Rabbit Don't Come Easy

Infobox Album | Name = Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Type = studio
Artist = Helloween


Released = May 20, 2003
Recorded =
Genre = Power metal
Length = 61:13
Label = Nuclear Blast
Producer = Charlie Bauerfeind
Reviews =
* Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:stcm965okep8 link]
Last album = "The Dark Ride"
(2000)
This album = "Rabbit Don't Come Easy"
(2003)
Next album = "Keeper of the Seven Keys - The Legacy"
(2005)

"Rabbit Don't Come Easy" is the eleventh album by the German power metal/heavy metal band Helloween. It is something of a return to the roots for the band. Rabbit Don't Come Easy combines many old classic Helloween elements with newer sounds and a modern production.

No drummer is listed in the band line-up for this album. Mark Cross was hired for the position before recording, but only managed to complete two tracks ("Don't Stop Being Crazy" and "Listen to The Flies") before being forced to leave due to illness. Mikkey Dee of Motörhead played on the rest of the songs on a session basis. The Japanese version contains a cover of Accept's "Fast as a Shark," with the band's new drummer, Stefan Schwarzmann.

About the album title, bassist Markus Grosskopf explained in 2003 thet "It's based on that English saying, pulling a rabbit out of the hat. Pulling this rabbit [the album] out of this hat [in reference to recent line up changes] wasn't that easy this time. That gave us the idea of just calling the album 'Rabbit Don't Come Easy'. [Laughs] It's not to be taken too seriously. We were joking that statement around, and then I suggested we actually call the album that". [ [http://www.metalstorm.ee/pub/interview.php?interview_id=7 Helloween interview (10/2003) - Metal Storm ] ]

About the recording of the album, singer Andi Deris said in 2003 that producer Charlie Bauerfeind "shows on this new record that he is the biggest fan of our genre of music because he knows how to separate the frequencies and knows where the power has to be. You have to imagine that this type of music is so packed with frequencies that it is nearly impossible to mix because it is so overloaded and you have to single out all of the instruments so you can hear them all". [ [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=10142 BLABBERMOUTH.NET - HELLOWEEN Singer Speaks Out On 'Rabbit Don't Come Easy' ] ]

After the controversial release of The Dark Ride, according to Grosskopf, "The record company also wanted us to show that were are back. This song Just a Little Sign represents the more typical side of Helloween, and that's what we wanted to make clear. You can't really represent a whole album with one track, but this shows exactly where the album actually goes. It's more of that 'happy happy Helloween' direction. It shows that this album is not a sequel to 'The Dark Ride'". [ [http://www.metalstorm.ee/pub/interview.php?interview_id=7 Helloween interview (10/2003) - Metal Storm ] ]

Track listing

# "Just a Little Sign" (Lyrics & music: Deris) – 4:26
# "Open Your Life" (Lyrics: Deris; music: Gerstner/Deris) – 4:30
# "The Tune" (Lyrics & music: Weikath) – 5:35
# "Never Be a Star" (Lyrics & music: Deris) – 4:10
# "Liar" (Lyrics: Deris; music: Deris/Grosskopf/Gerstner) – 4:55
# "Sun 4 the World" (Lyrics: Deris; music: Gerstner) – 3:55
# "Don't Stop Being Crazy" (Lyrics & music: Deris) – 4:21
# "Do You Feel Good" (Lyrics & music: Weikath) – 4:22
# "Hell Was Made in Heaven" (Lyrics: Deris; music: Grosskopf) – 5:33
# "Back against the Wall" (Lyrics: Deris; music: Deris/Weikath) – 5:44
# "Listen to the Flies" (Lyrics: Deris; music: Gerstner/Deris) – 4:52
# "Nothing to Say" (Lyrics & music: Weikath) – 8:27
# "Far Away" (Lyrics & music: Grosskopf) – 4:18 (Extra Track on Limited Edition)
# "Fast As A Shark" ("Accept" cover) - 3:38 (Japan Bonus Track)

Credits

*Andi Deris - Vocals
*Michael Weikath - Guitars
*Sascha Gerstner - Guitars
*Markus Grosskopf - Bass
*Mikkey Dee - Drums on Tracks 1-6, 8-10, 12, 13 (session)
*Mark Cross - Drums on Tracks 7, 11 (session)
*Stefan Schwarzmann - Drums on Track 14

Notes