Hard Vision

Bernie Torme
"Stratocaster Gypsy"
(Angel Air Waves)
by Jonathan Mariante

This is a collection of rare live performances and video clips (seventeen in all) of Bernie Torme performing in various venues around England. Most of them are from the 80s and have never seen the light of day until now (some I believe were filmed for British TV). They really dug deep into the archives for these. All are enjoyable performances, showing Bernie and his band rocking out, more often than not sporting big 80s hair! Most feature Phil Lewis (later of LA Guns) on vocals. Yes, these were his humble beginnings. While he went on to bigger things, the same unfortunately cannot be said for Bernie. He's been playing for over three decades and has had played with some of rock's biggest legends, including Ozzy Osbourne and Ian Gillan, yet he's never been able to break into the big time and remains relatively unknown, at least on this side of the pond. That's quite a shame because he is a very good guitarist. He plays raunchy, bluesy hard rock, a little on the glammy side, in the vein of Aerosmith or Hanoi Rocks. His playing seems very Joe Perry influenced. Bernie, in an interview on this DVD, also cites Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, among others, as influences. He really rocks on stage, smoking on his fretboard and making his guitar talk seriously. This guy can play for sure, so why he's not a household name is beyond me. Some of the performances look like bootlegs or amateur recordings, so the quality isn't always top notch, but they're still enjoyable and show off Bernie's talent. Also included on the DVD are the aforementioned interview, in which Bernie pretty much tells his life story and talks about his career, experiences, and the people he's worked with. There is also a picture gallery, a memorabilia gallery, and a bio/discography. As I said it's a shame a great guitarist like Bernie has been overlooked for so long, so if you want to hear a hell of a guitar player playing classic style hard rock, then check him out. You won't be disappointed. If you're a guitar player you might learn a trick or two from him.