L.A. Guns still cocked and loaded on Cocked And Loaded Live

Out now: L.A. Guns' hair metal classic Cocked & Loaded revisited – again!

By Paul Elliott
( Classic Rock )
published
L.A. Guns: Cocked And Loaded Live
(Image: © Frontiers)

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We’ve been here before. In 2000, the definitive lineup of L.A. Guns reunited for a remake of the band’s 1989 album Cocked & Loaded – titled, inevitably, Cocked & Re-Loaded. 

There are two versions of the band now in competition, and it’s the superior version, led by founder and lead guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis, that made Cocked And Loaded Live. 

Recorded in Las Vegas in 2020, it’s a straight run-through of one of the last great albums from the golden age of Hollywood glam-metal. 

The band are tight, Lewis’s unique voice is still strong, and amid the sleazy hard rock bangers it’s The Ballad Of Jayne that shines brightest – from these badasses, a beautiful song.

Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”