Tesla: Dave Rude, Frank Hannon, Jeff Keith, Troy Luccketta, Brian Wheat.

Audio Mixers: Frank Hannon; Tom Zutaut; Brian Wheat; Michael Rosen .

Recording information: Sonic Ranch Studios, Tornillo, TX.

Photographer: Pat Schneider.

Possibly taking a nod from the kind of marketing savvy pioneered by the likes of Prince, meat-and-potatoes hard rockers Tesla initially offered the second disc of tracks from their REAL TO REEL sessions free with the purchase of a concert ticket. Continuing with the first set's theme of beloved '60s and '70s covers, REAL TO REEL 2 also features Tesla's first foray into recording with new member Dave Rude (replacing original guitarist Tommy Skeoch).

So you just can't get enough of hearing melodic metallists Tesla covering their heroes, eh? Well, if that's the case, then you're in luck -- just a few months after the arrival of their 2007 all-covers set, Real to Reel, comes another similarly styled set, Real to Reel, Vol. 2. Like its predecessor, you'll find tracks that will leave you wondering, "Why even bother?," since there is no hope of topping the definitive/classic originals ("Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones, "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople, etc.). But that said, the lads do succeed on dusting off some great/oft-overlooked tracks, namely "Seasons of Wither" by Aerosmith (arguably Aerosmith's most underrated ballad ever), "Make It Last" by Montrose, and "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" by ZZ Top. And they even manage to capture the unmistakable laid-back '70s vibe of Peter Frampton's jamfest, "Do You Feel Like We Do." There's no denying the glut of '80s bands suddenly finding it necessary to flaunt their roots with all-covers albums in the early 21st century, but that said, that there are certainly a few stand-out performances contained on Real to Reel, Vol. 2. ~ Greg Prato