For those who firmly believe 1986 was the best year for metal album releases, there’s no denying Tesla was a big reason. Within a calendar period that yielded timeless gems such as Master of Puppets, Peace Sells . . . But Who’s Buying?, To Hell With the Devil, Dancing Undercover and Slippery When Wet, bands such as Cinderella and Poison unleashed their popular debuts as well.
Tesla did the same but with one major caveat: they weren’t supposed to be lumped into the glam-metal category. Nevertheless, Mechanical Resonance shot Tesla to the conscience of rockers and metalheads on the strength of MTV hit “Modern Day Cowboy” whether they were in their hometown of Sacramento, California, on the Sunset Strip of Hollywood or here in San Antonio. Their second effort The Great Radio Controversy defied the dreaded sophomore jinx and was a bigger success thanks to the ballad “Love Song.”
So what in the heck was Tesla doing by fixing something that wasn’t broke when their third album ended up being a live acoustic release? Flourishing, that’s what.
To say Five Man Acoustical Jam was a gamble that paid off would be an understatement. The recording that combined hits from the first two albums plus covers such as The Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’ “ and The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” spawned the smash cover of “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band.
Not bad for a band known as City Kidd that changed its name during the recording of its first album (note to millennials: Tesla is named after inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, not an electric vehicle).
Fast forward 34 years, and original members in vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Frank Hannon, bassist/keyboardist Brian Wheat, drummer Troy Luccketta and 14-year member and guitarist Dave Rude have marked three decades of that effort by releasing Five Man London Jam on March 27. Recorded on June 12, 2019, at The Beatles’ famed Abbey Road Studios, the record offers up a variety from its 1990 acoustical predecessor plus tracks ranging from 1991’s Psychotic Supper to last year’s Shock.
But it wasn’t always fun and fame for Tesla starting out. Keith recalled many lazy days and crazy nights getting booed offstage during their first tour when he discussed a variety of topics with Alamo True Metal on Thursday. Click the widget below to hear our entire conversation, and check out a few videos past and present plus photos of Keith in action over the years from the Alamodome and Aztec Theatre.
