2007 is shaping up to be the year of Dokken. The original Unchain The Night music video compilation has just been recently re-released on DVD with four unreleased bonus videos and a 2006 interview with Don Dokken and Mick Brown. A Dokken Greatest Hits was supposedly recorded with the newest members, guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Barry Sparks, but still has yet to see any release. A brand new Dokken studio album, entitled Lightening Strikes Again, is tentatively scheduled for a September release and is hinting to a return of the sound and style of the Tooth and Nail days. To further give fans a taste of the Dokken glory days, the band has released what is probably the most welcomed surprise of 2007, From Conception - Live 1981!

Back in 2006, Don Dokken was asked to remix the original tapes for Breaking The Chains for a 25th Anniversary release. When he went to the locker where their master tapes were stored for years, he noticed some old two inch tapes that were in faded boxes labeled "Dokken Live". The tapes were moldy and Dokken wasn't sure they could be played so he baked them in an oven, then transferred them straight to a hard drive. After about a month of mixing, Dokken was able to salvage what turned out to be an incredible performance.

From Conception - Live 1981 is one of Dokken's very first live recordings and is probably their best sounding to date considering the circumstances by which this release finally saw the light of day. It portrays Dokken in their prime. It's a performance played with angst and a hunger to take on the world and gives the listener a taste of the potential this band had early on in their career. Don Dokken's vocals are perfect! George Lynch's guitar playing is incredible. It's unfortunate that the album is only ten songs (nine if you don't count the guitar solo). The material on here concentrates on the Breaking The Chains era material. Six of the tracks actually made it to the Breaking The Chains record (Paris, In The Middle, Young Girls, Night Rider, Live To Rock and Breakin The Chains). But the true gems here are three songs that never made in onto any record, (Goin Down, Hit and Run and Liar). These three tracks could have easily fit on the Breaking The Chains album. The musicianship and recording of these unreleased songs, as well as the rest of the album, is so tight and flawless that these versions could very easily be mistaken for studio ones, just with crowd noise added over them. The crowd is totally into the show, with group singing and cheering, providing that extra special energy that makes a live album LIVE!

From Conception - Live 1981 is a great addition to anyone's Dokken catalog and a true must have for any die hard fan of the band. It's a great appetizer for what hopes to be Dokken's best studio album in years