Alligator

Originally released in 1989 on IRS' Illegal Records imprint, Leslie West's Alligator seemed then and still seems now, to be mostly West treading water. He plays some hot guitar here, of course, but then not as much as one might like, and he sings a lot here, too. It all adds up to a rather ho hum album without a single track that really takes your head off, although the flashy "Hall of the Mountain King/Theme from Exodus" mini-suite sure aims for sonic decapitation, as does the screeching "Whiskey" (featuring bass by Stanley Clarke), and West's cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You" is certainly atmospheric enough.

Line-up:
Leslie West — guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Steve Luongo — drums, percussion
Jack Hotop — keyboards on "Alligator"
Stanley Clarke — bass on "Whiskey" and "All of Me”
Tony Miceli — keyboards on "Waiting for the F Change" and "I Put a Spell On You"
Johnette Napolitano — vocals on "The Stealer"