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THE AVATAR YEARS (1981/1982/1983, 2011) PAR RECORDS (BOOTLEG)

Before they became known as Savatage the band was called Avatar. They used this name during the years 1978-1983, and even recorded Savatage's first two LP's using this name (the full story can be read here). This bootleg does a good job in trying to compile everything the band released under the name Avatar, and then some!

The first time Avatar was put on an official release was in 1982, when a local radio station put them on their compilation album, after battling for the spot with several other Florida acts. "Rock Me" and "Minus Love" opened each side of the LP. Then, a year later, Avatar released a 45" EP, entitled 'City Beneath The Surface'. In addition to the title track it also had "The Whip" and "Sirens" on it. All these songs are of the more familiar stuff for long time Savatage fans (the latter 3 are also the only songs her that have been released under the Savatage moniker). Another pretty familiar recording is the parking lot gig in Clearwater the band did in 1981. This was filmed, and numerous bootlegs exists. The band performed several cover songs that day, as well as some original material. Here we get 3 of them, namely "Firestorm", "Sun Thor" and "Mind Invasion" (the 2 latter I've also seen named "Sun Dog" and "Mind Evasion" on other bootlegs). Other originals were also played during this concerts, but got omitted from this particular CD as studio versions of these songs that also exists are preferred.

But it doesn't end there, as this bootleg holds a lot more! The remaining 11 tracks on 'The Avatar Years' consists of the earliest recorded material from Avatar, recorded at the bands rehearsal room, named "The Pit", in Florida during a period of time between 1981 - 1982. These are perhaps the most interesting songs here, as many of them are pretty much early versions and ideas that was later down the line used for Savatage songs. Some might also recognize song titles, such as "No More Saturday Nights" and "Walk Upon The Water", as Jon Oliva's Pain used them on some of his albums. In fact, many of these songs have a lot in common with the way Jon Oliva's band sounds, with clear The Beatles and Queen references baked into a heavy metal mold formed by Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and Accept. "Walk Upon The Water" is also noticeable as it features most of the chorus later used for "This Is Where You Should Be", another rarity in the Savatage song-treasure!

The sound quality on these recordings vary, and that is only natural, as most of these were never officially released, and certainly not on any digital media! These have been carefully compiled from various tapes, LP's and videos, and taking those factors into consideration I think 'The Avatar Years' sounds darn good! Thanks so much to Brian for getting me this collector's gem!

BY THE GRACE OF THE WITCH - LIVE 1984 (1984, 2011) CORROSIVE ENTERTAINMENT (BOOTLEG)

This is probably the earliest recorded Savatage concert available! It was taped in Brandon, Florida during the tour for 'The Dungeons Are Calling', more precisely on September 30th, 1984. 'The Dungeons Are Calling' had been in the shops since March, and the next album, 'Power Of The Night', was not released for another 6 months or so. The setlist for this night was pretty cool, as it contains most of the highlights from 'Sirens' and 'The Dungeons Are Calling', but also 4 tracks from the upcoming 'Power Of The Night' album ("Fountain Of Youth", "Stuck On You", "Warriors" and "Power Of The Night"). There is a cool "leftover" song from the Avatar days, called "No More Saturday Nights". This song was never recorded by Savatage, but Jon Oliva used the title and rewrote the song for his 'Global Warning' album. But perhaps the coolest thing about this bootleg are the songs that were never used on any Savatage album, but clearly written after the name change from Avatar to Savatage. "Four On The Floor", "Lady In Leather" and "Guardians Of Forever" are all titles that appears nowhere but here! The band also rips through a cover of Accept's "Son Of A Bitch" towards the end, which is also unusual, as they seldom did cover songs, even during the early years.

The band was on fire that night in September, so the only downer here is of course the sound quality. Graded C by most bootleg collectors, these tracks could use some heavy hiss-reduction treatment! Still, this is a pretty mandatory piece of Savatage history, so I am thankful to Brian for hooking me up with this! I should also mention that the song "Visions" is mislabeled as "Visions Of Hell" in the track list.

CINCINNATI KIDS - LIVE 1991 (1991, 2011) CORROSIVE ENTERTAINMENT (BOOTLEG)

Savatage caught live during the 'Streets' tour. This particular concert was taped in Cincinnati on December 16th, 1991. On this tour the band had John Zahner (later also in Circle II Circle and Jon Oliva's Pain) playing keyboards with them, freeing up Jon to concentrate on the singing alone. Chris Caffery was no longer touring with the band, as he had done during the 'Gutter Ballet' tour, so Criss Oliva was once again the sole guitar player. Not hat he ever needed a sidekick, as he so nicely demonstrates here!

The 'Streets' tour saw the band playing almost identical set list all throughout the tour. So there are no real surprises here. And since the quality of this recording is only a grade B, this is not exactly the most exciting Savatage bootleg out there. The sound quality isn't bad, but the vocals are very upfront, while all the instruments are somewhat buried in the back. It's by no means an un-listenable bootleg, but better gigs from this tour are available for those who know where to look. My version omits the song "Of Rage And War", probably due to the recording errors I've heard during this track on other versions of this bootleg. And for some reason the songs "Hounds" and "Strange Wings" are both split into 2 tracks each here.

Still, it's always cool to own a piece of history from your favorite band, and Savatage always gives 100% in all their concerts. This Cincinnati gig was no exception! Hearing Jon belch it out on "Tonight He Grins Again", "Hounds" and "Gutter Ballet" is always a treat. And when they include my all time favorite, "Believe", I'm having the time of my life, regardless of the flaws mentioned earlier!

CHANCE (1994) ATLANTIC (Radio promo)

A nice collector's item, this is a radio promo for the track "Chance". But the real reason to own this are the 2 rehearsal tracks, and most noticeable is Zak doing "Sirens". It also contains the radio edit for the title track, also available on the 2002 re-released US version of 'Handful Of Rain'!

LIVE DEVASTATION (1995) METAL BLADE (Promo)

This is actually quite a gem in my Savatage collection. Metal Blade wanted to release this live CD, and sent out a promo. But they never got the green light to release it, because the band was not pleased with it's content. Thus the album was never properly released, and all that exists are these cardboard promo-releases. So although I almost never listen to it, it's certainly a cool thing to own, complete with cover-artwork done by Gary Smith. The sleeve gives no info on where or when these tracks are recorded, but none of the tracks are recorded after the 'Gutter Ballet' tour. What a treat to have "Thorazine Shuffle" recorded live!! This was a bonus-track from the original "Gutter Ballet" CD release. Also old forgotten tracks like "Twisted Little Sister", "Midas Knight" and "I Believe" are here! The sound quality isn't as good as on the officially released live-albums, so that is the only downside to this CD. If you ever find a copy (I picked one up in Germany many years ago) snatch it!

ROCK HARD LEGENDS SAVATAGE SPECIAL(1996)

Rock Hard is Germany's premier heavy metal magazine. In 1996 they gave the buyer something extra, devoting an extra 30 page magazine to Savatage, in memory of the 15th anniversary of the tragic death of Criss Oliva. I'm not sure if this was meant to be the first in a series of Rock Hard Legends special issues, but so far I have only ever seen this Savatage one. The magazine gives you a thorough walk through the bands career up to that point, as well as short bios of each member of he band. There are also plenty of pictures provided, of course. The only downside to the mag is that it is all written in German. I've over the years managed to find English translation written online, but as of writing this I am unable to re-find any of them.

8X10 PROMO FOR 'THE WAKE OF MAGELLAN' (1997)

When I attended my first Savatage gig in Hamburg, Germany on November 2nd, 1997, I bought so many shirts from the merchandise table, the seller at the stand gave me this 8X10 photo as a freebie. I got it signed when I met the band on tour again in 1998.

COMMISSAR (2001) SPV/STEAMHAMMER (CD-S)

This pre-released single for 'Poets And Madmen' is essential for the track "Voyage". That is if you do not already own the Japanese 'The Best And The Rest' compilation. Other than that, this is not worth owning, as both the other tracks can be found on the regular album.

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