reclaim all they're lost fans, will Vixen release a new album in the 80s style that they once were? I hope so. I'd hate to see another good band bite the dust. October 6, 2000

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